[james444]

I second the observation that the GR10 (and to a slightly lesser degree the Ortofons too) can become rather strained and maybe shrill, however I usually don't listen at such high volume levels, so this is in practice no problem for me. But to those who find the GR10 overall too bright I highly recommend trying Sony Hybrid tips and maybe shorten their stem by about 30% if they sound too dark or congested at full length.

 

[goodvibes]

If not using the stock tips, I can see that as a few I tried were a bit ragged by comparison but extended break in did the trick for me. With the stock tips/deep or the UE dual/shallow, I can play them louder than I can bare without a change in character. The UE single's not as balanced but still pretty good. When newer, they didn't sound as free and easy and I'm a big fan of prat. They'd grunge up a bit but not any more. Honestly, with some sources they can seem a bit sleepy and with others too energetic. They've been described as both and I think it's because they're reasonably true to source. Not that I don't prefer my Stax or wouldn't rather have jh13s etc. but I find that these surprise me at times.
 
I haven't tried the hybrids yet as I don't want them duller but I did that on a tweeked pair of ADDIEMs and it worked great.

 

[goodvibes]

Here's a review from What Hifi. They rate with price in mind and not just sound.  http://www.veda-online.co.uk/emailconstruct/downloads/whf_032011_gradogr10.jpg Pretty much what I've been saying except that I think they continue to change over more time. Just at a slower rate. Points to what both Spyro and I noticed on first listen before run in.

 

[bulmanxxi]

The review fails to mention type of music sampled to as well as any comparison to any other IEMs.  In abstract, any headphone or iem would be the "best there is".  Such reviews are of no help and actually quite misguiding to anyone looking for their "one" set of IEMs.  Yes, they sound good out of a MacBook Pro and an external DAC but so do a bunch of other headphones and, again, their purpose is PORTABILITY, therefore, the MacBook is not the ideal setup.  On the other hand, if they are indeed $400 British Pounds over there - run!!!
 

 

[Sarah]

400 GBP is nuts... that's almost US$650.
 
I'm going to London next month, I could pay for my trip by reselling a few of these over there...

 

[tomscy2000]

second that op. i was listening in a loud-ish room so i turned it up a bit higher than what i normally prefer in order to hear the details and that's when the harshness began to creep in and bother me. i wouldn't have minded if they had more head space, but these things aren't really tuned for expansiveness. then again, maybe they do need to be burned in a good deal for them to relax, so i'll withhold final judgment until i hear a fully burned-in GR10. in the meantime, i'll go back to pursuing the customs route. it's hard to get things done in my neck of the woods though.
 
Quote:

As I mentioned before, the GR10 do not seem to like louder volumes, so your findings are not surprising to me.  They sound their best at up to moderate levels.  Once you go loud, they become shrill and are no longer fun.

 

[goodvibes]

 
Quote:

400 GBP is nuts... that's almost US$650.
 
I'm going to London next month, I could pay for my trip by reselling a few of these over there...

Sounds like a plan

. They sound good out of my Ipod touch 3, my Fuze v2 build 28 or my rockboxed V1 with dither. A bit cool on my Ipod touch 4 and bit warm on a couple of the others. They're not "too good" for portable but some would prefer something that can more cover it's tracks and that's also great. There's always trade offs and it varies for everyone. Hifi Choice generally listens to a very wide mix of music for review.

 

[Woody469]

Quote:

Here's a review from What Hifi. They rate with price in mind and not just sound.  http://www.veda-online.co.uk/emailconstruct/downloads/whf_032011_gradogr10.jpg Pretty much what I've been saying except that I think they continue to change over more time. Just at a slower rate. Points to what both Spyro and I noticed on first listen before run in.

Wow, thanks for this link. Kinda just sums it all up for us. 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

 
Quote:

So, color me crazy, but I didn't really like the GR10 that much. Yes, it was incredibly technically proficient and transparent, but it was too sharp. Every single note was biting and it made me tired after a while. It did make the SE535 and UM3x sound quite veiled, but I don't know if I actually liked it anymore. One thing though, when switching over, I actually liked the ER4P more despite the fact that I usually find Ety incredibly boring. I think a nice tubey amp will help with the dynamics on the GR10 a bit.

Quote:

Well, I just realized that I accidently turned off my resampler in foobar while listening with the GR10, which degraded my SQ somewhat, and the GR10 I listened to might not've been completely broken it yet. It's not that it sounded bad; that's not at all what I meant, but the crispness of every note was a bit overwhelming for me at louder volumes. The sound was also quite voluminous, so what came at my ears felt like a wall of sound that was very intense and accurate, but a bit too much. It might've been that I wasn't used to it; I'd only spent about 20 minutes listening, but I definitely preferred the soft warmth of the eQ7 although it's not as technically proficient. My preference of the ER4P was in its absence of body; it made the feel of transparency manageable. Perhaps I'm just not used to hearing something as clear as the GR10, but I was definitely overwhelmed by it, and not in as positive a way as I would've liked.

Your comments really make me want to hear a GR10.  

  Sounds like attributes more than flaws.  You should give them another week or two to make you you aren't making a mistake giving up on them.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

The review fails to mention type of music sampled to as well as any comparison to any other IEMs.  In abstract, any headphone or iem would be the "best there is".  Such reviews are of no help and actually quite misguiding to anyone looking for their "one" set of IEMs.  Yes, they sound good out of a MacBook Pro and an external DAC but so do a bunch of other headphones and, again, their purpose is PORTABILITY, therefore, the MacBook is not the ideal setup.  On the other hand, if they are indeed $400 British Pounds over there - run!!!

 
if you're looking for the one great iem, and these haven't come across to your ear as advertised perhaps it'd be worth your while to audition the westone 4. certainly plently of experienced listeners are walking around with large smiles on their faces with those in their ears. (you can start from here and read forward for some impressions. also search out shigzeo's separate posts on this device:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/690#post_7267868)
 

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

 

Your comments really make me want to hear a GR10.  

  Sounds like attributes more than flaws.  You should give them another week or two to make you you aren't making a mistake giving up on them.

Always a matter of perspective. I have to admit that I was expecting an even warmer phone when I ordered. I may eventually try to find something weightier for on the go but they're about right stationary and as close to right overall as I can expect from a universal so that it becomes a flavor thing. Some like vanilla and others prefer chocolate. I still have an affinity for BAs and like to play around besides so who knows.

 

[bulmanxxi]

The Westone 4 are a curious development - I have not heard them and do not intend to - the reason is that the Westone 3, for me, have an awful slippery surface with a short sound tube that just doesn't fit right.  If they put them in a UM3X/UM2 body, they "may" have a winner.  Yet, it is curious that their top of the line ES5 (I have not heard them) have a single bass BA, and double mid and high BAs, whereas the W4 have EXACTLY the opposite - single mid and high BAs but a double bass?!  Seriously, what gives?!  On top of that, Shigzeo says their bass impact is LESS than the W3 (which sound like crap anyway) and the UM3x (which sound incredible and yet boring at the same time).  
 
The GR10 are pretty nice, I have not heard them passed 30hrs - IF, and that's a BIG IF, the harshness and shrillness somehow disappears, they may be just fine.  A couple of people have already claimed that they improve after "extensive" burn in - how extensive?!  If I have to spend $400 and wait for a year for the headphones to improve, then - NO, Thanks!  It is quite illogical, to expect a major difference in SQ passed a few days of play.  Just makes not sense.  That's why I prefer my MTPC.  Liked them from the get go and still do!  Awesome phones!

 

[goodvibes]

It's subtle and they may never have enough bass for you but they take over 100 hrs. The change is very subtle from here. Beat on em for a night if you're in a hurry but I prefer regular volume stuff to do it. May never be warm enough for you but I think the volume thing should work out. I think there's a thread here sbout somebody breaking in 2 coppers differently and getting a different end result so it must matter. I bet they get closer over time besides. Home speakers take easily take this long.
 
W4 sure looks like a winner from that thread.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

The Westone 4 are a curious development - I have not heard them and do not intend to - the reason is that the Westone 3, for me, have an awful slippery surface with a short sound tube that just doesn't fit right.  If they put them in a UM3X/UM2 body, they "may" have a winner.  Yet, it is curious that their top of the line ES5 (I have not heard them) have a single bass BA, and double mid and high BAs, whereas the W4 have EXACTLY the opposite - single mid and high BAs but a double bass?!  Seriously, what gives?!  On top of that, Shigzeo says their bass impact is LESS than the W3 (which sound like crap anyway) and the UM3x (which sound incredible and yet boring at the same time).  
 
The GR10 are pretty nice, I have not heard them passed 30hrs - IF, and that's a BIG IF, the harshness and shrillness somehow disappears, they may be just fine.  A couple of people have already claimed that they improve after "extensive" burn in - how extensive?!  If I have to spend $400 and wait for a year for the headphones to improve, then - NO, Thanks!  It is quite illogical, to expect a major difference in SQ passed a few days of play.  Just makes not sense.  That's why I prefer my MTPC.  Liked them from the get go and still do!  Awesome phones!

On burn-in, you'd be surprised.  Some drivers w/ compounds like titanium are incredibly stiff and take a good amount of time.  My Xcapes probably needed the most burn-in of my IEMs.  I did my review after only 20-30 hours of burn on them.  I was told 200+ and I  

 but that was absolutely correct.  They used to have a sheen over the mids and vocals that sounded odd/quirky but you could acclimate to psycho-acoustically.  I used to put off using them because of that dreaded sheen.  After they went on loan and came back with more use as my backup IEM the sheen is completely gone.  I don't even hesitate to reach for them now and sound perfect right away.  I use pretty good methodology to rule out anything other than the driver changing.
 
 
As to the ES5 bass driver, it makes total sense.  Two smaller drivers can never equal the extension and physical advantage a larger driver has in reproducing the low end of the spectrum.  I'll take that massive single BA the ES5 has over any single or dual any other IEM I have yet heard.  Even over 50% or more of the dynamic drivers I've heard.  The extension, impact and quality is amazing for a BA driver.  I would not have believed it till I heard it.  

 

[bulmanxxi]

Have not heard either the ES5 or the W4, but given that they are exact opposites, it's confusing what Westone was trying to accomplish - they either figured out the ES5 set up works better OR the W4 setup works better, it just doesn't make sense to have them built like that.  There are plenty of other IEMs out there, JH, UM, UE, etc. that use double drivers and there is plenty of glowing reviews, so the number of drivers doesn't seem to matter as much, yet Westone's opposite approach with the two phones is... well, schizophrenic. Anyhow, due to the terrible body of the W3/4, I have not interest in them whatsoever.
 
My issue with GR10 is not the bass, but the shrillness and congestion at higher than moderate volume.  Perhaps, burn-in might fix it...  I just doubt it.