The Grado HF-2 Review/Comparison Thread - Page 11

Originally Posted by Tom77

I have a HD650 and have been wanting a grado (based on reviews, I have never actually heard one) as a complimentary can for my rock and metal collection for a long time. How do you think the HF-2 will do as a metal-can?
Or, should I rather go for the RS-1? Will it be worth the considerably higher price? (The HF-2 will cost me about $540 after customs, the RS-1 costs a little more than $1400(!) here in Norway)

Originally Posted by Bullseye

Well, it is a shame that no admin has been able to save my first post. I have some information that a good head-fier gave me back, for google cache, but the 1st post is no longer mine. If any admin sees this, could you sort it out or at least give me back the #1 post, so I can keep putting reviews back?

Originally Posted by Tom77

I have a HD650 and have been wanting a grado (based on reviews, I have never actually heard one) as a complimentary can for my rock and metal collection for a long time. How do you think the HF-2 will do as a metal-can?
Or, should I rather go for the RS-1? Will it be worth the considerably higher price? (The HF-2 will cost me about $540 after customs, the RS-1 costs a little more than $1400(!) here in Norway)

Originally Posted by rhw

I am waiting for a HF-2, too
and am curious to compare to my RS-1.

Btw. some RS-1 have been sold the last weeks on ebay(europe) for appr. 400-450 EURO!

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict

I am burning in these HF-2 finally, which got about 24 hours of burn-in at CanJam. After listening to them on my Woo WA6 for a while today, my vote is that these are a must own Grado IF you cannot afford an APS V3 cabled RS-1 for the extra detail and soundstage (or a woodied re-cabled HF-1). You'll spend about the same as a used RS-2 for them, and enjoy them more.

With bowls the HF-2 have the rich inviting mids of the RS-2 without sounding as dull/rolled off or too forward like the RS-2. They have the bass of an RS-1 with flats and it's not overblown like the PS-1000 or PS-1, and the bass is also better than my old SR-325i. The bass detail needs work, and I suspect burn-in will help there - there is still a slight "bass cloud" over the music, since these are so fresh I think. The vocals are beautiful with these, and the re are no glaring colorations that I would like to banish yet with a re-cable or mods.

I had posted that at CanJam that I liked the HF-2 probably as much as a stock RS-1 but said that didn't have enough time to compare. But here at home my APS V3 RS-1 do have more extension, detail and transparency (with flats) than the HF-2. The soundstage is still smaller than the RS-1 as well, despite flats on the RS-1. I was not as impressed with my RS-2 or SR-325i when I had them as I am with these fresh HF-2 right now, although I thought the woodied recabled HF-1 with flats were closer to the RS-1 than any other Grado (Blutarsky now has those in partial trade for his Stax O2 Mk1).

I can imagine just how much better the micro-detail and transparency on these HF2 would be if I have them re-cabled like all my other headphones, but I am planning to leave them stock for a while first.

Originally Posted by raffy

Same sentiments here....I no longer need to use flats as I normally do for most Grados; bowls give me the bass I want without the flab. HF-2s also seem to reach deeper frequencies and have better bass decay relative to the HF-1s.