The Grado HF-2 Review/Comparison Thread - Page 83

You and HPA are finally beginning to get it. All of the "high end" is steeped in mythology.

EDIT: And please remember that just because something may be a myth does not necessarily mean it is untrue. Equating myth with falsehood is to misunderstand the word.

Someone recently posted that the differences in DACs likely could be attributed to differences in volume matching or hotter outputs, etc. It's a point with which I do not agree, but it's certainly a possibility that could account for any differences I hear. A point I acknowledged in recent impressions I posted.

So I've owned these for almost 3 weeks now and I'm still loving these They are quite addicting to listen to and it adds some fun to the music. Now here's a quick question, what would you class this as? Circumaural or supra? All of my ear is on the inside of the foam pads and none of my ear is actually on the outer ring of the pad. And the pinna(?) is touching the driver covering.

Supra-aural. Sounds like you've got small ears. :-)

I want to change the pads on my HF-2, I'd like to get something more comfy as I use the HF-2 as a semi-portable and luggable around the house.
Any thoughts on the best 'comfies' and where to buy some (I'm in the UK)?

Instead of comfies, give the HD414 pads a try. Reversed, they sound a lot better than comfies, and pretty comfortable too.

x 2 on the "reverse quarter-modded" HD 414 pads. Very comfortable and sounds great!

I've had my HF-2s for about a week and have overall been very unimpressed with them just using the headphone out on my Macpro and Iphone. I felt like the bass although very present was completely uncontrolled and bloated. Long story short, I just received my Gilmore Lite and Music Hall 25.2 DAC and the difference is monstrous. I can't believe that I haven't read anything on here about how much an amp is really necessary for these headphones. I've used the SR-80, 125, 225, RS-2 and RS-1 and none of them seem to need nearly as much power as the HF-2s do. I'll post further impressions somewhere down the line, bu am very very happy at the moment with this set up

x3 414 pads. I use them on mine.

They're also heaps cheaper than grado's comfy pads. Search ebay - you should be able to 2 of pairs delivered to the UK for 15-20usd (extra pair in case you make a mistake trying the quarter-mod)

I have been very interested in acquiring a Gilmore Lite as well for this darker Grado. I look forward to your impressions of this pairing with the HF-2. If only I could find a used one at a decent price...

I thought the combo of the HF-2 and the GLite was excellent. A nice balance. The B22 takes it to another level, but if I only had the GLite, I would remain a satisfied listener.

I have used them with my modified Woo 6 with excellent results in "all" areas and the fi.Q amp by Ryuzoh. To be honest, I find most any phone I have needs the extra power and headroom to get to a better sound level. I even have a pair of PortaPros I balanced. :^)

Quick update: Upon further listening, letting my DAC warm up ( MH 25.2, still not broken in ) I am completely blown away by the set up. I've been AB testing both the headphone outs between the gilmore lite and the MH 25.2 and found that so far there isn't a HUGE difference, what it is doing is making the HF-2s sound a lot more effortless, It's hitting the lower notes easier (if that makes sense) with more power and punch and theres just a touch more resolution, separation, and and punch across the entire frequency.

As I was listening more and more I loving my new set up I decided to A-B test against my all time go-to headphone the SR-225. Since I first owned the SR-225 7 years ago I have owned many many other headphones; 60s, 80s, 125, RS-2s, RS1s, Senn 600s and a few pairs of AT's. Every other pair I found great things about, but it always ended up with me selling off the other and going back to the SR-225. After the HF-2 I can very confidently say that the 225 is gone forever for me. I loved the punch, rythm and detail in the 225. It was great for any rock, pop, rap or really any thing else that I could throw at it. It kept me moving, awake, entertained and motivated while I work, 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week. AB testing between these two headphones showed that the HF-2 with the Gilmore Lite amp had all of the detail and punch that the 225s have and so much more. I feel like the HF-2s get everything that the 225s have and then add everything that I loved about the RS-1, with out being quite as dark and relaxed sounding. It renders the texture of acoustic guitar and multi-layered synths so perfectly and effortlessly. The only negative thing I could say about the HF-2 in comparison to the 225s and RS-1s is that the soundstage seems much smaller. Some how the separation is still amazing with pin-point accuracy, but everything sounds much closer together.

These impressions are after just about 10 hours of listening and should clearly be taken that way. I'm waiting on a new tube for my DAC and then want everything to burn in for a few weeks before a real full review but as of now, I have never been this impressed by any set of headphones or headphone / amp combination.

I've had my HF-2s for a few weeks now, but they have largely been waiting for my recently-ordered WA6 (w/PDPS) to arrive to take the stage... I also recently upgraded my CDP to an Arcam Alpha 9, although I am oh-so-tempted to go out and get a Rotel 1072 (to match the WA6 in silver, plus it is a supposedly good match with the HF-2s). Anyone here had any experience with the above combination(s), or have any other recommendations as to how I might best design/modify my system around the HF-2s and WA6?

I am surprised there are few used RS2's on the market after these selling so well. Does it mean people are preferring the RS2's?

Another question, which of the two present th guitar closer in the soundspace?

I'm pretty sure what it means is not many people own RS2s