Changing from bowl to flat foam pads dramatically changes the sound of rs-1 and sr325 headphones. Which pads do you use, and why? BTW, does anyone know why Grado changed from flat to bowl pads?

flats, because they actually sound good

if you search the forums for what i've said about "how flats work", it's the only historically accurate account of the rise, demise, and rejuvenation of the flat pads.

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Same here. Grado switched to bowl pads sometime after John Grado took over. Obviously, bowls give the sound he wants Grados to have. Actually, I'm not sure, but did all of the John Grado headphones originally come with Flat pads? I know the RS-1 did, but I'm not sure about the other models. I wish there was like a Grado history page you could link people to.

To view the legendary retelling of the Flat pads, click here.

I use bowls for all three of my Grados. While ymmv, I prefer the sound of the bowls compared to (TTVJ) flats, senn HD-414s, or vwaps. A side issue is the bowls are better made. I've noticed yellow bits of foam that come off when changing the senns.

Another vote for flats.

I just spent a few hours with the RS-1 listening to Miriam Makeba, and switching back and forth between flat pads and bowl pads. The flats bring the music much closer to the listener, and thereby make it more intimate. IMO that's good, because one of the Grado's strengths is bringing the music physically closer to the listner. But, use of the flat pads for hours is more painful that use of the bowl pads; i.e., the bowl pads are more comfortable. Perhaps that's why John Grado switched to the bowl pads.

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LMAO... I have yet to try the flat pads myself. I'm interested as to how they'll compare to the bowls, which I don't mind at all. In fact, they're pretty darn comfy on me!

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Sorry, mistaken entry

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Flat pads were a marvel of modern science when they were first introduced into the audio industry. Created partially from the hidden remains of the extinct wooly mammoth, the Grado flat pads have remained unchanged in their audible superiority over all other Grado pads to ever have been introduced. Grado flat pads work through submolecular friction caused by bacterial organisms grown within the foam itself, feeding off the wooly mammoth remains. The heat caused by this friction crates ruptures in the audio signal similar to the distortion tubes cause that the people here seem to love and enjoy. These distortions create a warmer and slightly more dynamic sound, but its distorting nature unfortunately heavily hinders the soundstage since there are simply too many disruptions in the signal for the brain to tell where the audio signal is coming from.

John Grado stopped selling the flat pads when he realized the poor ethics in distributing the remains of ancient creatures just for the benefit of a few thousand audiophiles. He then created the bowl pad out of basic foam materials and the husks of genetically enlarged beetles. What this created was a much brighter presentation with no disturbances, hence a better soundstage."

I am a big fan of the wooly mammoth, so when Todd Green was able to score 650 flat pads from John Grado (I guess they unearthed a new mammoth at the dig site), I simply couldn't resist. I spend most of my day smelling and caressing my flat pads just to get a feel of what the early cavemen were able to enjoy everyday.

I hope this little lesson helps you as much as it helped me help myself. If you have anymore questions, I'll be honored to help out.
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Is one to believe the above quote, or is it just nuts? Although the flat pads sound different, and to some ears better, than the bowls, they are much tougher on the ears. They cause more pain due to pressure, and if used for an excessive amount of time, they leave rather reddened ears to the next day. Although I really enjoy them, I can only use them for very moderate periods of time (e.g., max. 2 hours). Then, it's great to switch to the K1000, which doesn't contact the ears.

Heck, I messed this entry real bad. Sorry, but I'm still not fully functional in using this Head-Fi site.

Flat pads if it's got a Grado label on it. Bowl pads for Alessandro MS Pro.

My SR-80's came with the flat pads, and I have to say that I prefer the sound and comfort of the bowls over the flats ( after the "headband" mod, which made my grado's so incredibly comfortable )

I prefer the flats over the bowl pads. But the vwap pads sounds very much like the flats but is a lot more comfortable.

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How did you mod the headband?

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What are vwap pads?

I personally use flat pads with a quarter sized hole in them, and to me, they have it all. Comfy enough so that I can (and do sometimes) wear them for even 8-12 hours at a time. The hole also allows a little bit more mid and high-frequency detail through.