[XLR8]

Joseph, curious did you contact stax asking for their opinion if it's normal to experience ringing in the ear after using their headphones?
Would love to see their response if they respond even at all.

 

[boyd32450]

Well I have been to the RS1i thread and tonight I read thru a thread entitled RS1i vs. LCD-2. I have come to the conclusion that I don't know squat about specifications and what they mean. I'm 65 years old and still have all my hearing in spite of sitting behind a twin 50 for a year+ back in the early '70's. I discovered Grado not long ago and I love both my RS1i and my wooded 225. I use G-cush because the fleshy part of my ears can't stand **** on them for any length of time over 10 minutes. I recently picked up my RS1i's from a store in my area. I went in there preparing to pay 1K on some LCD2's. I listened to alot of HP's and the guy behind the counter said he had some RS1i's that had never been used so I tried them out. Well, I bought them for 100 bucks off retail and saved $500. I have to say that ALL the HP's I listened to were outstanding! The only HP's that were marginally better to my ears were LCD2, GS-1000, PS-1000. I really am happy with my choice. I guess I would describe the sound as friendly. Very un-tech I'm sure but there it is. I have a question for all those old farts like me. When did you discover that there were bongo drums in "Big Yellow Taxi"?

 

[wormsdriver]

  Is that RS1 in the ebay ad really selling for $700+? I have one sitting around that I bought new and didn't think they were worth much anymore.

in my experience they usually go from anywhere in the $425 to $550-ish range. Ebay usually fetches more money, but keep in mine they charge like 9% of the total sale. Recently a pair of mint buttoned Rs1 on ebay went for over $700!
 

  I gave my rare vintage Grado HF-1 headphones a Christmas present.  Here are its Before and After pictures:
 


Before
 
 
 

 
After
 
 
The brown headband sheath was purchased from Grado.   It is the one used on the current GS1000e and RS2e.  I think it looks fabulous with the wood buttons, and it adds some padding that the black original sheath did not have.

congrats john, they do indeed compliment them VERY well! On another note, Grado sold you the headband? Wow, that's news to me! If you don't mine me asking, how much did they charge you for it? 

 

[ruthieandjohn]

in my experience they usually go from anywhere in the $425 to $550-ish range. Ebay usually fetches more money, but keep in mine they charge like 9% of the total sale. Recently a pair of mint buttoned Rs1 on ebay went for over $700!

congrats john, they do indeed compliment them VERY well! On another note, Grado sold you the headband? Wow, that's news to me! If you don't mine me asking, how much did they charge you for it? 

I don't think that they usually sell them separately. I went through the J-money one I had on my SR225i, the manta brown one in my PS1000 and other brown that Turbulent Labs offered, and felt they all were not the right shade of brown to go with those wood buttons. After looking at my GS1000s, I decided that THAT was the right brown.

I inquired about them, and they said $40 each (I bought 2 - the other for my new RS2e, which I got right before they changed their headband to brown). But I had to wait 10 weeks... They said they could fill the order but they were out when I asked. They just arrived yesterday.

(And I have to say that that HF1 you just sold, as well as the MAD HD+ I think you are still offering for trade, have received top billing in my recent headphone fantasies! I also just yesterday got a bit of unexpected cash and was considering buying the HF1 from you, but I was Too Slow! Congratulations on your sale and to the new owner... Maybe they will show up here!)

 

[joseph69]

  Those HP1000 HP1 also have two enhancements... the Ultra Wideband cable  and the second generation of pads as improved by Joseph Grado.  These are improvements that he would make to HP1s and HP2s sent back to him, over the period of up to a year and for around $2,000 (as well as put special paste around the inside of the earcups and do something to the aluminum, and according to one disappointed user of the upgrade service, remove the polarity switches that distinguish the HP1 from the HP2 and HP3 versions of the HP1000.)  Reviews are mixed on whether it improved, or just changed, the sound, but most people think it improved it.

Thanks for the information on the HP series.

 

  WOW!! Great!  Listening on my GH-1s with G CUSH while I should be going to bed (12:40 pm here!)

12:40pm…why should you be going to bed? Nightshift?
 

Joseph, curious did you contact stax asking for their opinion if it's normal to experience ringing in the ear after using their headphones?
Would love to see their response if they respond even at all.

No, I didn't bother, I definitely have an issue using the Stax.
For me, they sen to have a "glare" in the mid-range that just kills my ears.
Some on e very early on when I mentioned I was going to be trying the Stax out had mentioned something about what I' hearing, I just don't remember who had said it, but now I know what they mean.    

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks yet again to kayandjohn for the info and merry xmas. I'm going to try some PS1Ke's. I can use the RS1 (+ some cables and another phone) to pay for it.

 

[fjrabon]

  Thanks for the information on the HP series.

 
12:40pm…why should you be going to bed? Nightshift?
 
No, I didn't bother, I definitely have an issue using the Stax.
For me, they sen to have a "glare" in the mid-range that just kills my ears.
Some on e very early on when I mentioned I was going to be trying the Stax out had mentioned something about what I' hearing, I just don't remember who had said it, but now I know what they mean.    

I kinda know what you're talking about, I always sort of felt the same with electrostatics.  What are your experiences with planars?

 

[joseph69]

Yes I tried the HE400i which I didnt care for much. I also tried the HE1K which I thought was very nice sounding butfor me not worth thier price

 

[Harry Manback]

I have a question for you kind folks.  I really (REALLY!) like the PS1000 sound.  It's so darn heavy though, and it moves around on my head a lot.  Outside of the GH-1G, is there another headphone that sounds as good as the PS1000 that isn't so heavy?  I know this is a Grado thread, but I'm open to other brands.  I've never heard an HD800, and am curious as to how it compares to the PS1000.  If you have other recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
 
FYI - I mostly listen to stuff like Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, and some movie soundtracks (Moon, The Social Network, The Book of Eli, etc).
 
Thanks folks!

 

[joseph69]

  I have a question for you kind folks.  I really (REALLY!) like the PS1000 sound.  It's so darn heavy though, and it moves around on my head a lot.  Outside of the GH-1G, is there another headphone that sounds as good as the PS1000 that isn't so heavy?  I know this is a Grado thread, but I'm open to other brands.  I've never heard an HD800, and am curious as to how it compares to the PS1000.  If you have other recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
 
FYI - I mostly listen to stuff like Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, and some movie soundtracks (Moon, The Social Network, The Book of Eli, etc).
 
Thanks folks!

I think for your Genre preference the PS1K is the one!
I've heard the HD-800 3x in home, and yes I can hear why they have a big following, but I personally preferred the PS1K.
BTW, I find no issues with the weight of the PS1K, but their not a HP to be moving around with, rather just for relaxing.

 

[joseph69]

  I kinda know what you're talking about, I always sort of felt the same with electrostatics.  What are your experiences with planars?

I was on my stupid smart phone before and couldn't really reply.
I actually preferred my 325is to the HE-400i, and as I said I really enjoyed the HE1K but they reminded me of my GH-1/G (nice/smooth/relaxing sound) and theres a huge price difference between the two. I'm already on the list for the HEX when it becomes available for loan, so I can't wait to hear them.
 
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who find the Stax/electrostatic HP's glaring in the mid-range…almost a reverberation going directly back into my ears like I've never experienced before???

 

[Loving[MAX]Sound]

I gave my rare vintage Grado HF-1 headphones a Christmas present.  Here are its Before and After pictures:




Before






After


The brown headband sheath was purchased from Grado.   It is the one used on the current GS1000e and RS2e.  I think it looks fabulous with the wood buttons, and it adds some padding that the black original sheath did not have.

Very nice, I really like that colour for the headband.

 

[GreenBow]

I have a ditzy question. I use my 225e for everything. Music, PC DVD, and PC gaming. They get extensive use and I find myself wearing them for hours. ....Are higher end Grado just as usable. Would I feel with a more expensive pair that I really should not be PC gaming with them.
 
I have my 225e if the general idea is that high end Grado are best kept for music.

 

[hardbop]

Use your headphones however you want to use them and for whatever you want to use them for. There's no Grado police going to bust down your door for enjoying your Grados in whatever fashion you like.

 

[stacker45]

  Look what we have (HERE)

 

  Do you mean (THESE) or (THESE) ?

 
These HP1000 look a lot like the pair that came up for sale a few weeks, or months ago.

 
It's a good thing that B.S doesn't kill.

 
Of course I believe you when you say that you've never used a pair of headphone for wich, you've bought an extra pair of drivers, (other than plugging them in to verify that they work, of course).
 
I have a VERY hard time believing that Joseph Grado would part with a pair of his ultra rare ''Black Star'' drivers, just in case that the original failed. I can only imagine the way this would've went.
 
Client: Oh yeah!, I alomost forgot, I'll take an extra pair of those Black Star drivers.
 
Joseph: Why?
 
Client: Well.......you know....(pee trickling down the leg, sound here!), in case they fail, or something!.
 
Joseph: If they fail, send them in, and I'll repair them for you.
 
Joseph: Why are your pants darker on one side?
 
 
 
 
 

  Ye
In a word, YES!  The buttoned RS1 is a collector's item, and at least one person (me) finds them to sound better than the RS1i and many folks find that the RS1i sounds better than the current RS1e.  At a list price of $700 for the RS1e, you would do well to get these at $700.  I got mine in a trade of a HE-500 (listed new at $800, now used at about $500) plus a FiiO Mont Blanc E-12 amp (new price of about $120), so in line with that price, and that was more than a year ago.

 
''.....one person (me)'' John, Buddy, come on, what about me!
 
You're the one who gave me the heads up about my beloved, n.o.s. RS1.

 
I wouldn't say that the RS1 is a collector's item, but like the RS1i, they were a popular model, so the fact that Grado doesn't make them anymore, makes them desirable.
 
Like I always say, different doesn't nessecarily mean, better. That being said, I gladly payed the $700 asking price, for mine, wich are as close to perfect as a hand crafted product can be.
 
I use mine primarily for intimate, small venue recordings, and two night ago, I listened to ''Best Audiophile Voices Vol VI'' with my RS1, and it's RA1 amp, through my vintage Marantz 2226B, and even after many months of ownership, they still managed to impress me.
 
This is no small feat, considering some of their stablemates. Their ability to retrieve every little details, also, their rich mids do wonders with human voices, especially women's. Their fast, tight, and relativly extended bass is what surprised me the most, when I first got mine. I had only listen to them once, and it was about 15 tears ago. Back then, it was their mids and highs, that had floored me, especially since I was comparing them to my Senns HD600.