[Artguy]

I have to start by saying that I am not a complaining person by nature. I just cannot sit and not say anything when something is not right in my opinion. When something is right, I am just as vocal and grateful for good service and products.

I just got my Allesandro MS2i headphones after waiting for Allesandro to get back to the office and send me my order (another gripe). They sounded nice out of the box, and after a few hours of pink noise, even better. Now on to the painful part.

First, the bowls are rough on the ears, as everyone knows, but until you experience it, it is worse than I thought. Secondly, I hung them on my headphone rack and heard a crash, and the right cup had dropped and was hanging from the cable.

So, new right out the box, the rod that is supposed to hold the cup assembly on just popped right out with only the hanging pressure. I tried to put it back in (there are some threads that add texture to the end of the rod where it goes into the hole. But, no luck, as they dropped again, this time while on my head, just sitting there watching a movie with them on the old noggin. They sounded great to me with the movie score, but really, at this point I was pretty pissed. In addition, the rods have a tendency to slide down, as there is not enough friction to hold them with the heavier metal cups.

Now here is my opinion. Grado should design their headphones at least at the 325i or MS2i level and above with the plastic piece that the rods fit into out of metal, and the rods should screw into that piece. And there should be a tightening screw that you can adjust to the length of the rod that you need to center the cups on your ears and then tighten up and FORGET ABOUT IT! I would gladly pay more to have the benefit of more solid construction.

Lastly, Grado needs to stop adding glass or cement to their foam on the bowls. (just kidding). In all seriousness, the foam needs to be comforatable, not the cheese graters that they are.

Having said all of that, I really like the sound of the MS2i, but it is on the way back to Grado labs after only 2 days on my ears to have the brand new headphone "repaired." In my opinion, it doesnt need repair, it needs a redesign with new materials that would fix all of the issues I have brought up.

Yes, I am VERY disappointed in my experience with these $300 cans. My question is twofold.

First, are there any aftermarket parts that would prevent the rods from falling out or sliding down? I guess the 1000s used to have that connecting piece made out of metal. I know I could insert a screw into the plastic, but really dont want to. I have ordered flats from Todd and comfy cushions as well. Has anyone wrapped the bowls with comfy material that absorbs blood (only halfway kidding)?

Second, is there any positive pressure that we as a Head phone enthusiast group could bring to convince Grado to take a look at these issues? I love the MS2i sound, so the issue is purely mechanical, and could be easily fixed

Have any of you had similar experience with your Grados, especially the heavier ones such as 325i and Ms2i made of metal?

I am not just trying to vent my frustration, I am trying to find a way to either persuade Grado to improve in these areas, or work around them myself with a mod.

What say you, Grado fans?

 

[iPatcH]

To my knowledge, you can have Larry over at headphile install some rod locks for $10.. as for comfort, take a look at getting some HD414 pads or TTVJ flats, also if you're willing to do a little DIY, you can take Beyer velours and a little foamcore and make some very comfy circumaural pads for the Grados.

 

[firefox360]

Headphile does happen to offer "Grado Locking Adjusting Rods", however only with a recable or woody/recable. You can check it out on this page: http://www.headphile.com/page15.html, even has pictures.

As for the bowl pads, they'll become softer with use, but some soften them by washing them in warm water.

 

[Artguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by firefox360 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Headphile does happen to offer "Grado Locking Adjusting Rods", however only with a recable or woody/recable. You can check it out on this page: http://www.headphile.com/page15.html, even has pictures. As for the bowl pads, they'll become softer with use, but some soften them by washing them in warm water.

Thanks for that, I know about the locking rods, but the recable or woody/recable is too pricey for me. But thanks. Also, I knew about the washing in warm water as well, and they went through that before they went on my ears. Still pretty scratchy.

 

[umcloud]

This is exactly why I don't think I'll ever be purchasing a high-end Grado phone. I find the construction of my MS-1 tolerable, though not great - the sliding posts are irritating, but the plastic cups are light enough for it to not be a real problem. Moreover, the sound is good enough that I can put up with their flaws given the $99 price tag. But for a $300 headphone that's just ridiculous. And you hear about RS-1s with flaws in the wood earcups... bah. I thought the point of a small, family-run business was to ensure better quality control...

 

[Rav]

Bending out and padding the headband a bit more may help with the comfort issue, but the rods shouldn't slip out like that (especially with the plastic rod ends). I'd say you got unlucky with a bad part.

 

[kramer5150]

The design is what it is... take it or leave it. No John is not going to re-tool.

That IS however a defective part. The "C" part should not just fall apart off the connecting rod like that.

RC car parts can be used to fix the other problems.
I have used small segments of sillicone fuel tube to prevent the rods from sliding in-out, no need for rod-locks.
I made my own "C" hanger assemblies using 1/4 delrin and RC car shock shafts (Losi part number A-5022)

The little rubber cap piece can become loose. I replaced mine with some RC car antenna tube caps.

PM me when you get your cans back we can meet up and I'll show you how to do this. Some day I'm going to post a thread on it..

 

[bunbut]

I got a used Grado recently, and the rods slide down very easy, I put some electrical tape around the rods. It doesn't look that bad, and the cups won't fall off.

I wish they have better quality, but many willing to put up with it because of their sound.

 

[F107plus5]

It seems like luck of the draw here lately with Grado quality. There are a few of us who received perfect MS2i, but it seems as though here lately the numbers are getting less.

One way I've read about to keep the rods from sliding through is to apply some clear fingernail polish to the rods to build up the thickness of the rod. Others have had luck using a tight fitting 0-ring, and I've even heard about using a bit of silver tape above the plastic to keep the housings from going below a certain dimension.

For where the rod fits into the plastic c-gimble thingy, some carefully applied epoxy seems to do the trick.

I suspect the C-thingy is plastic is to help keep the weight down......and maybe the profits up, but it does seem that this problem has gotten worse in the last year or so. Perhaps it's time to either readjust the tooling or replace a worn part.

....or two, or both.

My age may help protect my ears from the bowls by having more ancient and deceased nerve cells in the outer ear, but I have found that after a few months the pads start softening up on their own. Grado tells us that the oils in the skin help to break down the foam and make them much more comfortable over time.

As mentioned though; there are lots of other pad options.

Anyway; the fingers are crossed that you'll receive a repaired/replacement pair with a quality level as good as mine!

....and a few other good ones I've read about!

 

[Shoreman]

As far as the bowls are concerned, I hear ya (no pun intended)! My ears rested inside them, and against the driver housing, making them, in effect, circumaural. They really did begin to hurt after a while, so much so that I contemplated going back to the comfies. One listen, however, nixed that idea in a New York minute. I think one can be satisfied with the comfies until they move up--either to the flats or bowls. But once you've made that move, it's real tough to go back to the comfies IMHO, if you value sound over comfort. The sound seems almost muffled (I guess they actually are when you think about it) and veiled in comparison. So I reversed the bowls and, at least so far, am quite satisfied with the comfort level. I'm hoping they soften with time as well.

By the way, you shouldn't have to get new MS2's "repaired." I would insist they send you a brand new pair.

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoreman /img/forum/go_quote.gif By the way, you shouldn't have to get new MS2's "repaired." I would insist they send you a brand new pair.

Here's an interesting philosophical thought on the replacement/repair question.

....well; to me it's an interesting thought anyway.

I think they are equally as good! Brand new is good if there are no problems with the new ones, and repaired is good too because they have(or should have)been gone over very carefully to insure all the glitches are found and adequately repaired. So all the old problems are gone and a really good inspection should have been performed to ensure that there are no other new defects to worry about, plus the cans have already been listened to and it's known there are no sonic questions to pop up later!

Sometimes the devil ya know(

)is better than the devil ya don't!

 

[Artguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's an interesting philosophical thought on the replacement/repair question. ....well; to me it's an interesting thought anyway. I think they are equally as good! Brand new is good if there are no problems with the new ones, and repaired is good too because they have(or should have)been gone over very carefully to insure all the glitches are found and adequately repaired. So all the old problems are gone and a really good inspection should have been performed to ensure that there are no other new defects to worry about, plus the cans have already been listened to and it's known there are no sonic questions to pop up later! Sometimes the devil ya know( )is better than the devil ya don't!

You are absolutely right! I just got off the phone to Grado, and they said that they will not replace them, they only repair them. If I wanted them replaced, they would have to go back to Allesandro, and frankly, I cant count on them responding to emails or phone calls. At least with Grado Labs, they pick up their phone when I call, and I was just assured that as you say, they will go over the phones carefully and fix whatever is not right, so at least it will have their attention. And like you say, they sound awesome, so that is indeed the bottom line.

Frankly, its just having to give them up after just two days, that tweaks me a bit. But, all good points, F107. Thanks.

 

[Mindless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by umcloud /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is exactly why I don't think I'll ever be purchasing a high-end Grado phone. I find the construction of my MS-1 tolerable, though not great - the sliding posts are irritating, but the plastic cups are light enough for it to not be a real problem. Moreover, the sound is good enough that I can put up with their flaws given the $99 price tag. But for a $300 headphone that's just ridiculous. And you hear about RS-1s with flaws in the wood earcups... bah. I thought the point of a small, family-run business was to ensure better quality control...

The higher-end phones are designed differently. GS1000 has square rods which turn less easily, preventing the cable from turning into a twisted mess. I believe the RS-1 and RS-2 have the same design.

Flaws in earcups? Like what? A grain that was bigger than expected? Geez...

Wood is a organic material, it's not the same as metal or plastic.

 

[Gurra1980]

Another thread about Grados bad quality, they seem to pop up quite frequently. I saw some pictures of the factory, was like going back in time. I use to like cars with bad quality, good then that I like German and Japanese headphones, although Denons seems to have some children's disease.

 

[kontai69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mindless /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe the RS-1 and RS-2 have the same design.

The RS-2 uses the same cylindrical rods as the SR series.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mindless /img/forum/go_quote.gif Flaws in earcups? Like what? A grain that was bigger than expected? Geez... Wood is a organic material, it's not the same as metal or plastic.

From what I've seen, newer wooden Grados tend to have noticable flaws in the woodworking (splintered edges, poor lacquering, etc). See this thread for an example...
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=154679
I've even seen badly splintered edges on the two demo GS-1000's (with Moon Audio recable) in TTVJ's room at the 2007 Head-Fest meet.