[RPKwan]

No, not similar. Much more air, resolution and separation with quantitative less bass (but with higher quaility). The RS2e was for me really an all-rounder. The GS3000e is more selective. Has it's own magic. I mean I can enjoy Fatboy Slim with them too, but it will be not the Fatboy Slim everybody know. It will turn something different.

What genres does the GS3000e do better than the RS2? I'm listening to them now with everything from The Goat Parade to Thundercat - they sound fantastic. Not light on bass at all. Deep, immersive and totally engaging.

 

[carboncopy]

So...I have the Enleum in house for try out (I think I will buy it).

I tried it with the GS3000e, a classic RS1 a Meze Liric and the HEMP. And while every one of them sounds good with it, the Enleum catapults the HEMP to the statusphere. The synergy is unbelievable. On the Enleum the HEMP becomes super smooth and the at the same time retains the opennes which is trademark of Grado. Sound hearthwarming intimate but at the same time grandiouse too. The bass is to die for. Controlled pure energy. With this amp the HEMP pulls forward the GS3000e even in resolution! Grado's do scale heavly contrary to a lot of review. The first mistake is to pair them with some cheap electronic because they do not need several watts. True, but they also show EVERYTHING before them. (And yes, this 20+ Watt amplifier is dead silent with the HEMP).

Another magic combo I have is the GS3000e and the Grado RA1. That combination for jazz, aocustic is pure magic. It has an atmosphere which is hard to describe. I favourited albums I wouldn't otherwise hear to the end. Enleum + HEMP is an allrounder, the best I had thus for pop/rock/electronic/OST. The GS3000e + RA1 is a niche thing, but unbeatable at what it does.

 

[Stevko]

RS2e is a nice allrounder.
Feed it with a little power and it sings

 

[RPKwan]

So...I have the Enleum in house for try out (I think I will buy it).

I tried it with the GS3000e, a classic RS1 a Meze Liric and the HEMP. And while every one of them sounds good with it, the Enleum catapults the HEMP to the statusphere. The synergy is unbelievable. On the Enleum the HEMP becomes super smooth and the at the same time retains the opennes which is trademark of Grado. Sound hearthwarming intimate but at the same time grandiouse too. The bass is to die for. Controlled pure energy. With this amp the HEMP pulls forward the GS3000e even in resolution! Grado's do scale heavly contrary to a lot of review. The first mistake is to pair them with some cheap electronic because they do not need several watts. True, but they also show EVERYTHING before them. (And yes, this 20+ Watt amplifier is dead silent with the HEMP).



Another magic combo I have is the GS3000e and the Grado RA1. That combination for jazz, aocustic is pure magic. It has an atmosphere which is hard to describe. I favourited albums I wouldn't otherwise hear to the end. Enleum + HEMP is an allrounder, the best I had thus for pop/rock/electronic/OST. The GS3000e + RA1 is a niche thing, but unbeatable at what it does.

Interesting you mentioned the RA1 since this is a pretty controversial amp. I have thought about getting it a few times but seems quite basic, no?

 

[carboncopy]

Interesting you mentioned the RA1 since this is a pretty controversial amp. I have thought about getting it a few times but seems quite basic, no?

Well...about the RA1. First of all, I am by trade an EE. I no longer work as such, but I know what I see.

So yeah, that's my RA1....

It is very basic, I know. But there also some interesting design choice, for example the coating each small "box" has. No one sees it, yet they done it (I bet manually). Batteries have a cloathed box. And that big cap is actually an input cap, not even the power supply. You could say it is fancy cmoy in a mahangony box, but then why go the extra mile and do all these things nobody see? Plus I bet they selected all the components very carefully and by listening. No cmoy which I heard sounded remotely like this.

But all that does not matter, how does it sound? I have to add, the I have in house right now the Trafomatic Head 2, the the TMP Ant (with external PSU), and the Enleum 23-R. I also had the Tor Audio Balanced, the Pathos Inpol Ear.

For Grado (and strictly for Grado) the RA1 is at the same level as the Enleum (with different presentation) and better then any other on list. I was suprised too!

It simply makes the music involving, an experience, no just pretty sound. It can be raw, but in the absulte postive way. Because it is at the same time smooth, but much more direct as the Enleum. It is really like a Grado Headphone in amp. An example is this track:

Enleum + whatever headphone: nice, sound, for sure, but why would I listen to the end of this track?

RA1+GS3000e. Magic. The notes have such attack, dynamic...you are just there, you are almost part of the performance. Much bigger space too. You feel every note, the energy, the intention behind them. Captivating. I listend to this album (2 hours!) the 4th time in the last two weeks. It's like a Tarantino movie feeling, hard to describe. Yesterday I showed this track to my wife too. First with the Enleum + HEMP. Then with the Enleum + GS3000e and then RA1 + GS3000e. She also had an immidate reaction to the third combo. I tried to explain before this "magic" for her. She just said: yeah, I understand, totally. Much-much better the the others.

With the the other amps I wouldn't have listened to this song a single time.

Now, the RA1 ist not universal. It is just for Grado and for me it is best with GS3000e. Then also very good with the classic RS1 I have. HEMP...somehow not. Meze Liric was absolutely terrible wrong with it. Plus it has way too much gain, you use the pot very down low, which often leads to channel imbalance. But for the price you can have it (if you use a Grado) it is absolutely unbeatable I think.

And I am not exactly alone with this...

 

[RPKwan]

Well...about the RA1. First of all, I am by trade an EE. I no longer work as such, but I know what I see.

So yeah, that's my RA1....



It is very basic, I know. But there also some interesting design choice, for example the coating each small "box" has. No one sees it, yet they done it (I bet manually). Batteries have a cloathed box. And that big cap is actually an input cap, not even the power supply. You could say it is fancy cmoy in a mahangony box, but then why go the extra mile and do all these things nobody see? Plus I bet they selected all the components very carefully and by listening. No cmoy which I heard sounded remotely like this.

But all that does not matter, how does it sound? I have to add, the I have in house right now the Trafomatic Head 2, the the TMP Ant (with external PSU), and the Enleum 23-R. I also had the Tor Audio Balanced, the Pathos Inpol Ear.

For Grado (and strictly for Grado) the RA1 is at the same level as the Enleum (with different presentation) and better then any other on list. I was suprised too!

It simply makes the music involving, an experience, no just pretty sound. It can be raw, but in the absulte postive way. Because it is at the same time smooth, but much more direct as the Enleum. It is really like a Grado Headphone in amp. An example is this track:



Enleum + whatever headphone: nice, sound, for sure, but why would I listen to the end of this track?

RA1+GS3000e. Magic. The notes have such attack, dynamic...you are just there, you are almost part of the performance. Much bigger space too. You feel every note, the energy, the intention behind them. Captivating. I listend to this album (2 hours!) the 4th time in the last two weeks. It's like a Tarantino movie feeling, hard to describe. Yesterday I showed this track to my wife too. First with the Enleum + HEMP. Then with the Enleum + GS3000e and then RA1 + GS3000e. She also had an immidate reaction to the third combo. I tried to explain before this "magic" for her. She just said: yeah, I understand, totally. Much-much better the the others.

With the the other amps I wouldn't have listened to this song a single time.

Now, the RA1 ist not universal. It is just for Grado and for me it is best with GS3000e. Then also very good with the classic RS1 I have. HEMP...somehow not. Meze Liric was absolutely terrible wrong with it. Plus it has way too much gain, you use the pot very down low, which often leads to channel imbalance. But for the price you can have it (if you use a Grado) it is absolutely unbeatable I think.

And I am not exactly alone with this...

Amazing description. Only issue now is that the headphone and amp are not available/sold out here in HK...

 

[Stevko]

Sold out in the whole world. Try Tr-Amp instead

 

[RPKwan]

Sold out in the whole world. Try Tr-Amp instead

I've got quite a few DAC/DAPs that drive the RS2 really well but curious about @carboncopy's enticing description since I already have 2 pairs of Grados and hunting for the GS3000e.

 

[ESL-1]

Zachek: For those who already own the 325x - does it make sense to add the RS-1x to the collection for a different flavor, or is it too similar (albeit better)?

————————————————————
In my opinion not so similar and adding the RS1x to your collection would be an excellent move. They will work in tandem and give you more choice. I have both and find times I will look to one or the other as my listening choice of the moment.

My two cents…… DO IT….

 

[ESL-1]

In a good way...?

I find the RS2 to excel with clarity and details. I don't find it warm at all, good mids, decent bass (enough for the music I listen to) and good soundstage.

Would the GS3000e be similar but "better"?

@carboncopy sums it up very well. Yes, the GS3000e is better but it really gives you so much more. Get that piggie bank going, you’ll be there in no time. It is a special headphone.

 

[ESL-1]

Amazing description. Only issue now is that the headphone and amp are not available/sold out here in HK...

There is a very nice synergy between it and most Grados. They do show up occasionally on the classifieds. If I ever decide to sell my DC RA-1 I will post it here first, before the Classifieds.

 

[carboncopy]

There is a very nice synergy between it and most Grados. They do show up occasionally on the classifieds. If I ever decide to sell my DC RA-1 I will post it here first, before the Classifieds.

The thing is...they are cheap even when they are sold. I would keep mine even if I wouldn't use it just because its pretty. It's not worth to sell it. I bought mine for about 100 EUR. That's the cost of a family dinner in a modest place.

 

[ESL-1]

The thing is...they are cheap even when they are sold. I would keep mine even if I wouldn't use it just because its pretty. It's not worth to sell it. I bought mine for about 100 EUR. That's the cost of a family dinner in a modest place.

Yes, worth buying and keeping, not selling.

I have had three but always have had at least one as I do now. My power switch failed but I was able to get the part from Grado Labs, nice backup from them.
I prefer the battery powered one but
if either comes up at a fair price pay the man the bucks and score it.

You will never get stuck with it.

 

[Paul W]

Hello Grado fans, this is my very first post here and I've been content lurking and learning from you guys for the past half year.

A few posts ago, I noticed with alarm that a member here has posted a Grado Hemp that has broken apart and has sent it in for repairs. As a Grado Hemp owner myself, I would like to think of it as a rare, once-off incident.

But I saw the photos off a recently concluded auction in Japan where the seller has graciously declared upfront that the Grado Hemp on auction has cracks on the right earcup, possibly due to manufacturing defect. But I'm thinking it could also be due to exposure to weather conditions after awhile.

I'll post the link here if I may. If I do not succeed, you may search for it yourself under auction ID n1041338871 for Grado Hemp under a popular auction site in Japan. The link is here: https://yahoo.aleado.com/lot?auctionID=n1041338871

From photos of the headphone shown, the earcups looks dry. Now I'm concerned whether the Hemp headphone needs to be oiled or waxed occasionally just like other wood-based headphones in the RS series and GS series. Bearing in mind that Hemp wood is not a natural wood but Hemp fibers compressed with resin, anyone here has any experience on how best to treat a processed wood like Hemp to prevent it from cracking? Any advice is most appreciated for all Grado Hemp owners here.

 

[majo123]

Hello Grado fans, this is my very first post here and I've been content lurking and learning from you guys for the past half year.

A few posts ago, I noticed with alarm that a member here has posted a Grado Hemp that has broken apart and has sent it in for repairs. As a Grado Hemp owner myself, I would like to think of it as a rare, once-off incident.

But I saw the photos off a recently concluded auction in Japan where the seller has graciously declared upfront that the Grado Hemp on auction has cracks on the right earcup, possibly due to manufacturing defect. But I'm thinking it could also be due to exposure to weather conditions after awhile.

I'll post the link here if I may. If I do not succeed, you may search for it yourself under auction ID n1041338871 for Grado Hemp under a popular auction site in Japan. The link is here: https://yahoo.aleado.com/lot?auctionID=n1041338871

From photos of the headphone shown, the earcups looks dry. Now I'm concerned whether the Hemp headphone needs to be oiled or waxed occasionally just like other wood-based headphones in the RS series and GS series. Bearing in mind that Hemp wood is not a natural wood but Hemp fibers compressed with resin, anyone here has any experience on how best to treat a processed wood like Hemp to prevent it from cracking? Any advice is most appreciated for all Grado Hemp owners here.

I personally would be wary of putting anything that soaks in on the hemp as it is a bonded processed material unlike wood but maybe a hard varnish might be ok?.
This is just a thought and speculation though.

From a hemp owner.