keppa
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Congrats on the RS-1, they sure are pretty!!
I too think that the RS1/2 are one damn pretty pair of phones. Have though so for years!
Grado Fan Club!
- Thread starter Vikingatheart
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- 1000hours burn-in minimum 1000hours hearing damage minimum dynamat grado grado hf3 grado-gs1000 grado-head-fi-series-hf-2-headphones grado-igrado-black grado-professional-series-ps500-headphones grado-rs1i-reference-series-headphones grado-sr-80 grado-sr125i-headphones grado-sr225i-headphones grado-sr325is-headphones grado-sr80i-headphones grado-statement-series-gs1000i-headphones nhoord nhoord red v2
I too think that the RS1/2 are one damn pretty pair of phones. Have though so for years!
Focker
Headphoneus Supremus
yep, that's the only thing about the PS500s I would change lol...Id make them look like the RS-1s!
obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
My RS-1 are a lot darker than that - they look like they were soaked in whiskey or something before being stained. 
bbophead
Headphoneus Supremus
Quote:
Hmm, a terrible waste of whiskey.
My RS-1 are a lot darker than that - they look like they were soaked in whiskey or something before being stained.
Hmm, a terrible waste of whiskey.
obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
I think they look neat, but they certainly stand out a little. The "end caps" (where it says Grado) are darker, but the side and interior has more of a "tiger eye" effect in the light. They aren't as monotone as the stock images. I'm sure it's just the wood grain on that specific cut more than anything else (I've seen GS-1000s with similar patterning, but I've seen GS-1000s with a very monotone look). Grado is certainly not as consistent with their woodies as Audio-Technica. I think it's for the better though - gives them more personality.
Focker
Headphoneus Supremus
Yep, I've seen a significant variation in the images I've see online of the GS1ks compared to mine. I know a lot of that has to do with the lighting and the type of camera or whatever, but some look lighter, some darker, etc...I like the looks of all three Grado woodies, though...very classy.
stacker45
Headphoneus Supremus
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Quote:
France!, who are you going to visit in France, i'm in Canada.
They're are many reasons why i like vintage gear so much, first, i think it looks good, second, it's obviously built to last, and third, if you don't overpay for your gear, not only can you sell it for the same price you've paid, you might even make some money from a sale.And feeding the beast doesn't have to be expensive, old LPs are often cheap as dirt, heck, you might even get some for free from friends and family.
Plus, the satisfaction you get when you finally aquire that vintage piece you've been searching for, especially if the price was right, case in point, my Marantz 6350Q, mint examples of these are pretty rare, and i got mine for about half of what i should've paid for it,i still get warm and fuzzy inside everytime i use it.
If someone would have told me i'd be listening to vinyl with my Grados one day, i would've said they were crazy,with Grados beeing so forensic, i would have tought it'd be unlistenable.But the reality is, if you can get over the few tick and pops, you'll be rewarded with a very lush, organic sound and a wider, deeper sounstage,than any CD can provide.
I know a lot of peoples really like Ortofon cartriges,and with good reasons, but to be honnest, if i had bought my $50 Audio-Technica AT95e cart before my 2M Blue and my 2M Black, i'd never could have justified spending that much on cartriges, especially the Black. Withe certain vinyls i actually prefer the sound of my AT95e to that the Black, wich is very analytical and sounds less musical than the AT95e.
France!, who are you going to visit in France, i'm in Canada.
They're are many reasons why i like vintage gear so much, first, i think it looks good, second, it's obviously built to last, and third, if you don't overpay for your gear, not only can you sell it for the same price you've paid, you might even make some money from a sale.And feeding the beast doesn't have to be expensive, old LPs are often cheap as dirt, heck, you might even get some for free from friends and family.
Plus, the satisfaction you get when you finally aquire that vintage piece you've been searching for, especially if the price was right, case in point, my Marantz 6350Q, mint examples of these are pretty rare, and i got mine for about half of what i should've paid for it,i still get warm and fuzzy inside everytime i use it.
If someone would have told me i'd be listening to vinyl with my Grados one day, i would've said they were crazy,with Grados beeing so forensic, i would have tought it'd be unlistenable.But the reality is, if you can get over the few tick and pops, you'll be rewarded with a very lush, organic sound and a wider, deeper sounstage,than any CD can provide.
I know a lot of peoples really like Ortofon cartriges,and with good reasons, but to be honnest, if i had bought my $50 Audio-Technica AT95e cart before my 2M Blue and my 2M Black, i'd never could have justified spending that much on cartriges, especially the Black. Withe certain vinyls i actually prefer the sound of my AT95e to that the Black, wich is very analytical and sounds less musical than the AT95e.
maconhel
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scootsit
1000+ Head-Fier
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Quote:
If I were you, Focker, I'd look for a deck just like Stacker's. The Technics are excellent direct drive decks, that were made for DJs. The result is that they are damn near indestructible. They also sold like crazy, so they pop up on craigslist for ~$200-$400 often. If you can find one of the high end Regas, they're great, easily on par or better than a good Thorens or Lynn, they're all just different. The Technics was not designed to be an audiophile deck, but it has been widely adopted by audiophiles. I recently found the 1600 on craigslist for $75. If I had the time to run out there, and $75 to burn, it's a steal. The lower end of the 2M line is getting great feedback, too. The Red and Blue (I forget which, but one of those is ~$100) are supposed to be great. Another cart I hear great things about is the AT 440, I think, it's a very inexpensive high-output moving coil. I switched to HOMC a year or two ago, and love it. Also, the Denon 110 is awesome for the money, about $140. To be honest, Shure makes great stuff for the price. The lowest model Shure, the M92E, is pretty nice. It used to be easily found for ~$25. I put it on a Lenco (rebadged as a Bogen-Presto), which was popular with radio stations, and it sounded pretty great. Not quite on par with some of the others here, or even the venerable V15, but it's certainly no slouch, and isn't that far from their top of the line, M97
EDIT: In that ~$100 price range, the Sumiko Pearl sounds AMAZING!
Going vintage, if done right, can be a tremendous value. I've honestly not been so fond of the Pro-Ject decks I've seen/worked on, I'd take the Technics, or an older Lynn or Thorens any day. Not to say that they don't make good products, or aren't worth the money, I was just less impressed. I have seen some vintage decks that were pretty inexpensive which I found the be about on par with the newer Pro-Jects. I rebuilt a mid-80s Yamaha that was really nice. Also, the earlier Pioneer tables were great. There are tons of great decks out there, and if you find a great vintage one, you could get equivalent performance for a bit less.
If I were you, Focker, I'd look for a deck just like Stacker's. The Technics are excellent direct drive decks, that were made for DJs. The result is that they are damn near indestructible. They also sold like crazy, so they pop up on craigslist for ~$200-$400 often. If you can find one of the high end Regas, they're great, easily on par or better than a good Thorens or Lynn, they're all just different. The Technics was not designed to be an audiophile deck, but it has been widely adopted by audiophiles. I recently found the 1600 on craigslist for $75. If I had the time to run out there, and $75 to burn, it's a steal. The lower end of the 2M line is getting great feedback, too. The Red and Blue (I forget which, but one of those is ~$100) are supposed to be great. Another cart I hear great things about is the AT 440, I think, it's a very inexpensive high-output moving coil. I switched to HOMC a year or two ago, and love it. Also, the Denon 110 is awesome for the money, about $140. To be honest, Shure makes great stuff for the price. The lowest model Shure, the M92E, is pretty nice. It used to be easily found for ~$25. I put it on a Lenco (rebadged as a Bogen-Presto), which was popular with radio stations, and it sounded pretty great. Not quite on par with some of the others here, or even the venerable V15, but it's certainly no slouch, and isn't that far from their top of the line, M97
EDIT: In that ~$100 price range, the Sumiko Pearl sounds AMAZING!
Going vintage, if done right, can be a tremendous value. I've honestly not been so fond of the Pro-Ject decks I've seen/worked on, I'd take the Technics, or an older Lynn or Thorens any day. Not to say that they don't make good products, or aren't worth the money, I was just less impressed. I have seen some vintage decks that were pretty inexpensive which I found the be about on par with the newer Pro-Jects. I rebuilt a mid-80s Yamaha that was really nice. Also, the earlier Pioneer tables were great. There are tons of great decks out there, and if you find a great vintage one, you could get equivalent performance for a bit less.
heyalbert
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Thanks for all the warm welcomes! My first pair of grados were the 325is which I really enjoyed. What I liked most about them was the way they felt, very nice and sturdy due to the metal cups. I also really liked how they sounded, they weren't as bright (in my opinion) as everyone said they were. The only thing that irked me was how cheap the cups looked in person, they were a flat silver which made them look plastic, they looked more metal in the stock photos online. I actually ordered the gold ones but was sent the silver ones so I returned them. Now I have the RS1is which is really like! My only concern with these is how fragile they feel. I am pretty abusive with my things so I think i'm going to have to baby these the best I can since these will be going with me everywhere.
I also would like to share what I found in the garbage today at work..
and another just because I enjoy photographing these headphones
I also would like to share what I found in the garbage today at work..
and another just because I enjoy photographing these headphones
obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
On the SR-325, the 325is were never available in gold; the color variations also indicate model changes (SR-325i were done in gold as a 50th anniversary thing, 325is exist in both matte and chrome). However a lot of retailers seem to have not changed their stock images with Grado's latest revisions - it's only been what? 3 years?
scootsit
1000+ Head-Fier
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Quote:
Grado's website still shows the older chromed version, too.
On the SR-325, the 325is were never available in gold; the color variations also indicate model changes (SR-325i were done in gold as a 50th anniversary thing, 325is exist in both matte and chrome). However a lot of retailers seem to have not changed their stock images with Grado's latest revisions - it's only been what? 3 years?
Grado's website still shows the older chromed version, too.
