[ZenErik]

I don't see the need to suggest so many tweaks. Either you like the sound of a headphone or you don't. For me the best solution is just to return the headphones I don't like and try again. Doesn't jive with my other gear and my personal tastes? No problem. Return. Cya later.

 

[lee730]

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ah, i see
i haven't experienced that, to my knowledge, although i can definitely imagine it coming from Grados

Depending on source even my Denons can become a bit fatiguing. Pretty much though I just have to lower the volume and no issues. And to tell you the truth they are quite in your face. My FX700s seem mellow compared to them and many find the FX700s quite in your face. But that sound presentation is amazing. 24/96 flac is where it is.

 

[maverickronin]

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i was just thinking this. my current phones seem to cover most everything, now the only place to go is upgrades, and the Grados seem to be the ones that could benefit the most from one.
i'm unfamiliar with the concept of fatigue though, care to enlighten me?

 

If you want more of the Grado house sound they're pretty much "the same but better" all the way up to the RS1.  The Symphones Magnum upgraded drivers for Grados might be worth a look.  I haven't heard them myself but the measurements I've seen look promising.
 
If you want to try something a little different the HiFiMan planars might be worth a look.  The HE-4 is supposed to be pretty similar to the HE-5LE which I heard and though was quite good (but a little to bright for me) except for the HE-4 being less efficient.  It should give you some sparkly treble with much better bass extension than your 702s and you amp is more than strong enough.  There's also the new HE-400 which you can currently preorder for $100 less than the HE-4 but I don't think anyone's heard it yet.
 
By fatigue I mean some combination of you ears and brain can't take the sound anymore and you just want to stop the music  It could make you tired, make your ears hurt, or just get annoying for no discernible reason after a while.  Everyone has different thresholds and dislikes.  I'm particularly sensitive to treble and a certain amount just bothers me after a while even if I love it at first.  Other people say too much bass can give them headaches and I've seen some complain about forward midrange.
 
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Yet I never got rid of the 650s. They became the perfect fallback headphone: comfortable and non-fatiguing, while maintaining all of the requisite detail and working with nearly every type of music.

I got pretty attached to mine too.  I didn't want to sell them even though I'd stop listening to them except to compare with my T50RPs to asses the effectiveness of my mods.  Once I was happy with the T50s it took a lot of will power to sell them and free up the capital...
 

 

[mcdeeda]

okay, thanks for the help everyone

i've narrowed my choices down to the RS1, MS-Pro, PS500 and Symphones Magnum

anyone have any experience with these that they could advise me with? also, does it matter significantly if the cans are designated with that i (RS1i, MS-Proi, etc)? i know that i prefer my SR80s to my friend's SR80is, but i'm not sure if that runs true throughout the grado family