[donlin]

In 1992 I bought a pair of HP-3's a couple months later I had upgrade fever and bought a pair of HP-2's. Around a year later, I sent the HP-3's to Joe Grado to have them upgraded to HP-2 spec. When I got the upgraded HP-3's back I put them away and never used them again. For some reason, I recently took them out of the box and listened and they sounded VERY good. I compared them to my other HP-2's and they clearly sound better. Better extension at the frequency extremes, better image separation, tighter bass, etc. They are currently my top favorites over my PS-1's.

Has anybody else experienced this difference? I wonder if Grado tweaked the drivers over time to improve the sound. Any comments appreciated.

 

[mulveling]

Or perhaps the drivers are the same but they slowly deteriorate with use...
*shudder*

 

[donlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulveling Or perhaps the drivers are the same but they slowly deteriorate with use... *shudder*

Could be. I never compared the two phones until recently. The more used pair don't sound bad or damaged. the others just sound better.

 

[1911]

i sense a sale of hp-3 modded to hp-2 specs coming up soon

 

[joelongwood]

I seem to recall a post here or on Headwize by someone who spent a good deal of time hand picking their HP-1s or 2s back when they were new. Apparantly there was an extremely wide variation in the sound from each pair of 'phones. He picked through them until he found the one's he liked. Makes you wonder, huh?

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelongwood I seem to recall a post here or on Headwize by someone who spent a good deal of time hand picking their HP-1s or 2s back when they were new. Apparantly there was an extremely wide variation in the sound from each pair of 'phones. He picked through them until he found the one's he liked. Makes you wonder, huh?

Speaking of which, I have 2 pairs of AKG K340's that sound vastly different in the bass - one was modded, but they still sounded way different pre-mods. Fortunately when I compared my hd650 to another head-fier's pair, they sounded at least 98% similar, if not identical. I guess like the hp1000, K340 is a very old model - which may magnify or create differences over time.

BTW this whole "your X sounds better than my X" has the potential to make a lot of head-fier's miserable

Now we just need to sit back and wait for the vast number of people with multiple hp1000's to chime in - LOL

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelongwood I seem to recall a post here or on Headwize by someone who spent a good deal of time hand picking their HP-1s or 2s back when they were new. Apparantly there was an extremely wide variation in the sound from each pair of 'phones. He picked through them until he found the one's he liked. Makes you wonder, huh?

I believe that was kwkarth and it was regarding the SR200? He noticed difference in the pleats in the diaphragm as well as the overall sound.

 

[donlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911 i sense a sale of hp-3 modded to hp-2 specs coming up soon

Thank you everyone for the information. I suspect the difference is just variation between different pairs of headphones. this may explain why some people think the HP-2 is one of the best and why others think they are boring.

Actually, the HP-3 modded to HP-2 is the pair I prefer sonically. The original HP-2 is the pair that I may consider selling soon.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle I believe that was kwkarth and it was regarding the SR200? He noticed difference in the pleats in the diaphragm as well as the overall sound.

You're right, Beagle. Hey, if you take my age into consideration, I was pretty close.......at least I remembered they were Grados.

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donlin Thank you everyone for the information. I suspect the difference is just variation between different pairs of headphones. this may explain why some people think the HP-2 is one of the best and why others think they are boring.

The HP-2 needs a high current amplifier like the Gilmore to come alive. Otherwise, it can sound rolled off and boring.

I have owned 4 different HP-2s over the past couple of years and I think there has been some variance in sonics. Especially when comparing directly to different HP-1s which didn't sound as clear in the treble. The different cable variations may have something to do with the difference in sound.