[Lavakugel]

So I have had Grados on an off for the last 15 year and never tried the lower end Grados until just recently.

I ordered a pair of SR60es as s gift for a friend and gave them a try to make sure I was not giving away a poor sounding headphone.

I am beyond impressed with the SR60e. Straight out of the box they are great. The sound signature is very close to the PS500e with a warm sounds with somewhat suppressed highs. The SR60e seems to have more bass extention than most Grados (equal to the PS500e) with more quaintly due to the stock pads.

In direct comparision to the PS500e the Mids seem a little muddy, and the highs lack a little detail using the stock pads. Switching the pads the muddiness transfers to the PS500e.

So using the same L-Cush pads on both what you gain going from the SR60e to PS500e is smoother Mids (no 2k spike from what I can tell) and a little more detail across the board. Just a little more refined sound. Back to back it is pretty clear there is less "cabinet" noise and it cleans up the sound a bit but the difference is not as big as you would expect. With that said the SR60e sounds a little stringent in the upper Mids when compared to the PS500e. I would have not noticed it without something to compair it too.

Now I like the SR60e better than the Focal Elear (which I also own)...

Hi 
 
I'm about to get my first grados eighter sr80e or ps500e can't decide yet. Read a lot about the comfort of the pads. Which pads would be the most comfortable? L-Cush, Zonk or original. 
 
Thanks

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Hi 

I'm about to get my first grados eighter sr80e or ps500e can't decide yet. Read a lot about the comfort of the pads. Which pads would be the most comfortable? L-Cush, Zonk or original. 

Thanks

Sound is best with the pads that Grado puts on the headphones when you buy them...flats for the SR80e; L Cush for the PS500e.

Comfort is I think better with the flats of the SR80e than the L Cush of the PS500e. Comfort (for me at least) is BEST with the over-ear G Cush.

However, for all but the Grado GH-1, sound suffers when you use a pad type different than the one sold with the headphone.

 

[james6333]

Hi 

I'm about to get my first grados eighter sr80e or ps500e can't decide yet. Read a lot about the comfort of the pads. Which pads would be the most comfortable? L-Cush, Zonk or original. 

Thanks

The stock pads on the 60e are by far the most comfortable. The bowl pads always hurt my ears at first. The key to Grados is bending the headband to fit you and the pads due soften over time.

 

[Dillan]

I've had some time to think, and I think I've come up with a decision to purge my Grado and move on from the brand. So this week will be the last week I will ever visit Grado Fan Club.
So I come to say goodbye.
Grado is the headphones for me, the company themselves however, is not the company that treats me well as an individual. I love grado deeply. I love it more than just a headphone. That is likely why I got hurt deeply by what had happened from last month.

I have a belief if I am a US-based person I would be a happy camper, seeing from how everybody here that is in the US received a decent service from Grado.
I would so very much like to say that Grado US have nothing to do with my bad experience, so that I can say and maintain the feeling that the brand itself did nothing, and it's their chains that had done me wrong. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Grado US themselves had a quasi-direct hand on my current experience, in the sense that their system of communication is the very thing that made it possible for their dealers to arbitrarily act the way they despicably acted towards me, and at the same time, how that behavior can went unchecked from top-to-bottom, for this long.

I know many of you guys here know that my grado headphone that I own long before I joined head-fi was one of my more prized possession. I'm very thankful to grado for creating such a headphone (/sound signature) that had been there for me for many, many years.
What happened last month tainted my attachment to the brand. This is the end of the road for me and my attachment to Grado. At least for now.

I am not closing the possibility that I will one day get another grado again. But if such a time comes, it will be more of a factor if I happen to find a dealer that is fair, and definitely when and if I move and live someplace else, not where I currently lived. I still can't deny that I love the sound grado headphones produced. It's just that it's sadly a one-sided love on my side, so I am ending it now.

This thread is the one singular thread on head-fi that is more than just a thread, and it's because of you guys.

I would like to say a big thank you to everybody that have been here ever since I first arrived on head-fi and have helped me and replied to my numerous posts. Thanks and goodbye to williamleonhart, stacker, joseph, ruthieandjohn, jaywillin, sling5s, focker, parbaked, whirlwind, wormsdriver, greenbow, macedonianhero, pfillion, mercuttio, amictus, swspiers, joedoe, wildcatsare1, bpcans, adtrance, dillan, davidA, and many others whose names doesn't pop up in my head at this very moment.

Have a good life you all. I wish you all the very best you can have in life.

Huge respect to you my friend.

I encourage everyone to treat the brands the same way they're treated. I've never had any form of communication or support from Grado, the only experience I've had is the headphones themselves.. which is why I'm here and why I give so much love to Grado.. the sound and the niche and everything is just enticing.

That said.. stinks you had a bad experience and I'm really sorry things didn't work out. I'd be happy if you still stuck around the thread and if not then at least feel free to message me anytime!

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I have had truly excellent support and communication with Grado, including their repairing and returning a pair of Bushmills on the same day they received them, with tracking info showing that they had them for only 90 min!

But they are a US-centric company. They do not market by going to shows; they do not advertise very much, they have the world's least fancy packaging, and I can certainly imagine that they focus attention on doing well in only a subset of the things that a lot of headphone manufacturers do, choosing to deemphasize marketing, packaging, and international distribution.

Why, when I learned that they did NOT have some celebrity such as Taylor Swift sporting and endorsing their headphones, I offered my services as their model and spokesman. Since I am not a celebrity, I am past middle age attractiveness, and I am not a particularly good musician, I figured I could be an anti-celebrity endorser.

I have not yet heard back from them on my offer.

 

[dr cornelius]

Since we’re always looking for recommendations for complimentary gear for our Grados - here’s one I thought you guys might find interesting:
http://rupertneve.com/products/rnhp-headphone-amplifier/#reviews
 
Two of the reviews come from pros using Grados, so maybe these amps are a good combo...  It’s also cool to see Grados being used in the pro mixing world.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Great tip!
 
I contacted Grado recently to ask what portable amp they recommended with their headphones (particularly the RS1e).
 
They said an amp was not necessary, but instead said that portable music players from Sony, Astell Kern, and Lotoo were great with Grado headphones.
 
I then inquired a bit more and learned that they themselves use the Lotoo... the Lotoo PAW Gold as a reference player to check headphones, and the Lotoo PAW 5000 for portable use.
 
I purchased the Lotoo PAW 5000 from Amazon for $199 and tried it out with my Grados (again, emphasizing my RS1e).  The Lotoo PAW 5000 is tiny, and its sampling rate is limited to 96 Ks/sec. It has digital output as well as line out and headphone out, and it includes a digital signal processor (Analog Devices Blackfin 514) within.  It also provides bluetooth, though at one volume (you change the volume on your headphones).
 
The Lotoo PAW 5000 was head and shoulders above my FiiO X5ii and X3... a clear improvement in soundstage and instrument positional imaging.
 
I then discovered that the Lotoo has a parametric equalizer consisting of 5 bands that you can set filter type (high/low pass or bandpass), center frequency, attenuation/gain, and Q (width).  It also has an "acoustic timbre embellisher" of about 6 different changes (more bright, deep bass, slmilar to an AKG 701, similar to a Beyer 990,...).
 
I also found a few recommended settings, one from Lotoo and a couple from the Lotoo threads here.  When I tried some of them (the Lotoo one in particular), I found a marked enhancement.  I had tried and discarded both parametric equalizers (on my Parrot Zik 2.0) and graphic equalizers (on my two FiiOs and my Apple iPod) as not improving anything, so this was quite a change.
 
I again contacted Grado to find 1) they did not use equalizers, as they had to hear the headphones as they are, and 2) the Lotoo PAW Gold was SIGNIFICANTLY better than the Lotoo PAW 5000 I had been using.
 
Research on the Lotoo PAW Gold (or "LPG") thread here and elsewhere found many preferring it to the AK240 and the like.  It handles all the expected sampling rates, includes the Blackfin 514 DSP and associated equalizer, but requires its own charging supply and does not have bluetooth or digital out (they expect their own DAC to be superior to anything you could bring to it!).
 
So I have ordered a Lotoo PAW Gold which is now on its way to me.  Mine was a trade, but the PAW Gold is hard to find new and lists for $2400 in its "Diana" edition, which is enhanced in gain by 6 dB for the Abyss Diana headphone soon to be released.
 
I am looking forward to trying it out tomorrow when it arrives.
 
 
Other synergies learned from Grado for their headphones:  they have recommended the Schiit Lyr 2 as a desktop amplifier (yes, I have it!).  Earlier, Joseph Grado recommended either his own amp (the hard-to-find Joseph Grado HPA-1... yes, I have one!) or the Melos SHA-1 Gold (no, I don't have that one).
 

Lotoo PAW 5000 (left) and Lotoo PAW Gold (right).

 

[maddin]

I have had truly excellent support and communication with Grado, including their repairing and returning a pair of Bushmills on the same day they received them, with tracking info showing that they had them for only 90 min!

But they are a US-centric company. They do not market by going to shows; they do not advertise very much, they have the world's least fancy packaging, and I can certainly imagine that they focus attention on doing well in only a subset of the things that a lot of headphone manufacturers do, choosing to deemphasize marketing, packaging, and international distribution.
 

This is good to hear you had such a positive experience with Grado service. It seems to be different for customers from the USA though. Which is a bit difficult for me because the customers outside the USA pay higher prices and I think Grado should offer the same service or response to them. Other companies manage do this, for example etymotic has an tremendous customer service. From other companies you hear less fast response up to nothing...
The point of marketing you raise, I see a bit different. Grado does not run advertisements but with the next generation in house they have increased their presence on the "so called" social media a lot.
I did yesterday a hearing of most of my Grados and the surprise winner was for me the HF-1. The GH1 or the PS500 are technically the better headphones, but the HF-1 has a tonality I like a lot. Even if there is less stage and less details....and it has not the monstrous  cable of the new models. Well, I guess if you wear the new models with the thicker cable a lot you don't need to go to the gym anymore.... (don't get me wrong, I like my GH1 despite the cable...)

 

[DavidA]

  This is good to hear you had such a positive experience with Grado service. It seems to be different for customers from the USA though. Which is a bit difficult for me because the customers outside the USA pay higher prices and I think Grado should offer the same service or response to them. Other companies manage do this, for example etymotic has an tremendous customer service. From other companies you hear less fast response up to nothing...
The point of marketing you raise, I see a bit different. Grado does not run advertisements but with the next generation in house they have increased their presence on the "so called" social media a lot.
I did yesterday a hearing of most of my Grados and the surprise winner was for me the HF-1. The GH1 or the PS500 are technically the better headphones, but the HF-1 has a tonality I like a lot. Even if there is less stage and less details....and it has not the monstrous  cable of the new models. Well, I guess if you wear the new models with the thicker cable a lot you don't need to go to the gym anymore.... (don't get me wrong, I like my GH1 despite the cable...)

You are not the only one with a issue with the new 8 or 12 conductor cable, way to heavy and provides no sonic benefit from my limited trials with re-cabling a RS2e, SR-225e and PS-500e.

 

[Lavakugel]

Any advice for best grados for vocals under 600 bucks?

 

[JoeDoe]

Any advice for best grados for vocals under 600 bucks?

RS2e new or RS1 (non-e) used.

 

[james6333]

Any advice for best grados for vocals under 600 bucks?

The PS500e has smoother Mids than some of the wooden Grados to my ear unless your looking for that forward Grado sound.

 

[GreenBow]

What Hi-Fi has come out and named the Chord DAVE as the best DAC that money can buy.
http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2016/temptation
 
From their 2016 Awards page. http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2016
 
I would love to put a pair of PS1000 on that DAC and have a listen. (I remember Head-Fi founder (Jude's) impression of the DAVE with a top end pair of headphones. 'Other worldy', he said.)

 

[james6333]

What Hi-Fi has come out and named the Chord DAVE as the best DAC that money can buy.
http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2016/temptation

From their 2016 Awards page. http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2016

I would love to put a pair of PS1000 on that DAC and have a listen. (I remember Head-Fi founder (Jude's) impression of the DAVE with a top end pair of headphones. 'Other worldy', he said.)

I believe it. I am using the mojo right now with my PS500e and my W4S DAC2/Burson is collecting dust.

The Wyred for sound/Burson combo has midrange glare and lacks bass when compared to the mojo with the Grados.

 

[Blazer39]

  Great tip!
 
I contacted Grado recently to ask what portable amp they recommended with their headphones (particularly the RS1e).
 
They said an amp was not necessary, but instead said that portable music players from Sony, Astell Kern, and Lotoo were great with Grado headphones.
 
I then inquired a bit more and learned that they themselves use the Lotoo... the Lotoo PAW Gold as a reference player to check headphones, and the Lotoo PAW 5000 for portable use.
 
I purchased the Lotoo PAW 5000 from Amazon for $199 and tried it out with my Grados (again, emphasizing my RS1e).  The Lotoo PAW 5000 is tiny, and its sampling rate is limited to 96 Ks/sec. It has digital output as well as line out and headphone out, and it includes a digital signal processor (Analog Devices Blackfin 514) within.  It also provides bluetooth, though at one volume (you change the volume on your headphones).
 
The Lotoo PAW 5000 was head and shoulders above my FiiO X5ii and X3... a clear improvement in soundstage and instrument positional imaging.
 
I then discovered that the Lotoo has a parametric equalizer consisting of 5 bands that you can set filter type (high/low pass or bandpass), center frequency, attenuation/gain, and Q (width).  It also has an "acoustic timbre embellisher" of about 6 different changes (more bright, deep bass, slmilar to an AKG 701, similar to a Beyer 990,...).
 
I also found a few recommended settings, one from Lotoo and a couple from the Lotoo threads here.  When I tried some of them (the Lotoo one in particular), I found a marked enhancement.  I had tried and discarded both parametric equalizers (on my Parrot Zik 2.0) and graphic equalizers (on my two FiiOs and my Apple iPod) as not improving anything, so this was quite a change.
 
I again contacted Grado to find 1) they did not use equalizers, as they had to hear the headphones as they are, and 2) the Lotoo PAW Gold was SIGNIFICANTLY better than the Lotoo PAW 5000 I had been using.
 
Research on the Lotoo PAW Gold (or "LPG") thread here and elsewhere found many preferring it to the AK240 and the like.  It handles all the expected sampling rates, includes the Blackfin 514 DSP and associated equalizer, but requires its own charging supply and does not have bluetooth or digital out (they expect their own DAC to be superior to anything you could bring to it!).
 
So I have ordered a Lotoo PAW Gold which is now on its way to me.  Mine was a trade, but the PAW Gold is hard to find new and lists for $2400 in its "Diana" edition, which is enhanced in gain by 6 dB for the Abyss Diana headphone soon to be released.
 
I am looking forward to trying it out tomorrow when it arrives.
 
 
Other synergies learned from Grado for their headphones:  they have recommended the Schiit Lyr 2 as a desktop amplifier (yes, I have it!).  Earlier, Joseph Grado recommended either his own amp (the hard-to-find Joseph Grado HPA-1... yes, I have one!) or the Melos SHA-1 Gold (no, I don't have that one).
 

Lotoo PAW 5000 (left) and Lotoo PAW Gold (right).

whooah..Lotoo PAW 5000 is better than fiio x5ii?!
 
while it will be awesome to get the Gold one its just too expensive for me..im currently using fiio x3ii as my daily DAP, while its great sometimes i feel its not natural and organic sounding with Grados
 
How exactly Lotoo PAW 5000 better than FiiO?!
 
you got me really excited over this DAP mate..