[maiden7705]

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Just spotted in this month's What Hifi magazine ( UK ) a head to head battle of these two high end headphones. Thought I would post to let you know the outcome and throw in some comments from the magazine for those who haven't seen it. The Grado came out on top with 5 stars ( out of 5 ) and the HD800 received 4 stars.

Comments on the Grado review- ' music is remarkably open. airy treble and upper midrange, vocals and instruments float with superb insight and precision. Presentation is a little leaner than the Sennheisers, although bass is finely punchy and well timed. Where they win out over the HD800 is in their transparency and musical realism- their timing and dynamic sweep combine with detail to deliver your music with near perfect fluidity'

Comments on the Sennheiser review - 'sound really quite sublime, bass kicks hard and deep and there is intense precision and detail on offer. The only thing that counts against them is that for all their precise clarity, they don't muster the astonishing levels of instrumental realism that the Grado's do. As great as the HD800 are, the Grado's have an authenticity and openness that make the HD800 sound comparatively, slightly sterile'

They recommend using a Lehman Black Cube Linear amp to get the best sound out of the Grado's.

My god Are you talking about HD 800 when you said "No Detail to offer"! you should do homework duh! or have more listening time with HD 800

 

[stacker45]

Funny how strongly some people react when someone says something negative about the HD800, and yet, when some say that Grados are bright sounding,  colored and have no sub bass, no one seems to be offended. Oh well!

 

[bbophead]

I'm sure not offended.  I just strap 'em (325is) back on and continue enjoyment.

 

[meyner]

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Funny how strongly some people react when someone says something negative about the HD800, and yet, when some say that Grados are bright sounding,  colored and have no sub bass, no one seems to be offended. Oh well!

 
well at the very least its very true that the grados are colored and bright but thats not neccessarily a bad thing. Just a preference thing. (i don't find it insulting although the neutral lovers may say it with a tone of disdain) I am not sure about the subbass though. I've only tried the 80i, 225i, and 325i but i did not think it had much of it. Maybe their more upper model does? I don't know.

I also feel like a lot of people agree that ultimately it comes down to preference but some how a neutral phone has a sacred position for many headfiers atleast from what i see.

 

[MacedonianHero]

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I find it funny when people resort to graphs to show how good their favorite headphones are, and how bad every others are.
 
I'm into cars, and relying on graphs to juge headphones performance, is the equivalent of relying solely on horsepower and torque power curves to juge a car's performance. Anyone who knows anything about cars will tell you that they're is A LOT more than power curves that come into play to determine a car ultimate performance. 
 
As i've said before, the day i start listening with my eyes, is when i'll start paying attention to graphs, in the mean time, i'll just trust my ears.

 
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.  

Richard P. Feynman 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/richard_p_feynman.html#UowRlRcebVLfwMCY.99 
 
Measurements are helpful and can help keep us honest. 

 

[bbophead]

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Measurements are helpful and can help keep us honest. 

Of course they're helpful but they won't keep us honest.

 

[MacedonianHero]

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Of course they're helpful but they won't keep us honest.

Sure they help keep us honest with what we're hearing. They're not the whole story, but still an important part IMO.

 

[stacker45]

I still prefer the sound of my PS1000 to that of my ''more neutral'' sounding and measuring, HP1000.

 

[MacedonianHero]

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I still prefer the sound of my PS1000 to that of my ''more neutral'' sounding and measuring, HP1000.

Well then....you have a buyer just down the 401 for your HP1000s. 

 

[Uberarne]

I own the Grado gs1000s (original version, not i), and a pair of hd800. Both sound amazing. My friends who are not used to audiophile grade level sound are blown away by both. I've heard comments such as "I did not know music could sound this well". They are both almost religious artifacts for me, and both have brought me to tears with the right music. Just owning one pair with a good amp is a blessing. That said, the hd800s have a better seperation of different instruments, and a wider soundstage. But the Grados have something magical about them, the sound is so clean, that sometimes I've forgotten that I'm listening to a recordning, its like the artist is standing next to me. I would award them both 5 stars tbh. Both extremely good, but a little different. It's just a matter of taste. I prefer the sound of voices on the grados, and the sound of songs with many instruments on the hd800s