[White Lotus]

I just got my first pair of ms1i's off eBay. I'm pretty excited to hear the Grado sound after reading so much about them. Now I just have to wait till they make it through the mail....

 
I'm actually still in shock over how good these sound. HOW are they so cheap?

 

[joshwalnut]

I got these a couple days ago and i'm loving them with my music. The sound stage and imaging is pretty much non-existent, not a big problem for me though, i don't really need sound stage and imaging for my music. What pads would one recommend for a brighter sound signature though? I'm a little wary to do the quarter mod on my comfies.
 
Also, i'm now a believer of burn-in, either the headphone or just my ears getting use to the sound..? i don't know... god what a difference!

 

[gregorya]

What pads would one recommend for a brighter sound signature though?

In my opinion, the L-Cush pads radically improve the sound of any of the Grado/Alessandro phones that ship with the S-Cush pads.

 

[sinnottj]

In my opinion, the L-Cush pads radically improve the sound of any of the Grado/Alessandro phones that ship with the S-Cush pads.

I second this! Tightens the bass and improves clarity & soundstage.
 
MS1i with L-Cush pads comes close to the 225i/325i

 

[White Lotus]

I'm personally loving the 414 pads, which I made black.

 

[sinnottj]

  I'm personally loving the 414 pads, which I made black.

I've tried them also, after my initial disappointment with the comfort of the L-cush pads.  I did the 'reverse quarter mod' on them, i.e. cut a hole in the front, then mount them backwards, so the original factory-cut hole faces outwards.
 
I liked the comfort, but ultimately still preferred the sound with the L Cush, so I persevered with them and now couldn't use anything else

 

[White Lotus]

I can't tell a huge difference between the Quarter mod and non-quarter mod.. Am I missing something?

 

[sinnottj]

  I can't tell a huge difference between the Quarter mod and non-quarter mod.. Am I missing something?

I don't think so, to be honest ... I only cut the holes as I was trying to get them to sound more like the L-cush. I couldn't really tell the difference after I'd done the mod! The HD414 foam is not very dense, is it.
 
I reverse quarter-modded my stock S-cush pads too, in the end, but I still wasn't satisfied with the sound ...
 
I guess the sound you get with the L-Cush is more than just having the driver exposed; there's the shape/thickness of the foam & the fact it's constructed from layers of different density foams. 

 

[White Lotus]

I have two pairs of 414 pads - one is quarter modded, the other isn't. It seems like a popular modification, so I'm wondering what I'm missing.. I really can't tell a difference sonically between the two. 

 

[sinnottj]

I can believe that, the foam on those pads is not all that dense - i don't think it affects the sound all that much.
 
I also think people tend to exaggerate differences round these parts

 

[joshwalnut]

I just ordered some HD 414 pads.. i'll see how it goes... i'll probably end up buying the l-cush pads in the future too because curiosity is a b*tch.. lol
 
So i've already read quite a bit about the grado mods.. some people said that the wooden cups affect the sound quality, some said it doesn't and it's just for looks.... this was back in '06 though... what's everyone think now that there's more known about them? I could make some wooden ones, but if it doesn't do anything to the sound then i could care less what they looks like on the outside. Thanks for the info guys 

 

 

[JoeDoe]

ive hear dso many good things about these headphones, would they be a good pair for a newbie?

Absolutely.

 

[Tabs]

Yes although depending on how new you are to headphones it might be your first time experiencing an open backed can. And if you are planning to get headphones for public travel these wouldn't probably be the best choice.

 

[White Lotus]

  ive hear dso many good things about these headphones, would they be a good pair for a newbie?

 
Do you plan on using them at home, or on the go?
 
What kind of music do you listen to mostly?

 

[White Lotus]