Why do people like Grados so much? - Page 2

Did you get the Grado 69 from a Spanish porno?

 

My Grado SR-125i cans are more realistic than my more expensive Sennheiser HD-598 cans, which are warm and shielded. Originally, I liked the Sennheisers better, but soon tired of the color and came to appreciate the more natural sound of Grados. As soon as I upgraded to a better amp, the Grados sounded a lot better. The amp makes a large difference. 

 

But much of it is personal taste. Lots and lots of people prefer Grados. Lots and lots prefer Sennheiser or some other brand. Personally, I don't get Sennheisers, but there are a lot of golden ears that disagree. Go with what you like. 

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Having owned the SR125 for a year...

 

I just recently was in the exact same position as the OP. . .I've read thread upon thread, upon thread, upon. . .wait where was I. . .oh right. . .that raved about Grado and their performance for Rock and Metal.  I will say they they did not sound horrible, and I will even venture to say they sounded "good", but I was ultimately let down.  I found the DT990's, K601's, HD600's, and even my pair of SRH840's to sound better for those genre's.  

 

The pair of Grado's I picked up were the SR225i's as well, and if I were coming from something along the lines of a $20-$40 headphone I could see the Grado's sounding very good to me, but when compared to other headphones in their price range, I am honestly left thinking to myself "wtf" while staring blankly at the small piece of plastic resting on the desk.  I gave them a full month's tour of duty and ultimately sent them back.  I feel the resell value of a headphone is a way to see their true value in the community, and Grado's (at least the SR225i's) are about like driving a new car off the lot. . .the value plummets instantly (at least from my findings in checking the FS forum here).

 

Ultimately I would say to pick a pair up if you are curious, as we all have different ears and different likes/dislikes, so the true sense of these cans will obviously vary.  But between the build quality, the feel in my hands, the feel on my head, and the sonic qualities of these headphones leave me questioning their price tag.  The sound they present might be more upfront, yes that is fairly true, but all fullness to the sound is completely lost.  They produce a sound, which I feel was best described in my friend's words as, "small, the sound is just small."   Which in my opinion is hard to do considering how "upfront" and "in your face" they are touted to be.

 

. . .just my 2 cents here. . .feel free to hate me 

 

Just as a reference, my two favorite cans are the HD600's and K601's.

Edited by Ze_Blitzkrieg - 5/24/11 at 7:55pm

Sorry, My embarrasment. I meant the Grado SR 60. It's a fine multipurpose headphone that I love. 

Oh, because I looked it up and I think what I found was a Spanish porno

 

What really sucks though is that they're extremely expensive outside of the united states.  Not quite the same bargain anymore.

 

They burned in the shape of their ears to match the Grados.

 

I had to un-bend the headband a little to get them to fit decent. This also changed the sound some, for the better in my opinion. When they were squeezing my head they were muffled, muddy and just sounded like complete s#!t. A better fit definitely lets these sound a little bit better...but it doesn't work miracles.

Here here. He's asking us to validate opinions...it's like asking a religious person for an in depth analysis of why  they maintain their faith.

Grados' comfort is an issue for me.

agreed. 

Grados sound fine to me.  But is uncomfortable.   Especially with glasses.

You have to be careful when grouping Grados. The SR and RS lines have a common house signature. All the others are unique, including the Alessandro line.

The SR and RS lines are tuned for a pleasing coloration of guitars. They can be fun for that, just the same way DHTs do terrific things with vocals. It's not accurate, but most people enjoy them.

The RS-1 was fun for a few years. I loved it. Then it got to be like every meal tasting the same - I got tired of the coloration. I did keep the HP-2 because it is neutral and has a certain transparency. The HF-1 and HF-2 are fun to listen to now and then, but I keep them mostly because I'm attached to Head-Fi.

Also, OP, Grados aren't for everyone. Lots of people love them. But you're not alone in disliking them. Sell your pair and move on to something else. The perfect headphones for you are probably out there; you can cross Grado off your list now. Nothing to feel bad about, just keep exploring.