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Grado Pads

post #1 of 54
11/22/06 at 10:16pm
Thread Starter 
I've been posting about weather or not to get 325i before trying to hear anything else, and I'm going to get them.

I already know from my audition that I'll want some form of flat pads. (To tone down the harshness.) I used the the yellow ones when I tried them, but I don't see those around. I do see the soft pads for $10 a set though. I thought I'd buy two sets and try one with the hole cut in the middle, if it seems like it would be any different from the stock pads then. Todd the Vinyl Junkie has the Grado made flat pads with a hole in them for $30.. Seems pretty steep for a round peice of foam. Is there any difference between those and reagular soft pads with a hole?

I'm certainly open to any other pad sources and reccomendations as well. I understand that there are many options, but I'm not looking to spend an arm and a leg as some of them cost. I'll still be happy to see them though. Thanks agian everyone!

Hmm, maybe I can find a broken pair of Senns and a hole saw and insert the grado housings right into them... That would be a nice controversial mod.
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post #2 of 54
11/22/06 at 10:36pm
Here is the link for the yellow HD414 Sennheiser pads:

http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail...ct_prod=019545

There's also a really good Grado pad comparison thread that's stickied in the Headphone reviews section here:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=87932

Hope that helps.
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post #3 of 54
11/22/06 at 10:36pm
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sennheiser-HD414...QQcmdZViewItem

That's where I got mine, ~$10
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post #4 of 54
11/23/06 at 12:48am
I think I'm in the minority on this.... but to my ears the bowl pads sound best on my Grados.

I just got a pair of SR60s... and really have no use for the stock comfy pads on them.

I'd be more than happy to trade you my comfy pads for the bowl pads off your SR325i.

Just PM me if interested, or reply to my WTT post.

Thanks,
Garrett
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post #5 of 54
11/23/06 at 12:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kramer5150 View Post
I think I'm in the minority on this.... but to my ears the bowl pads sound best on my Grados.

I just got a pair of SR60s... and really have no use for the stock comfy pads on them.

I'd be more than happy to trade you my comfy pads for the bowl pads off your SR325i.

Just PM me if interested, or reply to my WTT post.

Thanks,
Garrett
You are not alone in prefering the bowls to the comfy pads, I too like the bowls better on my 60s.
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post #6 of 54
11/23/06 at 1:04am

$10 Ratshack mod

Buy replacement pads for panasonic street styles.

Replace bowls with pads.

Replace bowls over pads.

Good.
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post #7 of 54
11/23/06 at 1:40am
I was a former user of flats(with RS-1, HF-1, 325i). When I got the RS-2's, all of a sudden bowls just sounded right. I'm currently listening to a pair of Cardas-recabled 325i's(on loan from Jamesp) using bowls. Flats tend to shrink the soundstage and muddy things up. Even with bowls, the 325i's do not sound harsh to my ears. Of course, the Cardas cable could be helping in that department.
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post #8 of 54
11/23/06 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm, well, I am going to have to see how they work out on my source.. Or if I just get used to them or something. Also, the ones I heard only had 70ish hours on them and probably weren't fully broken in.

...On a side note, and kind of a different subject, is the 325i easy to recable?
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post #9 of 54
11/23/06 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ttol View Post
I believe they are only about $4.65 a pair direct from Sennheiser
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post #10 of 54
11/23/06 at 2:17pm
You can buy them direct from Sennheiser
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post #11 of 54
11/23/06 at 2:45pm
I always used bowls with my Grado HF-1s but once the novelty went away, never enjoyed too much with them. This was with senn pads, bowls, reversed bowls and taped bowls. My HF-1s were only used in bed at low volumes (at high vol. were too fatiguing) or with certain recordings.
Now with flats the thing is different for me. I really like them! They are still specialized cans, but very good in what they do. With a strong and impactful bass, very forward mids and sweet highs are really great with rock and heavy metal. Early AC/DC is a delight with them. No soundstage at all, but who cares? Grados have not very good soundstage anyway, even with bowls. If I need soundstage I will use other cans.
When people talked about the strong bass of HF-1s I always thought: what are they talking about? Bass? These are bright headphones! They must be talking in comparison with other grados ... But with flats the HF-1s have a full sound for first time in my experience.
My advice: do not discard flats until you tried them. Everybody talks about bowls, but you may prefer flats as I do. Expensive? Yes. But they change the sound of your grados just in the way you may be looking for.
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post #12 of 54
11/23/06 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wid View Post
You are not alone in prefering the bowls to the comfy pads, I too like the bowls better on my 60s.
Yup! Me Too!!

I like the 414s for comfort on my MS-1s unamped, but unless I plan on listening to them for hours on end, I also prefer the sound of the bowls!
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post #13 of 54
11/23/06 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkWolf View Post
I've been posting about weather or not to get 325i before trying to hear anything else, and I'm going to get them.
So, Wolf, did you finally find a pair of 325i's or are you still looking?
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post #14 of 54
11/23/06 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NiceCans View Post
I believe they are only about $4.65 a pair direct from Sennheiser
Yeah, but they take 4-5 bucks for shipping & handling.. so it's about even
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post #15 of 54
11/23/06 at 6:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wid View Post
You are not alone in prefering the bowls to the comfy pads, I too like the bowls better on my 60s.
My problem with the bowls is not sonic, I just can't stand to wear them!

It doesn't matter if they sound better if I can't wear them for more than a few minutes.
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