[Wmcmanus]

Has anyone else had this issue?

Ok, so it's 2:30am and I'm shirtless, about ready for bed, but for some reason just can't get Charlie Haden out of my head. Don't know how he got in there, but I need to grab one of his albums and give it a spin before I hit the hay. So I reach for my trusty PS-1's since they do bass so very well, put them on, adjust them a bit, and hit play on the remote. Then all of a sudden I feel this spider crawling on my shoulder!

Man, I wish I would have taken pics of this mess. Much to my surprise and relief, it wasn't a spider, but about 20% of one of my flat pads that had flaked off and brushed my shoulder as it floated off towards the floor. As it turns out, the flat pads on my PS-1 as well as HP-2 are totally shot. Gummy to the touch but if you rub them ever so slightly, they begin to crumble, and crumble they do into millions of tiny dust particles.

In some ways, it reminded my of certain scenes from Mummy. Be careful what you touch! It has been there a long time! When I looked in the mirror, I had to laugh at the sight of my outer ears, hair, and upper cheekbones. What a mess.

I remember experiencing the same thing when I bought a used pair of Beyer DT990's, but those headphones had lain idle for more than 10 years. So I'm not surprised that they would crumble, so much as that they've crumbled so fast.

Yet, as much as I hate to admit it, it's probably been well over a year since I've listened to either of these headphones. Sad to say, but I've been away a lot and when I am here, my main listening rotation is mostly with the R10, K1000 and electrostats.

How long do the Grado flat pads normally last? Is there a certain way to store them to better preserve their useful life? These were on a coat rack somewhat near to a window, so perhaps they have an aversion to heat? If so, I'll keep them in baggies in the fridge!

Maybe mine just came from a bad batch of foam. Oh well, back to Charlie Haden, but with a pair of bowls that I've borrowed from my HF-2's.

 

[PooManDeluxe]

A couple months ago, a friend of mine dug out his HF-1s for me to try before I bought the SR-225is. When I adjusted the rods, the pads rubbed against the grains of my hair and started crumbling off, just as you described. The black stuff irritated my skin and neck, but at some point I became too immersed in the Grado magic and ignored it lol.

It must've been at least a year since he has worn them, so I figured if you're not gonna listen to your Grados for quite some time, store the cheapo pads in a bag else they'll become "petrified."

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PooManDeluxe /img/forum/go_quote.gif A couple months ago, a friend of mine dug out his HF-1s for me to try before I bought the SR-225is. When I adjusted the rods, the pads rubbed against the grains of my hair and started crumbling off, just as you described. The black stuff irritated my skin and neck, but at some point I became too immersed in the Grado magic and ignored it lol. It must've been at least a year since he has worn them, so I figured if you're not gonna listen to your Grados for quite some time, store the cheapo pads in a bag else they'll become "petrified."

I don't seem to have the same problem with my other Grado pads. I've got 3 pairs of Bowl (HF-1, HF-2, and 325i), and 1 pair of Super Bowl or Cereal Bowl or whatever they call those monster truck disaster pads on the GS-1000.

 

[Blutarsky]

Sorry to say I've had the same problem on pads that were only a little over a year old... I'm in a very dry climate so I figured that was a contributing factor - started keeping them in a baggie.

The low humidity is probably not a factor in your location

. If others are having this problem, maybe I can skip the baggie.

 

[iHelp]

Just buy a new pair from TTVJ. Wash with mild soap/water and air dry about every month. John Grado said that they can last 10+ years in good condition.

That's what I do, so my pads aren't even close to flaking.

 

[Chikolad]

I know this thread is old but it just started with my bowl pads! Help!!!

 

[tcsoft]

This happend to my SR-225 and one pair of i-Grados too.
I had my SR-225 stored for 3 or 4 years in a cardboard box (in a dry place). The earpads were in like new condition, cause I had maybe just used them 50-100 hours (and I bought them new). Now I got them out some weeks ago and I had to realize, the ear cushions crumbled. I took the pads off the phones and rubbed them a little between my finger - huuhh, they crumbled like a vampire would when exposed sunlight...
 
Very strange, cause I had my Alessandro MS2 stored in the same box - and their ear pads are still in good condition and don't show any signs of crumbling.