[Amish]

@mks100 I'll look when I get home.

 

[ESL-1]

They definitely will evolve and change for the better. Enjoy the journey and keep everyone posted. 100 hours and the changes become more noticeable.

Have fun,
Joe

 

[ESL-1]

VERY IMPORTANT COMFORT NOTE:

As in many headphones and especially so with Grados it is extremely important to get the very best fit and comfort by adjusting (lightly bending) the headband to get the right combo of comfort (yes, Grados can be QUITE Comfortable when you take the time to find that best fit). On the HF3 I found that just opening up the gap by lightly bending the headband outward got it perfect for me and sound performance will be optimized. Be sure to experiment a bit to see what works best for you, your head and your ears.

Enjoy the results of your slight fine tuning......

 

[Amish]

For those that have received their HF3s...

1. Do they have a Serial Number?
2. If so, where is it?

...thanks in advance.

No serial number. If there is one it would have to be internal and not for our eyes.

 

[Amish]

Here are mine...wooo these things are shouty out of the box....keep that gain down.

 

[ESL-1]

Here are mine...wooo these things are shouty out of the box....keep that gain down.

Enjoy their development...... They evolve quite nicely.

BTW, what is the overall sound signature on the amp pictured?, I never had the chance to audition one.

I circulated among a number of my amps and got lots of good matches as the headphones matured.

 

[Amish]

@ESL-1
Have you ever listened to the Dark Voice 337? Really though it depends on the tubes you run. Smooth, warm, natural, detailed sparkly highs but not bright...highs roll off a bit which is what I prefer.

This amp shines with Grado IMO. Sounds great with my LCD2's too and HD600's but the Grados are just a perfect pairing with this amp.

 

[AndyBurns]

I need to become more familiar with the HF3 but I can give some initial thoughts between these two. The RS2e is more relaxed (smoother) sounding with a bit larger soundstage. The HF3 is more aggressive with a bit more bass slam, but with an incredible live like sound. I have around 200 hours on the RS2e and only 2 hours on the HF3 so the sound will likely change a bit like my RS2e's did with time.

So more similar to the SR325 than the RS2?

 

[Amish]

So more similar to the SR325 than the RS2?

Not at all. I have a pair of 325is on my desk and they sound nothing alike compared to the HF3.
The HF3 sounds nothing like my 325 or my GS-1000. I mean sure I can tell they are Grado but naw...it's almost a new sound signature all together.

Impressions during first sit through...
So I've been listening to these for 5 hours now. Very dynamic cans for sure. Very lively. Solid bass kick, fairly spacious, and great resolution. The highs are sparkly but not overly bright; this could be due to my tubes but this sounds so lively. Music is clean and detailed. I can barely turn up the gains on my amp before these things are jumping! Attack and decay is solid! Compared to the SR325is which I have to crank the gains up a decent amount more for the same output. Speaking of the 325...they sound great, a different sound signature for sure. The HF3 really sounds more open and alive compared to the 325. Doesn't come close to the spaciousness of the GS-1000 but damn the HF3 sounds good. I'm betting it will get better as time goes by.

The downside? I hate L-Cush. They have always bothered my ears and these are no different. I have really small ears and the way they rest on them just causes discomfort over an hour or two. For some reason these seems a bit more comfy than the 325 with stock L-cush though. I run G-Cush on my 325 and I have a brand new set sitting in the bag waiting to go on the HF3. I do not plan to change them out though until I have spent a good amount of time with the L-cush. The cord is very stiff too...just like all grado but I'm used to it so I can live with it.

/edit I couldn't resist and tossed the G-cush on. First impression: a little more spacious sounding, tames the energy a bit and bass is maybe slightly smoother. God so much more comfortable. With the G-Cush on I feel like I need to turn the gains up on my amp. I switched back to the L-cush and had to quickly lower the gains. With L-cush the HF3 is much more energetic and lively. Bass is quite a bit tighter too. I think I prefer the L-cush sound for sure.

 

[BootsandPants]

For those of you who pre-ordered the HF3; did you receive a shipping confirmation when they were sent to you? Still waiting on mine

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I just yesterday received my shipping confirmation for my HF3,:via FedEx, with delivery scheduled for Tuesday.

 

[elira]

For those that have received their HF3s...

1. Do they have a Serial Number?
2. If so, where is it?

...thanks in advance.

Check in the external sidewall of the chamber under the pads. All my other Grado have the serial number there.

 

[Amish]

Check in the external sidewall of the chamber under the pads. All my other Grado have the serial number there.

Mine do not. First place I checked.

 

[Amish]

For those of you who pre-ordered the HF3; did you receive a shipping confirmation when they were sent to you? Still waiting on mine

Yes. I received the email on Tuesday and the headphones yesterday.

Rich Grado and team are building these by order date so there could be a number of people who purchased before you. I talked to Rich about this on Monday.

 

[tenedosian]

Hey guys, got a quick question for my new Grado RS2e :

Can I change the 3.5 mm plug of the phones and put a 4.4 mm one in order to use it with Sony WM1A through balanced?

I don't have to change the whole cable for that, right?

Thanks in advance.