[WilliamLeonhart]

  i think the garage1217 amps should be included into any discussion regarding amps for grado, 
i'd like to get a LD mk1+ to do a direct comparison, i'd say from memory my sunrise iii is every bit as good, if not better
 
all of the garage amps can roll 6v or 12v tubes
their cheapest amp, the starlight can roll opamps as well as tubes
i just can't say enough good things about the amps, or the company, jeremy is the best !
and that's not to imply david and LD are lacking in anyway, 

As much as I like my I+ I have never received a reply from David...

 

[TraceStar]

i think the garage1217 amps should be included into any discussion regarding amps for grado, 
i'd like to get a LD mk1+ to do a direct comparison, i'd say from memory my sunrise iii is every bit as good, if not better
 
all of the garage amps can roll 6v or 12v tubes
their cheapest amp, the starlight can roll opamps as well as tubes
i just can't say enough good things about the amps, or the company, jeremy is the best !
and that's not to imply david and LD are lacking in anyway, 

I for one love my Garage 1217 Project Ember II. Got some tube rolling madness a couple of months back though. The sheer options are staggering since you can roll so many different types.

I've slowed down on the tube rolling now. Just enjoying my GH-1 with a few fav tubes.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[jobyjoby]

i'm pretty hopeful about the "less tubey" quality of the lyr2. again, i don't know anything about anything, but recently before the littledot mkiii gave up the ghost, I had the suspicion that maybe its warm kinda soupy tube quality was actually contributing to some of the less flattering qualities of the gs1k. I'm gonna try and use some descriptors that hopefully click with some of you who have tried the old gs1k's, but they could sound a little flat, or unexciting, and i wonder if the LDmkiii was filling out the sound in all the wrong places at times, maybe "stuffy" is the word?

 

[GreenBow]

  RA2? i'm sure you mean RA1, or is there a newer one?

i've been wearing IEMs for quite some time now and no earwax clutter.

 
Thank you.
 
I had been thinking of starting a thread or looking for a thread about it. I just remembered though I have some cheap Sony ones from a phone somewhere. I could try them and see what I think. I avoided using those Sonys though because they have odd length cables to the ear-buds.
 
Plus I was told about cable noise with IEMs. I guess I gotta try.
 
Really my MX500 are OK but that's about it. I was thinking long about iGrado too as an option.
 
These IEMs though get really good from what I read. The Grado ones turn up on ebay for a reasonable price. I like What Hi-Fi's review of the cheaper ones.

 

[CH23]

Thank you.

I had been thinking of starting a thread or looking for a thread about it. I just remembered though I have some cheap Sony ones from a phone somewhere. I could try them and see what I think. I avoided using those Sonys though because they have odd length cables to the ear-buds.

Plus I was told about cable noise with IEMs. I guess I gotta try.

Really my MX500 are OK but that's about it. I was thinking long about iGrado too as an option.

These IEMs though get really good from what I read. The Grado ones turn up on ebay for a reasonable price. I like What Hi-Fi's review of the cheaper ones.

Personally i prefer the symmetrical Y split cables too. Never understood why you would want unequal weight balance.

Usually earphones that come with a phone suck. They're equal to the dollar store/pound shop/euro store earphones.

Cable noise, usually called "microphonics" can be an issue. It was with my UE900, it wasn't with my GR10(e) or fibass.
A trick to minimize this is by wearing the earphones "over the ear" so that the wire runs over your ear.

i never tried the iGi's. Surely someone in this thread should be able to tell you more

 

[GreenBow]

Personally i prefer the symmetrical Y split cables too. Never understood why you would want unequal weight balance.

Usually earphones that come with a phone suck. They're equal to the dollar store/pound shop/euro store earphones.

Cable noise, usually called "microphonics" can be an issue. It was with my UE900, it wasn't with my GR10(e) or fibass.
A trick to minimize this is by wearing the earphones "over the ear" so that the wire runs over your ear.

i never tried the iGi's. Surely someone in this thread should be able to tell you more

 
Haha, yep it was the iGi that I was thinking about. http://www.whathifi.com/grado/igi/review
 
I wonder if they make eGi or iGe now, or neither. I would be happy to go with the What Hi-Fi review. Maybe I should take a punt. I really could use something better.
 

1. The idea of the eGrado would be really good. There is something about SR60 drivers, that they use. I like to be able to hear around me when near roads etc.

 

1. Isolation with IEM's would be good too though because I do use public transport. There is the rule that you should never turn up your earphones over noise around you. Meaning if it's noisy around you, anything louder would damage your ears. 

 
How do I decide?

 

[bassboysam]

I wonder if one could have his cake and eat it too with a resistor adapter on an OTL amp? 

Something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281728711409?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

You can add 50, 100, 120, 240, 300ohm to the 32 ohm resistance of a Grado.  Curious as to how the Valhalla 2 with such a resistor adapter would work with a Grado.

I'll let you know when I receive mine.  I run my 325i from my Littledot MKIV SE and it sounds great without it.  I just bought the Grado's and really like the sound but the damn pads are so uncomfortable.  Any way to soften these things up?

nope, this will do the exact opposite of what you want. it doesn't increase the impedance of the Grados, it will increase the output impedance of the amp and make the problem of OTL and low impedance headphones worse.

 

[krud484]

  i'm pretty hopeful about the "less tubey" quality of the lyr2. again, i don't know anything about anything, but recently before the littledot mkiii gave up the ghost, I had the suspicion that maybe its warm kinda soupy tube quality was actually contributing to some of the less flattering qualities of the gs1k. I'm gonna try and use some descriptors that hopefully click with some of you who have tried the old gs1k's, but they could sound a little flat, or unexciting, and i wonder if the LDmkiii was filling out the sound in all the wrong places at times, maybe "stuffy" is the word?

You should check out the "Lyr Tube Rollers" thread in the head amps forum here. The tubes you pick out are the character of the sound from the amplifier. When I bought my Lyr 2, I went in without the desire for an all warm tube sound. I thought a lot about what kind of sound I could get out a pair of tubes. What is my setup lacking in? What are it's strengths it has on it own without an amp? From there you can better determine the level of transparency you're seeking.

 

[Renato6]

  haha. I took the pictures when I first received them. After these pictures were taken, they got the usual treatment/cleaning I give my Grados when I get them. Wood gets polished/wax, leather gets conditioning and the wooden box also got wood wax! They look even better than when I got them.

Always be meaning to ask.
 
What wax / conditioner do you use on Grado wood headphones? I have a RS2i
 
Thanks

 

[zazex]

 
Always be meaning to ask.
 
What wax / conditioner do you use on Grado wood headphones? I have a RS2i
 
Thanks

 
I don't use any, I don't think it's necessary.
 
But if I did, it would be Renaissance Wax.

 

[wormsdriver]

 
haha. I took the pictures when I first received them. After these pictures were taken, they got the usual treatment/cleaning I give my Grados when I get them. Wood gets polished/wax, leather gets conditioning and the wooden box also got wood wax! They look even better than when I got them.

Always be meaning to ask.

What wax / conditioner do you use on Grado wood headphones? I have a RS2i

Thanks

I use Howard feed-n-wax. I've bought more than several used grados with the wood looking dull and lifeless, this stuff brings them back to life so to speak. I've been using it for a long time, so there is no cons to using it.
Another thing I've noticed is that when I sell a pair of Rs series grados, I've always gotten compliments from the buyers for the condition the headphones are in. Some leather conditioner also helps with these older Grados. Sometimes the leather is also rather dry and lifeless and conditioner helps but is not as effective as the wood wax works on wood.

 

[squallkiercosa]

For more than 60 years, the Grado family has been crafting headphones by hand out of a nondescript Brooklyn building. They haven't advertised since 1964, but have made fans of John Mayer, Spike Jonze and members of Aerosmith. Here's how one family has honed the Grado signature sound for decades.​
 
http://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/how-a-family-run-headphone-maker-thrived-by-word-of-mouth

 

[speedking]

 

For more than 60 years, the Grado family has been crafting headphones by hand out of a nondescript Brooklyn building. They haven't advertised since 1964, but have made fans of John Mayer, Spike Jonze and members of Aerosmith. Here's how one family has honed the Grado signature sound for decades.​
 
http://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/how-a-family-run-headphone-maker-thrived-by-word-of-mouth

NOT True!
For more than 60 years , the Grado family has been crafting CARTRIDGES by hand , They first crafted headphones at 1989 the famous HP1000 and thats 27 years nomore! As long for adverstising also not true but thats another story....
 
One more thing to say, i would prefer in all these "advertising" video to hear something about the products, if there are improvements or whatever instead of listening the story of the family fruit-store and that jonathan wanted to be like his dad. It sounds like a farrytale and actually who cares!

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

  One more thing to say, i would prefer in all these "advertising" video to hear something about the products, if there are improvements or whatever instead of listening the story of the family fruit-store and that jonathan wanted to be like his dad. It sounds like a farrytale and actually who cares!

Can't say it any better. 
 
I want the towers in the back so bad

 

[CH23]

  Can't say it any better. 
 
I want the towers in the back so bad

someday i will be rich enough to order 32 RS1s and do some woodworking magic and make my own pair.