[madbull]

I like this idea of Grado not flogging their products. their sound speaks for itself. Well done!

 

[Gwarmi]

 Almost all new Grado owners are taken aback when presented with the iconic pizza box, slice of foam
 and printed warranty and precaution sheet. 'Is that all there is in here?' they think 

 
 Instead of ridiculous margins and what not, let's think about all the packaging, printing, advertising,
 accessorising that many of us have taken for granted when purchasing from many other brands
 ~ all this 'stuff' ~ that either gets hoarded for a far flung future sale or in most cases - gets turfed.
 
 One thing is for sure - the consumer has amply paid for all this paraphernalia and trinketry
 that adds little to the experience of just wishing to purchase the very best headphone according to
 their needs.
 
 Grado or not - many other brands could and *should* take note. We generally don't need the fluff. 

 

[pcf]

Quote:

 Almost all new Grado owners are taken aback when presented with the iconic pizza box, slice of foam
 and printed warranty and precaution sheet. 'Is that all there is in here?' they think 

 
 Instead of ridiculous margins and what not, let's think about all the packaging, printing, advertising,
 accessorising that many of us have taken for granted when purchasing from many other brands
 ~ all this 'stuff' ~ that either gets hoarded for a far flung future sale or in most cases - gets turfed.
 
 One thing is for sure - the consumer has amply paid for all this paraphernalia and trinketry
 that adds little to the experience of just wishing to purchase the very best headphone according to
 their needs.
 
 Grado or not - many other brands could and *should* take note. We generally don't need the fluff. 

Although it is true that most of those fancy boxes are useless, in Grado's case some fans do have issue with the boxes. When PS1000 was introduced, people thought that it would come with the wooden box but it turned out that you had to buy it separately for $75. There were a lot of complains from fans at the time. Later on Grado Labs stopped selling the wooden boxes altogether.
If you go back further, RS1 used to come with the light weight wooden boxes which looked very good and was practical. I would rather have that box than the cardboard ones anytime. 
If you're interested, it is all here in Zanth's interview with John:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/127867/an-interview-with-john-grado

 

[funcrusha]

Recent 'Gradophile' here. I own a pair of the SR80i's and love them. I'm a bit peeved that I recently lost the adaptor jack (the 1/8 to 1/4 inch plug) that allows me to plug my Grados into my hifi amp. I'm concerned that a generic replacement might compromise the sound I have come to love. How could I get a replacement jack?
 
Please help!
 
A slightly distressed Grado user and fan, 
'crusha

 

[our martin]

Quote:

 Almost all new Grado owners are taken aback when presented with the iconic pizza box, slice of foam
 and printed warranty and precaution sheet. 'Is that all there is in here?' they think 

 
 Instead of ridiculous margins and what not, let's think about all the packaging, printing, advertising,
 accessorising that many of us have taken for granted when purchasing from many other brands
 ~ all this 'stuff' ~ that either gets hoarded for a far flung future sale or in most cases - gets turfed.
 
 One thing is for sure - the consumer has amply paid for all this paraphernalia and trinketry
 that adds little to the experience of just wishing to purchase the very best headphone according to
 their needs.
 
 Grado or not - many other brands could and *should* take note. We generally don't need the fluff. 

I agree some people knock the ps1000s and say that for the price they should be leather and they pinch,,when i bought my grado ps1000s i wanted my headphones to sound like the speakers in the ministry of sound gallery club..being the dj how else would i want them to sound,and that's what i got they sound exactly like the martin audio sound system speakers in the club they might pinch a bit when i have had them on for a while but it won't kill me..

 

[brokenthumb]

I liked the quote on the box "Truly The World's Finest..." when I first received my SR80i's.  Made me feel I had bought something truly special.
 
The only Grado's I know of on TV were on that show where Auggie was using an RS2 and then the Shiny PS500's.  I could have swore that last night on American Ninja Warrior one guy was wearing a Beyer T5p.

 

[LCfiner]

There’s two HP1000 for sale now in the forum including one with an HPA-2 to pair it with (but the price for that combo is in the stratosphere). jeesh, way to test a man’s mettle!
 
But, no, I must resist. it’s just so much cash and i get so much enjoyment from the Magnums. 
 
I have this base, primal reaction to those lovely aluminum cups and gimbals of the HP1000. The design and craftsmanship is striking. They remind me of classic Braun designs.

 

[PyekiM]

Man, you guys multiply my pride!   Saying things like RS1s are more "fun" then LCD-2s and T1s.  You might have just saved me a thousand bucks, cause I was considering both of those for my next purchase! haha 
 
Too comment about some criticism with the foam ear cups vs leather or other materials.  I just replaced the cups on all two of my Grados.  It was super easy, too me 2 seconds!  Suddenly I was happy I didn't have to work with leather and glue to get things back to normal. Just something to think about, lifetime maintenance.  Easy Peasy!

 

[funcrusha]

Quote:

Too comment about some criticism with the foam ear cups vs leather or other materials.  I just replaced the cups on all two of my Grados.  It was super easy, too me 2 seconds!  Suddenly I was happy I didn't have to work with leather and glue to get things back to normal. Just something to think about, lifetime maintenance.  Easy Peasy!

 
Agreed. I modded by SR80i's with the Sennheiser 414 pads, and they're soooooooooooooo much more comfortable, with no discernible changes in quality.
 
Love the Grados!

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Recent 'Gradophile' here. I own a pair of the SR80i's and love them. I'm a bit peeved that I recently lost the adaptor jack (the 1/8 to 1/4 inch plug) that allows me to plug my Grados into my hifi amp. I'm concerned that a generic replacement might compromise the sound I have come to love. How could I get a replacement jack?
 
Please help!
 
A slightly distressed Grado user and fan, 
'crusha

 
Go to the Grado site and ask them.  They are very responsive to customers.

 

[LCfiner]

Quote:

Recent 'Gradophile' here. I own a pair of the SR80i's and love them. I'm a bit peeved that I recently lost the adaptor jack (the 1/8 to 1/4 inch plug) that allows me to plug my Grados into my hifi amp. I'm concerned that a generic replacement might compromise the sound I have come to love. How could I get a replacement jack?
 
Please help!
 
A slightly distressed Grado user and fan, 
'crusha

 
yes, you can contact Grado but I suggest you get a replacement locally for a few dollars so you don’t need to wait for however long it may take Grado to ship out a replacement.
 
There is nothing special in the sound of a basic 1/4" to 1/8 adapter. Grado’s is nice as it’s flexible but it’s not a premium item

 

[stacker45]

Quote:

 
yes, you can contact Grado but I suggest you get a replacement locally for a few dollars so you don’t need to wait for however long it may take Grado to ship out a replacement.
 
There is nothing special in the sound of a basic 1/4" to 1/8 adapter. Grado’s is nice as it’s flexible but it’s not a premium item

 
He's got the SR-80,so i think that he needs the one piece,1/8 TO 1/4,not the flexible 1/4 to 1/8,but otherwise i agree that he probably wouldn't percieve any lost in sound quality by going with a generic one.

 

[LCfiner]

Oh yeah, that’s right. my mistake. but, as you say, he wouldn’t notice a difference with any other decent adapter.

 

[desertblues]

I am lovin' me some Grado PS 500's! I've been breaking in a vintage tube for almost two weeks now, and today magic happened. The tube is a nos French-made Mazda 3 mica 5751 (ca 1956) which I was lucky to get my hands on (original box even)!  Mainly I was wanting a bit more headroom than the standard 12ax7 and a high quality tube-this is it in spades. This baby has warmth like a Mullard and an airy top end like the Telefunken, with detail like you can't believe. Paired with the Grados, the sound is what I would call heavenly-the sound of a snare drum, the strike & decay of cymbals, snap of guitar and bass strings, horns, violins and vocals it's all so dynamic! This is with about 16 hours on the Mazda, it will only get better (ahhh, tubes). By the way, it's great with my HD598 and Q701, but the PS-500 takes this to a much higher level indeed. Call me a Grado fan for life! 

 

[stacker45]

Quote:

Oh yeah, that’s right. my mistake. but, as you say, he wouldn’t notice a difference with any other decent adapter.

 
I'm short a few inches when i use my PS1000,so instead of using my 15'' extension cable,i use my flexible reducer as a mini extension,of course i have to put a one piece 1/8 to 1/4 at the end of it,but i can't say i've noticed any sound degradation.