An Interview With John Grado - Page 13 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Covenant · 07-31-2005, 05:01 AM

I'll join the bandwagon eagerly awaiting the interview write-up, as well as salute Zanth yet again on his awesome awesomeness

Ahh, what i wouldn't give for a nice long chat with John Grado over a cup of coffee. /me envies Zanth

Zanth · 07-31-2005, 06:47 AM

Okay, just about 3 am here...I'm beat. I posted. I left out only a tiny bit about cartridges, but I'll do that another day, I figured since this is Head-fi carts would not be on the top of the list of stuff to read..so I opted to include that later and get this up now. I may have missed some answers to questions I asked, I tried to write this in a way that was not Q1: A1, etc, particularly because the conversation did not go that way.

MrXpress · 07-31-2005, 06:48 AM

Certainly looks like a lot to read, thank you so much for your efforts in this!

Yellowjacket · 07-31-2005, 07:45 AM

I have only owned Sennheisers since I entered into the audiophile world...

But that interview makes me want to try some SR60's

Anyone wanna sell me a pair?

deadlierchair · 07-31-2005, 07:51 AM

This only makes me start itching more to get at some 325i's... :evil:

Zanth, that was well written and very clear to me throughout. I enjoyed how you were able to combine what you drew from the interview with your personal judgements that make things more accessible to readers. I'd love to hear more (hah! who wouldn't?) but take a good break after that, you definitely deserve it.

This reminds me...I've got to figure out how turntables work. I'd never feel bad giving Grado my money, especially after this. :rs1smile:

kramer5150 · 07-31-2005, 07:59 AM

Very interesting reading, THANKS!!

Wow!! He listens to wood block Xylophones and Ella Fitzgerald too!!!

Gonna have to get myself that Clapton unplugged now.

I love how my MS2 does Xylophone tones. You can feel the mallet strike and impact, hear the wood resonance and room reverberation and feel the note as it decays. Its a beautiful thing that only a Grado can do right.

This makes me want to go out and get an RA1

F1GTR · 07-31-2005, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150

Gonna have to get myself that Clapton unplugged now.

A must have for any collection. "Alberta" gets my toes tapping everytime.

Thank you so much for the incredible read Zanth. Your time and efforts are extremely appreciated.

I've never heard any Grado phone but after reading that I'm going to have to sample the RS-1's soon. I really like his philosophy of being all about the listener/client and not cratering to big corporations like Circuit City and such. That is integrity to the nth degree and I have a massive amount of respect for that attitude. He sounds like a man that knows how to appreciate the fine things in life and the family is definitely at the top of that list.

Covenant · 07-31-2005, 08:20 AM

Thank you for that review, Zanth. Only heightened my respect for John and his fine work, and increased my understanding of the well-oiled machine that is Grado.

...oh, and elevated my already difficult-to-resist temptation to grab an RS-1 i can't really afford. Damn you Zanth!

NotoriousBIG_PJ · 07-31-2005, 08:24 AM

Thanks for the read Zanth. I appreciate your efforts.

Biggie.

recstar24 · 07-31-2005, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150

I love how my MS2 does Xylophone tones. You can feel the mallet strike and impact, hear the wood resonance and room reverberation and feel the note as it decays. Its a beautiful thing that only a Grado can do right.

Ha, you should hear that impact, wood presence, and decay on a RS-1, now that's magic :rs1smile:

The first time i got rs-1's, well that was one happy birthday. I marvelled at simply how magical they can sound - they are tuned to portray music in a very live-oriented manner: you feel as if you are right there. Transients are impactful and that decay is extended and sounds like you are in a concert venue. The mids are lush with vocals upfront, the bass is somewhat wooly and the highs are very smooth. Simply put, they reproduce music in a live way, how you would hear it live in concert. The HP's however reproduce music in a very studio oriented manner, very linear and clean, precise and accurate to a fault, very neutral and transparent.

Thank you Zanth for pointing out that john's approach was somewhat different, and I feel he sought to produce a sound that was fun and engaging, as if you were sitting right in the venue itself. Thank you john for creating something truly unique and special.