[Stitch]

I got a pair of bagels for my 325is. Inspite of what most people say, i didnt find it bad at all. Soundstage got bigger, less highs. Downside, Less forward mids

 

[Punnisher]

Grado pads have a huge, huge influence on sound. It's a great thing for Grado owners that want to perfect their sound.

I'll list my experience in order of preference:

1. Bowls: Brighter, open sound.

2. Sennheiser hd414 pads: Similar to the Bowls sound but supra-aural rather than circum-aural. Slightly increased bass impact due to surface area of pad touching the ear.

3. Comfies: Same as the hd414 pads but darker and more bassy. These get noticeably warmer (in temperature) on the ear.

4. Flats: These darken the sound and increase bass quantity tenfold. I do not prefer them but some people swear by them. The soundstage seems to be very small with these.

 

[FrozenGecko]

I would say yes.

Seeing as how you can put tape around the outside of a set of bowl pads and you get more bass.

 

[Rocksteady]

I find that bending the headband of grado cans can affect the overall sound too. The level of comfort changes as well. In my experience, the best sound might not yield the most comfort and the most comfortable fit might not yield the best sound; so, a balance between the two needs to be found. Different pad combinations and different headband tensions/bends need to be experimented with to find their overall optimal performance.

 

[MD1032]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherryBomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll admit it: sometimes I wonder if all the changes associated with the "i" transition in the Grado lineup had more to do with cost cutting than sound improvement. I'm not saying that this is the case; instead, I'm just saying that sometimes I wonder about it. I really do prefer the pre-"i" version of the Grados.

I doubt it. Grado probably had to spend some bucks on those new injection molds, and the newer 'phones definitely have a much more polished appearance, in my opinion. Finally, the newer "i" versions I've compared have exactly what they say... an improved sound over the old versions.

 

[roker]

I just purchased a pair of bowls for my 125s to give them a second look. I was thinking about something the other day. People's complaint with the original 125s were they were too bright, so I think in a way the comfies helped tone it down, that and the air chamber is bigger for the i.

I still think the 125i is a very overlooked headphone and IMO, the best bargain as it sounds quite similar to the 225s (the same to my ears) and it's definitely a step up from the 80s.

 

[charliex]

Likewise...

 

[Armaegis]

I personally find the bowls very uncomfortable. *shrug*

 

[kite7]

Though I'd just add to this thread rather than make a new one since I got my HD414 pads today.

I did the quarter mod on them and using it reversed. The are extremely comfortable and my ears hardly get warm and I never found bowls to be uncomfortable. The mids are pushed back slightly, bringing out more (noticeable) treble while the bass has the same impact quantity and quality compared to bowls. I may go back to bowls if I find the treble presence to be too much later but I recommend people who have flats to try these HD414 pads.

 

[Bilavideo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddity /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I recently purchased a pair of Grado Sr-125i's, I thought that they came with a pair of L-cushions, but apparently they come with the standard S-cushions. Since I will be buying a new set of pads, I was wondering if anyone has used the "salad bowl" G-cushions, and if they have, would you recomend them for the 125i's or just stick with the L-cush? Will the G-cushions even fit my cans? I don't really care about comfort that much, spend a year wearing 30lbs of bullet proof vest in the desert and little things like 'headphone comfort' don't really matter that much. I just want the best sound. Advice?

I've used the G-Cushions on the lower-end Grados. They widen the perceived soundstage by providing a wider basis for HF extension. Without come form of compensation, to keep the balance from shifting, you end up with lots of HF but the bass shrinks and becomes less engaged.

On the GS-1000, Grado tweaked the drivers to enable those phones to have a lot more LF kick. Without the G cushions, GS1k bass can be overwhelming.

But that's only if you fail to make an additional tweak to compensate for this shift in tonal balance. There are two ways to make a non-GS1k sound great with G cushions. One is to use an amp. Grados leak bass so they can provide a clearer midrange and treble. A good amp brings the bass back, especially if it has bass boost. With my M^3 with STEPs, I could plug in any of the lower-end Grados (with the exception of the iGrado) and get killer bass that restored the tonal balance. This is a great way to get a lot of the benefit of a GS1k without paying full freight.

A less costly, but hardly less bold, method is to simply cut back on the cushions by a few millimeters. The G cushions do two things simultaneously. They widen the cushions while pushing the ear back. Without a specially tweaked headphone like the GS1k, what you end up with is HF overkill. Even with the GS1k, people sometimes complain about sibilance. Cutting back a few millimeters reduces the difference in ear/driver distance and does a nice (and inexpensive) job of mellowing the pads out. You still get a wider soundstage but not one so wide it goes too far. Considering the price of the G cushions ($45), it takes a bold (or crazy) person to try it, but I did and was very happy with the results.

 

[heishiro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I personally find the bowls very uncomfortable. *shrug*

me too... thou i do more like the sound coming from the bowls

 

[purrin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heishiro /img/forum/go_quote.gif me too... thou i do more like the sound coming from the bowls

x2

 

[K_19]

Love my RS1 with flats personally. I definitely don't mind the rolled off top treble (I can be a little sensitive to it) and LOVE upfront mids and nice solid impactful bass... soundstage I don't care, as I wouldn't be using a Grado for that in the first place (I use it for the "on stage" type of presentation). I did try the bowls, which IMO sounds like poo and would never use with it again, but again it's all personal preference... and it depends a lot on what rest of your rig is as well.

 

[beez]

once you go flats you never go back.

 

[headibob]

My new SR80i does come with foam pads with no cutouts in the middle. I guess that's what you guys called "comfies"? Can someone post some pictures of various types of pads? I have no clue what you guys are referring to.