[Killercrush]

Wow !!! I never knew that my Grado SR100 had Primo DH-40 drivers, you gotta love Head-Fi and it's community knowledge !

Rhydon, do you know if Joe Grado still has NOS unmodified DH-40 drivers waiting to become HP1000 ones or if he only has a small quantity of already modified ones that Grado still had in stock after the HP1000 series was discontinued ?

 

[EdT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry guys. The DH-40 was eventually succeeded by the DH57, followed by the DH59. All but the DH59 were discontinued quite some time ago; Primo's website is quite outdated- you should refer to primomic.com (its the north american distributor- but its also a few years behind). I managed to get ahold of some DH59 drivers, still have quite a few left, but they are far inferior to the DH40/57. Primo doesn't hold a presence in the headphone driver market anymore.

How much are people here willing to pay for DH-40/57s ?

Finding obsolete electronic parts is one of my specialties. I had to find some obsolete DOD electronic parts that were discontinued in 1975 and found them in a little mom and pop shop in the Arizonia desert ..LoL

 

[Rhydon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killercrush /img/forum/go_quote.gif Rhydon, do you know if Joe Grado still has NOS unmodified DH-40 drivers waiting to become HP1000 ones or if he only has a small quantity of already modified ones that Grado still had in stock after the HP1000 series was discontinued ?

Yes. Joseph does have a small supply of HP-1000 drivers for repair purposes. Dont expect to get them for cheap- he charges 300$ a piece now (thats 600$ a pair). Not to mention he will only swap out the drivers in your HP-1000, meaning you can not simply "buy" them from him.

Whats important is that people understand the difference between Primo's DH-40 and Joseph Grado's HP-1000 driver. Though it started as a DH-40, the HP-1000 driver has had some crucial enhancements which alter the drivers response characteristics. In theory they are not the same driver.



Quote:

Originally Posted by LawnGnome /img/forum/go_quote.gif So far it looks like the GS1000 use the DH-57, and regular grado's use a DH-32 type.

No no no; None of the modern day Grado's use Primo drivers. It was limited to the HP-1000 series. Though this thread brings into question who exactly produces the drivers, some believe its Grado, some dont, Primo only manufactures 1 driver at the moment, the DH59 and its a completely different beast- no similarities to Grado drivers.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killercrush /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow !!! I never knew that my Grado SR100 had Primo DH-40 drivers, you gotta love Head-Fi and it's community knowledge ! Rhydon, do you know if Joe Grado still has NOS unmodified DH-40 drivers waiting to become HP1000 ones or if he only has a small quantity of already modified ones that Grado still had in stock after the HP1000 series was discontinued ?

I believe Grado is completely out of the HP-1000 drivers. IIRC, there was a thread here awhile back where a Head-Fi'er had a HP-1000 with a fried driver or two. He sent it in for repair and got the HP-1000 back with RS-1 drivers installed. Again, IIRC, that set changed hands a few times and ended up with a less than scrupulous eBay seller who didn't disclose the different drivers.

As for the driver manufacturing, I don't care where they're from. Though I really wish John would release a HP-4 or similar. Maybe even a PS-2 or a HF-2.

 

[immtbiker]

That person asked for RS-1 drivers to replace his HP-1000 drivers.

When you guys took the tour, did you go down to the basement?

 

[pinkun]

This is getting really interesting. What if what someone suspects is true?

For me, who are the one that owned the RS1, would never have a lower degree of appreciation to the sounding of the RS1. But, in reality, I would have not been as proud as of the can I have currently owned before the time the truth is revealed (in case the OP is right).

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. Joseph does have a small supply of HP-1000 drivers for repair purposes. Dont expect to get them for cheap- he charges 300$ a piece now (thats 600$ a pair). Not to mention he will only swap out the drivers in your HP-1000, meaning you can not simply "buy" them from him.

Sure about that?
I talked to them about 2 weeks ago and asked if any repairs were available for the HP-1000 and was told no.
TR

 

[grawk]

Talk to Joe Grado, in NC, not the company in brooklyn. Joe has retired from Grado Labs.

 

[kontai69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now the scary question, are they even different driver models for each of the Grado models ?

Good question. I own(ed) several Grados (SR60, MS-1, SR225, MS-2i, MS-Pro, and RS-1) and drivers sure look identical. The only visible difference is that with the SR60 and MS-1, the metal disc on the back of the transducer magnet is unpainted silver with a red dot painted on it. The other models are painted black. Both the silver and black discs have GRADO 32 printed on them. The MS-Pro/RS-1 have black goop on the disc so I can't tell what is printed on them.

Pics I have taken...
MS-1

SR225 (MS2i looks same)

Since I can hear audible differences among them (eg MS-1 vs SR225, MS-Pro vs RS-1), this suggests that they have been "doped" differently. If so, I guess they must be careful not to get them mixed up.

Anyways, interesting thread. Personally, I would believe the "in house" side only if someone (excluding Grado) can verify that they have physically seen the driver manufacturing equipment at Grado Labs.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, compare a Rolex and a Timex, one is an art form thats made by highly skilled craftsman(s) that are the very refinement of the art and the other is a mass produced unitarian tool that has no resale value even though it does the same function ! We are talking about capitalistic snobbery here !!

Actually, Rolex's are massed produced also. Very few of their entire product line are actually handmade. I once saw a video of their facility...very very automated. I don't know enough about watches to say definitely where Rolex stands but I have conversed with a few aficionados who claim that Rolex is in the 3rd of 4 tiers in terms of quality, build, movement etc.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, compare a Rolex and a Timex, one is an art form thats made by highly skilled craftsman(s) that are the very refinement of the art and the other is a mass produced unitarian tool that has no resale value even though it does the same function ! We are talking about capitalistic snobbery here !

Actually rolex uses machines to build their watches too.

And to tell the truth, the inner workings of a rolex are nothing to write home about. The finish quality on the parts is quite poor and their movement designs are conservative and even a little antiquated.

Mechanically there's nothing wrong with them, but nothing the tinyest bit special either. Where Rolex excells is in marketing, post-sales service, and the external finish of the watch. In that order. They run no better or worse than a $50 Seiko-5 mechanical watch manufactured by a robot in singapore.

What you get when you buy a $3000 Rolex is a good $800 watch and an outstanding service contract.

If you wanted a watch that lives up to Rolex hype, you'd have to buy a Ulysse-Nardin or something, but nobody would recognize it on your wrist, so it wouldn't fill the same purpose, now would it?

 

[Duggeh]

Thats untrue ericj, perpetual Rolex mechanisms are certified chronometers which makes them phenominally more accurate than the Seiko. I also doubt the Seiko will still be running after 70 years.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thats untrue ericj, perpetual Rolex mechanisms are certified chronometers which makes them phenominally more accurate than the Seiko. I also doubt the Seiko will still be running after 70 years.

I'll admit that i was being overly harsh - but only a fraction of Rolexes have COSC certificates.

Any Rolex dealer will tell you that if you want accuracy you can get a digital watch from a vending machine. Rolex marketing actually spins positional error as a feature.

The swiss stopped holding watch accuracy competitions when Citizen started winning them.

Any reasonably decent mechanical movement can run essentially forever with regular service. The Seiko 5, for it's part, has a movement that's been known to run 20+ years without service. Nobody services them because it's cheaper to replace them.

But the thing about Rolex is, if it stops working, you send it back and they remanufacture the whole flippin watch. It comes back to you looking like it's new.

 

[Uncle Erik]

A chronometer is certified by the COSC; you can find more information here: COSC - Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres.

All it means is that the movement was sent to the COSC, they measured it, and it passed. I've got a few of them, and it's not that big of a deal. It just adds a little to the cost and even a common 2824 can be coaxed into passing.

If anyone wants an idea of the price difference, Stowa (STOWA) will install a COSC approved movement in a watch you order from them for an extra 177 Euro.

 

[jinx20001]

dats crazy...i could have swore i clicked a earphone thread...on to the next then.

actually on the discussion of watches...what do you think of the...na forget it