Grado Fan Club!
Nov 30, 2024 at 11:14 AM Post #68,311 of 68,990
I'd be totally fine with no break in time, but it is what it is.

But you didn't answer my question: how does breaking in your brain and ears work when i don't even listen to a headphone for days? Why do so many people on here talk about breaking in their phones for 100s of hours? Do you believe they all have the headphones on their ears for those 100s of hours?
If anyone can prove burnin with a minidsp ear miicrophone? The initial frequency graph should be different then the frequency graph after the burnin.
 
Nov 30, 2024 at 11:21 AM Post #68,312 of 68,990
Nov 30, 2024 at 11:51 AM Post #68,313 of 68,990
But you didn't answer my question: how does breaking in your brain and ears work when i don't even listen to a headphone for days? Why do so many people on here talk about breaking in their phones for 100s of hours? Do you believe they all have the headphones on their ears for those 100s of hours?

I don't believe break in. I believe that we hear what we wanna hear.😊

This is an interesting point. For my own experience, the one time where "burn-in" was an observable difference for myself was not with the headphone, per se, but with the headphone cable. I ordered a custom cable made from Cardas cable. The first night of listening to it, was disappointing, it was really discernably hazy from my stock headphone cable. I had discussions with the cable maker/owner, ready in hand to return it. He advised me that with Cardas, the sound does change after 250+ hours of burn in, and asked me to try that first, and if then I still was not satisfied, he would accept the return. So for two weeks, straight, I let the headphone/headphone cable run continuously on, without listening to it. So the only impression and clear indicator for me within the first 10 or so hours of use was that it was very hazy with stunted details compared to the stock cable I was running. At the end of the two weeks, and when listening to it after "burn-in", it was completely clear, spacious, like the fog lifted. It was a clear night and day difference for me.

So for me, in this scenario, it's not that I got "used to the sound". I listened to it for an evening, and then another evening two weeks later, tracking just one super obvious aspect of the cable for simplicity. I ended up keeping the cable because it dramatically changed that much for me.
 
Nov 30, 2024 at 11:52 AM Post #68,314 of 68,990
Nov 30, 2024 at 12:02 PM Post #68,316 of 68,990
A random thought unrelated to any of the recent posts:

I absolutely love my Grado GR10e IEMs. Not only do they have that crisp Grado sound, but they are small enough to allow you to sleep on your side while they are in your ear. Not only that, if you get the little zipper Grado earphone case, they are much easier to put in your ears than a lot of other high end earphones, which give you a veritable Tetris of slots and corners that you need to wind and unwind in the very clever holder.

Yay, Grado earphones!
Agreed, as someone who was fortunate to buy the GR10e when still available I feel that these are the most overlooked Grado. I use them more than my GS1000i and I think they are very comparable overall in terms of satisaction. If I was good with wearing IEM's all the time I would be set but I prefer having the option of my SR225e and the GS for when I feel like wearing on or over the ears.

In my opinion the GR10e's were overlooked because they look like cheap buds and were somewhat pricey for their appearance, however for musical enjoyment they are for me among the finest Grado's ever.
 
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Nov 30, 2024 at 12:04 PM Post #68,317 of 68,990
Nov 30, 2024 at 12:20 PM Post #68,319 of 68,990
Have to burn in the GH4 first!! :)

No, i've bought it used and it sounds great from the beginning. But ofc maybe it'll get better, the previous owner said he didn't use it that much.

First impression: GH4 has a little less treble and a 'rounder' midrange. I felt at home instantly with it. It also has that GH2 thing in the dynamics that the other Grados don't have (RS1 button has it a little) the je ne sais quoi.

Honestly the GH4 sounds like i expected the Hemp to sound according to the initial raving reviews on here. But i never really got to love the Hemp. For me it's the nicest looking Sony headphone ever. Sorry.

Anyway, if you can get a GH4, or GH2, buy it.
 
Nov 30, 2024 at 1:09 PM Post #68,320 of 68,990
Have to burn in the GH4 first!! :)

No, i've bought it used and it sounds great from the beginning. But ofc maybe it'll get better, the previous owner said he didn't use it that much.

First impression: GH4 has a little less treble and a 'rounder' midrange. I felt at home instantly with it. It also has that GH2 thing in the dynamics that the other Grados don't have (RS1 button has it a little) the je ne sais quoi.

Honestly the GH4 sounds like i expected the Hemp to sound according to the initial raving reviews on here. But i never really got to love the Hemp. For me it's the nicest looking Sony headphone ever. Sorry.

Anyway, if you can get a GH4, or GH2, buy it.
Thank you for that. I do have a GH2 now and would love to add a GH4 to the stash. 🙂
 
Nov 30, 2024 at 1:44 PM Post #68,321 of 68,990
Had the 325x before and let it go but did like it, just wondering if RS2x is worth double the price
(a) the ubiquitous 'diminishing marginal return' actuality; (b) only 🫵 can decide whether that is worthwhile -- performance vs price.
 
Nov 30, 2024 at 2:53 PM Post #68,322 of 68,990
Nov 30, 2024 at 4:31 PM Post #68,323 of 68,990
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Back at the audio store. They said I'm not allowed to change pads, but it is what it is. The RS1x were absolutely SUBLIME. I'm wearing the gs1000x right now, and they are significantly better than the previous e model to my ears. The RS1X seem to benefit from more distance from your ears, so maybe G pads or the smaller BA pads would help them achieve their full potential. The 1000x are also wonderful and have me grinning from ear to ear, they're a little light on the bass, but I expect a tube amp or large BA pads would sort that out. I'm going to try listening to the RS2x and Hemp to compare them, I'll share my thoughts after some time.
 
Nov 30, 2024 at 5:38 PM Post #68,325 of 68,990
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Whoever told me to give these another shot, thank you. These did bring me to tears. At first, they did have that hollowness, but that did fade. The song that really got me was "Finding My Way Home" by Far Caspian. As far as RS2x vs Hemps go, I think that the Hemps are a wonderful set of headphones (I think I just like Grados in general), but the RS2x are better. As far as WHY they are better, I'm not entirely sure. I think that it could be the difference between L and F pads, but the RS2x are smoother, especially the guitars and vocals. The RS2x are also just a bit more impactful, I feel like they have better separation. I definitely agree with everyone else though, if you're going to dish out that kind of cash, just get the RS2x. If you really want to save those $80, wait until you can find the RS2x used.
 

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