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The Grado HF2--It's For Real - Page 92  

post #1366 of 2859
6/6/09 at 3:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by parhelictriangle View Post
Yeah, I agree with this completely. I'm not getting this headphone to speculate and make money (but the idea of recouping my investment if my life takes yet another turn and I have to sell off all my worldly possessions is comforting). I'm not expecting miracles, but all I want is great sound and none of those RS1 build quality horror stories. Heirloom quality woule be great and all, but I don't expect it. Those Grado QC problems (or my perception of them from reading head-fi) is honestly the main thing that's kept me off higher end Grados.

Incidentally, my only concerns with the post-pumping guy were (a) it was obnoxious in the context of threads and (b) he had at least 5 accounts pumping the same crap. I don't care who gets the HF2s in the long run (and it's not like I think that I'm any kind of wonderful contributer; pretty sure I suck in point of fact), and I don't really care how exclusive it is, and I'm very glad head-fi, Grado Labs, and TTVJ all profit from interest in these. Just didn't want to see a bunch of spammers make a run on it and close down production early for people down the line, honestly. Anyway, his aliases have been banned, no harm, no foul.

SO, right. Back on track: the slight imperfections in Grados are proof that they were crafted by the honest, simple, hard-working, indigenous peoples of Brooklyn. I mean that seriously; I love the fact that Grado does this on such a small, relatively unsophisticated scale (compared to one of the Big German Corporations, say). Regardless of how many HF-2s go out the gate, that makes them pretty special, and adds a nice emotional resonance for me. I just hope mine (and everyone else's) are built with care and not rushed to fill a huge demand, and sound as good as the early serial number HF-2s.

Because:


This just made my day. And makes the wait so much harder. I'm so bloody anxious to try it myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kontai69 View Post
Cosmetic issues with Grados (minor or not) will likely always exist for reasons you stated. I personally was "victimized" with one of the "Late Friday" RS1's several years ago (late 2005). In fact, I was the one who initially coined that phrase and (TMK) was the first to report it.

However, Grado seems to have gotten their act (mostly) together from what I've seen, especially the current woodies (those without buttons). They all appear to have very nicely crafted cups. The new RS2 (buttonless) that I bought last year has excellent woodwork (crisp edges) and even finish, even by my high standards, although I still have the sloppy crimping and excess glue.

With the HF-2, the most likely cosmetic defect I expect to see are tiny dings and faint scratches here and there on the aluminum cups. I noticed a few of these on my MS2i when I bought them new from Alessandro.

Nonetheless, I'm really anticipating getting mine! From what I've read so far, my RS2's (and even MS-Pros) may have some stiff competition.
Big quotes there but I kind of agree. In the 'everything mass produced the same to perfection' a minor defect or variation here and there is comforting in a way. It makes things homey and personal.
post #1367 of 2859
6/6/09 at 8:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoYouRight View Post
Id like to hear a modified HF-1. If it was that much better I might consider disecting my pair.
I vastly prefer my modified HF-1s to how they sounded stock.
post #1368 of 2859
6/6/09 at 8:56am
The modded HF-1s I have heard from the Barreling Down from NH contingent have been superior to the stock HF-1. And I like the stock HF-1.
post #1369 of 2859
6/6/09 at 10:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Monkey View Post
The modded HF-1s I have heard from the Barreling Down from NH contingent have been superior to the stock HF-1. And I like the stock HF-1.
I owned a woodied/recabled HF-1 and a stock HF-1 together for approximately a year. The modded HF-1 had more body and warmth, and was very non-fatiguing (for a Grado). Overall, a great presentation that I think would appeal to any casual listener.

However, over time I discovered that the mid bass was a bit much and a slight amount of detail seemed "blurred", and I actually began to prefer the stock HF-1. At that time I also "discovered" the RS-1 and the improved detail and instrument separation was the clincher. I still look for a Grado I may prefer over the RS-1, but I haven't found it yet. I still own an HF-1, but have only listened to it for less than an hour over the last two years.
post #1370 of 2859
6/6/09 at 10:39am

It Depends...

Quote:
Originally Posted by doping panda View Post
How harsh is the treble on the HF2? The only Grado I've heard extensively is a later stock RS-1. I liked the sound, but the treble emphasis was too fatiguing for me, causing my ears to ring after twenty to thirty minutes of low volume listening. If the HF2's treble isn't too fatiguing, I may have to pick up a pair.
It depends... as others have noted...

Although Grados can be bright... my experience with Grados suggests to me that how bright, or harsh, they are seems to depend on whether they're fully burnt in, and how well they match the source and amp.

And... to a lesser extent the pads and placement. The bowl pads with the tape mod seem to not only significantly improve the soundstage, but also tend to temper/smooth the highs a bit. Other types of pads also seem to temper the highs... but... at the expense of ruining other aspects of their sound (e.g. clarity, soundstage, etc.).

And... their placement on your ears can also temper / smooth the highs.

Though... as suggested, their treble emphasis seems to vary a bit from model to model (e.g. SR325s being brighter, and SR225s being less so, etc.).

And... as with all bright phones, they may still be fairly bright with music that is especially bright.

But... with the proper set up, and the bowl pads with tape mod, and fully burnt in... they can be very nicely balanced, without harsh highs. They just require a bit of experimentation and patience.
post #1371 of 2859
6/6/09 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMan007 View Post
I'm going to make a wild guess and say that there will be between 500-700 of these made.

The poor economy and higher price than the HF-1 doesn't help. At the same time people realize how good the HF-1 was and is for the price so there may be more for that reason. Then there are going to be some speculators who order expecting to flip it. I expect that once orders slow down and the end of ordering announcement is made there will be one last burst of orders from those who were sitting on the fence.
Due to the reason's stated above (but bolstered by the fact that out of US members can get these without the normal jack in price) I'm laying my Vegas money on the 300-400 range. I believe Todd said there were 486 HF-1's produced. I'm personally still wrestling with whether I want these.

Pros:
-Some have stated they are close to or better then RS-1's, or at least complimentary
-Baby PS-1000 maybe lacking some of the questionable traits of that model
-Decent price for what appears to be a good 'mid' range headphone
-Limited headphone not available new later on
-Support Head-Fi
-etc.

Cons:
-Is the sound good enough to prefer these to top end Grado's or other phones
-I already have and like RS-1's, why do I need these?
-450 USD is not cheap and that could go towards a higher end headphone, e.g., HD800's (my situation)
-Enough of these may be made, or enough people will decide they don't like or need them, that they aren't really hard to get later on
-etc.
post #1372 of 2859
6/6/09 at 1:06pm
I believe they already have more than 300 (pre)-ordered.
post #1373 of 2859
6/6/09 at 1:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Father Schu View Post
Due to the reason's stated above (but bolstered by the fact that out of US members can get these without the normal jack in price) I'm laying my Vegas money on the 300-400 range. I believe Todd said there were 486 HF-1's produced. I'm personally still wrestling with whether I want these.

Pros:
-Some have stated they are close to or better then RS-1's, or at least complimentary
-Baby PS-1000 maybe lacking some of the questionable traits of that model
-Decent price for what appears to be a good 'mid' range headphone
-Limited headphone not available new later on
-Support Head-Fi
-etc.

Cons:
-Is the sound good enough to prefer these to top end Grado's or other phones
-I already have and like RS-1's, why do I need these?
-450 USD is not cheap and that could go towards a higher end headphone, e.g., HD800's (my situation)
-Enough of these may be made, or enough people will decide they don't like or need them, that they aren't really hard to get later on
-etc.
Cons:
The price with shipping and customs will be considerably more expensive than either of the two RS1 I've bought used here in Europe. Are they worth 30% more than a used RS1?

I've put my preorder on hold for a while, as I don't know if it really is worth it to buy a "lower"? model for a higher price.
post #1374 of 2859
6/6/09 at 1:43pm
Anyone know/guess how much customs and shipping would be for the UK?
post #1375 of 2859
6/6/09 at 1:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thechungster View Post
Anyone know/guess how much customs and shipping would be for the UK?
Todd has several options.USPS express $41.50,quick and IME reliable but expensive.Factor in about 17-18% for import tax and VAT.As this will come via Parcelforce they will charge approx. £13 for collecting the customs fee
post #1376 of 2859
6/6/09 at 2:35pm
Guys, I've emailed Todd about the whole under-declaring business and still no reply but I'm going to take the plunge soon. So, I suppose no under-declaration is the normal practice of TTVJ?

God, I hope the trade-off with my much beloved modded and recabled D2000 is worth it.
post #1377 of 2859
6/6/09 at 2:38pm
Well now I wonder if I have to pay for custom or if it is not needed... I picked the $33 international shipping (the cheapest for europe), and I don't remember whcih it was. I hope I don't have problems...
post #1378 of 2859
6/6/09 at 2:45pm
Why wouldn't you have to pay for customs? If that's an option....
post #1379 of 2859
6/6/09 at 2:48pm
Well, because I bought an amplifier from china it was at customs but arrived at my home (after waiting for 1 week at customs -approx-) and I had to pay no extra. They told me at the post office I might have to pay if things went "wrong". SO maybe if I am lucky I won't have to pay at customs
post #1380 of 2859
6/6/09 at 3:04pm
Customs in Spain is a funny thing, out off all my deliveries from around the world I have only paid it once ( Some Vinyl from the US delivered UPS ).

I find that if a package comes through normal post you seem to get away with it. Hope this will be the case this time that's why I chose the cheapest USPS that Todd offered.
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