I really do feel for you guys, cause I know how I would feel if the Grado sound I love was causing me physical pain...that would REALLY suck!! I wonder if they've ever tried just making the same pads they make now out of memory foam instead of the regular materials?
On my left ear, my antihelix actually sticks out farther than the lobe of my ear. Now that my hair is shorter (And is going to stay shorter), Even the "comfies" are, well...not. after an hour or so the comfies/quarter modded comfies begin to hurt. is the rat shack mod still worth a shot?
Comfies hurt because they move around freely (they have no retaining edges or anything, they are flat) and scratch your ears and mostly irritate the part that sticks out the most, the antihelix. Secure the headphone by using bowls + PX100 under them, instead. (Look up shack hack mod thread). You might have to stop wearing on-ear headphones for a bit and wait for the redness to go away.
Here's mine
Sennheiser foam (HD414, PX100) is more comfortable than Grado foam, that's why I think you'll feel a notable improvement from comfies to PX100+bowls... HD414 pads are also a good remedy, but it's debatable which one of the two is more comfortable.
You could also fit a backward (unattached) PX100 pads (or a stack of two) under you bowl for the sole purpose of adding distance around the edge, making for a more pronounced dome (or if you double them, you also add padding thickness in the middle).
Same problem here. My antihelix sticks out further than the rest of my ear. The Shack Mod has helped me a bit. I am STILL waiting for my Senn 414 pads. I am looking forward to giving them a go both sonically and comfort wise.
HD414 sounds very different , but very good (all rounder, really, it does well all Grados). More bass than bowls, yet the sound keeps all most of its airiness and all the details. Sounds gets a little bit more congested (but barely, and in no way like flat pads sound).
I really do feel for you guys, cause I know how I would feel if the Grado sound I love was causing me physical pain...that would REALLY suck!! I wonder if they've ever tried just making the same pads they make now out of memory foam instead of the regular materials?
Member of the Trade: Turbulent Labs (previously Headphonelounge)
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Good news =) just found a foam company who is willing to make the earpads. However it will take awhile and a few more meetings until we have a agreement and produce a few for my personal use. I would like to send 2-3 pairs off for free for people to review if i do manage to get them produced to see the effectiveness of the design. =) But that will be much later ... =) whee first problem solved, many more to come =) I hope that they will solve the antihelix problem and maintain the sound quality once and for all.
Good news =) just found a foam company who is willing to make the earpads. However it will take awhile and a few more meetings until we have a agreement and produce a few for my personal use. I would like to send 2-3 pairs off for free for people to review if i do manage to get them produced to see the effectiveness of the design. =) But that will be much later ... =) whee first problem solved, many more to come =) I hope that they will solve the antihelix problem and maintain the sound quality once and for all.
I tracked down the exact foam used for the bowl pads / grado L-cush so i will be using those so as not to have any sonic differences. The new redesigned earpads are meant to be angular and slightly bigger than the L-cush to offer comfort and support and not change the grado sound signature the way the G cush does
They might be designed that way (Spoiler: this is a joke) to keep you from getting severe hearing damage... because:
(Grad-Lovers stop reading here!)
... are excessively bright, have extreme FR-issues and ringing. (facts) I'm still grateful for starting with a Grado, because they made me realize that there real good headphones out there if you disregard the price and don't listen to the head-fi masses.
Among all the excellent pad suggestions, it's also important not to lose sight of the fact that you can easily bend the headband to the point where the cans justbarely stay on your head without falling off. That was the key for me. (Yeah, it does mean you have to keep fairly still while listening, which is a drawback for a lot of people.)
I don't even know what you're talking about, I wonder who is the one, between you and me, who listened the most to the Head-Fi masses.
I mean, it's not like you can even hear it or anything... "excessively", "extreme" issues, ringing, you're all learning me that, but at the same time you tell me to not listen to the Head-Fi masses... I hope that you're not part of such mass. You look to me like the kind of guy who listens to what graphs say, for using such words and talking "facts" about headphones you don't like...
Among all the excellent pad suggestions, it's also important not to lose sight of the fact that you can easily bend the headband to the point where the cans justbarely stay on your head without falling off. That was the key for me. (Yeah, it does mean you have to keep fairly still while listening, which is a drawback for a lot of people.)
Once your ears aren't touching the driver walls anymore, pressure actually helps in securing the cans, so that the pads don't scratch you. Unless you're using flat pads, pressure was never an issue for me. Although I kind of understand how it can become a solution for many people.
Good news =) just found a foam company who is willing to make the earpads. However it will take awhile and a few more meetings until we have a agreement and produce a few for my personal use. I would like to send 2-3 pairs off for free for people to review if i do manage to get them produced to see the effectiveness of the design. =) But that will be much later ... =) whee first problem solved, many more to come =) I hope that they will solve the antihelix problem and maintain the sound quality once and for all.
Good on you for taking this on Jin. The possibility of having a commercially available, comfortable pad should excite Grado owners. Addressing the comfort issue for those that suffer with different types of ear pain is, I think, long over due. I think even those Grado owners that don't suffer from ear pain could benefit from using a new pad that could potentially be more comfortable than their current favorite and potentially offer a sonic upgrade over their current favorite. I also think that if the pad is a success, Grado could possibly adopt it as a replacement/alternative for the bowls/L cush perhaps. This could really be a step in the right direction as far as addressing the comfort issue as well as balancing the sonic qualities of a new pad. The trick will be to find a balance that doesn't compromise too much in either direction, because as many of you know even slight changes in pad shape, size, material, thickness, density can have a dramatic effect on the sound as well as long term wearability.
I am hopeful that this could potentially address the issue of discomfort and pain for Grado lovers that are frustrated with having to put up with the pain associated with wearing their Grados.
(1) I think even those Grado owners that don't suffer from ear pain could benefit from using a new pad that could potentially be more comfortable than their current favorite and potentially offer a sonic upgrade over their current favorite. (2) I also think that if the pad is a success, Grado could possibly adopt it as a replacement/alternative for the bowls/L cush perhaps. (3) This could really be a step in the right direction as far as addressing the comfort issue as well as balancing the sonic qualities of a new pad. The trick will be to find a balance that doesn't compromise too much in either direction, (4) because as many of you know even slight changes in pad shape, size, material, thickness, density can have a dramatic effect on the sound as well as long term wearability.
(2) They are very stubborn, and traditionalist/conservatist :/ I think
(3) I'm not a big fan of the asymmetrical, angled pads though.. I'm afraid of the changes it will bear on the soundstage or comfort. Maybe comfort won't change though. Although I'm definitely interested in them anyway, lol
I like to listen to ringing headphones all day long, while another dude join a thread about the same headphones that he dislikes, to remind the people of the facts that made him want to avoid the said headphones.
Good on you for taking this on Jin. The possibility of having a commercially available, comfortable pad should excite Grado owners. Addressing the comfort issue for those that suffer with different types of ear pain is, I think, long over due. I think even those Grado owners that don't suffer from ear pain could benefit from using a new pad that could potentially be more comfortable than their current favorite and potentially offer a sonic upgrade over their current favorite. I also think that if the pad is a success, Grado could possibly adopt it as a replacement/alternative for the bowls/L cush perhaps. This could really be a step in the right direction as far as addressing the comfort issue as well as balancing the sonic qualities of a new pad. The trick will be to find a balance that doesn't compromise too much in either direction, because as many of you know even slight changes in pad shape, size, material, thickness, density can have a dramatic effect on the sound as well as long term wearability.
I am hopeful that this could potentially address the issue of discomfort and pain for Grado lovers that are frustrated with having to put up with the pain associated with wearing their Grados.
I doupt Grado will take it as a replacement. Im just trying to get the pad produced but if something goes wrong ( i still have to have a couple of meetings with the foam manufacturers), and i am not able to produce the pad, I will post the designs online, and send them to grado and ttvj for consideration incase anyone else would have the resources of making such a pad. Changes i have made so far are an increase in diameter of the pad by 14 mm. ( i doupt that is really much of a change as its only a 7mm extra on both sides. The size of the hole where the ear sits in is of the same diameter with thicker padding on one side which tapers down to create the angular shape. Changes are mainly in design to make it support the pad so that it does not touch the antihelix (or at least minimise the pressure on the antihelix) keeping it as tiny as possible so that it does not look goofy as the G-cush. In terms of material, and density, that part is taken care of as i tracked down the exact type of foam which grado uses for its bowl pads (the company which i asked to produce these pads for me makes pads for a few audio companies.) Fingers crossed the sonic differences will be minimal or (maybe im hoping too much) none at all. My next meeting with the company will be on the 9th of june and i will update you guys then =) Hope everything goes well
JinTeddy: Just saw your headbands....very nice! Question for you...after you replace the headband and you put the metal band back into the plastic block, do you not need to re-glue it or anything? Doesn't seem like it would stay connected if all you do is push it back into the block.
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, but very good (all rounder, really, it does well all Grados). More bass than bowls, yet the sound keeps all most of its airiness and all the details. Sounds gets a little bit more congested (but barely, and in no way like flat pads sound).
