Grado Signature HP100 SE

Dec 10, 2024 at 1:43 AM Post #317 of 696
To complicate matters, the TTVJ deluxe flats are even better. I have different pads in the vein of the BAs, and they have lost something. I was also well advised here to use flats until they become comfortable and now they really are.
Weren't Grado's F cushions kind of their official response to the TTVJ deluxe flats, or are there significant differences between them?
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 1:48 AM Post #318 of 696
I’ll definitely miss the Atrium, but I’ve ordered the Bokeh Open, hoping they’ll give me that ‘baby Atrium’ sound for when I want something warmer and more laid-back.
I'd love to know your thoughts on how Bokeh Open compares to HP100 SE once you get them! Early impressions make it seem like it might be the most Grado-sounding ZMF to date so comparisons would be very interesting, even though I suspect HP100 SE will easily beat it when it comes to resolution and speed
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 3:27 AM Post #319 of 696
I've been leaving reviews here and there, saying pretty much the same thing. I think I'm even more enthusiastic than you - I'm comparing it to the Susvara Unveiled, the OG Utopia, and the Abyss 1266 Phi TC, and at 2500 bucks, the HP100SE is right up there with them, and beats the best of them in several categories. Crystal clear deep soundstage full of weight and micro-movement to the musicians and instruments. Completely full-range - 20hz bass tones and actual musical notes are fully audible, and tactile, with great pitch...this is BEST bass I've heard on a headphone, save for, maybe neck and neck with the big Abyss. It is, again, as deep as our hearing goes, but the pitch is crystal clear, along with the decay and overtones, and the proportion with the rest of the FR is perfect - as long as you accept the "Brooklyn swagger" of that lower-treble peak, which, here, happens to have beautiful timbre and texture! And for pure detail resolution, it clarifies inner detail in many cases better than the more expensive flagships I mentioned above, with much more accurate and spatially delineated images and tighter pitches than the Susvara Unveiled, and a quicker and more tactile transient response than the Utopia OG. Yeah, I'm describing a new Grado which retails for essentially the final going price of the PS2000e from more than a year ago, which is fully competitive with the very best in the world. Its a no-compromise audio achievement at a bargain price, relatively, its an achievement, and fun as hell to listen to.
 
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Dec 10, 2024 at 3:46 AM Post #320 of 696
Drew at Moon Audio on his video said that the HP100se would benefit from a warmer cable: "to put meat on the bones."
To my ears, I think there is enough meat on them. I would not want any warmer. But this is a matter of preference.
I put an Arctic Apeiron on it. And,yeah, it broadens and brings out a little more muscle to it, and while the highs are crystal clear and extended, there's another layer of polish to them. What Drew might be thinking re the black dragon - though I'm an Arctic fan. I've had no trouble with Grado's cables before, I even enjoy not being distracted by whether I can plug something new into them.... but there's a real rightness to this combo. And its friggin' gorgeous. I'll try to post a pic if anyone cares!
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 7:29 AM Post #321 of 696
Weren't Grado's F cushions kind of their official response to the TTVJ deluxe flats, or are there significant differences between them?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but TTVJ deluxe flat pads were in response to Grado's F pads....
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 7:47 AM Post #322 of 696
To complicate matters, the TTVJ deluxe flats are even better. I have different pads in the vein of the BAs, and they have lost something. I was also well advised here to use flats until they become comfortable and now they really are.

Very interesting. Thanks.

On photo the TTVJ deluxe flats really seems equivalent to the Grado F pads !
 
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Dec 10, 2024 at 8:04 AM Post #323 of 696
Very interesting. Thanks.

On photo the TTVJ deluxe flats really seems equivalent to the Grado F pads !
Very slightly thicker changing the sound signature slightly between the original and the deluxe.
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 9:38 AM Post #324 of 696
Part of why I keep asking for photos of the other side without the pad … I’m giving up, I asked 5 times now lol
Haha! Sorry man! I kept thinking someone would post. Here you go:

IMG_9152.jpeg
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 10:29 AM Post #325 of 696
I think flat will not work so well given the size of the mesh and opening of the flat. I believe TTVJ needs to release a special version for HP100se.
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 11:29 AM Post #327 of 696
Correct me if I'm wrong, but TTVJ deluxe flat pads were in response to Grado's F pads....
Todd was always a fan of flats and when Grado switch to bowls from flats, he decided to sell them himself. Then about ten years ago (don't know exactly), he started to also make the deluxe version also. Which was a slightly thicker. But TTVJ was the sole seller of these flat version pads.

Then Grado brought back the flats ( F Cush) with the X series. I think Grado owes it to Todd because he kept the Flats going.
 
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Dec 10, 2024 at 12:13 PM Post #328 of 696
Just want to add opinion that actually I love bowl pad with HP100 SE. It's settled, I like this pad more than flat/jumbo pad. Vocal remain forward and solid like flat pad, but every single instruments separate better and has more air to breathe. No additional sibilance nor leaner midrange/bass body to speak of.
 
Dec 10, 2024 at 12:34 PM Post #329 of 696
I'd love to know your thoughts on how Bokeh Open compares to HP100 SE once you get them! Early impressions make it seem like it might be the most Grado-sounding ZMF to date so comparisons would be very interesting, even though I suspect HP100 SE will easily beat it when it comes to resolution and speed

Sure, I’ll let you know how they compare. Like I said, I ordered the Bokeh Open because I’m looking for a warm, laid-back sound, something closer to the Atrium for when I’m working and need something less intense. The HP100 is incredible, but its energetic, detailed sound can be a bit distracting during work hours. That said, the HP100 SE is on par with, or maybe even slightly ahead of the Atrium when it comes to technical performance, so comparing it directly to the Bokeh Open might not be entirely fair.

Oh, and I should add that the HP100SE doesn’t sound anything like the ZMF headphones I’m used to. It’s more like a mix of the Utopia OG, the HD800S, and the brighter Grado sound from the “i” series, if I had to describe it.
 
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Dec 10, 2024 at 2:22 PM Post #330 of 696
I've been leaving reviews here and there, saying pretty much the same thing. I think I'm even more enthusiastic than you - I'm comparing it to the Susvara Unveiled, the OG Utopia, and the Abyss 1266 Phi TC, and at 2500 bucks, the HP100SE is right up there with them, and beats the best of them in several categories. Crystal clear deep soundstage full of weight and micro-movement to the musicians and instruments. Completely full-range - 20hz bass tones and actual musical notes are fully audible, and tactile, with great pitch...this is BEST bass I've heard on a headphone, save for, maybe neck and neck with the big Abyss. It is, again, as deep as our hearing goes, but the pitch is crystal clear, along with the decay and overtones, and the proportion with the rest of the FR is perfect - as long as you accept the "Brooklyn swagger" of that lower-treble peak, which, here, happens to have beautiful timbre and texture! And for pure detail resolution, it clarifies inner detail in many cases better than the more expensive flagships I mentioned above, with much more accurate and spatially delineated images and tighter pitches than the Susvara Unveiled, and a quicker and more tactile transient response than the Utopia OG. Yeah, I'm describing a new Grado which retails for essentially the final going price of the PS2000e from more than a year ago, which is fully competitive with the very best in the world. Its a no-compromise audio achievement at a bargain price, relatively, its an achievement, and fun as hell to listen to.
thank you for this enthousiantic listening report. Can you confirm if you use the HP100 with the Stock G pads as well as the stock cable ?
And have you tried other pads and cables ?
 

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