[plakat]

Hope Apple will give us a new ipod soon

Would be lovely... but not going to happen I'm sure. Their focus in streaming (and services in general) forbids an offline device. I think we must be happy that the iPod still syncs with modern macOS versions.

Unfortunately most other pure player options are vanishing as well. Either simply dying or moving into the "complete Android" direction -- which is functionally equivalent to me. I really want a player focused on one task, playing music. Doesn't need to be very powerful, just reasonably well equipped for most headphones. But I have what I want for now, the two iPods should help me through some years to come.

I like the recent trend of headphones going into the direction of being easier to drive... making high quality drivers with higher efficiency, lower impedance. It's nice if a headphone scales with better source, but I don't want to *have* to buy large amps. Had enough of those in the past, now my aim is simplification. I've always preferred brands with longer product cycles, which also serves this goal.

 

[544322]

Deleted, for new version of my 8 Grado comparison go to link in signature.

 

[ekolite]

What? You mean you don't want Zune to make a comeback?

Naw I simply didn’t mention it because we were on the topic of iPods. However the Zune was awesome as well. A better match for windows pc users imo. Great clarity with lossless from memory.

 

[ekolite]

Ok To Jonathan and all here.. I talked to Grado on the phone earlier asking about a few things.. apparently the Hemp with Braided cable was updated to x series drivers. So it looks like for damn sure I know which over ear model that I am going to get next is.

 

[jsk ksj]

Finally did a full comparison of all of my Grado headphones. Maybe it's helpful to someone torturing his brain about what Grado to buy next

I tested all headphones with a Mojo 2, EQ set to neutral. I don't care much about sound stage so i didn't say anything about it. For me they all sound great in that regard anyway.


GH2
- Very balanced across the frequency range
- Doesn't need EQ, works very well with every source i tried it with, even the iPad headphone jack
- No real sub bass, lower bass slightly bloated, otherwise punchy
- Ok mids
- Clear nice treble but not sibilant
- The sound has a certain je ne sais quois mojo, my girl friend loves it and so do i

GS1000i
- On the muffled side
- Massive yet bloated bass and sub bass
- Very nice mids
- Low treble ok, high treble muffled
- Probably needs some EQ but the Mojo EQ doesn't help much
- Great for music with not much low bass and high treble, then it sounds very nice and serious

PS500e
- Very balanced across the frequency range similar to the GH2 but more neutral
- Every frequency band is there, no need for EQ, because of that it sounds well-rounded or some might say "boring"
- Works well with every sound source
- Sounds like a real Grado but without the "downsides"

RS1 button ("Classic", not sure if A, B or C, used with F pads, too sibilant with L pads)
- Similar to GS1000i but less bassy and even less treble, overall a little more well-rounded
- Bass strong but slightly bloated
- Very nice mids, brings out stuff in guitar solos i hadn't heard before
- Great with a 0 0 +5 +5 treble boost from the Mojo EQ as there is nearly no high treble

RS2e
- Awesome with some EQ
- Very lean bass but surprisinlgy there is some sub bass
- Pretty, non-sibilant treble
- Ok mids
- Needs a +5 +5 0 0 EQ bass boost which sounds awesome. Very nice defined punchy bass with that setting, the treble is great anyway
- Without the Mojo 2 EQ it always lacked something for me but with EQ it's da bomb!

SR325e
- Similar to RS2, great with some EQ
- Lean sub bass, bass and mids (but more bass than the RS2e)
- Very good treble and extraordinary high treble (aka "Grado magic") which none of the others has!
- The treble is why you must keep this headphone, great to spot new nuances in guitars!
- Set EQ to +4 +4 0 0 so you get a nice bass-ment under that great treble

WH1
- Weird bell-shaped frequency range
- Sounds like a vintage radio which can work well for some kinds of music (Beatles, classic, singing, jazz)
- Very good mids, beautiful for voices
- EQ didn't really help with the shortcomings

tl;dr

GH2
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

GS1000i
Interesting, different, beautifully made, not a must have for me

PS500e
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

RS1 button
I like it because it uses F pads and is vintage but honestly it sounds weird

RS2e
Buy if you got EQ or bassy amp

SR325e
Buy for the treble, it's cheap!

WH1
Still trying to find a reason why i need it, but it's pretty and special



BTW, I will keep all of those 7, i probably got every Grado sound flavour i need with them.

+5 +5 0 0 EQ

Wow, what type of music are you listening to?

I mainly listen to jazz & go with 0 0 -1 -1 (mojo2) plus max (blue) crossfeed.

nb this is running them through mojo 2 and little dot (which can introduce bass)

For other genres, no eq.

That said, I generally only use the rs2e's for jazz (non-vocal, no featured piano), where they excel.

I don't think that there is any one headphone that can do it all.

 

[Alucard1]

Ahhh memories... PS500e. What a headphones. I was having a lot fun with this little metal Grados. Overall good sound, but just small and just cant play really loud. Still good tho.

 

[544322]

Wow, what type of music are you listening to?

I mainly listen to jazz & go with 0 0 -1 -1 (mojo2) plus max (blue) crossfeed.

nb this is running them through mojo 2 and little dot (which can introduce bass)

For other genres, no eq.

That said, I generally only use the rs2e's for jazz (non-vocal, no featured piano), where they excel.

I don't think that there is any one headphone that can do it all.

Mostly rock, pop, alternative. But i concur, when i listen to Miles Davis there is usually not much EQ needed.

 

[ekolite]

Finally did a full comparison of all of my Grado headphones. Maybe it's helpful to someone torturing his brain about what Grado to buy next

I tested all headphones with a Mojo 2, EQ set to neutral. I don't care much about sound stage so i didn't say anything about it. For me they all sound great in that regard anyway.


GH2
- Very balanced across the frequency range
- Doesn't need EQ, works very well with every source i tried it with, even the iPad headphone jack
- No real sub bass, lower bass slightly bloated, otherwise punchy
- Ok mids
- Clear nice treble but not sibilant
- The sound has a certain je ne sais quois mojo, my girl friend loves it and so do i

GS1000i
- On the muffled side
- Massive yet bloated bass and sub bass
- Very nice mids
- Low treble ok, high treble muffled
- Probably needs some EQ but the Mojo EQ doesn't help much
- Great for music with not much low bass and high treble, then it sounds very nice and serious

PS500e
- Very balanced across the frequency range similar to the GH2 but more neutral
- Every frequency band is there, no need for EQ, because of that it sounds well-rounded or some might say "boring"
- Works well with every sound source
- Sounds like a real Grado but without the "downsides"

RS1 button ("Classic", not sure if A, B or C, used with F pads, too sibilant with L pads)
- Similar to GS1000i but less bassy and even less treble, overall a little more well-rounded
- Bass strong but slightly bloated
- Very nice mids, brings out stuff in guitar solos i hadn't heard before
- Great with a 0 0 +5 +5 treble boost from the Mojo EQ as there is nearly no high treble

RS2e
- Awesome with some EQ
- Very lean bass but surprisinlgy there is some sub bass
- Pretty, non-sibilant treble
- Ok mids
- Needs a +5 +5 0 0 EQ bass boost which sounds awesome. Very nice defined punchy bass with that setting, the treble is great anyway
- Without the Mojo 2 EQ it always lacked something for me but with EQ it's da bomb!

SR325e
- Similar to RS2, great with some EQ
- Lean sub bass, bass and mids (but more bass than the RS2e)
- Very good treble and extraordinary high treble (aka "Grado magic") which none of the others has!
- The treble is why you must keep this headphone, great to spot new nuances in guitars!
- Set EQ to +4 +4 0 0 so you get a nice bass-ment under that great treble

WH1
- Weird bell-shaped frequency range
- Sounds like a vintage radio which can work well for some kinds of music (Beatles, classic, singing, jazz)
- Very good mids, beautiful for voices
- EQ didn't really help with the shortcomings

tl;dr

GH2
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

GS1000i
Interesting, different, beautifully made, not a must have for me

PS500e
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

RS1 button
I like it because it uses F pads and is vintage but honestly it sounds weird

RS2e
Buy if you got EQ or bassy amp

SR325e
Buy for the treble, it's cheap!

WH1
Still trying to find a reason why i need it, but it's pretty and special



BTW, I will keep all of those 7, i probably got every Grado sound flavour i need with them.

Only tried the ps500e out of this lot, but glad it was so highly recommended. Nice research, good work.

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Is it just me or does it feel like the Hemps were the Grado limited edition to kill all Grado limited editions?

(Let's pretend Pokémon Grado never happened)

 

[ekolite]

Is it just me or does it feel like the Hemps were the Grado limited edition to kill all Grado limited editions?

(Let's pretend Pokémon Grado never happened)

I completely forgot about the Pokémon editions!

 

[ekolite]

Looking up the Pokémon editions here… the wooden model with red headband would be my pick.. just for the unique headband color and the backing of the cup is a very unique ventilation… I doubt that ANY Grado sounds (and looks) very much like this one. They were well received by user comments at least..

Also I would totally rock these with a red and black Gameboy Micro Pokémon edition. That would totally be my jam.

 

[ekolite]

Also.. driver matched 0.1 db if that’s not a typo that is amazing! Edit: My bad I was thinking it meant .01 db differential

 

[headfry]

Finally did a full comparison of all of my Grado headphones. Maybe it's helpful to someone torturing his brain about what Grado to buy next

I tested all headphones with a Mojo 2, EQ set to neutral. I don't care much about sound stage so i didn't say anything about it. For me they all sound great in that regard anyway.


GH2
- Very balanced across the frequency range
- Doesn't need EQ, works very well with every source i tried it with, even the iPad headphone jack
- No real sub bass, lower bass slightly bloated, otherwise punchy
- Ok mids
- Clear nice treble but not sibilant
- The sound has a certain je ne sais quois mojo, my girl friend loves it and so do i

GS1000i
- On the muffled side
- Massive yet bloated bass and sub bass
- Very nice mids
- Low treble ok, high treble muffled
- Probably needs some EQ but the Mojo EQ doesn't help much
- Great for music with not much low bass and high treble, then it sounds very nice and serious

PS500e
- Very balanced across the frequency range similar to the GH2 but more neutral
- Every frequency band is there, no need for EQ, because of that it sounds well-rounded or some might say "boring"
- Works well with every sound source
- Sounds like a real Grado but without the "downsides"

RS1 button ("Classic", not sure if A, B or C, used with F pads, too sibilant with L pads)
- Similar to GS1000i but less bassy and even less treble, overall a little more well-rounded
- Bass strong but slightly bloated
- Very nice mids, brings out stuff in guitar solos i hadn't heard before
- Great with a 0 0 +5 +5 treble boost from the Mojo EQ as there is nearly no high treble

RS2e
- Awesome with some EQ
- Very lean bass but surprisinlgy there is some sub bass
- Pretty, non-sibilant treble
- Ok mids
- Needs a +5 +5 0 0 EQ bass boost which sounds awesome. Very nice defined punchy bass with that setting, the treble is great anyway
- Without the Mojo 2 EQ it always lacked something for me but with EQ it's da bomb!

SR325e
- Similar to RS2, great with some EQ
- Lean sub bass, bass and mids (but more bass than the RS2e)
- Very good treble and extraordinary high treble (aka "Grado magic") which none of the others has!
- The treble is why you must keep this headphone, great to spot new nuances in guitars!
- Set EQ to +4 +4 0 0 so you get a nice bass-ment under that great treble

WH1
- Weird bell-shaped frequency range
- Sounds like a vintage radio which can work well for some kinds of music (Beatles, classic, singing, jazz)
- Very good mids, beautiful for voices
- EQ didn't really help with the shortcomings

tl;dr

GH2
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

GS1000i
Interesting, different, beautifully made, not a must have for me

PS500e
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

RS1 button
I like it because it uses F pads and is vintage but honestly it sounds weird

RS2e
Buy if you got EQ or bassy amp

SR325e
Buy for the treble, it's cheap!

WH1
Still trying to find a reason why i need it, but it's pretty and special



BTW, I will keep all of those 7, i probably got every Grado sound flavour i need with them.

Interesting that you included the old classic GS1000i - I find they sound best with Green and Blue (mid and upper treble) each boosted by 1 db, they then sound fantastic - the bass impact, resolution, texture etc. in particular is surreal, amazing. Great but there are other Grado's that will compete, many for somewhat less cost. I got a pretty good deal on them used 7 years ago.

btw, I'm a low volume listener. I like to think that most, if not all Grado's are designed for fairly low volume listening. That's one reason I think why
many complain about too much treble/too bright with models such as the SR325 series - listening louder and sometimes with a source that may be exposed by the clarity and resolution of the phones.

For me, Grado's are about a natural musicality that comes from accurate and coherent reproduction often far above their class (hence the simple and antiquated build quality, they're not for rough handling) The money goes into better sound quality for the cost, if they align with your preferences and use case.

If you get a chance I recommend checking out the GR10e - amazing musicality. Interestingly for these I find a mid treble cut (green light) of 1 db sounds best to me with the M2. So I'd agree on the "muffled" tonality on the GS1000i, but once corrected as above it also sounds amazing to me.

 

[544322]

Interesting that you included the old classic GS1000i - I find they sound best with Green and Blue (mid and upper treble) each boosted by 1 db, they then sound fantastic - the bass impact, resolution, texture etc. in particular is surreal, amazing. Great but there are other Grado's that will compete, many for somewhat less cost. I got a pretty good deal on them used 7 years ago.

btw, I'm a low volume listener. I like to think that most, if not all Grado's are designed for fairly low volume listening. That's one reason I think why
many complain about too much treble/too bright with models such as the SR325 series - listening louder and sometimes with a source that may be exposed by the clarity and resolution of the phones.

For me, Grado's are about a natural musicality that comes from accurate and coherent reproduction often far above their class (hence the simple and antiquated build quality, they're not for rough handling) The money goes into better sound quality for the cost, if they align with your preferences and use case.

If you get a chance I recommend checking out the GR10e - amazing musicality. Interestingly for these I find a mid treble cut (green light) of 1 db sounds best to me with the M2. So I'd agree on the "muffled" tonality on the GS1000i, but once corrected as above it also sounds amazing to me.

I will try those settings for the GS1000i, thank you! I know there is something great in every Grado, it's just not as easily detectable as with the GH2.

 

[ESL-1]

Finally did a full comparison of all of my Grado headphones. Maybe it's helpful to someone torturing his brain about what Grado to buy next

I tested all headphones with a Mojo 2, EQ set to neutral. I don't care much about sound stage so i didn't say anything about it. For me they all sound great in that regard anyway.


GH2
- Very balanced across the frequency range
- Doesn't need EQ, works very well with every source i tried it with, even the iPad headphone jack
- No real sub bass, lower bass slightly bloated, otherwise punchy
- Ok mids
- Clear nice treble but not sibilant
- The sound has a certain je ne sais quois mojo, my girl friend loves it and so do i

GS1000i
- On the muffled side
- Massive yet bloated bass and sub bass
- Very nice mids
- Low treble ok, high treble muffled
- Probably needs some EQ but the Mojo EQ doesn't help much
- Great for music with not much low bass and high treble, then it sounds very nice and serious

PS500e
- Very balanced across the frequency range similar to the GH2 but more neutral
- Every frequency band is there, no need for EQ, because of that it sounds well-rounded or some might say "boring"
- Works well with every sound source
- Sounds like a real Grado but without the "downsides"

RS1 button ("Classic", not sure if A, B or C, used with F pads, too sibilant with L pads)
- Similar to GS1000i but less bassy and even less treble, overall a little more well-rounded
- Bass strong but slightly bloated
- Very nice mids, brings out stuff in guitar solos i hadn't heard before
- Great with a 0 0 +5 +5 treble boost from the Mojo EQ as there is nearly no high treble

RS2e
- Awesome with some EQ
- Very lean bass but surprisinlgy there is some sub bass
- Pretty, non-sibilant treble
- Ok mids
- Needs a +5 +5 0 0 EQ bass boost which sounds awesome. Very nice defined punchy bass with that setting, the treble is great anyway
- Without the Mojo 2 EQ it always lacked something for me but with EQ it's da bomb!

SR325e
- Similar to RS2, great with some EQ
- Lean sub bass, bass and mids (but more bass than the RS2e)
- Very good treble and extraordinary high treble (aka "Grado magic") which none of the others has!
- The treble is why you must keep this headphone, great to spot new nuances in guitars!
- Set EQ to +4 +4 0 0 so you get a nice bass-ment under that great treble

WH1
- Weird bell-shaped frequency range
- Sounds like a vintage radio which can work well for some kinds of music (Beatles, classic, singing, jazz)
- Very good mids, beautiful for voices
- EQ didn't really help with the shortcomings

tl;dr

GH2
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

GS1000i
Interesting, different, beautifully made, not a must have for me

PS500e
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

RS1 button
I like it because it uses F pads and is vintage but honestly it sounds weird

RS2e
Buy if you got EQ or bassy amp

SR325e
Buy for the treble, it's cheap!

WH1
Still trying to find a reason why i need it, but it's pretty and special



BTW, I will keep all of those 7, i probably got every Grado sound flavour i need with them.

Oh, I think you’re definitely got a great assortment of Grado sounds. I agreed with your assessment of the GS1000-, it’s never was on my list of wanting one but for me that changed with the on loan listen to the GS1000x which is more open and spacious (something I always seek).

The one you mentioned that surprised me was the RS1 Vintage Button which should not elicit “wonky” as a descriptor. If you have only had it for a short time you may look to put some more playtime breaking in. I had the opportunity to listen to three RS1 vintage buttons and they all exhibited top notch performance, better in my opinion than any Grado priced below $1000. If you got your’s recently check with the seller. If it had been sitting idle for a long time it might just need a good amount of playing. (Redundant but I hope you try it and see if it changes a bit for the better. I consider the original RS1 vintage button among my top four Grados and a definite keeper. (The other three are the Signature HP1000/HP2, PS2000e and the GS3000x). I purchased the RS1 Vintage in the early 90’s when it was current, the TOTL and the only wood body in Grado’s line up. I know a few fellows that feel much the same about it.

Thanks for taking the time and sharing it all with us. Good work & appreciated.

P.S. mine shown below and obviously is a keeper for me. Like new, nice flavor on the wood. Yes these were designed around the Grado flat pad and other than TTVJ flats that Todd has.