[Blackmore]

So, these are same as Grado GR10? They look the same to me, not sure about the sound...

 
Quote:

This is probably a long shot asking, but has anyone heard the original OEM phones, the Yashima N20, or knows how much they cost?

 

[dfkt]

The OEMs come in two variants, 120 Ohm and 31 Ohm, so it seems the GR8 are based on the former and the GR10 on the latter.
 
As for Grado-specific tunings of the driver, I don't know - thus my curiosity.
 
Some more info (only about GR8 vs e-Q7) on Sonove's site: http://sonove.angry.jp/grado_gr8.html

 

[goodvibes]

Those may be the first 2 drivers of the E-q7 and GR8 with Grado's case. Hard to say if Grado had a hand in the packaging or just got there 1st to take advantage of it.

 

[Woody469]

Quote:

This is probably a long shot asking, but has anyone heard the original OEM phones, the Yashima N20, or knows how much they cost?

Look they even have the L/R channel marker bump. Interesting.
 

 

[bulmanxxi]

This is not an MC5 thread, however, the MC5 review linked here is quite dismissible: "No clarity (for Etymotic standards), no precision, no punch, no dynamics. No music."... seriously??  Even the iPod buds play "music."  Come on...  
 
Back to the GR10.  First off, the GR8 do not have a "Grado" sound, if that matters to anyone.  Second, the GR8 were not a "complete" IEM - they are missing too much of both ends of frequency range - top and bottom.  Third, they are not really exciting.
 
The main question is if the GR10 are a "complete" IEM, like the MTPC are.  The MTPC could use some improvements, mainly in ergonomics, but are still a "complete" IEM - there is simply nothing lacking in their sound.  The GR8 lacked significantly enough, and for that they are outrageously expensive and not worth their asking price.  The GR10 are $100 more.  They'd better be "complete."  I would like to try to GR10 but only if it offers something more than the MTPC.  So far, haven't ready anything to support that.  

 

[bulmanxxi]

The Yashima website clearly states "Balanced Armature."  Thus, they are NOT the same as the Grado GR8 or GR10.

 

[dfkt]

I won't comment on your MC5 statements, since this is not the thread for it, as you said.
 
Of course the Grados are manufactured by Yashima, and use the same driver. Why would you think otherwise? Yashima calls both their regular two-pole drivers and their single-pole moving armature drivers "balanced armature". Dimitri Trush from Musica Acoustics can verify that the Grados indeed use the same housing and drivers as the N20, just ask him - which also is the same driver as found in the Ortofon phones.

 

[Sarah]

You seem to be making your mind up to hate the Grados before hearing them. Why are you interested in trying them if you are so skeptical about their quality?

 

[dfkt]

Is that question directed towards me?

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

This is not an MC5 thread, however, the MC5 review linked here is quite dismissible: "No clarity (for Etymotic standards), no precision, no punch, no dynamics. No music."... seriously??  Even the iPod buds play "music."  Come on...  
 

I have more fun listen to iBud than MC5. It is one of the more disappointing, lifeless IEM I have heard last year.

 
Quote:

Back to the GR10.  First off, the GR8 do not have a "Grado" sound, if that matters to anyone.  Second, the GR8 were not a "complete" IEM - they are missing too much of both ends of frequency range - top and bottom.  Third, they are not really exciting.
 
The main question is if the GR10 are a "complete" IEM, like the MTPC are.  The MTPC could use some improvements, mainly in ergonomics, but are still a "complete" IEM - there is simply nothing lacking in their sound.  The GR8 lacked significantly enough, and for that they are outrageously expensive and not worth their asking price.  The GR10 are $100 more.  They'd better be "complete."  I would like to try to GR10 but only if it offers something more than the MTPC.  So far, haven't ready anything to support that.  

The use of 'complete' to describe an IEM is interesting - but by your standard, probably 95% (if not more) of all IEM is not completed in one way or the other. As far as sound signature is concerned, everyone has his/her own preference. One man's meat is another man's poison.
 
Quote:

The Yashima website clearly states "Balanced Armature."  Thus, they are NOT the same as the Grado GR8 or GR10.

Technically speaking, a moving armature is still a kind of balanced armature. Also, GR8 and GR10 do use moving armature / balanced armature. Just that Grado doesn't seem to bother on tuning the driver to their own, unlike Ortofon.

 

[EraserXIV]

He was clearly using the word music in the poetic sense, there's no need in being a smart-alec and pulling out a dictionary definition. Also, everyone has different standards for what they would consider music. Some people's standards are lower, and more power to them, their wallets thank them for it. Remember, just because it makes noise doesn't mean it makes music.

 

[Sarah]

Quote:

Is that question directed towards me?

 
No, sorry, that was meant for the poster above you

 

[daveDerek]

i have the ety mc 5 (along with the altec 616 & 716) and think it's pretty decent, if you're an ety sort. i haven't critically compared them but i don't recall their being large diffs amongst them. i'll have to do a little hard core listening. i got a set of eq5s the other day as they're more affordable and james' take is that they're pretty similar to eq7s & gr10s. i've only listening briefly but they sounded decent. what i don't get is the love that some of the dynamics seem to get. i just don't hear what it is that others seem to like in the atrios and coppers. i've owned both and neither seemed particularly special to me. nor was i particularly impressed with their bass. i recently acquired some re262s and am burning them in as i type. i listened to a few albums prior to putting them in burn in mode and was pleased with their initial sound. they were less colored than i anticipated. i'll play with the eq5s a bit and if i'm lucky perhaps i'll get a chance to compare them to the grados. and yeah, those yashimas certainly look like they're grados. i gotta hand it to you - i don't know where you guys find stuff like this some times!

 

[dfkt]

The Yashima don't just look like Grados - Yashima manufactures the Grados. I'm sorry, I don't really grasp the meaning of your further comments.

 

[daveDerek]

sorry if my post was unclear to you, Martin.  i was addressing some of the things others had mentioned in some previous recent posts, eg. mc5, mtpc, and eq5 performance. i was also mentioning the eq5 as james has stated it's very similar to the gr10, but it costs a bunch less.