[Stevko]

So mojo 2 have the best portable dac?

 

[majo123]

So mojo 2 have the best portable dac?

Don't know about best ? For me best is what you enjoy or find more suitable to your tastes or needs....
I liked the original mojo a lot, very clean with excellent transients but overall I preferred the tr amp because it came across more holographic and spacious but maybe not as clean ... from what I have heard the Mojo2 is what I felt was lacking on the original and supposed to be very good...
Won't know until it's here though.
I like the cayin ru6 as well which apparently measures awful but it just sounds very natural musical and enjoyably toe tapping and that for my tastes is what makes something good.

 

[Stevko]

Considering to try the new blue angel.
But waiting for price and spec.
But if it is better than tr-amp, it must be a good deal if the price is ok

 

[Stevko]

Never heard mojo 1/2. but my tr-amp pair well with grado and dt1770

 

[Stevko]

Tr amp is fantastic truly, dead silent background with a nice holographic sound.
Im just selling mine though but not because it's bad and it is a genuinely reluctant sale but I just will use Mojo2 more when it arrives .
Other than this I highly recommend it.

earman angel pic from canjam:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/can...ruary-26-27-2022.962301/page-11#post-16840730

 

[murphythecat]

delete pls

 

[ESL-1]

I can only speculate for why Grado has finally made headphones comparable in sound to the original Grado's from the late 80's like the HP-1000. Evidence then suggests that the headphones have only gotten worse over time until very recently (Hemp and x-series).

The pricing on core models have remained the same. The limited editions and the crazy stuff like GS and PS are priced ridiculously. The actual cost to build between core and their totl stuff I imagine is very little. In fact, the price between a 225e and 80e is silly. That's why I am of the opinion that you get a 60(x) with f-pads, or go full-Grado and get a RS2(x) with f-pads.

In terms of keeping costs the same, "there is no headphone manufacturer who has done so", see Sennheiser 6XX, and I'm sure many more but I just don't keep abreast with the old stand-bys from Beyer, AKG, etc. It mostly seems its the audiophile brands that keep costs risings (Grado totl, Audeze totl, HFM totl, and many many others which is why Grado feels okay in doing the same. Im not mad that they like money, they are a business, like Head-Fi).

I'd say the company that has brought the most value may actually be Apple and Massdrop. Imagine if the Airpods Pro was built by UE or some other high end company but with the same sound and features... Instead of Apple's $200, $2000 might be UE's asking price. Apple's Homepod was very innovative (worth a google). Massdrop has released a string of greatest hits: reviving Denon as the Fostex THX00, 6XX, 58X, 95X, etc. What has Grado innovated? Lets see:

The Hemp was released shortly after purr1n wrote a long thread on his love for Grado RS2(e) with ttvj deluxe pads. Then Hemp came with ttvj deluxe pads and was loved. To keep up with demand (and/or to shift positioning due to competition from other brands, not due to actual Grado r&d or sound engineering because we've seen decades of Grado's shrill headphones) Grado released the x-series. 225x and 325x now come with ttvj deluxe / "f-pads" standard. And reference series now comes with Hemp wood, however we saw early adopter @jonathan c 's reference series already fail catastrophically so who knows if Hemp hybrid is here to stay for long.

I like to say that Grado is appealing because they are made in the USA. But I think they are mostly "assembled" in the USA. Do we know where their drivers, cables, and headbands come from? I imagine the cups are made in the USA. The headbands haven't changed a bit so Id say also from USA. The cables on the x-series has changed to the now prevalent braided sleeving that I despise due to microphonics, are they made in the USA? And the drivers according to diyearphonelabs is China, but who knows. If only if Grado were more transparent and not griefing us with silly pricing strategies and gouging audiophiles willing to buy their high end stuff. The Grado GW100 I had recently said "designed" in USA instead of "assembled" in USA, I think that's clue enough about this brand's dedication to supporting local USA and their dedication to "transparency" (the inside pamphlet says Grado has been made-by-hand for generations) or "value" pricing.

Did you know that Grado's original headphones had drivers that were used in cheap Nakimichi (SP-7?) headphones? Grado modded the drivers in-house supposedly. I think old guys like Headphile who have stock on NOS drivers probably figured out Grado's source and tweaks long ago. But who knows.

Most boutique headphone companies can't make their own drivers, often times you can order similar or same drivers from the supplier (usually based in China). Alibaba marketplace is helpful if you're an interested amateur looking to diy.

Sennheiser makes their own drivers (see their factory tour videos). Engineers are expensive but Senn seems to keep prices reasonable for the most part (aside from halo product electrostats).

Contrary to your thoughts & suppositions a lot of R & D goes into each new series that they come out with. There was also a lot of in house experimentation and comparison that led to some new models like the 325x and Hemp coming out equipped with original Grado flats, it was not a random decision in any shape or form nor influenced by anyone else. Having the wireless phone be made to spec only makes sense as it is the best way to efficiently bring to market what is not a large category for them. The former TOTL PS2000e took well over a year to come to market with several protypes leading to the final design. They are constantly looking forward to continue moving performance forward. They were never a company to rest on their laurels.

Keeping this short, there is no right or wrong in this hobby, just what each of us find to our liking or not. You are certainly welcome to love or hate any headphone you wish, no one should ever indicate otherwise to you.

Oh, BTW, the Nakamichi SP-7 which had similar but NOT Identical drivers was actually well regarded overall in it's day at it's pricepoint and being in retail at the time I sold quite a number of them. Other than the similar type of driver it bore no resemblance design wise or sonically to any Grado ever made.

In my opinion I still feel that Grado has always been a product that sought to bring enjoyable performance and value from the very beginning with both their headphone products and phono cartridges.

What is your definition of silly price strategies? Possibly a company who comes out with a $4000 flagship and then after a good number get sold reduces that retail by $1000 for a decent amount of time which I am sure thrilled the original buyers and now is over $4000 with no performance change in the product.

Enjoy your journey and may it lead to your happiness.

 

[jonathan c]

• I am always impressed by what Grado Labs has achieved at both ends of the music reproduction chain: transducers, no less!
• Phonograph cartridge & headphone design have to address electrical & materials issues: a difficult proposition. Joseph Grado, the founder, is a patented inventor of the moving-coil phono cartridge (Ortofon independently is the other) !
• With his love of opera, Joseph Grado strove to imbue his products with lifelike, stirring sound. I feel that when I listen, so much later, to the Grado headphones that I own - even though each one is a bit different. Block, cursive, italics…I still recognise the handwriting…

 

[qua2k]

Finally found a GH2 allll of the way from Slovenia. The only Grado I want because I doubt I will be able to find a PS-1. Love the old cable.

Happy days.

 

[ESL-1]

• I am always impressed by what Grado Labs has achieved at both ends of the music reproduction chain: transducers, no less!
• Phonograph cartridge & headphone design have to address electrical & materials issues: a difficult proposition. Joseph Grado, the founder, is a patented inventor of the moving-coil phono cartridge (Ortofon independently is the other) !
• With his love of opera, Joseph Grado strove to imbue his products with lifelike, stirring sound. I feel that when I listen, so much later, to the Grado headphones that I own - even though each one is a bit different. Block, cursive, italics…I still recognise the handwriting…

Joe Grado was quite the renaissance man. He designed a turntable with two motor belt drive to eliminate resonances and it had a wood tonearm for the same reasons. He even designed improvements to his Mercedes’ suspension. He did sing opera quite well.

John Grado has continued from that with the same spirit of continuing always to move forward and search out more performance on all his products.

 

[Damien Grief]

I got my Dekoni custom Grado pads today. Currently using the velour pads but also bought the Fenestrated Sheepskin ones with the velour insides but haven't tried them yet. Might put them on my PS500e at some point.

The Velour pads are nice on my Hemps so far. Instantly notice more punch in the drums of songs I listen to. So more bassy punch to the music. With the cups sitting further from my ears than with the stock f-pads, I had to increase the volume a bit comparatively but it sounds good. Also notice a bit more in the mids shining though. But ultimately they don't change the sound too much and they're much more comfortable than the stock pads for longer periods of listening.

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/GIdefCV

 

[nycdoi]

Finally found a GH2 allll of the way from Slovenia. The only Grado I want because I doubt I will be able to find a PS-1. Love the old cable.

Happy days.

what a beauty!

 

[ESL-1]

Finally found a GH2 allll of the way from Slovenia. The only Grado I want because I doubt I will be able to find a PS-1. Love the old cable.

Happy days.

Congratulations on the find, not easy these days. Nice wood.

Enjoy!

 

[qua2k]

Congratulations on the find, not easy these days. Nice wood.

Enjoy!

It was rough. 3rd time is a charm as I came close to 2 others prior but sellers either backed out or sold local to avoid shipping. Funny enough, this one was a Google search find about page 4 on a local Euro sales forum, guy was very friendly and one of the best sellers I have ever had. Very good find indeed.

 

[jonathan c]

???…!!!……: not even free shipping!