Joseph Grado Signature Product "HP2i" upgraded HP 1000 headphone; information journal and... - Page 6

Yes to all.

 

Dramatic increase in clarity and resolution at all frequency, no drawback.

 

My impressions: http://www.head-fi.org/t/603635/joe-grados-new-earpads-for-the-hp1000/60#post_9008945

http://www.head-fi.org/t/603635/joe-grados-new-earpads-for-the-hp1000/60#post_9014781

 

They are available to every one, how to order is just by calling him and sending him the money: http://www.head-fi.org/t/603635/joe-grados-new-earpads-for-the-hp1000#post_8271541

 

I definitely want another set as a back up, and for the visitors; 150 dollars for two pads and SO worth it in sound quality.

 

 

Look at the pictures in the thread I linked for comparative photos of the TTVJ and improved flats.

I'm listening to them.

 

I've finished my strain reliefs for it, and I'm going to repair my HP1 and be back at A/Bing with my HP2i. I want to be clear whether I think it's an improvement or a side-step.

 

I'm fairly certain it's not a step backward though!

 

I need to account for the fact my HP1's headband has been bent to a previous owner's head and used badly, which made it considerably looser. It alters the sound balance when compared to a more rigid NOS pair headband.

 

Good news are that the improved flats do not get squished as much as the TTVJ, so the more pressure, the less comfortable, but the more intense the bass becomes and fuller the sound which I like (and highs remain present throughout). If you press against your head your two HP 1000 cups (with TTVJ flats on) the sound will become muddy and highs rolled off, but this effect, unless you press ungodly hard, doesn't happen with the upgraded flats. (which pads by the way I still love and recommend to everyone and for any Grados)

 

Photos:

 

Soldering job

 

 

 (it held seemingly tight when I was handling the drivers)

 

Under the sheath of the ultra-wide bandwidth cable

 

 

 

He forgot my strain reliefs :P

 

 

 

 

Instead of using one tie-wrap and glue I used two tie-wraps. Make sure that the cubic head of the tie-wrap is facing the drivers (and not the metal grids); because of the design of the HP 1000 (the only Grado like that) the cable exits the cup just before the metal grid starts, they almost touch one another, and it's why there is not even a millimeter in between for the thick part of the tie-wrap.

 

 

I was looking for traces of a prying tool as a proof that he accessed and doped the diaphragm. This is what the driver looked like all around:

 

 (these circles: theoretically a new set of 6 circles is created each time the driver is secured in; judging by this photo, this driver was inserted into a HP 1000 only twice -- I say "theoretically" because the driver can be held with only three screws tightened out of the six available, so this photo doesn't tell us anything anymore)

 

The infamous "black goo":

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's more like a cement, it's hard and rough to the touch; a bit like paint/gouache. There was nothing else in my cups, I hallucinated the supplementary oil / grease; I will put it in my first post.

 

A small bit fell off (not that I was trying to remove any really...)

 

 

 

 

 

I want to ask you guys if you can confirm me if Joe cleans the inner walls of the cups before doing the upgrade? (the stock HP 1000 comes with dark brown 'acoustic' grease lining inside the cups) Because I had cleaned mine before sending it to Joe... it was an error as it changed sound (made it brighter) and is part of the reason why I initially sent them (so that he hits two birds with one stone, repairs my mistake and do the upgrade).

 

I remember reading Joe was "cleaning the HP 1000s" he received for an upgrade... it make sense as it is a often a required step to make things adhere together, in this case the metal of the cups and the black cement / goo... / gouache.

 

Stock HP2:

 

Edited by devouringone3 - 1/16/13 at 6:43am

I'm having a hard time comparing my HP2i (tight headband setting) and HP1 (loose headband setting) because they have a very different sound signature because of the varying pressure they put on my ears (affects driver-ear distance and seal).

I went from using my upgraded pair for a week to my stock HP 1000 and I started hearing and being bothered by the midrange shout / glare for the first time. I went back to my upgraded pair and didn't hear any of that. So the issue is being taken care of by Joe's mod the same way that it is being addressed by Purrin's.

However if you are going to do Purrin's HP 1000 mod know that the Creatology foam lining is what reduce the glare; the ring of material applied to the back of the driver is a controversial practice and can affect the behavior of the diaphragm and change the resulting sound signature, detail output and decay in many ways, but it also increases distorsion. Source, I've sent a pair of HP 1000 drivers to thelostMIDrange to play around with and modify in any ways he wanted. He took off from the Purrin mod, tried many variants and materials and reported everything to me. He thinks that the approximately applied (seemingly random) nature of Joe Grado cup inside lining is better suited over a perfectly evenly applied job, which can only encourage resonance and bouncing off of the waves.

Conclusion for now: Joe's 'i' upgrade is a safe way to annihilate a reported flaw of the cups of the HP 1000, midrange shout. In my current critical listening experience (not much but slowly increasing) I can't discern any other change in the sound. All the greatness of the HP 1000 is retained in the HP 1000i. I will come back and tell you if I find a significant difference, but it should be unlikely as I have tried quite hard already without success. Keep in mind that the external aluminum, the drivers and even possibly the leather of the headband are all reconditionned/-furbished or replaced to ensure that your HP 1000 last longer.

I also recommend the 'wall lining' half of the Purrin mod, which look beneficial to any Grados pretty much; however obtaining positive results out of sticking a flat ring of material on the back of your HP 1000 drivers is a tricky and unexplored area that could change your headphone entirely. I recommend that you take that step only if you don't like the way the core HP 1000 sounds and know what you are doing not to damage permanently your drivers.

I think the drivers themselved are not 'hard modified' from the upgrade (so you could trace and use replacement drivers in the future and still have your HP 1000i sounds its best; most of the upgrade resides in the cups) and that the upgraded 150 dollars flat pads constitute one heck of an improvement in clarity and resolution to any Grado/Magnum that is more than worth the asking price in sound quality.

I learned from someone who talked with Joe over the phone three days ago that he is now offering three pad options for his upgrade. They cost, 25, 40 or 60$ a pair, in order of grade of sound quality. First post updated in consequence