[Damien Grief]

Pulled a trigger on the Hemp, a Grado tuned to Flat pads, which to me is the definitive Grado sound, really captured my interest.

I initially dismissed the Hemp because they just seemed to be retuned sr225e or sr325e drivers, and therefore not as resolving as the GH1 or RS2e, but Moon Audio's review says that the Hemp are Grado's experiment with Hi Res. sound. This peaked my interest and made me wonder if they were more resolving than the RS2e.
I shall see. I no longer have the RS2e to compare but I'm crossing my fingers. So far, very positive reviews saying that it's the most fun and emotive headphones they have listened and reviewed in a long time.

Here's the Quote from Moon Audio:
https://www.moon-audio.com/grado-hemp-headphone-review

"Their experiment resulted in the production of a Hi-Res headphone whose sound is full of depth, bass, and clarity in its sound. To put it plainly, these are one of my favorite Grado limited edition headphones".
"It contains two solos: one slow and one fast. Finally, the song immediately starts with a war-like machine gun sample that features audible yelling and shouting that I had never heard before in this song. I have heard “One” so many times, I have grown to just expect just the machine guns when I start listening to the song.The second I heard audible yelling I gasped. It is such a small detail but a detail that I thought gave the song more weight, especially with regards to lyrical presentation and story."

I got a pair of Hemp Headphones a week or two ago now. I really like them. I would agree that they're a bit better resolving than other Grados I've used. Also more emphasis on the low end with better sub bass than my PS500e. But I've never heard a RS2e so I can't compare to that headphone specifically. Would be curious to hear your thoughts when you get them, though.

 

[Philimon]

Relevant to ps500 and hemp.:
https://headfonics.com/grado-the-hemp-headphone-review/

The reviewer is an atypical Grado fan in that he doesnt like typical Grado bright treble, so his Grado of choice was ps500 but now it appears to be hemp. Cool

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

ruthieandjohn, the only sensible solution, in my humble opinion, would be to advise anyone who is betwixt and between on which Grado headphones they should get, is to tell them forcefully, but with a great deal of compassion, to sell and hock everything, and get a pair of GS3000e's as soon as possible. They are hands down the best wooden headphones Grado has ever produced. Okay, I stole that last line.

100% agree A+ They are an awesome headphone. For my ears they beat the Stax 009's, (with BHSE) Stax 007's (with BHSE), Beyer T1 Gen 2's, T5P Gen 2's, Meze Emp's, HD800 & HD800S hands down and assume they will beat many others. They are the most used headphones I have ever owned and I have only owned them since May gone !

 

[buffalobill]

100% agree A+ They are an awesome headphone. For my ears they beat the Stax 009's, (with BHSE) Stax 007's (with BHSE), Beyer T1 Gen 2's, T5P Gen 2's, Meze Emp's, HD800 & HD800S hands down and assume they will beat many others. They are the most used headphones I have ever owned and I have only owned them since May gone !

Are there any reviews of this behemoth, 3000?

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Are there any reviews of this behemoth, 3000?

Yes there are professional reviews on the internet which are all very positive.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Yes there are professional reviews on the internet which are all very positive.

Note that the GS3000e has the same drivers as the PS2000e. The advantage with the GS3000e is that they are much lighter than the PS2000e's with a small loss of neutrality with them being slightly warmer (which is a good thing for me connecting them to my Hugo 2 and DAVE with and without the M Scaler).

 

[emorrison33]

Thanks for the advice bpcans! I'm thinking I'm gonna get the Vali2. Get my feet wet. Buy the Audioquest green cable to run from the line out on my Fiio M11 DAP into the back of the Vali2. Buy a few tubes to try out (Genalex Gold Lion E88CC gold pin, EH 6CG7). But, and I don't remember where I saw it that made me question this, but if I switch the output on the DAP from HO to LO, am I bypassing the DAC chips? I don't think I am, but something in the back of my mind makes me think I read this somewhere. Online searching didn't help answer my question.
I was kind of forced back into the headphone hobby. Wife working at home with me, dog and wife not liking loud music, etc. And I am extremely pleased with my Grado cans. I've had other brands in the past (Koss, Sony and some others) but thanks to my grandfather, I decided to go with Grado as my first pair of high end headphones. He grew up in Brooklyn, and I always remember him praising the Grado cartridges. He even had a pair of thier headphones, but I can't remember which one he had. But it must have been early on because I remember putting them on when I was young....maybe early 80's.

 

[bpcans]

Are there any reviews of this behemoth, 3000?

Yes a few, but not many. They’re really comfortable to wear too.

 

[Joaquin Dinero]

But, and I don't remember where I saw it that made me question this, but if I switch the output on the DAP from HO to LO, am I bypassing the DAC chips?

'Line out' mode is usually just a shortcut to max out the volume on a DAP.

 

[emorrison33]

'Line out' mode is usually just a shortcut to max out the volume on a DAP.

Thank you!

 

[sling5s]

Just FYI, I also had the GS3000e for a while but ended up getting rid of them. Tone and timbre are high priority for me and in that regard I couldn’t love the 3000e. I absolutely love the Hemp though. Pretty much for the same reasons stated above. The immediate, tonally just right midrange and is a big part of the hemp magic. Although the treble and bass are pretty special as well. The flat pads are a big contributor.

When the HD800 first came out, there was so much hype I sold my (vintage A) Grado RS1 to purchase them. What a mistake that was. It really is about the tone and timbre.
After a long process of trying out every hi end headphone, I kind of settled on vintage headphones (beyerdynamic dt48a, koss esp 950). My Hemp will arrive Friday, I'm trusting that it does have the tone and timbre of the vintage Grado RS1 with (added clarity and bass).

 

[bpcans]

Thanks for the advice bpcans! I'm thinking I'm gonna get the Vali2. Get my feet wet. Buy the Audioquest green cable to run from the line out on my Fiio M11 DAP into the back of the Vali2. Buy a few tubes to try out (Genalex Gold Lion E88CC gold pin, EH 6CG7). But, and I don't remember where I saw it that made me question this, but if I switch the output on the DAP from HO to LO, am I bypassing the DAC chips? I don't think I am, but something in the back of my mind makes me think I read this somewhere. Online searching didn't help answer my question.
I was kind of forced back into the headphone hobby. Wife working at home with me, dog and wife not liking loud music, etc. And I am extremely pleased with my Grado cans. I've had other brands in the past (Koss, Sony and some others) but thanks to my grandfather, I decided to go with Grado as my first pair of high end headphones. He grew up in Brooklyn, and I always remember him praising the Grado cartridges. He even had a pair of thier headphones, but I can't remember which one he had. But it must have been early on because I remember putting them on when I was young....maybe early 80's.

emorrison33, take a look at the Woo Audio WA6 dedicated headphone amplifier when you get a chance. I’ve been using one for years with upgraded tubes, and it really makes the Grado headphones sing. If your interested I could sell you mine, then I could get their WA22 amp that I’ve been lusting after for a long time.

 

[ajm87]

Has anyone ever modded a set of grados to make them balanced?

 

[bpcans]

Has anyone ever modded a set of grados to make them balanced?

You mean like with a balanced XLR cord ajm87?

 

[carboncopy]

Has anyone ever modded a set of grados to make them balanced?

Yes. Both of my RS2e and my Hemp are balanced. I posted here pictures about the process, you can find them if you look for my posts.