Interesting. Is the crossover done in DSP (requiring 4 DAC channels to the stereo set of drivers), or is it a 2 channel DAC with passive passive crossover networks (then the DSP is just for tuning)? The earpiece cables look like two conductors only, so I'm guessing the latter.

  Whoa...  where did THOSE come from!?!  They're just the thing to upgrade these GH1s to the metal gimbal they should have come with!

Up way past bedtime - but listening during the quiet, calm hours of the night can be really special ...  don't know if it's heightened hearing acuity or just less background noise or what, but now I have to tear myself away from the GH1s and get some sleep!  Mingus never sounded so good.    

Congrats on the new 'phones - glad you're enjoying the experience of having your sonic windows cleaned and treated with some of Grado's best anti-reflective coating!  Trust me, you're not missing anything vs. the HD800 and Audeze, etc.  They are various shades of 'different', but better ... no...

    Thanks Sling!   Those look great!  I'll have to get to a craft store this weekend and whip up a set of my own.  How did you size them to get a snug but not too-tight fit?  I'm sure I could figure it out, just wondering if you had any special technique or tips.   I've had a pair of...

Interesting.  I'm going to have to do another comparison...  I agree on the lower treble / upper mid brightness, but throughout my burn-in, the GH1 never quite equalled my RS2e on the detail & soundstage.  But I've put another 20-30 hours on the GH1 since I hast had 'em side by side...   At...

  Leather, eh?  That's a nice idea, I'd love to see a photo.  Actual tape is, well...  a little ghetto...  

Last I had them side-by-side, the RS2e soundstage and detail both still surpassed the GH1 (@ 80-90 hours).  It's not a huge difference though - the GH1 is very capable on it's own, and I really find the difference isn't that especially noticeable unless I'm swapping back and forth.   Listening...

Don't be so sure...    

  Thanks.  I had not heard that the e-series are supposed to sound broken in when new...   I have definitely heard some very positive changes in the GH1 through the first 100 hours, keeping the RS2e as constant reference point.  They are sounding positively awesome today.  In fact, they sound...

  Well, you sure picked a good one to get addicted to.  I've heard the HD800, LCD-XC, LCD-3, and numerous other high-end headphones, and don't feel I'm missing anything.  The Grado's have a magical ability to render very lifelike and natural, musically engaging sound.  Others may present a more...

  You're most welcome!   I don't think there's any particular woody characteristic in the sound which might betray the species... I suppose if one listened to a hundred different models made with Mahogany, and then switched to Maple, you might notice what it is that makes the two woods...

  Alas, I do not own the PS500, or any other Grado except the GR8.  I would be very interested in that comparison too.   I suppose I should point out that in absolute terms, much of what I describe in my comparison review is fairly subtle, and intended to parse out the relative differences in...

@joseph69 - My appreciation for prodding me to go listen again to the RS2e in stock form... I've been pleasantly greeted with a headphone who's worst attribute has mellowed significantly, I just didn't realize it till now because I had dialed in my EQ when they were still relatively new...

  Can't say I disagree, these are all fair points ...  OTOH, people have been eagerly asking for a comparison, so those are my initial impressions for better or worse.  I hope I emphasized the obvious caveats regarding burn-in enough for people to consume my early impressions with the requisite...

Some pics:       Interestingly, my drivers are flush:  

OK...  so the RS2e vs GH1 comparison is not quite as straightforward as I would have imagined.   For starters, I want to compare on an even keel for folks here to get a useful comparison.  That means shutting off my EQ plugin.  But, I find the RS2e too bright & fatiguing in the stock...

I agree on the packaging - if the cost savings are going into a better piece of gear.  I'd like to see a slightly nicer carton - $5 or $10 to make the packaging a bit more special would be worth it, if only for the collector value on a limited edition product.   The lack of a serial number...

Yes, Yes.  I literally just opened the box on my GH1.   Initial impression (less than 5 minutes of listening!) ... I can immediately tell that I like the tonal balance on the GH1 much better than the RS2e.  I personally find the RS2e too bright & fatiguing without the tape mod and/or a...

s/n 1722 checking in...   Just received mine today.  Over the coming weeks, I'll be putting them up against the Grado RS2e and ATH-W5000.  It's too early to draw conclusions, with only a couple hours of listening on them, but I will say I like what I'm hearing so far.  They are sounding great...

Now that I've had a couple months with these, I thought I'd come back and post my impression of them.   As expected, the H3's don't rise to the level of performance of my high-end IEM's (Ety ER-4P, Heir 4.ai, Grado GR8), but even so, they're still quite good.  They compare most closely with...

Thanks for the review - very helpful.   I've decided to order these for taking conference calls and listening to audio books on the go, so my requirements are not strictly sound quality but also comfort, ability to stay in the ear while moving, and the inline controls and mic.  For dedicated...

... freshly dissected: 8x AK4528 CODEC (2Ch. A-D @ 108dB SNR + 2Ch. D-A @ 110dB SNR) 1x AK4382 DAC for main outs (2Ch., 112dB SNR? - this spec is for the 4382A version, which may or may not be the same) These are definitely not top-tier converters, but they should sound OK. I'm...

... freshly dissected: ADC: AKM AK5384 (4Ch., 107dB SNR) DAC: AKM AK4358 (8Ch., 112dB SNR) Good but not great. OTOH, as good as it gets for multi-channel converters, and the AKM's sound nice. Opamps are all ST Micro, MC33078 and 33079, including the mic pres & headphone out. Again...