[Shane D]

What I haven’t had a clear answer on is if most people find the big Grado bowl pads much more comfortable than L pads of F pads. I am have to alternate between L pads and F pads throughout the day past few days to make them comfortable enough on my ears. If the large bowl pads can last say 6 plus hours for me that would be the ticket,

Large bowl (G-Cush) pads are Very comfortable, if you like the sound.

 

[ekolite]

Large bowl (G-Cush) pads are Very comfortable, if you like the sound.

Thanks. Will give them a try.

 

[ESL-1]

What I haven’t had a clear answer on is if most people find the big Grado bowl pads much more comfortable than L pads of F pads. I am have to alternate between L pads and F pads throughout the day past few days to make them comfortable enough on my ears. If the large bowl pads can last say 6 plus hours for me that would be the ticket,

They do break in and soften a bit with time and usage. Go slow, enjoy your changes.

 

[jonathan c]

I love my grados, but not on "legacy" grounds.

There is nothing wrong with headphone ‘legacy’ except for these ….

 

[ESL-1]

J

There is nothing wrong with headphone ‘legacy’ except for these ….

I saw but only just observed as they blatantly show off their latest “disguise”.

 

[elvergun]

To many good things even in low price products. We are lucky for this.

I prefer the sound (and look) of my RS2e over many flagships that cost thousands of dollars (have not heard everything, but I've heard a few). I think my GH2 sounds better than my HD800 (I can detect the fact that the Sennheiser is a better headphone). If you want something better than the RS2e you can go for a GS3000x, which even at $2000 it's still a bargain compared to other flagships. Yeah, we are lucky for this...and we are lucky we love the Grado signature.

 

[jonathan c]

Yeah, we are lucky for this...and we are lucky we love the Grado signature.

The galaxy headphonia omnia has two immutable forces: Grado and Gradon’t … … …

 

[544322]

I have made the comparison to Leica before. Both Grado and Leica offer something very high quality and quirky and somewhat seemingly(!) vintage with a cult following. You KNOW when you have used a Grado headphone or a Leica lens, no matter if you like it or not.

Only you won't get anything remotely resembling the cheap SR-line from Leica. You can't just try out a Leica lens or camera for 100 bucks.

 

[16tons]

Someone has listened sr325e Vs rs2 buttoned? I have just bought an old rs2 for about 260€
https://www.ebay.it/itm/20441527794...SX04dy7Ti2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I ve read that if you like the sr325 in some cases the sr2 couldn't.The seller accepts return so In the worst case I ll lost 10-15€ for shipping cost

 

[544322]

Someone has listened sr325e Vs rs2 buttoned? I have just bought an old rs2 for about 260€
https://www.ebay.it/itm/20441527794...SX04dy7Ti2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I ve read that if you like the sr325 in some cases the sr2 couldn't.The seller accepts return so In the worst case I ll lost 10-15€ for shipping cost

I can only say that the RS2e is a tamed/refined version of the SR325e. RS2e gives slightly less bass and detailed but non-sibilant treble.

 

[zerolight]

So I am in the market for a pair of Grados - for the fun of listening to music, mostly 80s rock (GNR, VH, etc) with a smattering of current pop and rock. I'll also use them for monitoring my guitar as I play through a Fractal FM3, and for gaming.

I've been on a headphone journey over the past few weeks, which hasn't gone that well. Surprisingly (to me) the SR325x is the current front runner. I'd prefer a woody Grado though, having previously owned and recall enjoying the RS1i for a year or two back in 2014. I recall selling them because I desired a bit more bass, but recall loving guitar through them, and Duff's bass on GNR stuff sounded terrific through those too. So I'm also considering the Hemp which go for around £390, or the RS2x which I can get discounted to £440. The 325x being £250. Would pad swapping allow me to get the RS2x tone and the 325x/Hemp tone (via flats) if I so desired? Which would you go for?

So... which Grados? I feel like I'd be paying £150 more for the Hemps just for the lighter wood shell, and +/- 5% in audio depending on who you ask, so the 325x look quite appealing. But, the RS2x discounted from £599 to £440 feels like maybe worth the extra £190 over the 325x or £50 over the Hemp?

Below is my headphone journey since early July:

DT880 pro 250 ohm - sold somewhat accidentally. Great for playing guitar through. Too shouty to make music enjoyable. I really want something that can cover the multi-role: gaming-guitar-music.

HD6XX for the second time. It was OK, it seemed to pull the mids forward, so much so that it altered my guitar tone, but they were nice enough to listen to music through. I forgot they are really uncomfortable.

Aeon X Closed was pretty horrible in the mids. Thin and brittle.

Aeon X Open thickened things up nicely, but planars seem to respond to guitar a bit weird which makes it feel stiff when playing, and a bit brittle. Fine for listening though. Comfy. Hot.

Grado SR325x. It was pretty good at everything. Heavy clamping force, but I'm sure that could be stretched out. Almost everything sounded good on them from Norah Jones to GNR, VH, Extreme, Taeyeon. I only heard them in the store, unlike everything else, so I have no idea if playing guitar through them sucks. Maybe a tiny bit shouty. Maybe a tiny bit bass heavy. But these could be winners. Nice and light for sim-racing in VR.

Neumann NDH30. I expected great things based on Z Reviews and Head-Fi. But they were thinner sounding and brighter than the Grados. Thinner sounding that the HD6xx too. Midrange in particular seemed a little thin, bass was there but not at Aeon or 325x levels. Treble was a bit too much, or maybe everything else was not enough. Playing guitar through them was OK, not as nice as the 880 pro, nor the ancient Sony 1000X backup I'm currently using. I don't understand the hype on these. There also seemed to be a channel imbalance. The pads were quite horrible itchy things. They didn't feel or sound like £530 headphones.

Airpods Max. I know, these aren't a popular option in the head-fi world. But, they are pretty flat across the entire frequency range of a guitar, which makes them pretty great to monitor guitar as I play through my FM3 (so long as I use a cable to my interface get rid of latency). And they are a pretty fun sounding headphone too. But they are heavy - which is an issue if I use them in VR (which is a big deal for me), in combination with a VR headset, that's a lot of weight. And there'll be a new set out next year. And they are essentially disposable when the battery dies. And the Grado's probably sound better - hard to tell when you hear them an hour apart.

 

[Plautus001]

So I am in the market for a pair of Grados - for the fun of listening to music, mostly 80s rock (GNR, VH, etc) with a smattering of current pop and rock. I'll also use them for monitoring my guitar as I play through a Fractal FM3, and for gaming.

I've been on a headphone journey over the past few weeks, which hasn't gone that well. Surprisingly (to me) the SR325x is the current front runner. I'd prefer a woody Grado though, having previously owned and recall enjoying the RS1i for a year or two back in 2014. I recall selling them because I desired a bit more bass, but recall loving guitar through them, and Duff's bass on GNR stuff sounded terrific through those too. So I'm also considering the Hemp which go for around £390, or the RS2x which I can get discounted to £440. The 325x being £250. Would pad swapping allow me to get the RS2x tone and the 325x/Hemp tone (via flats) if I so desired? Which would you go for?

So... which Grados? I feel like I'd be paying £150 more for the Hemps just for the lighter wood shell, and +/- 5% in audio depending on who you ask, so the 325x look quite appealing. But, the RS2x discounted from £599 to £440 feels like maybe worth the extra £190 over the 325x or £50 over the Hemp?

Below is my headphone journey since early July:

DT880 pro 250 ohm - sold somewhat accidentally. Great for playing guitar through. Too shouty to make music enjoyable. I really want something that can cover the multi-role: gaming-guitar-music.

HD6XX for the second time. It was OK, it seemed to pull the mids forward, so much so that it altered my guitar tone, but they were nice enough to listen to music through. I forgot they are really uncomfortable.

Aeon X Closed was pretty horrible in the mids. Thin and brittle.

Aeon X Open thickened things up nicely, but planars seem to respond to guitar a bit weird which makes it feel stiff when playing, and a bit brittle. Fine for listening though. Comfy. Hot.

Grado SR325x. It was pretty good at everything. Heavy clamping force, but I'm sure that could be stretched out. Almost everything sounded good on them from Norah Jones to GNR, VH, Extreme, Taeyeon. I only heard them in the store, unlike everything else, so I have no idea if playing guitar through them sucks. Maybe a tiny bit shouty. Maybe a tiny bit bass heavy. But these could be winners. Nice and light for sim-racing in VR.

Neumann NDH30. I expected great things based on Z Reviews and Head-Fi. But they were thinner sounding and brighter than the Grados. Thinner sounding that the HD6xx too. Midrange in particular seemed a little thin, bass was there but not at Aeon or 325x levels. Treble was a bit too much, or maybe everything else was not enough. Playing guitar through them was OK, not as nice as the 880 pro, nor the ancient Sony 1000X backup I'm currently using. I don't understand the hype on these. There also seemed to be a channel imbalance. The pads were quite horrible itchy things. They didn't feel or sound like £530 headphones.

Airpods Max. I know, these aren't a popular option in the head-fi world. But, they are pretty flat across the entire frequency range of a guitar, which makes them pretty great to monitor guitar as I play through my FM3 (so long as I use a cable to my interface get rid of latency). And they are a pretty fun sounding headphone too. But they are heavy - which is an issue if I use them in VR (which is a big deal for me), in combination with a VR headset, that's a lot of weight. And there'll be a new set out next year. And they are essentially disposable when the battery dies. And the Grado's probably sound better - hard to tell when you hear them an hour apart.

I have the RS2x and SR325x - for what you are describing I would say SR325x all the way - they are made for Rock N' Roll - especially guitar.

RS2x is great for voice and acoustic, but the SR325x are better all-rounders.

 

[zerolight]

I have the RS2x and SR325x - for what you are describing I would say SR325x all the way - they are made for Rock N' Roll - especially guitar.

RS2x is great for voice and acoustic, but the SR325x are better all-rounders.

Thanks.

 

[ekolite]

They do break in and soften a bit with time and usage. Go slow, enjoy your changes.

I noticed the break in for my L pads. When I did not use them for about 2 years it took overnight for them to get sounding back to where they were. I generally like the sound of both l pad and f, looking forward to giving the G-Cush a try. Will give them a couple days before I determine final judgement.

 

[jonathan c]

G-cushions? Well, Grado GS3000x << Violectric HPA V281 << Cambridge Audio 840C is music …

[Columbia: May, 1972.]