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Grado V Sennheiser 1/4-1/8 adapter

post #1 of 20
5/13/05 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
HI: I need a 1/4-1/8 adapter for my Grado 225. There is the Grado adapter that cost 15.00 + shipping and there is a Sennheiser 1/4-1/8 adapter that cost 4.61 + shipping. Would the Sennheiser adapter be as good as the Grado adapter? Has anyone heard both of these adapters?
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post #2 of 20
5/13/05 at 3:46pm
If cost is a isuue then got o radioshack and pick up a adapter there.
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post #3 of 20
5/13/05 at 6:27pm
I don't think they would sound much different. The advantage for the Grado is that it is designed to take the stress off the jack in a portable audio device. If the Sennheiser is just a plug, then it wouldn't do that. I have been using a Radio Shack adapter plug but it puts a lot of tension on the jack of a cmoy I use it for. I have just ordered the Grado adapter but have not received it. If, by chance, I find that it sounds different than the Radio Shack, I will report back accordingly.
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post #4 of 20
5/13/05 at 8:28pm
if your going to plug just a adpater with no cables then I find it hard to think it would make a sonic change
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post #5 of 20
5/13/05 at 8:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfo
I don't think they would sound much different. The advantage for the Grado is that it is designed to take the stress off the jack in a portable audio device. If the Sennheiser is just a plug, then it wouldn't do that. I have been using a Radio Shack adapter plug but it puts a lot of tension on the jack of a cmoy I use it for. I have just ordered the Grado adapter but have not received it. If, by chance, I find that it sounds different than the Radio Shack, I will report back accordingly.
Assuming the Senn adaptor is the same one that comes with HD650s, it is a similar tension-relieving design as the Grados.
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post #6 of 20
5/13/05 at 10:23pm
Thread Starter 
HI: Both the grado and Sennheiser have a short wire from the 1/4-1/8. I was just woundering if the short wire on the Grado was better than the Sennheiser wire. The sennheiser adapter is 1/3 the price of the Grado adapter. has anyone used the Sennheiser adapter?
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post #7 of 20
5/15/05 at 4:02pm
I have used both. I never noticed a difference, but I never directly compared them either. Both seemed fine to me.
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post #8 of 20
5/17/05 at 3:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfo
I have been using a Radio Shack adapter plug but it puts a lot of tension on the jack of a cmoy I use it for. I have just ordered the Grado adapter but have not received it. If, by chance, I find that it sounds different than the Radio Shack, I will report back accordingly.
I also use the Rat Shack and have also noticed lots of tension on the output jack....
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post #9 of 20
5/17/05 at 3:37am
considering the quality of headphone cables, Grado vs Sennheiser, Grado difeinitely comes out on top, so I would assume logically that the cable sennheiser uses in the adapter wouldnt be as good. I dont know though, never owned either one, though my friend needs one.
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post #10 of 20
5/17/05 at 5:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhythmdevils
considering the quality of headphone cables, Grado vs Sennheiser, Grado difeinitely comes out on top, so I would assume logically that the cable sennheiser uses in the adapter wouldnt be as good.
Not to pick on you, but I don't think that this logic necessarily holds. It's hard to say how either Grado or Sennheiser makes their adapters without having someone tear them apart to examine the materials used. I suspect that these adapters are not terribly well thought out in terms of the sonics of the wire used inside. My guess is that if this question was posed to either Grado or Sennheiser, their honest responses would be, "Huh? You've got to be kidding me! What are these head-fi guys going to worry about next!?!?" but of course neither company would give this response.

Here's a recent thread about Cardas possibly making a high end adapter , but I'm not sure if they ever have introduced the product.

Edit: I've deleted some links to 1/8"-1/4" plugs, which of course are totally irrelevant to this thread. Duh!!! What was I thinking.
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post #11 of 20
5/17/05 at 5:36am
no worries. Actually, I sometimes laugh when I realize that the only real reason I think (and probably many others as well) that the grado cable is better is becasue it is so much thicker. But a bunch of rubber doesnt really mean much
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post #12 of 20
5/17/05 at 5:44am
I've just sent an email to Brian at Cardas, so we'll see what he says in terms of the price and availability of the 1/4"-1/8" adapter that they're supposedly developing.
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post #13 of 20
5/17/05 at 6:12am
I use these sony adaptors. pretty easy to obtain in Japan... basically impossible to obtain in the states. comes in standard series (the silver-looking one) and 24K gold-plated versions.

http://photo.head-fi.org/showphoto.php?photo=2654

at least the 24K version seems to be similar to what Cardas may put out.
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post #14 of 20
5/17/05 at 11:55pm
Have used both items, so here's my own assessment.
Grado's adaptors are slightly longer and are more robust.
Sound quality through Grado is a touch warmer with a fuller presentation to the sound while the Sennheiser's have a cooler sound that seems to be more spacious. Bass sounds stronger through Grados.
For value, the Sennheisers are a no brainer.
Tried with 650, 600 w Cardas and K271 through SM3/Sik/Ipod lossless combination.
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post #15 of 20
5/18/05 at 11:50pm

Comparison of Radio Shack plug to Grado Adapter

I have only switched once between the Grado and the Radio Shack and I'm not about to keep switching. The Grado does what it is supposed to do and takes the tension off of the jack of my cmoy/mint amp and it does no harm to the sound. For this alone it is worth its cost. Sonically, it sounds very slightly fuller and richer than the Radio Shack adapter. These are very subtle differences. If I were using lesser headphones than RS-2's I'm not sure I could hear any difference.
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