Does this look normal to you?

[SethStoddart]

If they are anodized as I assume they are it looks to me like a flaw in the finish.
You will only do damage trying to polish the finish. Its not a good idea in my eyes.

[F107plus5]

Does it look normal? No; I don't think so. My MS2i have a flawless finish, which I also believe is anodized, and any attempt to clean them up unfortunately may cause further degradation of the appearance.

....touch up of an anodic coating can sometimes be hideous looking!!

[fran]

Get back to allesandro, that looks like surface blemish to me. I know the sound isn;t affected but look at it this way: You waited patiently for 7 weeks, you expected the thing to be perfect and it isn't. Lastly, if you do decide to sell them down the line, you'll have to mention the blemishes in your ad.

See what they say,

Fran

[appar111]

For the 7 week wait and the price he paid for them (they'd run about $300 here in the states) I think that's unacceptable. I would call them to expedite an exchange or possibly a partial refund for the finish flaw.

I think if someone pays that much for a pair of headphones, they should be pristine w/ no flaws.

[OpusRob]

Originally Posted by appar111

I think if someone pays that much for a pair of headphones, they should be pristine w/ no flaws.

Agreed. I even thought of just returning them and reordering, but I didn't want to get the same ones again. Timing is everything.

[andrewx490]

wait for alessandro's response

[*645-k701]

Thats just Dodgy as.

regrets for you on that order, what a shame..

Send them back 101%, let us know how long it took alessandro
to get back to you with this rubbish.

Im amazed tbh.

(TDN)

[smeggy]

Well it's not like Grado is famous for it's pristine finishing so yeah, I'm guesing sloppy housing finish from the factory.

[Rylinkus]

I'll admit that doesn't look great. If it were me I wouldn't care that much. (At least not enough to send them back) That's just my personal preference. When I got my SR60s I was a bit amazed at the quality for the money. But the sound is good enough that I don't care at all. As far as anodizing, I don't think that aluminum is anodized. It's hard to tell from the pics. But I'm a designer in a company that works in anodized aluminum. And that doesn't look like our stuff. To me it looks like imperfections in the aluminum itself. And I wonder if you polished it, sanded it, or whatever if it would matter. If it bothers you that much, (And I'm certainly not saying it shouldn't), then see what Alessandro says about em.

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Originally Posted by OpusRob

Tried alcohol - no effect. (was I supposed to drink it?)

Haha... I heard the ethanol mod changes the sound signature of all phones considerably. It gives a warmer sound, very nice for winter nights.

If it's indeed strain in the aluminum then there isn't much you can do about that... maybe put the housing in an oven and try to anneal it?

Ok, I'll say it first. That was a silly idea.