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I want to love my HP-1000 (HP2s) but...

post #1 of 20
12/3/09 at 6:07am
Thread Starter 
When I got the HP2 I plugged them directly into the 1/8" of a Denon mini system CD Reciever (UD-M30). The two pronged power cable was plugged into the wall. I was in love with what I heard. These cans made Viktoria Mullova playing the Bach Partitas and Sonatas for solo violin sound 10 times better that I already think she is.

Since the HP2s sounded so beautiful straight from the mini Denon I figured it would be easy to get them to sound great from a better setup. I assembled a basic, but decent setup consisting of a CD player, amp, nice interconnects and power cable. You can see it here. I can't say the sound is bad or that I don't like it, but there just isn't anything special about it. It is colder, narrower and a tad slower than what I heard from the Denon.

What could be my weakest link / problem?:

1) The 192/24 upsampling of the CD player is too flat and cold for me.
2) The Graham Slee Solo is a nice amp but it is not suitable for HP2.
3) If you like warmer sound, the HP2 sounds better with a tube amp.
4) The headphones need burn in.
5) Skip the CDP's internal AK4395 DAC and hook it to an external DAC.

Btw, I am not sure these headphones are even burned in...honestly they are so pristine even to the point that there are no hairline wear marks to the veneer anywhere. The guy who sold it to me said he always used his HP1s. I have used these for less than 30 hours. But keep in mind I really enjoyed sound as they are with the Denons.

Also, I am planning to get a Mapletree Ear+ HD in a few months.
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post #2 of 20
12/3/09 at 6:35am
I wouldn't recommend getting the Ear+ HD for the HP2. While they do sound the best with the RS1, when paired with the HP2 -- the sound was just meh. Maybe look for a used modded Melos.

Also, from the picture you've provided, I see that you're using bowls with your HP2? IMO, they sound best with ttvj flat pads. You may order them for $35 + shipping from ttvj.
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post #3 of 20
12/3/09 at 8:56am
Personally, I've found I prefer my RS-1 with SS amp, and HP-2 with tubes. When I had my Joe Grado amp - that is what I ended up doing. Eventually, got my EAR HP4 for the HP-2 and put a pair of Tung Sols in the rear slots. Optionally - with Melos - should be modded as Carlo had done. Jahn has one - so if you get unmodded - you could learn from him about the mods.
.............and yeah, can't even imagine someone putting bowls on HP-2.
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post #4 of 20
12/3/09 at 9:34am
I guess the Solo is as terrible with Grados as it is with Beyerdynamic DT990 2005. Your HP2's deserve a better amp.
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post #5 of 20
12/3/09 at 2:30pm
X2 on putting flats on the HP-2. Mine came without pads, so I put spare bowls on them. That was OK, but I found the flats to be a significant improvement. For $35, I think that's the most affordable upgrade you can make.

I also agree with the calls for a tube amp. I've run the HP-2 on solid state and it's good enough, but you don't get the magic without tubes.
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post #6 of 20
12/3/09 at 5:42pm
Flat pads and a Melos SHA-1 or SHA-Gold amp will make your jaw drop with the HP2s. Sonic bliss.
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post #7 of 20
12/3/09 at 6:14pm
Flat pads are absolutely essential and the Graham Slee is not good with any Grados. I had one for a while and tried it with my HP-2 and RS-1.
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post #8 of 20
12/3/09 at 6:23pm
Oh god put flat pads on those. There's really no point in paying that much for HP2's if you have bowl pads on them (imo) because it colors the sound and there are plenty of more colored john grados out there for much less money. It's like buying a ferrari and putting snow tires on it, or drinking a finely crafted beer hot with honey, or putting a piece of crap lens on a Nikon D3X, or using ibuds with a dedicated amp, or drinking homemade by your wife orange juice after brushing your teeth, or spending days painting your walls a beautiful color only to cover them in wallpaper, or getting a nice car and picking up your dates in your mom's car.
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post #9 of 20
12/3/09 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhythmdevils View Post
Oh god put flat pads on those. There's really no point in paying that much for HP2's if you have bowl pads on them (imo) because it colors the sound and there are plenty of more colored john grados out there for much less money. It's like buying a ferrari and putting snow tires on it, or drinking a finely crafted beer hot with honey, or putting a piece of crap lens on a Nikon D3X, or using ibuds with a dedicated amp, or drinking homemade by your wife orange juice after brushing your teeth, or spending days painting your walls a beautiful color only to cover them in wallpaper, or getting a nice car and picking up your dates in your mom's car.
I especially like the one about orange juice after brushing your teeth. That is really awful!
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post #10 of 20
12/3/09 at 6:49pm
I'm gonna go against the grain here and say I don't like flats period and I prefer Grado on solid state, specifically the Gilmore designs. I think flats make the midbass muddy and remove any semblance of soundstage. I also don't like most tube amps unless the design is outstanding like the aforementioned EAR HP4. And that tends to get expensive. If you want a cheaper amp look for a Headamp Gilmore Lite or GS-1, they pair very nicely. Last time I had the HP-2 I preferred the Headamp Gilmore V2 to the Melos SHA-Gold (I had an upgraded version by MAR). And yes, you should get a pair of flats to at least try using them the way they were originally designed.

Also, my recommendation is to stay away from the Grado HPA-1 amp. I had one with the HP-2 and I thought it was bland and lifeless.

If you like the HP-2 out of the mini-denon I recommend continuing to enjoy it. If your brain tells you its good then it is good.
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post #11 of 20
12/3/09 at 7:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhythmdevils View Post
Oh god put flat pads on those. There's really no point in paying that much for HP2's if you have bowl pads on them (imo) because it colors the sound and there are plenty of more colored john grados out there for much less money. It's like buying a ferrari and putting snow tires on it, or drinking a finely crafted beer hot with honey, or putting a piece of crap lens on a Nikon D3X, or using ibuds with a dedicated amp, or drinking homemade by your wife orange juice after brushing your teeth, or spending days painting your walls a beautiful color only to cover them in wallpaper, or getting a nice car and picking up your dates in your mom's car.
LOL! You are a funny dude. And the point has been made, too.
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post #12 of 20
12/3/09 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by subtle View Post
Flat pads and a Melos SHA-1 or SHA-Gold amp will make your jaw drop with the HP2s. Sonic bliss.
x2 for SHA-Gold. Love to hear HP1000 with SHA-1. Anyone tried that?
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post #13 of 20
12/3/09 at 7:56pm
whatever sounds good is good in the end. But John grado designed his phones using bowls, and Joe designed with flats. Beyond that though, John's phones were designed to be colored and fun, so changing the pads to make them more/less colored isn't really a big deal, whereas the hp1000 was designed to sound neutral, so changing the pads kind of defeats the purpose imo.

I've thought way too much about these phones in the years since i had my mits on them...
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post #14 of 20
12/3/09 at 8:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pcf View Post
x2 for SHA-Gold. Love to hear HP1000 with SHA-1. Anyone tried that?
The SHA-1 - HP-2 was my system for about four years in the early to mid nineties. It sounded great at the time but there wasn't much else to choose from. I think the Melos sounds a little crude compared to current amps. Mine was not upgraded at all.
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post #15 of 20
12/3/09 at 8:17pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, I hear the vote for flat pads loud and clear (thanks, rhythmdevils). I will be picking some up this weekend--a local store carries them. I am now more curious than ever to hear what they sound like.

I am not surprised with the recommendations to go with tubes over SS, but I am a little surprised to hear the Slee being a crappy match. When I got the headphones I posted a thread for amp recommendations and I did get EAR HP-4, Yamamoto HA-02, Melos SHA-1/Gold, and Moth S2A3 as notable choices. I was also encouraged to do a search on the forums--which I did. The only problem is, I found a lot of posts that say such and such an amp "works great with Grados" BUT a Joe and a John Grado sounds so different it is a little difficult to know which Grado the amp is said to be "great" with.

I bought the Slee after reading some posts that said it "sounds great with Grados", and because it was affordable. By the same method I narrowed my affordable tube choices down to a Mapletree Ear + HD or Zana Deux, but now I am not so sure I extracted the right information from my research...

Finally, while I realize there may be many, many amps choices out there for the HP2, which ones are my "best bets" tried and true pairings? I am guessing Melo and EAR HP4.

Additionally, would I just be wasting my time if I got un-modded Melos? Or I should just bite the bullet, solve all my problems, and live happily ever after with a (hopefully used) EAR HP4?
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