[lakej]

So, I gave an aftermarket G-Cush a shot, and came out disappointed.

I found a set on Amazon branded 'Vever.' Avoid this brand! It was like $8, fairly priced for foam made in China.

As soon as I opened up the package, I noticed the hole was more oval shaped than a good circle shape. And then I had difficulty trying to put on on, and the opening ended up looking a bit toward oval as it seemed like it was stretched when put on due to imprecise shaping of the opening. I also notice a difference from the Grado one I've used at the audio shop. The Grado one definately wasn't as thick of a foam as this one. The thicker foam material creates more distance from the driver opening, and also doesn't really creates a room inside the cushion like the Grado one does.

Sound wise, the tightness of the sound was lost a bit, and treble became grainier and 4khz tape stripping sound becomes prominent. The bass did scale greater in size, but also become a bit less defined or not as tight, a bit bloated.

So based on this experience, it seems the QC of the aftermarket foam is a bit of a crapshoot.

I'm actually very satisfied with my G cushions. Probably muffles the sound a tiny bit since they sit a tad further away from the ears now - which helps me greatly as I have mushed cauliflower ears and got REALLY sore from the L pads.

I've also used the Flat cushion but they take the highs out a bit too much on the already rolled off PS500.

Some superglue and new pads had me come back and enjoy these cans again!

 

[Douger333]

I have no experience with the RS2e, but the GH4 is very similar to the PS2000e, only lacking a little richness in bass and treble. Results with my Ampsandsound
Kenzie amp...

Doug

 

[SilverEars]

I'm actually very satisfied with my G cushions. Probably muffles the sound a tiny bit since they sit a tad further away from the ears now - which helps me greatly as I have mushed cauliflower ears and got REALLY sore from the L pads.

I've also used the Flat cushion but they take the highs out a bit too much on the already rolled off PS500.

Some superglue and new pads had me come back and enjoy these cans again!

That's what it must be, the pad creating a distance compared to L-cush, which keeps the ear adhere to the driver, but that's the reason for the ear pain from extended listing. It's like an on-ear except worse, the surface is hard, no padding.

The clarity of the sound reducing is likely from foam causing more distance to the driver.

 

[wormsdriver]

If anybody is interested, InnerFidelity Podcast No.15 With Grado Labs:

 

[SilverEars]

So I got genuine Grado G-cush. After listening to it even for a short duration it was obvious why people generally say L-cush sounds better.

With the G-cush, I got the opposite effect of what I wanted, the background sounded even more distant with the 2k hump area sounding even more prominent, sounding much brighter than I like. So, tonal balance has gotten worse with a prominent bright peak. The clarity of the sound took a dive for sure. All this has effected imaging as well, which was also worse.

325 is a really good sounding Grado with L-cush, but I would not recommend G-cush for sound, there's noticible sound degredation.

I can't even say if genuine G-cush has improvement in sound over after market as bowls seem to cause SQ degredation. So, if going G-cush, why shell out $45 for a genuine one if the 325 weren't meant to sound proper with G-cush?

With this said, is there a way to get SQ of L-cush with more comfort?

 

[Shane D]

Reading all this G-cush stuff got me to put my cheap knock-offs on. Sounds just a bit different, but SO much more comfortable. It's stupid that will all the money I have spent on gear this year I have not splurged on real G-cush.

Shane D

 

[sennfan83261]

My impressions of the HF3 as part of the loaner program that is currently underway: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/grado-hf3-loaner-program.914851/#post-15215125

I have to note that the HF3 is the first Grado headphone that I've tried. I found that the HF3 excelled in certain areas and was lacking in a few others. Still, I think they're worth the $350 asking price, as they do not sound like anything else in my collection.

 

[joseph69]

The 325 weren't meant to sound proper with G-cush?

In my experience (325is) definitely not.

 

[ESL-1]

In my experience (325is) definitely not.

I concur.

 

[HungryPanda]

On the original 325 I can only use them with flat pads to enjoy

 

[joseph69]

On the original 325 I can only use them with flat pads to enjoy

I still can't get use to the sound of the flats after all these years. I think I'm finally realizing just not for me. I've bought/sold at least 3 pairs of flats, but this time I'm holding onto this pair.

 

[XLR8]

Hello Grado fans

Has anyone come across listening to the Grado, that the lower hemisphere of driver has greater output than the upper hemisphere creating an imbalance to the output?

I have came across this sound only on rs2e non of my i or prior grados do this.

From memory the e series had additional holes in the felt outside of the driver compared to i series but can't completely remember.

Would be curious what other e series owners have to say .

Tia.

 

[438555]

I just placed an order for a pair of GH4 to go along with my 325e and GS2000e. I was looking for something that won't have quite the brightness of the 325e, but still has a reasonable cable for walking around with and plugging into a mobile source. And it sounds like the GH4 also still sounds good with the G-cush pads for longer listening comfort. Hopefully these will be the sweet spot between mobility, comfort, and sound...

 

[audiobomber]

I just placed an order for a pair of GH4 to go along with my 325e and GS2000e. I was looking for something that won't have quite the brightness of the 325e, but still has a reasonable cable for walking around with and plugging into a mobile source. And it sounds like the GH4 also still sounds good with the G-cush pads for longer listening comfort. Hopefully these will be the sweet spot between mobility, comfort, and sound...

Looking forward to your impressions, especially vs. your other Grados.

 

[zazex]

I own the GH4 and have had the RS2e home for extended periods. The GH4 has better bass, the RS2e has more detailed treble. Which one I prefer depends on the music and partnering gear. They are close enough that I would not own both.

PS I highly recommend you purchase a pair of Grado G cushions for the GH4. This is a comfort upgrade, and a sonic improvement from top to bottom, IMO.

I appreciate your perceptions here.

After two/three weeks daily listening, I'm only beginning to sense that I like
the GH4's very slightly more than the RS2e's. I'm not (yet) fully clear on which
characteristics have led me to that sense.

As you indicated, the two are very close.

There's another week or so open for me to return the RS2e's,
but I'll be passing on that. I want to suss out
for myself what specific similarities, differences, (and otherwise) exist with
these and the GH4's.