Just got my B-Stock HF-2's!!! - Page 5

Where does one get HF-1 and 2 headphones? They aren't sold in traditional Grado retailers, are they?

hf1s on the forsale forums for $375
hf2s are going in the $500+ range

They were offered for a limited time only through TTVJ for HeadFi members only.

As the sale is over now they can be picked on the "headphones for sale" thread from time to time.

I assume there will be a HF3 available sometime in the future, at least I hope so.

Ahhh. Thanks for clarifying!

My Little Dot showed up, so I'm listening to my HF2 now!

I've learned not to trust the exaggerations of Head-Fi. These are not the bass-monsters everyone seems to have made them out to be. The bass is more powerful, definitely, but I don't notice any loss of the Grado clarity.

I've got to give it more time to grow on me, of course. For now, though, I'm having fun with them. Found a few songs that they outpace the SR60i in, and that number will quickly grow. I've already heard an improvement, and haven't used them for more than half an hour.

Better sound separation. Faster, more detail retrieval, little louder and deeper bass that's still punchy and not at all overwhelming like I thought. I think the bass is right where I want it. So far the most noticeable improvement has been in the thickness of male voices. For now I'm underwhelmed, but I felt the same way when I first put on my first Grado, and those changed me completely.

I'm planning on writing a three-part review comprising of the uDAC, LD I+, and HF2, and how upgrades in the three "main" audio components improved my sound. Expect that in a few weeks, because I'm busy with midterms next week and won't want to do much but listen during spring break.

Running through DSOTM with it. This thing just owned "Great Gig in the Sky". First time I've heard the song without the singing threatening to tear my brain out (in as positive a way as possible). Doing great with the guitar of "Money" right now. "Time" was a treat.

Sounds like the bass is getting louder. Works for more. Also made them sound better when I moved the headphones back a little on my head. I had them too forward to try to improve the soundstage, which made the mids disappear. I don't remember tapping my foot so feverishly in a while. That's gotta be a good thing.

Jazz and classical both sound surprisingly good out of these. Not what I expected. The extra bass over the SR60i really helped bring out the bass line in jazz and just about everything else. Don't have to squint real hard to see JPJ plucking away in the back of Led Zeppelin anymore.

-----

So, back in my dorm to live another week with SR60i + uDAC until spring break. Now I really appreciate what the HF2 does. I thought I was listening a lot louder at home than here, but I really wasn't. So all the detail, space, and separation I heard depended almost entirely on the headphones + amp, not volume. Stuff sounds flatter now. So I'm very impressed.

Looking forward to the review, Head Injury! Sounds like it will be very informative.

Doubt it...
and expect to be ripped off on the for sale forums as people are selling them above their retail price for just being a collector's item.

Doubtful as the whole HF-2 saga was a long and painful ordeal for everyone involved. Great fun cans however.

Joykill! I really hope that there is an HF-3. Grado and TTVJ, I assume, learned some pretty valuable lessons with both the HF-1 and HF-2 releases. They should implement them in the future to make the next special release less troublesome. That said, you have to wonder whether or not they will be making a 'phone to surpass the HF-2 (more $$$) or reinvent the whole thing completely.

How about an all-metal interior and wooden outer air chamber?

For some music (especially vocals), I like the HF2 better than my PS1000, that is how good it is. So it'd be hard to surpass the 'phones. In future a random drawing a week before the HF3 is distributed (if it does come out) might be a better way to handle the demand.