[jant71]

HeadRoom has a pair of b-stock for $319, IIRC.

 

[willyvlyminck]

The GR-10s run about US$310 in Japan, and periodically dip to US$280 on sale.  I picked up a pair at that price, and preferred them to the Westone 4Rs.  It's always a matter of taste, but I liked the GR-10's forward sound in IEMs I use on the go.

 

[willyvlyminck]

Japan and the US are not EU countries,which mean I have to pay import and other taxes,so one way or the other it remain expensive,not to mention the guarantee issues, but for the moment I am perfectly happy with my IE 80,so in the future I hope the price will drop, but considering that GR 8 have still the same price of 299 Euro,even when they are now an "old" model, doesn't give me much hope. Only the IGI is acceptable priced, and I am happy with that one to,as it has tons of dynamic,and are big fun with rock.

 

[Haptan]

I purchased the GR10 two days ago, and based only on the sound, I suspect something is wrong with them. They just don't match the descriptions I read on this forum and in reviews.
 
Background
I use earphones because I need to block noises when I'm working (I'm an engineer/programmer in a room full of annoyances). For the past five years, I've been using the Klipsch Image S4 earphones, and I have been generally pleased with them. They offer good isolation, good bass, and sounded good enough. The large tips fit my ears reasonably well (though to be honest, I think they should be slightly smaller, because they pop out of my ears sometimes). They have succumb to an intermittent connection in the wire that drives me nuts, so it was time for a replacement.
 
Details
There are a few people in this thread (and others) who note that their GR10's are super bright; harsh and with no low end to speak of. This is exactly my experience. I'm using the largest tips they have, and they are pushed firmly (and wiggled) into my ear. They seem to have a great fit, but they do not isolate as well as the Klipsch Image S4 does. Even if I hold them pushed firmly into my hear, I can't get them to show any reasonable bass. Which possibly means I need even bigger tips, but it doesn't seem like it.
 
I've seen the posts where @goodvibes talks about breaking it in by playing loud music for 8 hours at a time, for 100+ hours. That gives me hope. But there are also quotes out there from Mr. Grado himself, who says after 30 hours of normal use, headphones will be settled (and won't change much in the first place). There are places that claim to test this 'break-in', and find very little change.
 
Yesterday, I wore the GR10s at work, connected to my PC output, and played the Deftones "White Pony" album through Spotify. This is a loud, noise-eclipsing metal album. I had it playing loud, and I could clearly hear the bass in the voices of men talking nearby, coming in over top of the music. It was weird. But I think this is an example of just how completely lacking the GR10's are in bass. After switching back to the S4, I couldn't hear the voices anymore.
 
I really want these earphones to work out, because they are otherwise fantastic. The way they play some music makes me cry. And brass- I seriously had no idea it was possible to reproduce a trumpet like these do. It felt like I was hearing it live. And people aren't kidding when they say they're great for vocals. They sit further in my ear than the S4 does, so I can actually lay on a pillow with them in my ears.
 
So what should I do? I have about 10 days to return them.

 

[jon parker]

  I purchased the GR10 two days ago, and based only on the sound, I suspect something is wrong with them. They just don't match the descriptions I read on this forum and in reviews.
 
Background
I use earphones because I need to block noises when I'm working (I'm an engineer/programmer in a room full of annoyances). For the past five years, I've been using the Klipsch Image S4 earphones, and I have been generally pleased with them. They offer good isolation, good bass, and sounded good enough. The large tips fit my ears reasonably well (though to be honest, I think they should be slightly smaller, because they pop out of my ears sometimes). They have succumb to an intermittent connection in the wire that drives me nuts, so it was time for a replacement.
 
Details
There are a few people in this thread (and others) who note that their GR10's are super bright; harsh and with no low end to speak of. This is exactly my experience. I'm using the largest tips they have, and they are pushed firmly (and wiggled) into my ear. They seem to have a great fit, but they do not isolate as well as the Klipsch Image S4 does. Even if I hold them pushed firmly into my hear, I can't get them to show any reasonable bass. Which possibly means I need even bigger tips, but it doesn't seem like it.
 
I've seen the posts where @goodvibes talks about breaking it in by playing loud music for 8 hours at a time, for 100+ hours. That gives me hope. But there are also quotes out there from Mr. Grado himself, who says after 30 hours of normal use, headphones will be settled (and won't change much in the first place). There are places that claim to test this 'break-in', and find very little change.
 
Yesterday, I wore the GR10s at work, connected to my PC output, and played the Deftones "White Pony" album through Spotify. This is a loud, noise-eclipsing metal album. I had it playing loud, and I could clearly hear the bass in the voices of men talking nearby, coming in over top of the music. It was weird. But I think this is an example of just how completely lacking the GR10's are in bass. After switching back to the S4, I couldn't hear the voices anymore.
 
I really want these earphones to work out, because they are otherwise fantastic. The way they play some music makes me cry. And brass- I seriously had no idea it was possible to reproduce a trumpet like these do. It felt like I was hearing it live. And people aren't kidding when they say they're great for vocals. They sit further in my ear than the S4 does, so I can actually lay on a pillow with them in my ears.
 
So what should I do? I have about 10 days to return them.

 
I have had the gr10's for a few years now - when I got them I thought i had died and finally gone to audiophile heavan. Recently I have been listening on my PC using Sennheiser HD 25 which are very bass orientated. i also bought and finally found a pair of cans that suite me - the Beyedynamic DT 880's -- both of which are so so different to the grado sound
Anyway, hearkening to your plee I plugged in the grados to my PC's and was quite shocked at the sound - sounded a bit like you mention above. I plugged them into a cowon J3 and tried a few different genres of music until settling on a vinyl rip of ( ) by sigur ros and Spirit of eden by Talk Talk
My conclusions are as follows
many headphones really emphasise bass as many kids seem to like this. The grados excell at presenting a balanced super detailed 'on the stage with the muscian' type of experience BUT they are brutal at revealing low end equipment and recordings. they will without doubt show up any faults- Comparing the soundcard on my pc to the dac in the cowon straight away shows a very different sound
The bass is there BUT it doesnt dominate - it sits there in the mix with all the other elements and they support each other.
The grado sound is quite unique. Listening now as i type there is nothing in the mix that demands attention - the music experience and myself seem to melt into each other. when this happens it really shows how magical these iems are BUT as i say you really need to treat them right to 'get' that grado expereince
 
they are indeed NOT headphones for bass junky's and also I think ay demand more 'respect' than can be given by using them at work through a 'relatively' low end audio device - the PC. I dont think you ever find bass through Grados but you may well a superbly balanced magical sounding iem that gives a unique and quite true representation of what is 'there' on the recording.
They are like beautiful handmade crystal champagne glass that sparkles with love when you fill it with say a nice vintage Bollinger where as other iems are like a solid beer glass - maybe a bit more chunky and not as civilised but very refreshing and perfect after a hard days work!
 
Im not sure these are phones for work but i love to hear your view with some burn in time and perhaps from a higher quality source and recordings. as i say the \grado sound - i think you will either love it or not. It is quite unique. I hope you have  a 'Grado moment' 
let me know how you get on. I hope my ramblings may be helpful?

 

[jon parker]

I should add you can effect the sound and the isolation of the grado gr10 a fair amount with different filters - Im sure at some point i had comply ear buds on them but you need to be careful to check first they will fit!
 
http://www.complyfoam.com/ 
 
Going back and checking again A/B ing the 880 cans and the gr10's there is such a different sound between them. im thinking more and more that the gr10's have quite unique qualities and as such i would prefer other headphones for certain albums. Probably the main reason i love the gr 10's is I love highs rather than bass

 

[jon parker]

Good news! Comply S-200 - http://www.complyfoam.com/products/S-200/
i think this should solve any isolation issues for you...hope so anyway

 

[Spyro]

I really like the GR10's and have owned them a couple times for a total listening experience of about 6 months.
 
 
Summary:  Comparative to other stuff at $400 they are grossly overpriced but for acoustic and vocal stuff they can easily keep up with any IEM's up to $1000.
 
They have a graininess to them that is tough to overcome.  Not sure why it is so prevalent with the Grados but it is there.   Also very source sensitive.   May sound great with an Ipod and terrible with another player...amped...unamped...there does not seem to be much consistency.  It's pretty strange.  The bass is there but if you like to turn it up and listen loud and still enjoy that bass they tend to distort.  To me.....this is an automatic killer.  I listen loud and if there is any distortion, no matter how good the IEMs characteristics are....I will never keep it.  That is why I mainly stick with Shure and Westone (and JH) products.  You can crank it up with no distortion.  That is #1 importance to me.
 
GR10 has a very euphoric almost "floating" midrange that is so pleasing to the ear with vocal and acoustic.  Its unreal....its phenommenal!   But if you are talking hard rock or music that is multi-dimentional, multi-layered with 8-10 instruments going....and you like to turn it up to enjoy it, GR10 may suffer a bit.  
 
GR10 is a niche IEM.  Again, acoustic and vocal music....state of art matching $1000 IEM's for $400.
 
Having said that I would much more recommend Westone W40 for a very similar sound trait presentation....slightly less brighter..but with a bass that won't distort or crap out on you.  It is by far a MUCH better value.
 
I really love the GR10 but it is just overpriced at $400.  $250 would be much more appropriate.  If it came down to $200 I would buy a pair immediately (even with the negativity above)

 

[proedros]

ortofon eq5 is supposed to sound like gr-10....or i have heard people who owned both say so

and they go new for 230$

 

[Spyro]

I have heard the same.  The are similar and eq5 is less expensive.  But the Westones are also generally more forgiving of all sources.
 
Bottom line......the W40 is closest sound sig to GR10 for same price but has much better soundstage and bass.
 
Total no brainer.  This was easy...

 

[Haptan]

they are indeed NOT headphones for bass junky's and also I think ay demand more 'respect' than can be given by using them at work through a 'relatively' low end audio device - the PC. I dont think you ever find bass through Grados but you may well a superbly balanced magical sounding iem that gives a unique and quite true representation of what is 'there' on the recording.

 
First, thanks for investigating for me; that was helpful. I don't think I'm a bass junky, but it's possible. When I listen to the GR10 for a long period of time, I start to forget that the bass isn't there. And since I usually listen at relatively low volume, the harshness of the highs isn't really a problem at all. But there are tracks that I know have a really nice bass line (the thumping of a double bass, for example), and it is just so completely missing in the playback, I can't imagine any audiophile would accept it. I've heard that line "you won't find lots of bass, but it is superbly balanced" in several reviews now, but it's really tough for me to accept that what I'm hearing is balanced.
 
As you noted, the quality of the line-out could certainly affect the sound. But unless I misunderstand how the electronics work, I would imagine the quality of the output would be mostly responsible for affecting the clarity of the sound. The music source sample rate and output drivers could contribute to hissing, crackling, popping, graininess, etc. But would they affect the volume of the bass response? It seems unlikely to me. I played an MPC file through VLC player (on my computer), and set the equalizer to emphasize the bass; instead of increasing the bass, it just made everything else more muddied. It was as if they just fundamentally couldn't be driven the way the electrical signal demanded. Without the extra bass boost, the mids and highs were fantastic. This is highly unscientific, but it still bothers me.
 
I have an iPod nano and a Samsung Galaxy S3, which I've experimented with as well. I have the same lack-of-bass complaint with these devices too.
 

 I should add you can effect the sound and the isolation of the grado gr10 a fair amount with different filters - Im sure at some point i had comply ear buds on them but you need to be careful to check first they will fit!

 
I really like silicon tips because they're easy to get in and out. Foam tips tickle my ears as they expand, which makes it really tough for me to use. Do other people have that experience?
 

  Having said that I would much more recommend Westone W40 for a very similar sound trait presentation....slightly less brighter..but with a bass that won't distort or crap out on you.  It is by far a MUCH better value.

 
Unfortunately, I live in Europe, and the Westone W40 is about 200 Euro more expensive than the Grado GR10. I paid about $550 for the GR10 (expensive, I know), and the Westone W40 is more like $830. Which brings up another point: maybe there is a more appropriate headphone in the European market?
 
The Ortofon eq5 was an option I was interested in before I went with the GR10. I much prefer the shape of the GR10, but maybe that has to be secondary to the sound.
 
I was also considering the Shure 535. Like the Westone W40, I wanted to avoid the weird shape. I like that I can easily pull the GR10 and the Klipsch S4 out of my ears if I need to talk to someone.
 
Does anyone know if the Grado GR10 is capable of reproducing bass, if hooked up to a portable amp with bass boost? Or is this a bad idea?

 

[willyvlyminck]

In your case I would opt for the Sennheiser IE80. With this one, you have bass when needed and you can actually choose if you want more or less, and in Terms of Detail,musicallity, they are up with the very best.In Germany you find them reasonable priced.

 

[willyvlyminck]

I would try foam tips, just to see if it makes any difference in bass, if still not the mentioned Sennheiser IE80 will be better suited for you.

 

[willyvlyminck]

Another solution if you want to Keep the Grado´s could be the use of the Beyerdynamic DAC/Amp A200p,this one have according to a test plenty of mid -and deep bass, but set you back with another 300 Euro.This Little amp is constructed with the help of Astel&Kern, so the Quality Point will be no issue. A less expensive solution could be the FiiO E18, but I don´t know about they bass capacities, or a pure Amp like the E12.

 

[Haptan]

  In your case I would opt for the Sennheiser IE80. With this one, you have bass when needed and you can actually choose if you want more or less, and in Terms of Detail,musicallity, they are up with the very best.In Germany you find them reasonable priced.

 
That's not a bad idea. Those were on my list too. It's hard to pick "your" IEM just from reviews. It's so difficult to compare reviewers language relative to each other. I ended up with the GR10 because everyone seems blown away by the mids/highs.
 
 

  Another solution if you want to Keep the Grado´s could be the use of the Beyerdynamic DAC/Amp A200p,this one have according to a test plenty of mid -and deep bass, but set you back with another 300 Euro.This Little amp is constructed with the help of Astel&Kern, so the Quality Point will be no issue. A less expensive solution could be the FiiO E18, but I don´t know about they bass capacities, or a pure Amp like the E12.

 
I've considered this, but it's not clear that it will be enough. It also means I have to carry it around with me, and I'd really like to avoid that; it's another 'thing' I have to remember. Does anyone have experience with the GR10 on a 'bass boost' like this?
 
For future reference, I'm adding a (poor quality) photo of the GR10 and the Klipsch S4 for size comparison. This answers a question I had before I bought them, so hopefully someone finds it useful. The tips on both are the largest supplied stock tips.
 
Here is the URL to the image: http://imgur.com/u5H0EXq