[ParaLoganGrado]

Thanks for doing that, i have seen a few of your graphs. Great job!

Keep thinking about RS1's but just want to be told to NOT buy some because i have GH1s already.

Haha I know what you mean. I want to get another pair of Grados just to have them, but I know that the GH-2s are pretty highly regarded, esp. for their price class and I don't want to buy a "lesser" one to be dissapointed. I already have the GW100s, which are good in their own right but I don't know if anything between is different enough to justify dropping a couple hundred just for a different sound.

The one purchase I have been giving some serious thought to is trying to find a closed back can with a similar sound signature to the Grado sound, but I've yet to hear a pair of closed backs that don't have that echo-ish resonance that's pretty much unavoidable. And I imagine find a closed back pair that sounds as good as my current cans without the closed back resonance would cost a good chunk of change... (PS, just considering closed back so I can wear them at work without bothering my coworkers)

 

[Shane D]

Haha I know what you mean. I want to get another pair of Grados just to have them, but I know that the GH-2s are pretty highly regarded, esp. for their price class and I don't want to buy a "lesser" one to be dissapointed. I already have the GW100s, which are good in their own right but I don't know if anything between is different enough to justify dropping a couple hundred just for a different sound.

The one purchase I have been giving some serious thought to is trying to find a closed back can with a similar sound signature to the Grado sound, but I've yet to hear a pair of closed backs that don't have that echo-ish resonance that's pretty much unavoidable. And I imagine find a closed back pair that sounds as good as my current cans without the closed back resonance would cost a good chunk of change... (PS, just considering closed back so I can wear them at work without bothering my coworkers)

The only ones I think about are the GS3000e's, but MAN, they are a lot of money. Even used is $1,600.00 in Canada.

Someday, maybe..

 

[ruthieandjohn]

The one purchase I have been giving some serious thought to is trying to find a closed back can with a similar sound signature to the Grado sound, but I've yet to hear a pair of closed backs that don't have that echo-ish resonance that's pretty much unavoidable. And I imagine find a closed back pair that sounds as good as my current cans without the closed back resonance would cost a good chunk of change... (PS, just considering closed back so I can wear them at work without bothering my coworkers)

If you can content yourself with "Semi Closed" instead of closed, that sounds like Grado, you might consider (if you can find) the Grado Bushmills X. They sound, er... well... ummm... just about like the GH1 and the RS1i as shown in the comparison chart I posted above (!) - just a little more transparent and detailed (and less bassy) than the GH1.

 

[ParaLoganGrado]

If you can content yourself with "Semi Closed" instead of closed, that sounds like Grado, you might consider (if you can find) the Grado Bushmills X. They sound, er... well... ummm... just about like the GH1 and the RS1i as shown in the comparison chart I posted above (!) - just a little more transparent and detailed (and less bassy) than the GH1.

Kinda sounds like how I thought the HF3 sounded.

 

[SilverGrey]

I'm a long-time lurker on Headfi, but I'm no beginner, owning several pairs of headphones and iems, including Beyerdynamic DT880, DT770, T51P, Etymotic HF5, Westone W30, B&W P5 Wireless. You get the picture!

I had been reading this thread with great interest and remembered listening to a pair of Grado SR60s many years ago and wasn't particularly impressed, but it could have been the setting (in a noisy shop) or just my preferences then. Like so many people on here, I'm always looking for something new and different.

Anyway, I recently bought a pair of SR80e's and I was not expecting what I heard, particularly when it came to the bass. I like to listen to electronic music and was pleasantly surprised to hear that whilst the bass isn't as heavy as say on the DT770's, it definitely is there and does go deep, and is in perfect balance with the mids and highs.

I have to admit the Grado's are addictive, demanding your attention, as they unearth the finest details, and it's always a joy to hear something new in a recording, particularly a track I've heard many times before.

 

[joseph69]

I have to admit the Grado's are addictive, demanding your attention, as they unearth the finest details, and it's always a joy to hear something new in a recording, particularly a track I've heard many times before.

There's no denying this.

 

[ParaLoganGrado]

There's no denying this.

Hence why this is the second longest thread under "Headphones - Full Sized" lol

 

[VinMAC]

I got a GS3000e from my local Grado dealer the week before last for testing at home. I was very curious after the reports here on head-fi how it would perform against my beloved GS1000i. It is a demo unit from the German Grado distributor and has already been running for 100 hours, as the dealer told me. I tested it with my McIntosh chain: MCD500 with MHA150. The Macs sound very clean and transparent with a slight touch of warmth in the keynote and with a deep and powerful bass. For crosschecking I also used my McIntosh vintage tube chain. The chosen music was Alternative Country and Blues also the new album from Sting - my songs.

The result of the comparison test somehow surprised me:

The GS3000e was, as already described here several times, of course in the midrange about two quality levels better than the GS1000i. The mids were more present, more voluminous and better contoured. However, in some recordings I noticed a peak in the upper midrange, which was a bit annoying especially with voices and guitars. The 3000 is also clearly superior to the 1000 in terms of three-dimensionality and is much more involving into the music than the 1k.

What really surprised me was that I liked the GS1000i much better than the GS3000e at both ends of the frequency range. Drum cymbals are much more audible and the bass has more volume and punch, which is of course due to the increase in upper bass on the 1000. But I had more fun with this bass. Overall I found the 1k more transparent but also thinner in sound. A crosscheck with the tube combination gave the same result, even though the bass roll-off of the 3k was not as big as with the MHA150.

Since it is known that unplayed Grados typically have a thin and set-back bass, I decided to burn in the GS3000e again with a good burn in CD. After 80 hours of playing in I could not detect any change in the sound of the GS3000e. I know that the impressions I've described here differ from what has been written so far about GS3000e and GS1000i. But I have only described my personal perception.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

@VinMAC , thanks so much for your comparison. The GS1000i is one of my favorite Grados (of my 20, plus another 8 or so no longer with me!) While I have and love the GS2000e, I have never tried the GS3000e. I have always been intrigued. Thanks for your excellent comparison!

 

[VinMAC]

Hi John, thank you for your feedback on my comparison test!

Yes, unfortunately I can't say that one is better than the other for the GS3000e and GS1000i. Rather, they are different: if you prefer midrange quality and spaciousness, you should go for the GS3000e. For those who prefer treble and bass and a transparent sound image, the GS1000i might be the better choice. As a GS1000i owner I wouldn't necessarily want to upgrade to the GS3000e.

 

[bgalakazam]

I have been looking for an upgrade to my trusty HD598 for many years. I decided to give Grado a shot. It was between the PS500e and the GS1000. The PS500e does have the smaller 44 driver, but it's the new one from Grado. Despite what people may say these are very comfortable to wear. In fact, I find them more comfortable than the HD598. The sound detail is amazing, especially string instruments and vocals. These don't really isolate well which shouldn't be an issue as this is not a feature of hifi open headphones. Also if you plan to listen to bass heavy rap these are not for you. My setup is 16/44.1 FLAC, Schiit Modi and Magni, BJC LC-1 interconnects. The amp was not needed, but I did want to run my setup through the DAC.

 

[ParaLoganGrado]

I have been looking for an upgrade to my trusty HD598 for many years. I decided to give Grado a shot. It was between the PS500e and the GS1000. The PS500e does have the smaller 44 driver, but it's the new one from Grado. Despite what people may say these are very comfortable to wear. In fact, I find them more comfortable than the HD598. The sound detail is amazing, especially string instruments and vocals. These don't really isolate well which shouldn't be an issue as this is not a feature of hifi open headphones. Also if you plan to listen to bass heavy rap these are not for you. My setup is 16/44.1 FLAC, Schiit Modi and Magni, BJC LC-1 interconnects. The amp was not needed, but I did want to run my setup through the DAC.

Welcome to the club! The 500 is one I've never really considered, but it seems to have a loyal following.

 

[Deolum]

Man i spent so much time and money on different totl headphones or dacs just to find out that grado gs1000e with chord mojo is my endgame. I don't even know how to describe this sound but while you usually could quite clearly say one headphone sounds this way and one headpone that way the grados sound completely different from what i heard before from audeze, focal, hifiman, sennheiser and any other "normal" brand. I even like the gs1000e more than the 2000e. Unlike any other headphone i had i don't ask myself "what would it be to hear this song now with one step up in the ladder" like i would, hearing with lcd 3 and thinking about lcd 4. They just sound perfect the way they are.

From reading i never thought grado would fit me. Always thought they were for people who want to show off or have a nice looking design piece in their living room don't caring for the sound. I'm glad i tested them just for fun.

 

[YtseJamer]

Very good deal for a pair of GH1

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/det...-original-box-all-accessories-original-owner/

 

[Roasty]

has anyone here done a comparison of the GS3000e to the Abyss 1266 and/or Utopia? if so, could someone point me to that post?