Grado GH-2 loaner program

[Audiotistic]

Here's my review guys

I will try my best to put into words the experience I had with the Grado GH2's. But first, let me go over my initial impressions upon opening the uninspiring package.

The box was very minimal with absolutely nothing included except the GH2's wrapped in a foam cutout. When I pulled them out, I immediately noticed how light the headphones were and the amazingly thick cable (a plus in my book). I like that each earcup has it's own cord, unlike my Beyer DT770's which only have one of the left earcup, although that does make it easier to figure out which side is which when putting them on. The cable was also just the right length for me, not too long and not too short. I do 90% of my listening at my computer desk so having a long snake of a cord that can get run over by my chair, like my DT770's, doesn't work well for me. The cocobolo wood cups are very attractive and you can tell these are hand finished with care. My plastic DT770's are the opposite of these, while not being a bad looking headphone, they certainly don't have that high end look.

Upon placing them on my head I immediately disliked the scratchy foam pads which didn't fit the shape of my ears very well. This is my first pair of supra-aural headphones so this experience was a new one to me. I'm so used to my DT770's that anything else just feels foreign, and not in a good way. Even my newly acquired Samson SR850's are circumaural and very comfortable. I also didn't like how the earcups can rotate all the way around. Every time I picked them up to wear them, I constantly had to spin them around so the foam pad is facing inwards.

Then I hit play. All of my previous gripes and complaints were melted away by the pure audio bliss that was being projected into my unsuspecting ears. I was completely blown away by the smooth balanced soundstage that was presented to me. I could hear every nuance and detail of all my favorite recordings from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to Return to Forever and Spectrum. It felt like I was in the room while they were recording the songs.

The bass is tight, controlled and detailed without any bloating or accentuated frequencies. These don't have tons of sub bass but I knew that going in, something that I don't mind a lot but others might. Mid bass is very smooth with an airy quality that sounds superb.

Mids are clear and present without being too overbearing, vocals sound absolutely stunning. I didn't find any part of the mid range to be lacking, recessed, or restrained in any way.

Treble is well represented without any sibilance or harshness of any kind. The sparkle and refinement is unlike anything I've heard before. It's smooth and detailed while being open and airy, clarity is a word that comes to mind here.

Everything seems to be so well balanced, the tuning is perfect in my opinion. There's a sense of openness that I absolutely fell in love with. Overall these were the best sounding headphones I've had the pleasure of slipping on my head. If I had the money to spend, I would most definitely pick up a pair of these. I will definitely be buying a pair of Grado's in the future, this experience has made me a huge fan of the work they do.

Thanks again to Todd for setting up this wonderful loaner program, and for letting me be a part of it.

 

[wormsdriver]

Nice review, it's always good to read about people that are new to Grado and having a pleasant experience. Glad you liked them!

 

[Audiotistic]

Nice review, it's always good to read about people that are new to Grado and having a pleasant experience. Glad you liked them!

Thanks! I had a great experience and absolutely loved them!

 

[ngoshawk]

Here's my review guys

I will try my best to put into words the experience I had with the Grado GH2's. But first, let me go over my initial impressions upon opening the uninspiring package.

The box was very minimal with absolutely nothing included except the GH2's wrapped in a foam cutout. When I pulled them out, I immediately noticed how light the headphones were and the amazingly thick cable (a plus in my book). I like that each earcup has it's own cord, unlike my Beyer DT770's which only have one of the left earcup, although that does make it easier to figure out which side is which when putting them on. The cable was also just the right length for me, not too long and not too short. I do 90% of my listening at my computer desk so having a long snake of a cord that can get run over by my chair, like my DT770's, doesn't work well for me. The cocobolo wood cups are very attractive and you can tell these are hand finished with care. My plastic DT770's are the opposite of these, while not being a bad looking headphone, they certainly don't have that high end look.

Upon placing them on my head I immediately disliked the scratchy foam pads which didn't fit the shape of my ears very well. This is my first pair of supra-aural headphones so this experience was a new one to me. I'm so used to my DT770's that anything else just feels foreign, and not in a good way. Even my newly acquired Samson SR850's are circumaural and very comfortable. I also didn't like how the earcups can rotate all the way around. Every time I picked them up to wear them, I constantly had to spin them around so the foam pad is facing inwards.

Then I hit play. All of my previous gripes and complaints were melted away by the pure audio bliss that was being projected into my unsuspecting ears. I was completely blown away by the smooth balanced soundstage that was presented to me. I could hear every nuance and detail of all my favorite recordings from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to Return to Forever and Spectrum. It felt like I was in the room while they were recording the songs.

The bass is tight, controlled and detailed without any bloating or accentuated frequencies. These don't have tons of sub bass but I knew that going in, something that I don't mind a lot but others might. Mid bass is very smooth with an airy quality that sounds superb.

Mids are clear and present without being too overbearing, vocals sound absolutely stunning. I didn't find any part of the mid range to be lacking, recessed, or restrained in any way.

Treble is well represented without any sibilance or harshness of any kind. The sparkle and refinement is unlike anything I've heard before. It's smooth and detailed while being open and airy, clarity is a word that comes to mind here.

Everything seems to be so well balanced, the tuning is perfect in my opinion. There's a sense of openness that I absolutely fell in love with. Overall these were the best sounding headphones I've had the pleasure of slipping on my head. If I had the money to spend, I would most definitely pick up a pair of these. I will definitely be buying a pair of Grado's in the future, this experience has made me a huge fan of the work they do.

Thanks again to Todd for setting up this wonderful loaner program, and for letting me be a part of it.

With minimal editing, you could turn this into a dedicated review. Your writing is quite good. And as someone new to Grado, you give a good fresh opinion. I set up a review thread, when I put my review live, think of adding yours to the thread.

And I absolutely loved the demo pair. So much so, that I purchased a pair from @Todd. The GH-2's are superb. My standard of which I gauge all others. OK, along with my Nightowls, but the Grado get more playing time. Cheers!

 

[Audiotistic]

With minimal editing, you could turn this into a dedicated review. Your writing is quite good. And as someone new to Grado, you give a good fresh opinion. I set up a review thread, when I put my review live, think of adding yours to the thread.

And I absolutely loved the demo pair. So much so, that I purchased a pair from @Todd. The GH-2's are superb. My standard of which I gauge all others. OK, along with my Nightowls, but the Grado get more playing time. Cheers!

Well thank you, I appreciate the kind words. I have edited it slightly and added it to your thread.

 

[buffer]

had an opportunity to compare the GH2 loaner to my GH1. I want to express my appreciation to Todd. He's a great guy loaning out his personal headphone like he does. He also offers great deals (within the constraints) of what is allowed as an authorized dealer for products he sells. Anyway, on to the my impressions, which to some extent may not match some of the prior posts I have seen.

GH1 had more midbass quantity than the GH2, but the GH1 was a little loose in the midbass. The GH1 possesses more lower midrange, not in an emphasized way though. Vocals and instruments sound more fleshed out on the GH1. The GH2 is more upper frequency oriented and a step more towards the PS2000e, though not as large sounding as the PS2000e. That said, I prefer the tonal balance of the GH2 to the PS2000e. But back to my comparison of GH2 to GH1. The GH2 is slightly punchier and tighter in the midbass than the Gh1. But the tighter midbass of the GH2 also comes off as less in quantity than the GH1. The GH2 has more air and separation in the instruments, though the instruments and vocals in the GH1 may be slightly bigger sounding within the smaller soundstage. The midrange on the GH1 is more forward than the leaner GH2. The GH2 is overall a very nice listen, but ultimately, I prefer the warmer (but not warm), fuller, more natural sound of the maple GH1 to the cleaner, clearer, brighter GH2.