New Grado GR8 In-Ear Earphones! - Page 10

I have the GR8 and love them. They definitely have the Grado signature, all the attributes are there, except the highs are smoother. They sound amazing.

I spent some 10-20 min comparing GR8 with ortofon e-Q7 at the local shop, been tempted to do so since a lot of people has been saying how they're using the same driver.

To my ears they do sound similar, not total clones tho, about 80-90% there. GR8 is darker; ortofon has more treble energy. Overall they're as good as the other top universals, if i'm still into universals i would go for either of them.

GR8's have claimed the top spot for me in terms of IEM's. IMO they are more coherent than IE8's, PFE's etc..
They do not excel in micro detail but somehow (hard to describe) the music makes more sense through them. I can pick more nuances in the music. Anyhow IMO they have to heard. And you can decide for yourself.
They are smooth, mid range is one of the best and for a single driver design the bass is there. Also because of the 120 ohm resistance, there is no roll-off in the portable units. A great design IMO. Also the cord is tangle free which was/is a major problem for me in other portable phones.

So is the bass (while present) on the lighter side like ER4P/HF5 or a bit heavier?

To my ears, they are very well balanced, not too much or too little of anything really. At first I thought they would only appeal to Grado fans, but after 100 hours or so of burn-in and getting used to them, I now think they should appeal to anyone who listens to rock, jazz, classical, pop, acoustic based music, and vocal emphasized music. They are quite versatile actually. More so than their headphone line which are even more colored and that people seem to either love or hate.

EDIT: Sorry, in answer to your question, they aren't bass heavy, but rather the bass is balanced nicely with the more upfront highs and mids. Think Grado headphones only much smoother and less fatiguing.

The GR8 is definitely not bass-light, unless something like IE8 is your reference for bass quantity. Very present and non-intruding to the mids.

How are these in the comfort department.

Extremely light and comfortable.

If I had one complaint, it would be that my right ear canal is a tad too big for the largest of their silicone tips. It gets a decent seal, but always feels a bit loose. The left one fits perfectly. I tried the medium Comply T400 and have the same problem with them though. The right one is just a tad loose. I guess I just have one big ear so can't really blame the IEMs. I would get the Comply large size tips, but I don't care for the sound of them with the GR8. The balance is totally lost. They sound much, much better with the stock silicone tips imo.

Grado FR8

Grado GR8 are very very good! They take a bit (about 20hrs or so) of burn in to sound their best but they are incredibly balanced and the music sounds "just right" through them. Compared to Westone UM3X or Westone 3 or Sennheiser IE7, which seem to draw attention to one or other aspect of the music or rather the sounds that comprise the music, (i.e. from looking at the trees one can't see the forrest), the Grado's somehow draw one's attention to the "entirety" of the music. Somehow, they make music enjoyable and are the only IEMs that make one forget that the sound is coming through IEMs - they are very transparent in that sense. Really impressive and enjoyable for hours on!

i haven't been on this forum for a long time, but i felt i needed to post after my experience with the gr8.

 

i'm a big fan of the grado sound, but i stopped listening to my grados nearly 8 years ago.  i switched to the etymotic er4 due to the convenience factor of an IEM.  i've missed the sound of grados for a long time, so i jumped on the oppurtunity to buy the gr8.

 

i was insanely disappointed with the sound of the gr8 when connected directly to my mp3 player  (i'm not going to carry around a huge portable amp that's larger than my headphones and mp3 player).  the sound was very dark, muddy and boomy.  the midrange and treble was similar to the grado sound that i remembered, but it was just overshadowed by the bloated bass.  on a whim i used an etymotic 4p->4s adapter i had built years ago.  worked like a charm.  the bass is now very much under control.  sounded like a grado, but with smoother treble.  i may actually stop by rat shack today to pick up lower value resistors to get a bit of the bass back.

 

ymmv, because i happen to think most IEM users must be bassheads.  i personally believe the er4s is very balanced.

Edited by skippy - 5/6/10 at 12:57pm

As a follow up to previous post, Etymotic MC5 are now available for 1/3 the price of the GR8 and are every bit as good if not better.  Great detail and clarity, maybe a little lite on the bass slam as compared to IE7 but very enjoyable and coherent.  At that price they are a must buy for anyone who is considering GR8.  MC5 seem to have a bit more microphonics than the GR8 although the cables seem very similar - kinda springy and stays rather straight.  The IE7 is also outstanding and can now be had (beware of fakes) from an authorized dealer for about a $100 below GR8, the IE7 has a tremendous bass slam and impact and also an amazing spacious soundstage yet they are darker and a bit muddier than the Etymotic MC5.  So for clarity and natural sound MC5, i.e. vocals, accoustic, rock, etc., then Grado 8 and IE7, for bass slam and soundstage and still very enjoyable sound Sennheiser IE7, i.e. techno, R&B, rap, etc..  Grado is not bad but severely over priced for what it offers - at $80-100 it might warrant consideration.  GR8 is also not the typical Grado sound - they have none of that energetic ready to explode sound of the over the ear Grados.