Haha, yeah, those are valid points. It would be cool to have someone from Grado chiming in on this thread. I'm not even sure if they're checking out what we're saying here. I know Rich is a bit active in the Grado Facebook group, but it'd be awesome to see more of that engagement here too.
This I 100% agree on. Personally I don't really care to change them, but it would be awesome if they could be open about why they do what they do. It would be educational for sure. I think they do eavesdrop a bit tho. The prestige X series is very clearly designed with the intention of being more mainstream, with as little compromise as possible.
But just to add to what I was saying before. Think of all the flack that Jason Stoddard has received over the years because of his transparency. The guy has an insane amount of integrity and is not afraid to voice his perspective on audio. Only for people to call him a snake oil salesman.
I don't think folks here are asking Grado to go head-to-head with Sennheiser or Audeze. I've been a Grado fan for more than 25 years, and trust me, I'd have jumped ship earlier if I didn't like their gear. I don't want Grado to start following that darn Harman curve and gain popularity on ASR. I'm more bothered by the fact that Grado doesn't seem to engage much with the community. I really wish they'd talk to us more, take our suggestions into account, and be more upfront about changes to their products.
As known, Grado is a small business that does a lot of business making headphones and quality phono cartridges and are not staffed by dozens of designers, PR department, etc. Belief me the information you mention finds its way to them without taking them away from their goal and hopefully our joy. They have enough to keep busy with making their products and realistically make more fans happy. John Grado is a very busy guy and, like his Uncle Joe always looking forward and developing product for the next plateau. The PS2000e (sorely missed) was almost two years in development fine tuning before it was introduced. There is a lot of work and prototypes before the final product is released.
Enjoy the rewards of all that research and development.
I own 3 ZMF headphones: beautiful wood, detachable cables. Visited their booth at the high end Munich. Lots of communication here online and YouTube/instagram. Really like the headphones.
But....
Grado is for me the real: other 'open' headphones do sound so closed after listing.
The music is so alive. Grado for life!
I had to replace the cable on my RS2, the OEM simply unusable as I sit with a Mojo2 next to me and the cable so stiff it tugs and pulls at the headphones you cannot get comfortable at all. Now I have a softer longer detachable which means I can lean back and enjoy the music and of course coil the cable up neatly in the lounger afterwards
I fully understand why Grado doesn’t engage in forums and other variants of headphone communities. As @Guts390 mentioned above, I understand everyone who doesn’t want to spend the time and energy Jason spends fighting with ignorance. Yes, there are many reasonable people here as well, but still…
I’m quite sure they do read a bit what’s going on here though. And I think it’s actually just fine that they don’t discuss future developments here.
This weekend I am going to upgrade my skills with DIY Grado cable mod (opening the Grado bowl with a heat gun etc.).
Every HP needs to be able to be connected through XLR for my amps.
Unfortunately, the beautifulaudio cable adapters are too expensive for me as I have to pay import duties with every order!
I am also considering buying a 3d printer to print the cable adapter on my own.
Thanks for the warning with the heat gun and driver! I decided to remove the beautifulaudio adapter and solder the original Rs2e back together. And reterminate the ebd of cable with an xlr4pin connector.
As known, Grado is a small business that does a lot of business making headphones and quality phono cartridges and are not staffed by dozens of designers, PR department, etc. Belief me the information you mention finds its way to them without taking them away from their goal and hopefully our joy. They have enough to keep busy with making their products and realistically make more fans happy. John Grado is a very busy guy and, like his Uncle Joe always looking forward and developing product for the next plateau. The PS2000e (sorely missed) was almost two years in development fine tuning before it was introduced. There is a lot of work and prototypes before the final product is released.
Enjoy the rewards of all that research and development.
Hey, I know you're in touch with John and Rich. Just wanted to give a shout-out for the upgraded cable. Also, they totally crushed it with the PS500x. Crossing my fingers for a new Grado Heritage (GH5x?) in 2024.
Thanks for the warning with the heat gun and driver! I decided to remove the beautifulaudio adapter and solder the original Rs2e back together. And reterminate the ebd of cable with an xlr4pin connector.
I didn't know this would have been possible.
Ibasso dc elite dongle ->loxjie p20 without line output on the Ibasso dongle! Grado's are so easy to drive !!
I own 3 ZMF headphones: beautiful wood, detachable cables. Visited their booth at the high end Munich. Lots of communication here online and YouTube/instagram. Really like the headphones.
But....
Grado is for me the real: other 'open' headphones do sound so closed after listing.
The music is so alive. Grado for life!
Our setups are pretty much the same, I've got the ZMF Atrium, Bokeh, and then a couple of Grados. Lately, I've stuck to Grado and ZMF for headphone purchases, avoiding other brands. Having both options strikes a good balance for the sound I like, adapting to different moods and music types. Both John and Zach really know their stuff when it comes to tuning headphones!
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