Grado Fan Club!
Aug 6, 2023 at 9:43 PM Post #62,088 of 65,911
Told you I was getting a surprise in the mail today. I generally avoid sharing music posts cause our tastes vary to many different degrees with it, but if you even have a passing interest in classical music then you should check out the George Szell Complete Columbia Album Collection. He was a master of perfection and this monster box well you just never run into a dud I doubt. Latest remastering technologies featuring timeless performances that get you energized and have a golden glow about them. This set sounds far better than any of the recordings I have heard on streaming services thus far. 106 cds. Full color thick page hard back book. Every cd has liner notes and cover art approved by Szell himself. 129 on Amazon Prime atm. I’m telling you even if you get it and don’t keep it the price will go up in value tremendously in the next 5 years. Am going to have a real hard to equaling this box in my collection. This box has a good chunk of the best performed, and best recorded Classical music since it was ever caught on tape.
 

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Aug 6, 2023 at 10:02 PM Post #62,090 of 65,911
Aug 6, 2023 at 10:10 PM Post #62,091 of 65,911
Cocobolo & Mahogany lead to sonic revelry…
A6DB4CCB-68B6-402D-9CDF-476CC280A778.jpeg

[a splendidly balanced, clear, impactful, open invitation to 🎼🙂🎶 …. ZMF Eikon / Grado RA-1 …. with help from Norne Audio Vykari]
 
Aug 6, 2023 at 10:52 PM Post #62,093 of 65,911
Stay happy with the SR80
I did this for many years and though that I was happy...until the day I purchased an RS2e. I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long....and for believing that the SR80 was good enough to be happy. I guess that what you don't know wont hurt you.

Ignorance is bliss. I now suffer from a serious Grado addiction. I've enjoyed every single Grado model I've held in my hand.

And in all truth, you get 90% of the sound from the SR80 as you would say the GS3000x.

This would be true if you are 90% deaf.
 
Aug 6, 2023 at 11:06 PM Post #62,094 of 65,911
seems Zmf is the logical Grado alternative to have on hand.
For me, the ZMFs that I own are complementary to each other and to the Grados that I own - each one presents music in a convincingly plausible manner with a different perspective.
 
Aug 7, 2023 at 12:32 AM Post #62,096 of 65,911
I remember buying the SR80e at a store when I was 19. Completely blew my mind. Springsteen never felt so natural and alive. I've tried just about every grado there is apart from the ps2000e and the hemp. PS500e and the GH2 are my absolute favourites but you've got to ask yourself if they're worth all that extra money? I could certainly live with the 80e but now knowing they're from a company who know they're charging massive prices for incremental upgrades? Even Sennheiser doesn't do that, you know what you're getting. Used to be proud to be a Grado owner, not now though. Never had the same epiphany with subsequent models than what I had with the SR80e. The SR80 is the drug that gets you hooked.

My experience over the last few days with the GR8 and the GR8e really does tell me that Grado must know they sell sub par products at high prices.

The Epiphany moment for me was the SR80i playing Bruckner's 7th Symphony 1st movement. I was gobsmacked at the experience headphones could deliver. The subsequent 325is and RS2i were mere refinements and didn't impress nearly as much. Had a few others, but most recently I've been very impressive with the Joseph Grado HP2. But still not the difference I heard from that SR80i.

I've had that moment a couple of times with speakers. Once with Marantz separates driving B&W 683s in a Best Buy/Magnolia Home Theater (at around 10x the price of the system I owned at the time), and once hearing the Wilson WAMM Master Chronosonics in a Tempe, AZ showroom (at around 100x the price of the former).

I'm convinced that chasing such a feeling again will rarely pay off, unless you can listen for free at the rare showroom. Perfectly fine to enjoy what you already have, at any price point. I'll always be a fan of Grado for opening that door for me.
 
Aug 7, 2023 at 12:44 AM Post #62,097 of 65,911
Is there no one else plugging the players coaxial SPDIF to the Mojo?
I do, cause the Mojo is unbelievable with 16/44.1 LPCM.
If I am able to pry the Apollo from the wifes or eldest sons fingers. The Apollo itself is great to me.
But with this small black cigarette pack added… wow!
I couldn’t think of the Mojo2, Hugo2, Qutest,… doing a less good job on this.

You guys are inspiring. Where have I put the GH3…?
I would love to hear the qutest Dac. I would like to have one and a dedicated headphone amp without all that rechargeable battery stuff that cuts the lifetime of your product in half at least. But I would probably listen to the mojo so much that it would need replacing in 4 years or so. I always wanted to try one of their products. Qutest would be my pick if I were to go that route.
 
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Aug 7, 2023 at 12:57 AM Post #62,099 of 65,911
The Epiphany moment for me was the SR80i playing Bruckner's 7th Symphony 1st movement. I was gobsmacked at the experience headphones could deliver. The subsequent 325is and RS2i were mere refinements and didn't impress nearly as much. Had a few others, but most recently I've been very impressive with the Joseph Grado HP2. But still not the difference I heard from that SR80i.

I've had that moment a couple of times with speakers. Once with Marantz separates driving B&W 683s in a Best Buy/Magnolia Home Theater (at around 10x the price of the system I owned at the time), and once hearing the Wilson WAMM Master Chronosonics in a Tempe, AZ showroom (at around 100x the price of the former).

I'm convinced that chasing such a feeling again will rarely pay off, unless you can listen for free at the rare showroom. Perfectly fine to enjoy what you already have, at any price point. I'll always be a fan of Grado for opening that door for me.
 
Aug 7, 2023 at 1:04 AM Post #62,100 of 65,911
I heard Legacy Audio Whispers for the first time 24 years ago and I didn’t see what the fuss was about. They sounded fine. But only just so. I actually preferred listening in private to my closed back Aiwa headphones I bought off of wal mart for about 30 dollars. It was only then did I realize later that he was feeding a 75 dollar cd changer to a somewhat ok pre amp to a high current pretty good amp, to 16,000 dollar very capable mammoth hi fi speakers. He had his chain completely backwards, so I did not get the wonderful impression like that ever with an audio system. And thought it was all a waste of time. I had to find out what Hi fi meant by myself and it’s been a fun ride. But you can imagine my initial disappointment lol.
 
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