[Lavakugel]

Hi
 
I'm about to get my first grados. Gh1 or Rs2e or even rs1e. Need help for deciding...already got a lcd3 which I like quite a lot.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

  Hi
 
I'm about to get my first grados. Gh1 or Rs2e or even rs1e. Need help for deciding...already got a lcd3 which I like quite a lot.

This may be of help.  Higher numbers mean that headphone rated higher on that test in comparison to the others.  /G means GH1 with G Cush.
 

 

[Amictus]

  Hi
 
I'm about to get my first grados. Gh1 or Rs2e or even rs1e. Need help for deciding...already got a lcd3 which I like quite a lot.

Well, I own the GH1 and the earliest, 'distressed' version of the RS1e (badged simply RS1), the one with the prodtruding drivers. There is a lot of happy talk about the RS2e. That may be a good place to start, but you may also like to consider that the GH1 seems to out of production now, that it is an excellent headphone and that it can only rise in value to collectors - that is, if you have found one that is available.
 
The RS1, however, always had the reputation of being, somehow, the quintessance of the lively, involving Grado sound. If you find an RS1i or recent RS1e with brown headband, that may be the way to go.
 
For a first Grado, the RS2e, which I haven't heard, may be a good solution for you. It gets such good responses from the folks here, and the dedicated @ruthieandjohn throws in his own heavyweight opinion above.
 
One thing to bear in mind: IMHO Grados improve with burn-in more than any other headphone that I have known. The extreme case is the 'Frankenstein' RS1i/e that I have, which improved until 400 hours plus. Despite all its faults, I keep reaching for it and listening to the right recordings with pleasure.
 
BEWARE. You will want all the Grados in due course. It's just the way it is. Ask @ruthieandjohn !
 
A final thought. You could order an SR80e just to help you think about all this. I started with a free, bundled SR60i and still go back to it sometimes. Good luck and good listening! What do you think, @joseph69 ?

 

[joseph69]

  Well, I own the GH1 and the earliest, 'distressed' version of the RS1e (badged simply RS1), the one with the prodtruding drivers. There is a lot of happy talk about the RS2e. That may be a good place to start, but you may also like to consider that the GH1 seems to out of production now, that it is an excellent headphone and that it can only rise in value to collectors - that is, if you have found one that is available.
 
The RS1, however, always had the reputation of being, somehow, the quintessance of the lively, involving Grado sound. If you find an RS1i or recent RS1e with brown headband, that may be the way to go.
 
For a first Grado, the RS2e, which I haven't heard, may be a good solution for you. It gets such good responses from the folks here, and the dedicated @ruthieandjohn throws in his own heavyweight opinion above.
 
One thing to bear in mind: IMHO Grados improve with burn-in more than any other headphone that I have known. The extreme case is the 'Frankenstein' RS1i/e that I have, which improved until 400 hours plus. Despite all its faults, I keep reaching for it and listening to the right recordings with pleasure.
 
BEWARE. You will want all the Grados in due course. It's just the way it is. Ask @ruthieandjohn !
 
A final thought. You could order an SR80e just to help you think about all this. I started with a free, bundled SR60i and still go back to it sometimes. Good luck and good listening! What do you think, @joseph69 ?

LMAO "ask @ruthieandjohn".
I would agree about getting the GH1 as well. I've been listening to mine the past few night while giving the PS1K a break, and all I can say I extremely glad I own them! Can't go wrong with the RS1i either! Even though my RS1i gets the least head time on my main system, I hold them in very high regard right along side the GH1 w/G and the PS1K…all just different flavors. 
 
Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to hear the RS2e but from the members who praise it around here, I would have no doubt it is an excellent HP as well.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Oddly enough, the GH1 is back in stock on Grado's own website.
 
http://www.4ourears.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=4E-GH1

 

[zazex]

  Oddly enough, the GH1 is back in stock on Grado's own website.
 
http://www.4ourears.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=4E-GH1

 
Hmmmm...wonder what's happening there....

 

[cygnusx]

Hmmmm...wonder what's happening there....

I saw on the Grado forum from someone who bought one of these HPs, that they only had 4 left. With that said, I wonder if these are returned HPs that Grado made/refurbished back to new. They can't just throw away the maple cups.

 

[kpfeifle]

I saw on the Grado forum from someone who bought one of these HPs, that they only had 4 left. With that said, I wonder if these are returned HPs that Grado made/refurbished back to new. They can't just throw away the maple cups.

They sent an email out to everyone on their mailing list a few days ago that they had "found" several pairs of these in the warehouse and we're offering them up for sale. I jumped on it and am probably one of the last to get one direct from Grado. It does make sense to me that these might have been defective returns that had new drivers seated in them and were then resold, but I'll guess we will never know for sure. I for one look forward to receiving mine next week!

 

[cygnusx]

I'm sure you will be happy them.

 

[james6333]

I saw on the Grado forum from someone who bought one of these HPs, that they only had 4 left. With that said, I wonder if these are returned HPs that Grado made/refurbished back to new. They can't just throw away the maple cups.

That was me and I don't really know. The guy before me said there were 5.

I am sure they are fine. They may have even kept some stock for QC exchanges parts. I will see how they are when they come. The dealer I was at last month still had a few pairs. I cracked the seal to demo them. Good dealer.

At the time in their stock form I thought the PS500e was better (theirs also has no time on them) but I own a pair.

I felt like the sound was cleaner on the PS500e, the mid were a little more forward on the Gh1 and maybe a little brighter (not bright) but I felt like the PS500e was more refined.

I will post more details once I have them. I figured I would try G-Cush and leave the PS500e with l-Cush just to have something different.

 

[Lavakugel]

  This may be of help.  Higher numbers mean that headphone rated higher on that test in comparison to the others.  /G means GH1 with G Cush.
 

Whats' difference in comfort in RS2e vs GH1. GH1 with G cushions is quite good. But what's about RS2E with L Cushions is this a long wearing option or could I replace it with G cushions?
 
Are both about the same weight? And is there a difference between the brown and black headband?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

  Whats' difference in comfort in RS2e vs GH1. GH1 with G cushions is quite good. But what's about RS2E with L Cushions is this a long wearing option or could I replace it with G cushions?
 
Are both about the same weight? And is there a difference between the brown and black headband?

With the L cush, I would say both the RS2e and the GH1 are of similar (dis)comfort.  I can wear mine for about an hour before I notice the pressure on my ears, but can go longer than that.
 
The G Cush will alleviate that pressure and be much more comfortable, as it goes around the ear.  It improves the sound of the GH1 in many ways, but I have not tried it on the RS2e.  Most folks find that sound degrades with the G Cush unless the headphone came with it and hence was designed for it... the exceptions seem to be the GH1 and maybe the PS500.
 
They seem to be the same weight.  The brown band is what Grado started using about 15 months ago.  For the RS2e there is no difference that I know of; for the RS1e the brown band is an indicator that the RS1e was built after Grado slightly redesigned the headphone so that its 50mm drivers do not protrude into the ears and above the edge of the wood cup so much, but that does not happen on the RS2e, which uses the 44mm drivers. 

 

[StrikitRich]

I see 12L & 12R in blue pen in my set

 

[joseph69]

  I see 12L & 12R in blue pen in my set

?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

  I see 12L & 12R in blue pen in my set

I think that this is a continuation of the discussion of last May on this thread, here, where several of us were grousing that our GH1s had no serial number, and then @krud484 reminded us that he had discovered last January by shining a flashlight into his GH1 earpiece that a number with an L or R had been penned inside.  Several other folks looked and posted their numbers from inside.