[wakeride74]

The following thread has been created in an attempt to bring balance to the force which I have felt a great disturbance in lately.

I have not heard that many different Grado models but they look and sound like no other like em or not!

My Grado of choice may be a bit of a different beast but it still says GRADO on it and it is the only can I have heard that sounds better then the audio bliss I had dreamed of finding. With the exception of classical and movie scores the PS-1 my be all end all headphone. I love the weight, look, and most of all the sound (with flats of course).

Hats off to a line of headphones that are unlike any other in almost every respect!

Share the Grado love! What is your favorite Grado and why??

 

[KenW]

<sounds of crickets chirping>

 

[wakeride74]

The voices of protest must be louder than the ones of praise

 

[Inter]

I'll chip in saying I love my HF-1!

 

[Chef Medeski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakeride74 The voices of protest must be louder than the ones of praise

I love my Grados. The SR-80s were my first real cans. Now, I am upgrading to the HF-1. I think Grado makes a great product and the openness isn't a negative for me. I use my Grados while bicycle riding and it helps me hear evrything on the road while listening to musical bliss.

I also love Grado's ingenious buisness. I am an advocate of decentralized buisness (small buisness). I think how Mr. Grado indulges the headphone community especially this one is the perfect representation of why small buisness are better for hte general well being of our economy and society. I love that he looks out for his customers through special editions and more importantly great customer service.

Mr. Grado, I commend you!!

 

[en480c4]

I never thought I'd be a Grado fan... But I have to say, I've been converted.

First it was spending some time with a friends's 225's. I then picked up a pair of 325i's and liked them a lot. But when the HF-1 became available, I had to jump! The 325i's have since been sold, and I love the HF-1's.

At a recent meet, I did the HF-1/RS-2/RS-1 shootout and was very impressed. All 3 are great cans. The thoughts of upgrading began to creep in, with the RS-2 being my favorite of the 3 partial/full woodies. I have since woodied my HF-1's and am in love! It's acheived a balance I didn't think possible from the HF-1's. I don't think I'll sell the 650's, but I honestly feel I could... the woodied HF-1's are that good, and could be my only can.

I still haven't heard the "high-end" Grados, because I fear my wallet couldn't take it any more! But sooner or later I will check them out.

As for all the Grado negativity, I find it all pretty funny. Grados have a pretty well-documented track record here on Head-Fi, and IMO, anyone who buys them and is suprised by what they get clearly hasn't done their homework.

Now, back to the music!

[edit]
I didn't even think to add a picture!

[/edit]

 

[steve468]

I couldn't touch my HD650s after i got the RS-1s. Couldn't even touch 'em. If these are both supposed to be the 900lb gorillas of the headphone world, then the RS-1s were workin' out, eatin lots of bananas and such, and managed to save me from the evil lair of the Senns without breaking a sweat. I would of been stuck listening to classical thinking "well, the soundstage is kinda nice"...all the while ignoring the other 99% of my music, which is rock. Grados are Rock, no two ways about it

Oh, and the build quality is actually quite nice on my pair, no complaints at all.
Hope this helps with the Grado appreciation

 

[mrarroyo]

After listening to a Grado can the rest are like comparing the flavor of coffee to instant coffee, unsatisfying.

And before someone argues, yes I have listened and owned HD600, HD650, AKG K701 (this is a very good can)

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakeride74 What is your favorite Grado and why??

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Why? Because its mine and John made it for ME!!!

I'm listening to Dreamtheater on my HD580 at work as I type this

John Petrucci never sounded so awful. (Although Yingwie's classical arrangements sounds very good???)

.... DYING for my HF1!!!!... GET ME HOME NOW!! NEED my HF1!!!

Young jedi will NOT fall to the dark side!!
Garrett

 

[iDesign]

The Grado Labs RS-1 and RA-1 still is one of the most splendid pairings I have ever tested. They seemed "so right" and "so glassy" the second I slipped them on. I can only imagine with how perfect the HP1000 variations are. My SR225 headphones were very satisfying and I hope to purchase an example the HP-2 very soon.

Best,
iDesign

 

[AA8]

Still haven't experienced actual "grado" grados, but so far I like the MS-2s I picked up on the forums, alot. Though I only have my HD555s to really compare them to, the MS-2s (though a bit too bright in a few songs) really carry a level of movement/exictement in music (especially rock related) that seems to jump out and hit you right in your ears.

Secondly the level of seperation that I find while listening is fantastic and probably my favorite thing I have experienced. (Perhaps other $300 cans from Senns, etc could do this as well and I would love them for it as well) Listening to a few Nine Inch Nails albums is just a new experince. I love being able to make out the sounds of all the different instruments and sythn effects that I never noticed prior.

Only thing I have not been impressed with is the phones really do make my head sore at times compared to my 555s. My ears end up a bit sore after 4+ hours of listening and I would look into some of the headphile C-pads instead of my flats, but money talks too me still and I have a little self restraint

(this is actually pretty minor). Worst yet is the headband, which with the weight of the drivers, likes to dig into my head. But, a little closed-cell foam padding, two layers thick, attached with tie wraps seems to have taken care of that so far. Just wish I had a more attractive way to attach such, but for now, I will just make do.

I got the idea from another member who attached foam to the headband with twist ties. I find that the closed-cell foam works alot better for such applications because it is more relatively solid (compared to standard foam) and has much less give. This allows you to use less foam because it does not condense as much and is much more durable if not protected by cloth or something similar.

I actually originally used the close-cell foam for making practice swords, found the plan on the inet (the things you can find) and I must say that it did work well even with my half-assed craftmanship. But that is another tale.

 

[EdipisReks]

i love the HP-2, and i really like the RS-1.

 

[nomdeguerre]

This is going to be one helluva long thread

 

[Beagle]

My favourites are the RS-1, HF-1 SR225 and SR325i. I like them for different reasons. They make great but different sounds for different occasions. They are light, sturdy and have powerful musical sound.

 

[Rav]

That wouldn't be me would it?

Gonna have to start team 'Ghetto mod' if this trend continues...

And those up there ^ are my favourite Grado cans, although it's between them and the SR-80's since those are all i've heard, so not much competition.