[ruthieandjohn]

As I indicated yesterday here, http://www.head-fi.org/t/530965/grado-fan-club/17880#post_10798583 , I have been slogging my way through the 1196 pages of posts on this thread, both reading all posts and writing down the music that folks indicate as particularly suited for Grados, in a table I will post when I get through (or at least succumb to exhaustion further into this thread!).
 
This is a journey begun as a result of my love for my 1-week-and-a-day-old RS1is, of course taken while listening to them.
 
How far have I come along this Path to Enlightenment?  I am now through page 60 (5% of the way!)
 
As diligent work can lead to revelation, what discoveries have I made so far as I tread this path?
 

• Grados are great for rock / guitar (that's not the revelation).  Separately, a recommended piece for Grados is Orff's Carmina Burana.  So I put the two together and started listening to my rock recording of Carmina Burana by Ray Manzarek.  WOW!!!!  I was working while listening to my iPod Touch 5G driving my RS1i without an amp with an AAC (iTunes) encoding I had made of the CD, and it so blew me away that I stopped, grabbed the original CD, and went to my PC hooked up to a Sennheiser HDVD 800 DAC/amp and tried it there.  Double WOW!  Of course I also had to listen a bit with the Sennheiser HD800s also hooked up to that same amp.  Good but not NEARLY as exciting as the RS1i!
• You can use the 6' heavy cable of the upper-end Grados as a belt when you are wearing them out and about!
•  As repetitive motion strain and hallucinations set in from the nature of this work, I found that I was only one 'e' wrong when I read an early post addressing how to modify the Grados that said, roughly, "Wooden bowels are a pain in the ass." 

 

 

[whirlwind]

Pure Goodness In Every Way
 
 
Coming Back To Life

 
 
Learning To Fly

 
 
What Do You Want From Me

 

[jaywillin]

love me some little feat !! i was turned on to to them by a buddy in college, "waiting for columbus" an all time great live album !
 
 

 

 

 

 

[huckfinn]

Hi everyone,
I recently received some 225i in top conditions I bought on ebay and was wondering if there would be any passionate and honest head-fier (not too far away from France - because of shipping costs...) capable and willing to mod them.
I was just looking for a single sided detachable cable mod...
 
Just pm me if interested.
 
Thanks to all.

 

[BobJS]

,

 

[jmullane]

  First post and a complete newbie so please bear with my stupid question. This thread seems a good place to get a Grado "problem" worked out.
 
My journey began a few months back when I stumbled on the iGrado. I needed something for bike riding and I wanted to try something different. They ended up being the best I had owned for fit and comfort and the sound was intriguing and something that really caught my attention.
 
I wanted to try a full size Grado and ended up getting the SR325e. I play music from my iMac into a Apogee Duet (I record as well) and plug into the headphone jack there. To be honest, the first few hours with the 325e were a little frightening. I'm not very good at describing audio sensations but the word "sharp" comes to mind. The high end was really in your face but the bass and mid were very well separated. After a few weeks I really started to enjoy them. It was fun rediscovering some of my music.
 
So, thinking "more is better", I ordered the RS1e. I received them three days ago and have spent at least 8 hours with them on my head. Immediately I noticed a mellowing of the high end. It was still there but just not as piercing. I liked that. My problem is that I feel the upper low and mids seem to bleed together and I'm not getting the separation I so enjoyed with the 325e. I guess you could say they sound a bit muddy to me. 
 
I'm looking to see if anyone else has had this experience. Do I need to burn them in more? Will they get "better"? Am I imagining things? Am I expecting too much?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Jim

OK - Call me stupid but I just can't get comfortable with the RS1e's. Muddy is the only word that comes to mind. They are going back and I'm going to continue to enjoy the 325e's. I feel like I should have liked them more but no matter how I listen, the 325's keep my attention. By the way... why don't the iGrado's get any love?

 

[CH23]

OK - Call me stupid but I just can't get comfortable with the RS1e's. They are going back and I'm going to continue to enjoy the 325e's. I feel like I should have liked them more but no matter how I listen, the 325's keep my attention. By the way... why don't the iGrado's get any love?

You could try them with a warmer source. That's when my RS1‘s (non i/e) sound at their best to me.

 

[joseph69]

  OK - Call me stupid but I just can't get comfortable with the RS1e's. Muddy is the only word that comes to mind. They are going back and I'm going to continue to enjoy the 325e's. I feel like I should have liked them more but no matter how I listen, the 325's keep my attention. By the way... why don't the iGrado's get any love?

I haven't heard the RS1e, but I own the RS1i and there is no way at all they sound muddy, nor should the (e)…at all!
Either you need to let them burn-in/open up or you got a bad pair. My 3 year old 325is's just recently went muddy/dark/veiled/no detail/high frequencies, so I sent them to Grado and they repaired them and they sound beautiful! This should not be.
How many hours do you have on them?
 

You could try them with a warmer source. That's when my RS1‘s (non i/e) sound at their best to me.

I believe he is saying they sound too warm (as in muddy), so a warmer source would probably make them sound worse, no?

 

[stacker45]

Don't sweat it jmullane, the RS1i weren't my cup of tea either, I prefer the Bushmills X, to the RS1i. But what facinates me, is that because the RS1 are so popular, we second guess ourselves, we think that we must have done something wrong, because it's impossible not to love the RS1.
 
Well believe it or not I too am second guessing myself. The first Grado I ever heard were the buttoned RS1, At the time, I owned the Senns HD600, and the RS1 were the reason that I joined the ''Dark Side'', Now, I figure that these buttoned RS1 may have had something special that the ''i'' doesn't have.
 
I'm presently looking to buy a nice pair of vintage buttoned RS1, so it's just a question of time before I find out if they did have something special, or if I was just easily impressed because i was an HD600 owner.
 
Wow!, I just wrote a whole post without humour, I guess there's hope for me yet!|

 

[wormsdriver]

Ah Metal... I don't listen to Metal that much at all these days(at all), but when i do ...well, I sure do enjoy the hell outta it!
 
The first concert I went to see was to see these guys! Nov. 30, 1997 - Austin, TX. - Austin Music Hall (with Anthrax)

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
 
I'm glad I got to see them 4-5 times. I also saw them on this^ tour, earlier that year in San Antonio, TX. 

 

[CH23]

I believe he is saying they sound too warm (as in muddy), so a warmer source would probably make them sound worse, no?

It was very very late last night, i completely misread what he wrote, sorry!

 

[whirlwind]

What a great Sunday morning.
 
This is for when too much Pink Floyd....Ain't Enough
 

 

 

 

 

[jmullane]

  Don't sweat it jmullane, the RS1i weren't my cup of tea either, I prefer the Bushmills X, to the RS1i. But what facinates me, is that because the RS1 are so popular, we second guess ourselves, we think that we must have done something wrong, because it's impossible not to love the RS1.
 
Well believe it or not I too am second guessing myself. The first Grado I ever heard were the buttoned RS1, At the time, I owned the Senns HD600, and the RS1 were the reason that I joined the ''Dark Side'', Now, I figure that these buttoned RS1 may have had something special that the ''i'' doesn't have.
 
I'm presently looking to buy a nice pair of vintage buttoned RS1, so it's just a question of time before I find out if they did have something special, or if I was just easily impressed because i was an HD600 owner.
 
Wow!, I just wrote a whole post without humour, I guess there's hope for me yet!|

Thanks for the reply stacker45. After reading countless Grado threads I was expecting the RS1 to blow me out the water. When it became apparent that I was not getting what I wanted I started a multiple hour A-B test with the 325's. The 325's won in every instance (my tests included multiple genres and everything from FLAC's to heavily compressed mp3's). As suggested, maybe I have a bad copy? It's that different... no separation and like I'm listening to a garbled bunch of noise (OK, maybe a little exaggeration). As you stated above, I'm seriously second guessing myself because I should like them. I don't.. they are going back.
 
Jim

 

[jmullane]

  I haven't heard the RS1e, but I own the RS1i and there is no way at all they sound muddy, nor should the (e)…at all!
Either you need to let them burn-in/open up or you got a bad pair. My 3 year old 325is's just recently went muddy/dark/veiled/no detail/high frequencies, so I sent them to Grado and they repaired them and they sound beautiful! This should not be.
How many hours do you have on them?
 
I believe he is saying they sound too warm (as in muddy), so a warmer source would probably make them sound worse, no?

Thanks joseph69... I have about 40 hours listening. They have not budged a bit. Muddy is the best non-audiophile word I can muster. Perhaps a bad copy? I'm sending them back and will continue to enjoy my 325's. I might try a PS500 at some point?
 
Jim

 

[stacker45]

jmullane, you might want to consider the Bushsmills X, like I said, I prefer them to the RS1i, and in my opinion, at $395 retail, for limited edition headphones, they represent a great value, they are also the least expensive way to get wooded Grados, their headband not only has the most padding, but I think that the tan color looks great. They also come with THE nicest box of any Grados, and they even come with a nice, thick, carrying bag.
 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
jmullane, I would like to know your what you think of the Bushimills X, because I personally think that they are not only Grado"s best kept secret, they represent THE best value of any Grados. Of course, if you want new in the box headphones, you have to look elsewhere.
 
Also, you might already know this, but, I have always said that the SR325is, and the PS500, are the two most opposites Grados when it come to sound signatures. as they  say, better safe than sorry.
.