[438555]

I am thinking that Grado people graduate to higher end Grado's. There is not much lateral movement (that I have noticed) from the big brands to Grado's.

I have not read of many folks climbing the Sennheiser, Focal, HiFiman tree and then veering over to a high end Grado.

Having said that, my most expensive 'phones are my Beyer T5p.2's and one of my favourites is the Meze 99 Classic's.

There is no place ANYWHERE around here to try any of those high end Grado's and my wallet is thankful.

Shane D

Yeah, there's getting to be fewer and fewer places where you can try out headphones at a store. The Needle Doctor in Minneapolis/St. Louis Park is where I bought my first set of Grados, all the way through my GS2000e. I wanted to grab a pair of GH4 there a few weeks ago, and there was no answer on the phone. Drove over there and the door was locked and shades drawn. I guess they're closed, since others have posted similar experiences on the store's FB page. So I ordered my first Grados direct from 4ourears.

 

[Bob Ley]

Yeah, there's getting to be fewer and fewer places where you can try out headphones at a store. The Needle Doctor in Minneapolis/St. Louis Park is where I bought my first set of Grados, all the way through my GS2000e. I wanted to grab a pair of GH4 there a few weeks ago, and there was no answer on the phone. Drove over there and the door was locked and shades drawn. I guess they're closed, since others have posted similar experiences on the store's FB page. So I ordered my first Grados direct from 4ourears.

Sometimes amazon is a good source to try things. They have a liberal return policy.

 

[jawks]

Sometimes amazon is a good source to try things. They have a liberal return policy.

True. I've been trying to support our local shops here, especially if they offer the opportunity to audition the equipment beforehand. Some shops will work with you on price, especially since they know they are competing with online retailers such as Amazon. One of the shop owners recently told me that buyers should be cautious about Amazon, especially when it comes to selling high-end gear like headphones. He mentioned that he's heard of people buying new items on Amazon and receiving B stock or fake knock-offs. Having not experienced this myself (or at least I am unaware of it), I wasn't sure if I should just take this with a grain of salt, but it's food for thought.

 

[Shane D]

And that is what killed retail. I am sure that I have mentioned it before, but I had my own retail operation for fourteen years selling fitness equipment. There is always a cheaper price online and the liberal return policies ensure people can experiment without fear.

The Needle Doctor suffered the same fate as me: You spend hours educating customers on what they need VS what they want, letting them test out different pieces of equipment, telling them what to watch out for and then pass them a brochure or a web link. They want to think about it because it is a fairly large purchase. A (typical) nice home fitness centre is 1K to 4K, but you can spend up to 5K on just a top of the line home treadmill.

And you; A) never hear from them again (the majority), or B) they want you to match the price of the online chain that has no overhead and sells for 20% less. Say no, or yes, enough times and you are toast. And "protected territory" has gone the way of the Dodo.

Your only chance is if you live in a big enough city where you have meets and can share gear with your peers. Nothing like that here and I envy those who can.

Shane D

 

[438555]

At least with Grados, the price was the same at Needle Doctor vs anywhere else you'd find them. There isn't usually much discounting online.
Other types of equipment, like DACs/amps/etc, are another story. I've pretty much settled on Schiit for that stuff though, since their prices are decent, and they have a good warranty. I haven't taken them up on their trial period, but they do offer it, with a restocking fee.

 

[jawks]

And that is what killed retail. I am sure that I have mentioned it before, but I had my own retail operation for fourteen years selling fitness equipment. There is always a cheaper price online and the liberal return policies ensure people can experiment without fear.

The Needle Doctor suffered the same fate as me: You spend hours educating customers on what they need VS what they want, letting them test out different pieces of equipment, telling them what to watch out for and then pass them a brochure or a web link. They want to think about it because it is a fairly large purchase. A (typical) nice home fitness centre is 1K to 4K, but you can spend up to 5K on just a top of the line home treadmill.

And you; A) never hear from them again (the majority), or B) they want you to match the price of the online chain that has no overhead and sells for 20% less. Say no, or yes, enough times and you are toast. And "protected territory" has gone the way of the Dodo.

Your only chance is if you live in a big enough city where you have meets and can share gear with your peers. Nothing like that here and I envy those who can.

Shane D

I'm sorry to hear that, Shane D. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's a very sad reality of this world we live in today. When I went to a local shop here in the Boston area (Goodwin's High End), the staff there were very professional and courteous. Not once did I feel that I was being pushed into making a purchase. They had a large assortment of high end headphones to audition in a dedicated listening room, and they allowed me spend two hours in their myself with both my source equipment and theirs. I was able to try out the Focal Clear, Focal Utopia, Sennheiser HD800S, MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open, Hifiman Ananda, Hifiman HE1000 v2. They also had the Voce, Stellia, and more. There just wasn't enough time to listen to everything. After spending two days and three hours there total, I made up my mind to buy the HD800S from them. When I called them up, I was told that they didn't carry the HD800S; they just kept a pair in the listening room for comparison with the models they did stock (Focal, Hifiman, MrSpeakers, etc). I was disappointed, because I did want to buy the phones from them. I ended up finding another local shop in Boston that was an authorized Sennheiser dealer (Blink High End) that offered me a discount. Not quite an Amazon discount, but close enough to make it worthwhile, and I was happy to support a local business.

 

[Shane D]

I'm sorry to hear that, Shane D. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's a very sad reality of this world we live in today. When I went to a local shop here in the Boston area (Goodwin's High End), the staff there were very professional and courteous. Not once did I feel that I was being pushed into making a purchase. They had a large assortment of high end headphones to audition in a dedicated listening room, and they allowed me spend two hours in their myself with both my source equipment and theirs. I was able to try out the Focal Clear, Focal Utopia, Sennheiser HD800S, MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open, Hifiman Ananda, Hifiman HE1000 v2. They also had the Voce, Stellia, and more. There just wasn't enough time to listen to everything. After spending two days and three hours there total, I made up my mind to buy the HD800S from them. When I called them up, I was told that they didn't carry the HD800S; they just kept a pair in the listening room for comparison with the models they did stock (Focal, Hifiman, MrSpeakers, etc). I was disappointed, because I did want to buy the phones from them. I ended up finding another local shop in Boston that was an authorized Sennheiser dealer (Blink High End) that offered me a discount. Not quite an Amazon discount, but close enough to make it worthwhile, and I was happy to support a local business.

You are lucky to have a shop like that around with so much high end gear. Enjoy it while you can! And be sure to send friends, family, co-workers, neighbours, etc. to them.

Shane D

 

[jawks]

You are lucky to have a shop like that around with so much high end gear. Enjoy it while you can! And be sure to send friends, family, co-workers, neighbours, etc. to them.

Shane D

Yes, I will. Finances permitting, I try to support them when I can. That being said, I'm also a big fan of purchasing used gear/equipment in excellent condition, since sometimes there is no comparison in terms of the deals one can get.

 

[Shane D]

Yes, I will. Finances permitting, I try to support them when I can. That being said, I'm also a big fan of purchasing used gear/equipment in excellent condition, since sometimes there is no comparison in terms of the deals one can get.

I do that with headphones, but am leery on electronics. Of course as I say that I am waiting on a used Vali 2. The Lyr 3 intrigues me, but it is a ton of money and I am not sure about the sound. The I heard the tube type sound is comparable against the Vali 2. A used Vali 2 cost me about 1/4 of the cost of a brand Lyr 3, landed in Canada. Cheap way to test, IMO.
And if I do really like the sound, I will sell it and buy a Lyr 3. But for the long term I like amps with a 5yr warranty.

Shane D

 

[zombywoof]

4OUREARS, the official Grado online store, sells on Amazon and should be a trusted seller. Prices on Amazon for purchases through 4OUREARS are free shipping with all Prime benefits and Amazon return policy as far as I can see. I purchased some SR80e via 4OUREARS/Amazon as a gift for a family member, but when it came time to decide on a higher end model for myself, I wanted to audition the candidate models side by side. I do not recall seeing discounts on Grado headphones. Massdrop (now Drop) has offered the SR model range (up through the 125's, I believe) but the discounts were not significant.

 

[Bob Ley]

I'm sorry to hear that, Shane D. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's a very sad reality of this world we live in today. When I went to a local shop here in the Boston area (Goodwin's High End), the staff there were very professional and courteous. Not once did I feel that I was being pushed into making a purchase. They had a large assortment of high end headphones to audition in a dedicated listening room, and they allowed me spend two hours in their myself with both my source equipment and theirs. I was able to try out the Focal Clear, Focal Utopia, Sennheiser HD800S, MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open, Hifiman Ananda, Hifiman HE1000 v2. They also had the Voce, Stellia, and more. There just wasn't enough time to listen to everything. After spending two days and three hours there total, I made up my mind to buy the HD800S from them. When I called them up, I was told that they didn't carry the HD800S; they just kept a pair in the listening room for comparison with the models they did stock (Focal, Hifiman, MrSpeakers, etc). I was disappointed, because I did want to buy the phones from them. I ended up finding another local shop in Boston that was an authorized Sennheiser dealer (Blink High End) that offered me a discount. Not quite an Amazon discount, but close enough to make it worthwhile, and I was happy to support a local business.

Good to know about Goodwin's. I would always prefer to go in person to a shop and try out gear. Where are you in Boston @jawks?

 

[BobG55]

Yeah, there's getting to be fewer and fewer places where you can try out headphones at a store. The Needle Doctor in Minneapolis/St. Louis Park is where I bought my first set of Grados, all the way through my GS2000e. I wanted to grab a pair of GH4 there a few weeks ago, and there was no answer on the phone. Drove over there and the door was locked and shades drawn. I guess they're closed, since others have posted similar experiences on the store's FB page. So I ordered my first Grados direct from 4ourears.

 

[Oteil]

Just dropping in to let you guys know I will be letting my HF3 go for a good price(I will list them at the end of the week if I don't hear from anyone)...I have bought way too many headphones here lately and I just got the GS3000e and something has to go Just PM me if you are interested and I can send pics if you want..Thanks!

 

[jawks]

Just dropping in to let you guys know I will be letting my HF3 go for a good price(I will list them at the end of the week if I don't hear from anyone)...I have bought way too many headphones here lately and I just got the GS3000e and something has to go Just PM me if you are interested and I can send pics if you want..Thanks!

Congrats on the GS3000e! How do you like those?

 

[Shane D]

4OUREARS, the official Grado online store, sells on Amazon and should be a trusted seller. Prices on Amazon for purchases through 4OUREARS are free shipping with all Prime benefits and Amazon return policy as far as I can see. I purchased some SR80e via 4OUREARS/Amazon as a gift for a family member, but when it came time to decide on a higher end model for myself, I wanted to audition the candidate models side by side. I do not recall seeing discounts on Grado headphones. Massdrop (now Drop) has offered the SR model range (up through the 125's, I believe) but the discounts were not significant.

Amazon.ca in Canada sells all the common Grado 'phones at list prices from several authorized dealers. No discounts, but free shipping. When I decided I wanted GH2's, I sent emails across the country, to authorized dealers looking for the best price. Best offers were tax free and free shipping. Not bad considering we have a 15% tax rate and the list was $949.99.

Shane D