[Loving[MAX]Sound]

So... Uh... I'm 32? And I like Grado? 

I feel like the Metamucil Mafia is gonna whip their brand new hips around and come after me any second now...

They will probably come after me first, I am 25

 

[kvtaco17]

I only could pass for 19 because I'm Chinese... Magic genes my people have...

 

[wormsdriver]

I got to use the Sr225 pinks for a couple hours last night, very good for their price point, but I've been spoiled by my Rs1, so I'm not sure if I'll keep 'em since they might end up not getting much use.
 
In the mean time, my Ps500 are going on the chopping block soon, pm me if interested. **Special Grado Fan Club discount!** 

 U.S. only please

 

[Loving[MAX]Sound]

I got to use the Sr225 pinks for a couple hours last night, very good for their price point, but I've been spoiled by my Rs1, so I'm not sure if I'll keep 'em since they might end up not getting much use.

In the mean time, my Ps500 are going on the chopping block soon, pm me if interested. **Special Grado Fan Club discount!**   U.S. only please

Lol! At the fine print at the end of your post

 

[Theogenes]

Since we're on the subject of age, I'll tell this story.

I was at a meet, and I wondered out loud how surprised I was that no one brought any Grados. I got some strange looks.

One guy who seemed a little over-proud of his Hifimans sniffed at me, "That's for kids. It's a good starter can but not, um, hi-fi." His "um, hi-fi" came out in a tone of genuine ennui.

I just locked eyes with him and said, "Are you kidding? They sound terrific. I didn't have them when I was a kid--I wish I'd had them when I was a kid--I guess they must be my mid-life crisis cans."

 
For a while, based solely on the things I'd read (not any actual experience), I thought Grados were kind of laughably old-school, poor performing, screechy headphones for nostalgic people who didn't know good sound. Then I heard some... And realized just how massively some people's tastes differ from mine. For example, I love and respect Tyll to the ends of the earth (couldn't have a better spokesperson for the hobby IMO), but his dislike of Grado (and treble in general, unless it's on a Sennheiser) subtlely steers potential fans to other brands. JMO, of course. 

 

[jaywillin]

   
For a while, based solely on the things I'd read (not any actual experience), I thought Grados were kind of laughably old-school, poor performing, screechy headphones for nostalgic people who didn't know good sound. Then I heard some... And realized just how massively some people's tastes differ from mine. For example, I love and respect Tyll to the ends of the earth (couldn't have a better spokesperson for the hobby IMO), but his dislike of Grado (and treble in general, unless it's on a Sennheiser) subtlely steers potential fans to other brands. JMO, of course. 

you know we all listen to the "professional reviewer"  too much from time to time, i know i have
but just like all of us "regular" guys, we have different likes and dislikes, so if i'm curious about a piece of kit, i'll get it, and go by what MY ears say
not a reviewer

 

[joseph69]

I received the WA6 yesterday, unpacked it, put the wood side panels/tube plate/bezels and transformer cover…but this time I took off the aluminum transformer cover and just put the wood cover on the transformer for a lower/sleeker look…popped in the 596/NOS Sylvania 1962 6SN7WGTA's and burned-in/listened with the RS1i's for 4hrs last night! Feels great to have my old set-up back…just have to wait for the amp to pass the 200hr mark for that pure bliss sound that I had/love.

 

[LCfiner]

Well, I was checking out reviews recently for the PS1000, GS1000 and RS1. and practically every single professional review from a magazine or website was ridiculously positive. To the point where all but one or two of them would even mention a flaw of these headphones.
 
if anything, the pro reviews I've seen of Grados tend to be much more positive than the impressions here on head-fi across the wide range of listeners. And some folks here really don' like 'em, lol. Grado dislike (for sound or tech or whatever) is more of a head-fi thing than a professional reviewer thing, imo.
 
Tyll's taste definitely skews more toward darker phones (to the point where I disagree with a lot of his lower cost headphone recommendations) but what I like about his site is that the measurements (yup, I like these) help the reader define what the reviewer considers to be a good frequency response or clean bass or whatnot. So it gives the reader more information to get a better idea if their tastes line up with the reviewer's taste.

 

[Justin_Time]

I gotta find a Grado thread where there's some young people. For the record I'll be 58 in September. Next it'll be sexagenarians who can't hear an f•••ing thing trying to figure out which pads to put on their vintage "throwback" Grado's while plugging them into 75w McIntosh power amplifiers because they really can't hear a f•••ing thing. Hah? What?

I think sensitivity to the trebles on the Grado PS1000 has as much to do with associated components as with age. The treble hump on these cans, based on the sound of instruments I hear (not measurements) like violin overtones and sibilance, is around 7 to 10 KHz. It does not take a dog to hear that. There is not much response from the Grado PS1000 above 10KHz (cymbals).

I am 65 and, with most amps under $1,000 I tried, my PS1000 sounded like a bunch of screeching banshees. But with the MAD Ear+ HD (and a few top-notch but rather pricey amps), the sound was pure bliss, smooth midrange, excellent center image, well-articulated details and large sound stage (second only to the HD800). The Grado PS1000 sound wonderful with classical music (not with pipe organ or tympani though as the PS1000 has nothing below 50Hz) and also excel with Jazz and vocal. It is with rock, however, that the big hump around 70 to 100Hz comes into play for a most satisfying bass punch. The LCD2/3 bass, while deeper and weightier, sounds slow like a ponderous elephant in comparison.

Joseph Grado (or was it his son?) was on to something when he developed the U-shaped voicing for the Grado PS and GS series. It is far from neutral, but with the right associated components (ultra clean or rolled off trebles; well- controlled bass), the sound is so musical and even addicting. It should not have worked, but WORK IT DOES!!!

I have had just about all headphones in the past 10 years (except for a few costing over $10,000) and I can tell you no cans can do what the Grado does. When it is bad, it is so, so bad--sorry Donna Summers--but when it is right, it sounds just like the real thing. I have never been able to explain this.

 

[jimr101]

Justin_Time couldn't agree with you more. Went to the McIntosh authorized dealer in Chandler AZ and the only headphones he carried were the Grados because as they put it they are the only neutral enough headphones to reproduce the virtues of his high end sound system. By the way age is a qualification in my book for recognizing good sound. I'm 63 and almost made it to Woodstock when they shut the freeway down. And at 20 I had more in my sound system than my car. McIntosh preamp Pionner sx1010 amp and Altec Lansing 4ohms with KLH 8ohm speakers and a Dual turntable and the chicks dug what we used to call HIFI. I might not hear as well as I used to but having heard the real sound I can still recognize it when I hear it! And I can also recognize that there is a bunch of young one out there that are definitely getting it.

 

[Justin_Time]

Justin_Time couldn't agree with you more. Went to the McIntosh authorized dealer in Chandler AZ and the only headphones he carried were the Grados because as they put it they are the only neutral enough headphones to reproduce the virtues of his high end sound system. By the way age is a qualification in my book for recognizing good sound. I'm 63 and almost made it to Woodstock when they shut the freeway down. And at 20 I had more in my sound system than my car. McIntosh preamp Pionner sx1010 amp and Altec Lansing 4ohms with KLH 8ohm speakers and a Dual turntable and the chicks dug what we used to call HIFI. I might not hear as well as I used to but having heard the real sound I can still recognize it when I hear it! And I can also recognize that there is a bunch of young one out there that are definitely getting it.

 


I can hear sibilance in this range just fine--perhaps because I attended only one live concert by the Ramones--the runaways opened for them! Talking about visual bliss--and one live performance by Kiss. So I escaped the errors of my youth my my hearing relativelyintact.

The PS1000 started to roll off precipitously around 10KHz and there is virtually nothing beyond that (down tens of dBs). It does not take canine ears to hear 10KHz and below

 

[bpcans]

Jimr101, I don't know if it's age, but I agree with you that one has to know, or at least have the familiarity, with the true timbre of certain instruments in a live performance situation. I've been listening to music and attending live shows since before I could even walk and talk. I'd rather have sonic accuracy as opposed to bass slam and highly coloured mids and treble in my headphones.

 

[bbophead]

"Pro" reviews tend to be mostly positive because magazines hardly ever print negative reviews of anything.  I think Tyll is very honest in his evaluations, I just don't happen to agree with his tastes.  Therefore, I pay very little attention to what he writes.  Perhaps technically he is spot on but my personal likes and dislikes are what count for me.
 
Sorry for this obvious post.  I guess I felt a need.

 

[CH23]

To me, high fidelity comes 2nd, feeling comes first.

Reason i bought grados was because the music feels right, alive even.
Then you go up the line, from an RS80 to a PS1000, and you go through a few amps/sources/DACs till you find something that feels and sounds great. I doubt that's really age related though.

I do believe i'm one of the youngest persons in this fan club, at age 23...

 

[bbophead]

It would not surprise me if there were pre-teens on this site.