[zombywoof]

 

@trellus, thanks for your input.  Will go with some SR80e for travel purposes.  The PX100 were tempting given the small size, etc.

 

[DavidA]

  Thanks, @wormsdriver.  I have ordered SR80e.  I will definitely consider replacing the cable.  Coincidentally I have ordered some supplies (Mogami and Canare cable, and some Switchcraft 3.5 mm plugs) to replace the cable on my SR125 woodies, so I will be stocked to tackle the SR80 as well.

Don't know if the 80e comes with the 8 conductor cable but if it does all the more reason to change it, the 8 conductor is way to heavy for such light headphones.

Ever though about making the cables removable?  I've been using SMC connectors, small and easy to work with:

 

 

[tlainhart]

 
certainly while no Grado's are bass monsters hp's like the GS1000 or PS1000 series do not have
coarse treble.....

I just picked up a pair of GS-1000e - demo from an online dealer.  Don't know how many hours are on them.  I'm coming from the 60 and 125.
 
On some recordings, the upper-mids are harsh.  I was surprised/disappointed how bad the tenor horn sounded on a Hank Mobley Blue Note reissue (vinyl).  This out of the headphone section of my Rogue Sphinx with a nice phono-pre and Grado Master upfront.  Through speakers, the horn sounds wonderful.  Perhaps there's something about the timbre that excites the GS in a bad way.
 
Other recordings are OK.  Bass and piano are fine.  Something about the timbre of the sax.  I'm hoping that this is just a side-effect of not being broken in.  I can hear the harshness a bit on the 125 - the GS-1000e gives me more detail and thus that harshness is more prominent.

 

[headfry]

I would recommend trying other recordings to see if this is tendency is excited
by certain recordings or many. I have the GS1000i out of Mojo and some recordings
can sound a little sharpened in the mid/highs....although most of the time and with most recordings
it's not an issue at all and I'm immersed
in the soundscape which is wonderful, refined,naturally
detailed with a natural soundstage (for headphones). Not even like listening to 
headphones...more like a very high end electrostatic speaker system (think high end Quads)....
like an open window on the recording.
 
....supremely musical.
 
I love Ravi Coltrane...if you have a nice dac you can try Spirit Fiction or 
Mad 6 online- both wonderful recordings.
 
It's possible burning in will smooth this over somewhat....or it may not.

 

[tlainhart]

Thanks headfry.  Maybe it's the recording - not all tenors sound as brittle as this.  But the recording through other transducers is amazing.
 
The presentation is pretty flat as well, so perhaps that's something that deepen over time.
 
Also possible that I'm expecting too much.

 

[wormsdriver]

Has anyone here had the opportunity to own/hear the Grado PS1?
If so, could you please give a brief description of their sound-signature in comparison to another model in which they would possibly resemble most, if there is one.

Thanks.

Here you go: http://www.head-fi.org/t/485286/grado

 
I also have the px100 (original version) somewhere stuffed in a drawer. Indeed, they do not sound like Grados.

I would suggest a pair of Sr60 or Sr80 like you said and if you need more portability, you can re-do the cable to a shorter length and you can also try a different (collapsible) headband like this:

Thanks, @wormsdriver
.  I have ordered SR80e.  I will definitely consider replacing the cable.  Coincidentally I have ordered some supplies (Mogami and Canare cable, and some Switchcraft 3.5 mm plugs) to replace the cable on my SR125 woodies, so I will be stocked to tackle the SR80 as well.

Glad i could help. The sr80e (i believe ) comes with the smaller four conductor cable. You could also, very easily just cut some length off and replace the jack if you choose not to replace the whole cable.



As far as Tyll goes, ive notice that my taste has never align with his. Seems to me like there's two camps when it comes to headphones. People who love Grado and people who absolutely cannot tolerate them! Lol

I've always found this interesting, that they honestly cannot stand the sound of Grados, while for the rest of us nothing else will quite do. One thing for sure though, I've noticed that Grado fans are usually much more tolerant towards others preferances and accept that they like a different sound signature. It's rare to see a Grado fan openly trying to push their preferences on others on any other thread you'll find on this forum.

 

[joseph69]

@wormsdriver 
 
Thank you!

 

[trellus]

The SR80e are pretty light - well, the headphones if not the cable.

I didn't think open-back was an option for you or I would have recommended the Alessandro MS1e with the shallow cups as they are even more portable than the SR80e but otherwise look almost identical, just the cups don't stick out as far from your ears.

@trellus
, thanks for your input.  Will go with some SR80e for travel purposes.  The PX100 were tempting given the small size, etc.

 

[GreenBow]

@tlainhart probably just need running in. Either that or you got a bad pair with some fault. I'd say let them get as many hours run-in on them ASAP.
 
I never heard anyone else say anything like that about the GS1000e. Only thing they say is that there's a bit less bass than on the GS1000i. Or like ruthieandjohn said it took ages for the bass to fill out as they took ages to run in.
 
Other thing I thought was. Maybe they are just so clear and picked out a hard recording that your other headphones smoothed over.
 
I dunno though, honestly. Am just thinking out loud since you posted your issue.

 

[Gippy]

 
Good point, still criticism can be overdone....in Tyll's article, he bashes Grado....
sure the sound is not to his taste...but makes me wonder if he's ever heard a top flight Grado...

 
I can see where he's coming from. Even the premium Grado sound signature is an acquired taste. I preferred the Sennheiser HD800S over the Grado GS2000e when both were at stock, but greatly preferred the GS2000e once EQed. You can EQ the sound signature to your liking, but you can't EQ air and crispness, which what made the GS2000e superior to me.
 
Also call me when another brand makes a full-sized flagship that weighs under 300g. I now only own the GS2000e and the Sony MA900 because I don't like heavy headphones. In the mad quest towards audio nirvana, people forget that comfort should be a main factor towards a headphone purchase.

 

[kman1211]

Here you go: http://www.head-fi.org/t/485286/grado
Glad i could help. The sr80e (i believe ) comes with the smaller four conductor cable. You could also, very easily just cut some length off and replace the jack if you choose not to replace the whole cable.



As far as Tyll goes, ive notice that my taste has never align with his. Seems to me like there's two camps when it comes to headphones. People who love Grado and people who absolutely cannot tolerate them! Lol

I've always found this interesting, that they honestly cannot stand the sound of Grados, while for the rest of us nothing else will quite do. One thing for sure though, I've noticed that Grado fans are usually much more tolerant towards others preferances and accept that they like a different sound signature. It's rare to see a Grado fan openly trying to push their preferences on others on any other thread you'll find on this forum.

I do think he does a lot of good work with his measurements. But honestly don't fully agree with him headphones either, but with many things I also agree with, it's really mixed, I agree he did get a bit too biased. While I found he was oddly harsh on Grado(I think Grado's sound a lot better than he gives them credit for), I found it odd how he talked about Beyerdynamic too, ignoring their newer phones(which are on the warmer, darker, smoother side) and not mentioning they made the first dynamic/modern headphone(starting it all essentially).
 
I do find it interesting some people can't stand the sound of Grado's. I'm even surprised people find them so harsh, there are headphones with "smoother" treble responses I find quite a bit harsher than Grado's. I guess some people are more sensitive to the FR response of a headphone and others seem to be more sensitive to what I like to personally refer to the fidelity/quality of the sound which doesn't necessarily fully show up on graphs. I have noticed that about Grado fans, same with AKG and Beyer fans. Not going to lie, Sennheiser fans were/still a bit too forceful of their opinion at least in the past. While I'm personally more of a Beyer fan(especially the newer Teslas), I appreciate Grado's and plan on getting higher-end ones eventually, but I also appreciate many other headphones.

 

[swspiers]

I think someone accused Tyll of being objective. Ha! I think even he would laugh at that, considering how many times I've heard and read him admit that he has very specific sonic preferences. I have always taken Tyll with a grain of salt, even back when I first started this crazy headphone journey.

One thing I wish he would be aware of is exactly how much impact he can have on the community. It's just the nature of social systems that some people, Heck most people, will tend to hang on the word of one or two select leaders, and then when those leaders mess up, pile on and knock them off their pedestal. I hope that doesn't happen, because Tyll has had a pretty sizable impact over the years as this hobby has grown beyond Beats.

To be honest, his unbelievably negative opinion towards Grado actually convinced me to try and eventually buy my SR-225i's. My next high-end purchase will probably be the GS-2000's, or used 1000i's. And the more he bashes the brand, the more I like 'em.

 

[james6333]

So what do you Grado fans think about Tyll Hertsens opinion on Grado?

From Innerfidelity:

Grado

Back in the '90s, Grado was considered a high-end headphone company. Heck, it was just Grado and Stax back then. Time marched on, other headphone makers continued to improve their products, and today there are many offering that sonically outperform Grado products. It's not surprising really, other than a few material and driver changes, the basic product design has remained unchanged over decades. Generally, relative to current alternatives, the Grado products lack bass and typically deliver course, harsh treble response. I shake my head in wonder how a high-end headphone company can simply ignore the need to develop new and innovative products with real improvements in performance.
[COLOR=333333]The answer, it seems to me, is that Grado is no longer a high-end headphone maker, but rather a fashionably unfashionable fashion brand. It's old school looks apparently play well for the [COLOR=000000]hipster audience[/COLOR], and a focus on limited edition products partnering with the likes of Bushmills, Billy Joel, John Mayer, Dolce & Gabbana, and even Microsoft allowed Grado to make inroads to distribution in the fashion world. Other than the Grado SR60E ($79), which remains a solid entry-level, open, on-ear headphone, I think Grado has become somewhat irrelevant in the high-end headphone market.[/COLOR]

I don't think much of his opinion. He acted like the Elear was the best headphone ever and I thought it sucked for a number of reasons.

 

[Gippy]

And the more [Tyll] bashes the brand, the more I like 'em.

 
Do I see an Ultrasone sometime soon in your life?

 

[swspiers]

And the more [Tyll] bashes the brand, the more I like 'em.

Do I see an Ultrasone sometime soon in your life?

Nicely played!