Quote:
| Joelongwood, how would you say the ETYs compare to the Grado HP-1? |
Voyager, I just did a rather brief A/B last night using the Etys and HP-1s.........and the winner is............................too close to call!
After listening to the Etys for a few days straight, I decided to see how they would compare to the Grados. I've been listening (as usual) to acoustic vocals, mostly female. When I slipped on the Grados, I was immediately struck by the much wider soundstage that they provided. The sound was wonderful, as always, but I did notice that the bass, while deep and tight, was not as musical as the Etys. I don't think "muddy" is the right term, but in direct comparison to the Ety's bass, it's the best description I can come up with. Both headphones are exceptionally smooth performers, with no emphasis on any one part of the frequency spectrum. The vocals were beautiful on both, but, to my ears, the Etys seemed more realistic in this regard......but it was pretty damned close. Although the HP-1s are highly detailed, they don't quite come up to the level of the Etys, as far as I can hear.
I would say that the sonic signature of these two headphones is much closer than say, that of any other non-Grado phone I have in comparison to the Grado HP-1.
Both are extremely detailed and smooth, with the nod for the size of the soundstage going to the Grados.
It's been said many times that Sennheisers put you in the audience, while Grados put you onstage. Well, these Etymotics put the music
inside you.
