[whirlwind]

 

  Joseph Grado founded Grado labs 

Yeah no way I can't forget that, but after he sold Grado Labs to his nephew he found another company to sell other stuffs that is not Grado Labs-branded right? 
 
I'm not sure when the HP1000 was made, but I'm pretty sure that when he offer the HP1000 upgrade service it was not affiliated with Grado Labs.

I think Joe retired in like, 1990 , maybe.
 
Could be he bought another company....one thing for sure, he was always tinkering with stuff after he retired...I want to say he had like twenty- something patents.
 
In my opinion, the HP1000 would be the most limited..because it was not released as a limited edition and only 1000 exist....back at that time internet sales were not there and Joseph had to travel around with the gear.
 
They did not really advertise.
 
At this point in time, with internet sales what they are and the younger generation taking over, and I am not saying this is a bad thing

, social media becomes a huge tool and you get your product to more people and also must create more product to fill the demand.
 
I believe more Grado headphones are being made than ever before, so they are very much succeeding in growing their business.

 

[bierdc]

  Congratulations.
Tiring work?
Just take care of them and they ail take care of you…like anything else.

 
Thanks!
 
It's tiring because I'm used to occasionally picking up my headphones by the cable. With these, I've been so paranoid about pulling on the cable (I've read some say that could cause the Grattle) that I've actually been clipping it to my shirt to leave slack, instead of letting the thicker-than-my-Surface's-power-cable cable create tension anywhere within the headphone. It might have something to do with me realizing that with these, I don't have the luxury of Koss's lifetime warranty that I've used periodically.
 
I suppose it doesn't hurt to be careful regardless.

 

[93EXCivic]

Can someone talk me through how the SR125e or SR225e compare to the SR60i? I have been borrowing some SR60s with HD414 pads and I enjoy them for some music. Such fun cans. My one complaint is the highs occasionally get almost painful. Do the SR125 or SR225 smooth this out a little? What is the difference between the i and e models of Prestige Series?

 

[stacker45]

  I think Joe retired in like, 1990 , maybe.
 
Could be he bought another company....one thing for sure, he was always tinkering with stuff after he retired...I want to say he had like twenty- something patents.
 
In my opinion, the HP1000 would be the most limited..because it was not released as a limited edition and only 1000 exist....back at that time internet sales were not there and Joseph had to travel around with the gear.
 
They did not really advertise.
 
At this point in time, with internet sales what they are and the younger generation taking over, and I am not saying this is a bad thing

, social media becomes a huge tool and you get your product to more people and also must create more product to fill the demand.
 
I believe more Grado headphones are being made than ever before, so they are very much succeeding in growing their business.

 
I find it odd whirl, that John Grado proudly writes ''Grado Heritage'' on his GH1, and yet, he doesn't include the most well constructed, and greatly appreciated Grado model ever produced.

 
In my opinion, John should give is uncle the recognition he deserves, after all, if it wasn't for Joseph Grado, there wouldn't even be a Grado heritage.

 

[CH23]

  Thanks for the response, CH23.
 
My setup is fairly standard.
 
FILES: I do use MP3 because I won't kid myself, I don't hear enough difference between a high bitrate MP3 and FLAC etc. The overwhelming majority is 256-320, or VBR 0 to 1. Of course, some of my older stuff that wasn't mastered so nicely I might bump down to VBR 2 or so. Storage is so cheap today that it is kind of hard to believe it was once a concern of mine lol.
 
PLAYER: I've grown to depend on Windows Media Player. I like the three-pane setup for making/editing my playlists, it can sync USB drives for use in my car, and it has done a nice job of organizing my library. Once upon a time I was a die-hard Winamp user, and then iTunes briefly after that. Not sure how I ended up in WMP, but I've been pleased with it.
 
AMP: No amp yet. My primary headphones have been PortaPros for years, which are easy to drive straight out. Remarkably, my RS2e's seem even easier to drive. I do want to eventually get an amp and external DAC, but nothing too fancy. I figure it just kind of goes with the hobby.
 
HEADPHONE: As I've alluded to, I ended up with a pair RS2e's. I've admired Grados (especially the wood-cup ones) since I first became aware of their existence back in the early 2000's. Being hand-made in the U.S. is a nice bonus, too (you don't see that very often today). Randomly, I recently started reading extensively about headphones online, and decided I'd get my first $100+ set. I considered all sorts of brands, but kept coming back to Grado. I thought about getting a model from the Prestige series, but I realized that even if I loved them, I'd still eventually want some References. I reasoned that it would be wise to save up for what I've wanted for more than a decade ("wood-cup Grados"). Impulsively, I checked eBay for a used set of References, found one like-new going for a surprising price that I figured I could swallow, and jumped on it. Now, if I'm not listening to them, I'm looking at them 

 
In honesty, I was disappointed the first day I had them. I'm used to a much thicker midbass, and while the detail of the midbass through these is tremendous, I felt it lacked presence. I don't know if they somehow burned in super quickly, or they got acclimated from being shipped (or maybe more plausibly, my ears adjusted); but the next day I started falling in love with them and found the midbass far more reasonable. I still wouldn't mind thickening it up a bit, so I'm thinking I might order a set of leatherette pads to try:
 
https://www.amazon.com/EarZonk-Long-Life-Leatherette-Cushions-Headphones/dp/B00OM21W1I/ref=pd_ybh_a_17?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NKF645KDMHN3W0AXQDND
 
I know a lot of diehards hate the idea of altering the sound, but I figured it'd be worth a try for me. If I don't like them, I can always swap them out again, right?

 
I honestly believe that you could benefit tremendously from a good DAC/amp if you're using a standard computer.

I went almost the same way as you. previously i had a Koss Portapro (which i still use actually, despite having a few flagship headphones), and moved to the buttoned RS2. in the beginning i felt like the treble was a bit too much and there was no bass.

Later i learned through listening that the bass is simply not peaking as high as on the PortaPro. it just takes a while to get used to this.

I would recommend going with the G-cush, as this reduces the amount of treble., and they're just more comfortable.

 

[GreenBow]

@bierdc I second CH23. A good DAC/amp will improve audio. Generally PC/laptop sound is improving. However getting a proper external DAC is still going to yield better results.
 
I started with the Meridian Explorer (1) and liked ti better than my Asus motherboard on-board sound. I now have a £400 Chord Mojo which I use as a desktop DAC. I would love to hear my Mojo on some better headphones than my 225e. I am not decided what to do though in terms of buying better headphones. Plus I have some great desktop speakers that I run from my Mojo too.

 

[bierdc]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Once my wallet recovers, I'll start looking at DACs and amps.

 

[musiclvr]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Once my wallet recovers, I'll start looking at DACs and amps.

I envy your position right now! I remember a time when I simply enjoyed my first $100.00+ headphone 3 years ago or so. No separate amp it dac was needed apart from my iPod. If you look at my profile I have since gone on a long journey of discovery! Hahaha I have gone from being an audiophile who enjoyed music through his gear to an audiophile who enjoys his gear through his music.....if that makes any sense. You have started out with an excellent headphone though. Enjoy the music and welcome to the Head-Fi fold.....oh, sorry for your wallet!

 

[stacker45]

QuoteOriginally Posted by musiclvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif


I envy your position right now! I remember a time when I simply enjoyed my first $100.00+ headphone 3 years ago or so. No separate amp it dac was needed apart from my iPod. If you look at my profile I have since gone on a long journey of discovery! Hahaha I have gone from being an audiophile who enjoyed music through his gear to an audiophile who enjoys his gear through his music.....if that makes any sense. You have started out with an excellent headphone though. Enjoy the music and welcome to the Head-Fi fold.....oh, sorry for your wallet!
 
Great post sir, I especially like this phrase, ''I have gone from being an audiophile who enjoyed music through his gear to an audiophile who enjoys his gear through his music''.
 
It's easy to get caught up in all of the audio gear's specs and ''sexiness'', and sometimes ends up being more important than music, wich is the reason why we aquired all of that nice stuff in the first place.
 
In my opinion, when it gets to the point when we only listen to the recordings that sound good on our sound systems, that's when the music is relegated to the back burner.
 
I've recently stopped analysing the sound, and started listening to my music, and I have to say, it's been a revelation.
 
Today I watched J-Lo's concert,  ''Live In Puerto Rico'' and what a pleasure it was to pick up my drumsticks, and play along to the beat with the drummer.
 
Oh! and for those interrested, I used my HP1000, straight from my Marantz 2235B, and let me tell you that Joseph Grado too, knew how to build great sounding headphones.  

 

 

[bierdc]

I envy your position right now! I remember a time when I simply enjoyed my first $100.00+ headphone 3 years ago or so. No separate amp it dac was needed apart from my iPod. If you look at my profile I have since gone on a long journey of discovery! Hahaha I have gone from being an audiophile who enjoyed music through his gear to an audiophile who enjoys his gear through his music.....if that makes any sense. You have started out with an excellent headphone though. Enjoy the music and welcome to the Head-Fi fold.....oh, sorry for your wallet!

 
I'm going to try my best to stay in this position for a good while lol. I've got to continue saving for grad school, an eventual house downpayment, and start my Viper-fund 

Indeed, you have transcended to a new level haha. I briefly looked up the GS2000e (sounds like a remarkable set) and saw that the G-Cush (as CH23 kindly suggested to me) is actually circumaural. I'd just like to confirm that I could use such pads on my RS2e's. Assuming they fit, would they supplement bass/midbass at all vs. the standard L-Cush? Any change to soundstage?

 

[bierdc]

  Great post sir, I especially like this phrase, ''I have gone from being an audiophile who enjoyed music through his gear to an audiophile who enjoys his gear through his music''.
 
It's easy to get caught up in all of the audio gear's specs and ''sexiness'', and sometimes ends up being more important than music, wich is the reason why we aquired all of that nice stuff in the first place.
 
In my opinion, when it gets to the point when we only listen to the recordings that sound good on our sound systems, that's when the music is relegated to the back burner.

 
That is an interesting observation! Right now I think I'm at the stage where I'm just exploring some of my older music, picking out nuances to appreciate (or laugh about).
For example, just the other night I noticed lightly in the background (between 1 & 2 mins) of David Gray's 'Please Forgive Me' is some off-tempo percussion. I hadn't picked up on that before.

 

[musiclvr]

I'm going to try my best to stay in this position for a good while lol. I've got to continue saving for grad school, an eventual house downpayment, and start my Viper-fund 
Indeed, you have transcended to a new level haha. I briefly looked up the GS2000e (sounds like a remarkable set) and saw that the G-Cush (as CH23 kindly suggested to me) is actually circumaural. I'd just like to confirm that I could use such pads on my RS2e's. Assuming they fit, would they supplement bass/midbass at all vs. the standard L-Cush? Any change to soundstage?

Well it seems you have your priorities in their appropriate tiers. Well done. As for the RS2e I don't have any experience with it so I'm not sure how it's sound varies with mods. Generally speaking, the G-Cushions create a wider soundstage but with a loss in bass impact/weight. The mids presentation becomes slightly recessed in some instances. Or maybe the mids become more neutral as Grados are mid forward to begin with (in general). I hope this helps you.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

   
I find it odd whirl, that John Grado proudly writes ''Grado Heritage'' on his GH1, and yet, he doesn't include the most well constructed, and greatly appreciated Grado model ever produced.

 
In my opinion, John should give is uncle the recognition he deserves, after all, if it wasn't for Joseph Grado, there wouldn't even be a Grado heritage.

http://www.gradolabs.com/company/timeline

[size=20.007px]1989[/size]

Signature Headphones

Joe Grado introduces his Signature line of headphones

That's pretty much every thing they says right now about the HP1000.

 

[rovopio]

  http://www.gradolabs.com/company/timeline

[size=20.007px]1989[/size]

Signature Headphones

Joe Grado introduces his Signature line of headphones

That's pretty much every thing they says right now about the HP1000.

 
Hi mate, I have to ask you some stuff if you don't mind. No.1 is that...  is it possible to close the LD 1+ with your Burson opamp? Or will yours be forever opened as long as it's still plugged with the Burson?
No 2 is that... I'd like to ask, which one do you feel would yield the bigger improvement, changing to the mullard tube from my current tube, or changing from the default opamp to the Burson?
Also lastly, where do you get the Burson if I may ask? Is it direct from their website?

 

[Blazer39]

   
I'm going to try my best to stay in this position for a good while lol. I've got to continue saving for grad school, an eventual house downpayment, and start my Viper-fund 

Indeed, you have transcended to a new level haha. I briefly looked up the GS2000e (sounds like a remarkable set) and saw that the G-Cush (as CH23 kindly suggested to me) is actually circumaural. I'd just like to confirm that I could use such pads on my RS2e's. Assuming they fit, would they supplement bass/midbass at all vs. the standard L-Cush? Any change to soundstage?

if your comfortable with L-Cush then i suggest staying with it..perhaps you can also try the S-cush, makes the trebles less hot a bit( also comfortable).