GRADO GR10: Reviews, First Impressions Thread

[goodvibes]

I've ordered. We'll see how it goes. DBA's also coming.

 

[Spyro]

Burned in about 15 hours.  Not really hearing much change.  Never heard any change with my GR8's though either.
 
But I will tell you the treble might be too much for me since I tend to listen on the loud side.  It is quite revealing.
 
If anyone is thinking about buying a pair of these, send me a PM I may give a deal away to a member rather than returning to HeadRoom where I purchased.

 

[goodvibes]

Treble should be the easy bit to sort. Tips with a smaller opening like sony hybrids or foamies may be the trick. It's the one aspect of expensive IEMs that makes me do a double take. A few penny part can make all the difference on a $400 phone. Of course, a cheap phone never has a chance regardless of tip.
 I'd run them pretty hard for a day or 2 with some bass heavy material before you jump off.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Burned in about 15 hours.  Not really hearing much change.  Never heard any change with my GR8's though either.
 
But I will tell you the treble might be too much for me since I tend to listen on the loud side.  It is quite revealing.
 
If anyone is thinking about buying a pair of these, send me a PM I may give a deal away to a member rather than returning to HeadRoom where I purchased.

 
Great impressions.  Agree burn-in on the GR8 did nothing for me.  Kept hoping and praying.  Nada.  I will say 10% more bass and 20% more treble compared to the GR8 w/ uber clarity makes these sound like winners.  Did you ever hear the DBA?  I wonder who wins on clarity and transparency there.
 
So are they still that minty green?  

 

[Spyro]

 
Quote:

 
Great impressions.  Agree burn-in on the GR8 did nothing for me.  Kept hoping and praying.  Nada.  I will say 10% more bass and 20% more treble compared to the GR8 w/ uber clarity makes these sound like winners.  Did you ever hear the DBA?  I wonder who wins on clarity and transparency there.
 
So are they still that minty green?  

Definitely much more treble, not so sure about the bass without doing an A/B but Grado is saying their certainly is.  It's not much more if there is.  Again, the extra treble and extra overall transparency is the key difference over GR8.
 
Every time I think I want an IEM with more treble energy, I end up proving myself wrong.  I think since I listen somewhat loudly, the trebly IEM's tend to give be listening fatigue rather quickly.  While I wouldn't consider myself a basshead, I do prefer a slightly heavier and warmer sound.

 

 

[rawrster]

How is it on lower listening volumes? Is the treble too much as in you are not used to that amount or does it have a treble spike somewhere in that region causing pain or making it sibilant prone?

 

[Anaxilus]

I imagine Headroom should toss up a FRC of these soon enough.

 

[Spyro]

Need to re-evaluate here.  I just switched to the large supplied tips and everything seems to sound better.  The treble is not as extreme and the overall sound is a bit fuller.  This is a great discovery as I have always used small or medium tips so I didn't really consider the large.  No, I do not hear siblance, harshness or and spikes at any sound level.  Pretty darn balanced and even.

 

[dongringo]

Thanks Spyro for all your impressions. Look forward to reading more of them.
 
As a happy GR8 owner, the extended treble of the GR10 worries me, but I wear the large tips which barely fit, so will anticipate your thoughts on the GR10 with large tips.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Need to re-evaluate here.  I just switched to the large supplied tips and everything seems to sound better.  The treble is not as extreme and the overall sound is a bit fuller.  This is a great discovery as I have always used small or medium tips so I didn't really consider the large.  No, I do not hear siblance, harshness or and spikes at any sound level.  Pretty darn balanced and even.

So lets have it.  GR10 v. 535.  Go!  Time to pull you out of that thread.  

 

[Bennyboy71]

Why did they call it the GR10?  That makes no sense. Grado's marketing department need firing - even a goldfish with a lobotomy could have figured out GR8-er would have been a much better and appropriate name.
 
That is, of course, provided the new model is actually an upgrade over the last one.  If it turns out to be worse, GR-ubbish would be a better choice.

 

[goodvibes]

GR-een

 

[Bennyboy71]

Quote:

GR-een

 

 

[Spyro]

I have settled on some old UE bi-flange tips I forgot I had and the sound is just glorious.  Treble is tamed down a bit and the sound is slightly fuller where I can attest that the GR10 has perhaps a good 10-12% more bass than the GR8.  When I did my original impressions I used the large tips then switched to the mediums where I was having 2nd thoughts so my negative comments were certainly tip related.
 
This is a really great IEM.  There was a slight graininess with GR8 that seems gone with GR10.  The clarity is amazing with no harshness whatsoever.   Great speed and resolution as well.   Hard to believe it is a single driver.   For those looking to switch from GR8 to GR10 I would estimate a good 20-25%% improvement in sound.  Much like going from a SE420 to SE530 or a W2 to W3.

 

[Spyro]

 
Quote:

So lets have it.  GR10 v. 535.  Go!  Time to pull you out of that thread.  

 
They are actually not too far off from each other but I would rather not devote an entire thread to it.
 
TREBLE:  While the SE535 was improved over SE530, the GR10 blows them both out of the water but does it with great smoothness, clarity and resolution.  Never harsh or sibilant.  I would estimate the GR10 treble a good 15-20% more revealing than SE535.
 
MIDRANGE:  Both are great here.  Somewhat forward but with SE535, sometimes the bass and treble seem more distant or in the background than with GR10.  With GR10 the mid, treble and bass all seems equally distance from one another and to the listener.  Very well done.
 
BASS:  While GR10 is a good 10% improved over GR8, SE535 is still a good 10% more than GR10 and carries a little more weight.  This will certainly come down to personal preference and while SE535 bass may be a little more fun I would tend to think GR10 is probably a bit more accurate in relation to the other frequencies.
 
SOUNDSTAGE:  The SE535 is a bit larger but the fact that the GR10 has this airy transparency I will call it a draw.
 
SUMMARY:  Don’t get me wrong, the SE535 is very accurate and balanced for a triple driver IEM.  Really no bloat or overemphasis anywhere however the GR10 makes the bass a bit more polite but has this overall smooth transparency and detail that really separates it from most other IEM’s I have heard to date.  Take an ER4P and add about 10-15% more bass, a slightly more forward midrange, but give it a much more musical and harmonic presentation and you have the GR10.