To those who are wondering if this particular debacle is typical of Grado, let me just offer my own experience. I've owned the following Grado headphones:
2 iGrados
At least two SR60s and at least two SR60i's
At least two SR80s and one SR80i
At least two SR225s and at least one SR225i
One SR325i and one SR325is
RS1
GS1000
Two HF2s
PS1000
All of my Grados have been structurally sound. With the exception of the GS1000 and PS1000, which use circumaural pads, all of my Grados have induced a physical ear fatigue after long use, fatigue which was fixed by taking a short break to do something beside listening to music all day long. I come from a generation where supraaurals were commonplace and whining about bent ears was like complaining that your feet get tired after hours of hiking.
My only complaints about cosmetics are that the wood and aluminum Grados are nickable, often when you least expect it. The nicer the headphone, the more heartbreaking it is to find a small scratch or two. My PS1000s may have come with some extremely tiny nicks, which aluminum is prone to, but I liked them too much to send them back to Grado with a magnifying glass.
I've had several aluminum Grados detach where the metal rod of the gimbal anchors into the ring. In both cases, a drop of Super Glue fixed the problem permanently.
I've had several aluminum Grados become annoyingly loose on the rod due to some failure of the bushings to sustain a more effective clamping of all that weight. Aluminum cups are heavier and the standard bushings don't seem to take that into account. There are various ways to fix this, but I never saw it as a major grievance against Grado.
I've heard people complain that the headband isn't more substantial. I never really cared. I don't buy headphones for the headband.
My experience with Grados is that they are first-rate headphones. They are deceptively easy to play right off an iPod. I say "deceptively" because unamped Grados are but a shadow of the same headphone run off a proper amp. There are rival cans that suck so bad unamped that everybody knows to amp them first. Grados are so easy to run that you can think you know what you have - that is, until you actually hear it run through a proper amp. The difference can be like night and day - especially with the bigger models.
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