[imackler]

Quote:

Mine took over a week to come around with increasing volume and quite loud the last few days. Put them on a loop with an hour rest break every 7 or so.

 
I was a little nervous to do this. I thought the Grado literature that came with said to just burn in through normal usage...
 
You'll be good to know goodvibes that my first pair of GR10 is with someone who thoroughly loves them and is putting aside the "iem hunt" for a while. This is someone else who has gone through a ton of iems and agrees that it is the best he's heard. I imagine they are thoroughly burnt in by now! 

 

[alphaphoenix]

Indeed it is!

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

 
I was a little nervous to do this. I thought the Grado literature that came with said to just burn in through normal usage...
 
You'll be good to know goodvibes that my first pair of GR10 is with someone who thoroughly loves them and is putting aside the "iem hunt" for a while. This is someone else who has gone through a ton of iems and agrees that it is the best he's heard. I imagine they are thoroughly burnt in by now! 

I get it and I suspect they would eventually come around but it's just too long that way and you're not getting what you paid for. It's a bit of a pain but when your willing to spend this much, it's probably important enough to get it right. They really don't warm up, open up, even out or decay like they should until they've been run in.

 

[imackler]

I'm back in the club! Boy, did I miss these little guys. And they're not even burnt in yet.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

I'm back in the club! Boy, did I miss these little guys. And they're not even burnt in yet.

imackler....I miss mine too.
 
Do you hear occasional scratchiness or subtle distortion on certain recordings/frequencies?  A bit more prevalent on acoustic piano?
 
I had this with both pairs I owned.  Grado attributed it to the "edginess" of today's digital recordings."  Too funny as it is not the recording.  Wondering if anyone else has heard this.

 

[DimitriTrush]

GR10 are real easy to drive. You can use them for good sounds from IPOD, ColorFLY any anything. Just there is background noises sometimes with this earphones so you must be careful. 
Quote:

WHAT PORTABLE SOURCE PLAYER DO I HAVE TO USE WITH MY GR10 TO ACHIEVE GOOD RESULTS ?
 
now i have iriver T9, but i don't like the sound.
i thought GR10 will sound much better compared to my Sennheiser IE8.
but now i think that the Grado is a very hard to drive earphone.
 
what do you think ?
i mean, where is the low-end ? i know ie8 has a lots of them, but now compared to the senn, the grado has NO bass at all. ZERO

 

[shigzeo]

I picked up a GR8 today at e-earphones. Love it. Wish it wasn't so damn sensitive, but it is a big step up from the needle-drop sensitivity of the GR10. Both are loved by me and I'm not a big grado headphone phan. I've been digging the EQ5, but the GR8 is much much better fitting and comfortable and easier to wear. Looks cheap, but sounds and feels great. Price wise, I don't mind paying for an earphone that fits well. I'll take care of it and hope that fit lasts a long time.
 
The GR10 is quite simply one of if not the best universal I've heard (I love the CK10, EQ7, EQ5, etc., so it's not a hard place for me to go). It's all about the fit and weight. Wonderful portable phone. Cheap looking as all hell, but whatever.

 

[vinnievidi]

Just curious (have a pair on the way): Can you explain what you mean by needle-drop sensitivity of the GR10?
 
Thanks
 
VV 
Quote:

I picked up a GR8 today at e-earphones. Love it. Wish it wasn't so damn sensitive, but it is a big step up from the needle-drop sensitivity of the GR10

 

[shigzeo]

Even the GR8 is incredibly sensitive at 118dB. The 116dB GR10 also has less resistance, so you hear hiss from so many sources with it. The GR8 may not be as exciting up in the high frequencies as the GR10 is, but it reveals less hiss from most sources. Even dastardly hissy sources such as the AMP3Pro hiss less with the GR8. Both are extremely to drive. The only place where the GR8 may be more difficult to drive is the high frequenices which seem to take up more Ω. 
 
I've spend the last few days with both earphones and must say that they are the first Grado products I've enjoyed fully. but, I'm a hiss hater, so the GR8 is more my cup of tea. Both sound great.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

imackler....I miss mine too.
 
Do you hear occasional scratchiness or subtle distortion on certain recordings/frequencies?  A bit more prevalent on acoustic piano?
 
I had this with both pairs I owned.  Grado attributed it to the "edginess" of today's digital recordings."  Too funny as it is not the recording.  Wondering if anyone else has heard this.

 
Yes!  I just got done trying all sorts of tips.  The overall experience is just too tizzy and fatiguing for me, plus the bass is far less present than my B2.  I used to own the GR8 and loved the fit so same w/ the GR10.  The GR8 was just too dark.  
 
The distortion and scratchiness is NOT on the tracks.  So says my HD800, UE IERM, ES5 and B2.

 

[imackler]

Quote:

 
Yes!  I just got done trying all sorts of tips.  The overall experience is just too tizzy and fatiguing for me, plus the bass is far less present than my B2.  I used to own the GR8 and loved the fit so same w/ the GR10.  The GR8 was just too dark.  
 
The distortion and scratchiness is NOT on the tracks.  So says my HD800, UE IERM, ES5 and B2.

Personally, I've never gotten distortion on the GR10 and very little hiss compared, for example, to the Shure SE425 or SE535. I find them super smooth and clear. I wonder if its because I don't listen very loud...

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Personally, I've never gotten distortion on the GR10 and very little hiss compared, for example, to the Shure SE425 or SE535. I find them super smooth and clear. I wonder if its because I don't listen very loud...

That could definitely be it.   I think I prefer my CKM500s for low volume listening which was the reason I got them actually.  Though I wasn't referring to hiss myself, your comment seems to back up the notion that the GR10 isn't picking up 'issues' on the recording or source chain relative to the 425/535.  Just a theory. 

 

[vinnievidi]

I agree. I just am now sitting down with my new GR10 plugged into my iPhone and have not experienced any hiss (like I would with my SE535).  I don't push the volume past 40% or so, so maybe that has something to do with it.  I'm itching for tomorrow when I can try them plugged into my receiver, which seems to give a tremendous amount of power to the bass via the headphone jack.  

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

 
Yes!  I just got done trying all sorts of tips.  The overall experience is just too tizzy and fatiguing for me, plus the bass is far less present than my B2.  I used to own the GR8 and loved the fit so same w/ the GR10.  The GR8 was just too dark.  
 
The distortion and scratchiness is NOT on the tracks.  So says my HD800, UE IERM, ES5 and B2.

Beat on them for a few days. I had exactly the opposite reaction regarding brightness, noise, and bass but my Grados were fully run in. Need to use their supplied tips when their right. I can use the medium tips fine but I found that I can also use the large tips without discomfort. Maybe try them for seal purposes and yes, I know you got the whole seal thing down. It's just to double check. The med is on the smaller side. I've heard a few pair now and they all start bright and all get good eventually but I have found that some 'vigorous' break in with bass heavy material after the normal fare helps get it done.
 They should end up with full mids and bass down to about 30 before they roll. The brightness will leave the upper mids and be replaced by better top extension and decay. If it doesn't, send them to me, I'll compare to mine and run them in a bit to see what happens.
 
As an example, last week I met a guy that had some 3 mo old UE700s and we compared. Same thing happened and the current 700s are already a bit warmer and less etched than B2s. 700s didn't have the warmth or bass extention of the Grado and were by comaprison a bit glassier so again, the opposite of what your getting from yours. That's only by comparison as I liked the 700s as well but he was quite taken by the Grados on his Cowon J3. He's owned Tf10s in the past and prefers his 700s to the trips due to better mid/high balance if that gives an idea of his tastes.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Beat on them for a few days.

Mine are a loaner w/ tons of headtime already.
 
With my Klipsch ovals and chain the B2/DBA02 has zero etch.  Smooth, rounded and sweet in the highs.  Plus the housing actually fits down my ear canal and doesn't stick out like it does for others that report troubled highs and no bass.  For my ears the UE700 and GR10 are a tier down on the B2 under the circumstances.