[Icehawk]

So I'm wondering - do they? I just got my 325s and have been playing around with them. I recall a thread talking about putting your hands over the cups - man, they sound very weird like that!

What I'm wondering is - do the buttons have any effect? I'd guess not since Grado probably wouldn't screw with the sonics just to put a piece of cosmetics on there. I also notice if I just cover a tiny piece of the cups I can't tell.

Anyways, just curious!

 

[XXstatic]

My MS-1's don't have them go figure

My 125's do

I really don't think they do if any.....

 

[solbergg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icehawk So I'm wondering - do they? I just got my 325s and have been playing around with them. I recall a thread talking about putting your hands over the cups - man, they sound very weird like that! What I'm wondering is - do the buttons have any effect? I'd guess not since Grado probably wouldn't screw with the sonics just to put a piece of cosmetics on there. I also notice if I just cover a tiny piece of the cups I can't tell. Anyways, just curious!

If I didn't own Grado's, I would have thought your question was quite silly. But, after a person has covered their Grado's with their hands, this question becomes something worth seriously considering. The Grado air chamber design is obviously quite different from Sennheiser's, as I can cup my senn's all day and not hear a difference.

Anyway, I wondered the same thing as well, Ice. I guess the best test would be to put the tip of your thumb over one part of the grill and see if you can hear the difference.

 

[depaulhifi]

Yes! Removing them makes a huge sonic difference! With them out they can pass 0.0000000017 CFM more air and this allows them to be more "balanced", "neutral", and especially "airy'!

Seriously though... I can't imagine such a minute change having any affect on the sound, regardless of what your ears may tell you after removing them.

 

[Vkamicht]

Quote:

Originally Posted by solbergg I guess the best test would be to put the tip of your thumb over one part of the grill and see if you can hear the difference.

I've tried this and can't notice a difference, and if I did it was such a small difference I decided it was all in my mind.

John Grado himself even said that the buttons do not change the sonic characteristic, the only reason they aren't on the Alessandro phones is because they simply aren't needed, and to save some small costs.

 

[nikongod]

sound waves reflect off of flat surfaces. this is obviuous.

the disc represents a very flat surface, and the sound hitting it will reflect.

dynomatting the disc, and removing it BOTH effect the sound of the grados.

 

[boodi]

I wouldn't think at all they do not change the sonic signature of a can , a button is a ( wood.plastic.alluminium) surface which reflect sound waves to the opposite direction

Many cans baase their design on fact that rear grills do something to the sound .
Think of the beyer line , dt 880 for example ..

but it's true that Grado drivers fullfill and cover the whole housing hole perimeter .. so it is also likely that the sound reflections are very barely changing the movement of the membrane (on the back) - so that the sound signature remains quite the very same or very close .. imho ..

 

[sonance]

A looong time ago I took the buttons off my Grado SR-80s, the first 'head-fi' phones I owned. I couldnt tell the difference, but changing the grilles seemed to make a slight difference.
I haven't had the guts to take the buttons of the 3 other Grados I own, as they are a fair bit more expensive.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vkamicht and to save some small costs.

What do you think the street price is for an HF-1 button today? Maybe I should sell them, then I would have a stealth HF-1.

"Ya, it is just an SR-225."

 

[Vkamicht]

Alright, more about saving time than money

 

[Icehawk]

Well I certainly can't tell with just a finger but the whole flat surface thing is what made me wonder. I noticed that you can do some interesting things with their sound by how you play with the back.

 

[Meyvn]

I think it's all about pressure. You'll notice a very significant sonic difference if you cover the whole enclosure, but not really any if you just cover the portion with the button. Since the rest of the enclosure is still open, the air that hits the button just finds its way around, so there is no difference sonically.

 

[gshan]

Speaking of adjusting pressure on Grados...

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=150699

 

[milkpowder]

I couldn't care less if they sounded better with the buttons. It's unlikely that a small button like that would change the sound at all. Yes, physically and technically, the bla-bla-bla-airflow-whatever acoustics of the headphones will change, but I doubt that it would make an audible difference. Good question though...

 

[Mercuttio]

I'm inclined to say no, because the metal part of the driver is exactly under the Grado "badge." However, the sound changes significantly on an SR60 when you remove the plastic grille...