[DivergeUnify]

How's this combo?  People say it increases treble and decreases mids/bass.  My question: I can see how it would recess mids but wouldn't it increase bass since it's giving the sound waves more room to reverb?  If I pull my cans away with the regular cushions it doesn't make the sound brighter it makes them darker( to me at least, and I'm only talking a few inches)

 

[Bilavideo]

The G-Cush pads increase HF dispersion in two ways.  First, closer ear-driver distance actually mutes HF and accentuates the midrange.  With flats and comfies, this is a good way to hold onto the bass, which is why the SR60 traditionally had the best bass response of any Prestige Grado south of the SR325 while the SR80 (which originally differed from the 60 in having bowls instead of comfies) had the least bass of any Grado, period.  Second, the wider mouth of the G-Cush pads improved HF dispersion, which is curious since HF waves tend to be more directional while LF waves tend to radiate more (which is one reason having a hole in the back of your headphone tends to affect the bass).  I've come to the conclusion that the spongy material absorbs HF, creating a moderate damping effect.
 
Whatever the reason, jumbo pads tend to shift the tonal balance brighter.  You get more HF, an airy treble that predominates.  Bass, on the other hand, gets washed out.  While there may be something to the idea that longer LF waves benefit from distance, the spongey material of Grado pads leaks sound rather than reflecting it.  Other materials - including leather, nagahyde and velour - have a different effect on the sound.  Thicker material affects the sound differently from thinner, more transparent, material.  Grado cushions are designed with transparency in mind.  They leak sound in order to avoid reflecting it and producing a muddy resonance, which is what you'll get from a number of more reflective materials.  But the more you lengthen the cushion, the more bass you lose and the more sibilant the presentation feels.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Quote:

The G-Cush pads increase HF dispersion in two ways.  First, closer ear-driver distance actually mutes HF and accentuates the midrange.  With flats and comfies, this is a good way to hold onto the bass, which is why the SR60 traditionally had the best bass response of any Prestige Grado south of the SR325 while the SR80 (which originally differed from the 60 in having bowls instead of comfies) had the least bass of any Grado, period.  Second, the wider mouth of the G-Cush pads improved HF dispersion, which is curious since HF waves tend to be more directional while LF waves tend to radiate more (which is one reason having a hole in the back of your headphone tends to affect the bass).  I've come to the conclusion that the spongy material absorbs HF, creating a moderate damping effect.
 
Whatever the reason, jumbo pads tend to shift the tonal balance brighter.  You get more HF, an airy treble that predominates.  Bass, on the other hand, gets washed out.  While there may be something to the idea that longer LF waves benefit from distance, the spongey material of Grado pads leaks sound rather than reflecting it.  Other materials - including leather, nagahyde and velour - have a different effect on the sound.  Thicker material affects the sound differently from thinner, more transparent, material.  Grado cushions are designed with transparency in mind.  They leak sound in order to avoid reflecting it and producing a muddy resonance, which is what you'll get from a number of more reflective materials.  But the more you lengthen the cushion, the more bass you lose and the more sibilant the presentation feels.

Mind blown.  Feels good brah.  Guess I won't be getting those xD

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Quote:

The G-Cush pads increase HF dispersion in two ways.  First, closer ear-driver distance actually mutes HF and accentuates the midrange.  With flats and comfies, this is a good way to hold onto the bass, which is why the SR60 traditionally had the best bass response of any Prestige Grado south of the SR325 while the SR80 (which originally differed from the 60 in having bowls instead of comfies) had the least bass of any Grado, period.  Second, the wider mouth of the G-Cush pads improved HF dispersion, which is curious since HF waves tend to be more directional while LF waves tend to radiate more (which is one reason having a hole in the back of your headphone tends to affect the bass).  I've come to the conclusion that the spongy material absorbs HF, creating a moderate damping effect.
 
Whatever the reason, jumbo pads tend to shift the tonal balance brighter.  You get more HF, an airy treble that predominates.  Bass, on the other hand, gets washed out.  While there may be something to the idea that longer LF waves benefit from distance, the spongey material of Grado pads leaks sound rather than reflecting it.  Other materials - including leather, nagahyde and velour - have a different effect on the sound.  Thicker material affects the sound differently from thinner, more transparent, material.  Grado cushions are designed with transparency in mind.  They leak sound in order to avoid reflecting it and producing a muddy resonance, which is what you'll get from a number of more reflective materials.  But the more you lengthen the cushion, the more bass you lose and the more sibilant the presentation feels.

Mind blown.  Feels good brah.  Guess I won't be getting those xD

Here's what you do.
 
1. Open the cups and vent the drivers (punch all ten holes to really unleash the tiger by increasing the airflow).
2. Damp the magnet back with something like Dynamat or BluTack.
3. Remove the plastic button from the back as it bounces HF waves right back into the presentation.
4. Remove the plastic ring stuck near the rear grill as it has no use and adds unwanted resonance.
 
If you will make these mods, your 325 will become the Voice of God.  You will not be able to take it off.  You will lose sleep because you won't want to stop listening to your music.  I did this and was completely and utterly blown away.
 
People already say the 325 is too brash (which it is unamped) but with these mods, you'll get the bass you need to shift the tonal balance back to center while removing certain jarring spikes from the presentation.  It's in this context that you can add the jumbos.  Without these mods, the jumbos will just feel too bright and bass anemic.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

I LOVE the G-cushes on my 325's.
 

 

[DivergeUnify]

Quote:

 

Quote:

The G-Cush pads increase HF dispersion in two ways.  First, closer ear-driver distance actually mutes HF and accentuates the midrange.  With flats and comfies, this is a good way to hold onto the bass, which is why the SR60 traditionally had the best bass response of any Prestige Grado south of the SR325 while the SR80 (which originally differed from the 60 in having bowls instead of comfies) had the least bass of any Grado, period.  Second, the wider mouth of the G-Cush pads improved HF dispersion, which is curious since HF waves tend to be more directional while LF waves tend to radiate more (which is one reason having a hole in the back of your headphone tends to affect the bass).  I've come to the conclusion that the spongy material absorbs HF, creating a moderate damping effect.
 
Whatever the reason, jumbo pads tend to shift the tonal balance brighter.  You get more HF, an airy treble that predominates.  Bass, on the other hand, gets washed out.  While there may be something to the idea that longer LF waves benefit from distance, the spongey material of Grado pads leaks sound rather than reflecting it.  Other materials - including leather, nagahyde and velour - have a different effect on the sound.  Thicker material affects the sound differently from thinner, more transparent, material.  Grado cushions are designed with transparency in mind.  They leak sound in order to avoid reflecting it and producing a muddy resonance, which is what you'll get from a number of more reflective materials.  But the more you lengthen the cushion, the more bass you lose and the more sibilant the presentation feels.

Mind blown.  Feels good brah.  Guess I won't be getting those xD

Here's what you do.
 
1. Open the cups and vent the drivers (punch all ten holes to really unleash the tiger by increasing the airflow).
2. Damp the magnet back with something like Dynamat or BluTack.
3. Remove the plastic button from the back as it bounces HF waves right back into the presentation.
4. Remove the plastic ring stuck near the rear grill as it has no use and adds unwanted resonance.
 
If you will make these mods, your 325 will become the Voice of God.  You will not be able to take it off.  You will lose sleep because you won't want to stop listening to your music.  I did this and was completely and utterly blown away.
 
People already say the 325 is too brash (which it is unamped) but with these mods, you'll get the bass you need to shift the tonal balance back to center while removing certain jarring spikes from the presentation.  It's in this context that you can add the jumbos.  Without these mods, the jumbos will just feel too bright and bass anemic.

Yeah, I've definitely seen your posts about venting the drivers which I plan to do in the future.  For now I'm very satisfied with them( I use a nuForce uDAC2 with them) and sometimes I start overanalyzing and thats the only time I dislike the sound of them.  But when I'm just listening to music just trying to enjoy them,  they sound straight up fantastic.
 
What does damping the magnet do? 
 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Quote:

 

Quote:

The G-Cush pads increase HF dispersion in two ways.  First, closer ear-driver distance actually mutes HF and accentuates the midrange.  With flats and comfies, this is a good way to hold onto the bass, which is why the SR60 traditionally had the best bass response of any Prestige Grado south of the SR325 while the SR80 (which originally differed from the 60 in having bowls instead of comfies) had the least bass of any Grado, period.  Second, the wider mouth of the G-Cush pads improved HF dispersion, which is curious since HF waves tend to be more directional while LF waves tend to radiate more (which is one reason having a hole in the back of your headphone tends to affect the bass).  I've come to the conclusion that the spongy material absorbs HF, creating a moderate damping effect.
 
Whatever the reason, jumbo pads tend to shift the tonal balance brighter.  You get more HF, an airy treble that predominates.  Bass, on the other hand, gets washed out.  While there may be something to the idea that longer LF waves benefit from distance, the spongey material of Grado pads leaks sound rather than reflecting it.  Other materials - including leather, nagahyde and velour - have a different effect on the sound.  Thicker material affects the sound differently from thinner, more transparent, material.  Grado cushions are designed with transparency in mind.  They leak sound in order to avoid reflecting it and producing a muddy resonance, which is what you'll get from a number of more reflective materials.  But the more you lengthen the cushion, the more bass you lose and the more sibilant the presentation feels.

Mind blown.  Feels good brah.  Guess I won't be getting those xD

Here's what you do.
 
1. Open the cups and vent the drivers (punch all ten holes to really unleash the tiger by increasing the airflow).
2. Damp the magnet back with something like Dynamat or BluTack.
3. Remove the plastic button from the back as it bounces HF waves right back into the presentation.
4. Remove the plastic ring stuck near the rear grill as it has no use and adds unwanted resonance.
 
If you will make these mods, your 325 will become the Voice of God.  You will not be able to take it off.  You will lose sleep because you won't want to stop listening to your music.  I did this and was completely and utterly blown away.
 
People already say the 325 is too brash (which it is unamped) but with these mods, you'll get the bass you need to shift the tonal balance back to center while removing certain jarring spikes from the presentation.  It's in this context that you can add the jumbos.  Without these mods, the jumbos will just feel too bright and bass anemic.

Yeah, I've definitely seen your posts about venting the drivers which I plan to do in the future.  For now I'm very satisfied with them( I use a nuForce uDAC2 with them) and sometimes I start overanalyzing and thats the only time I dislike the sound of them.  But when I'm just listening to music just trying to enjoy them,  they sound straight up fantastic.
 
What does damping the magnet do? 
 

 
It's not the magnet we're damping.  It's the magnet plate, which sits behind and around the magnet.  The center of the diaphragm rests over the voice coil, which nestles between the magnet and the inner walls of the magnet plate.  Every time the diaphragm swings back, the center around the magnet gets the full impact of the back wave.  In the best of worlds, the spider would be made of something stiff, like metal.  In the world of headphones - where you pay top dollar for less than top-dollar materials - it's plastic.  Vibration of the spider creates a wobble and, as such, a source of resonance.  In simplest terms, it distorts the sound signature.  The magnet plate, as a piece of metal sitting in the very epicenter of all this action, needs to be "damped" - just like a car door, around a bass-pounding speaker, needs to be damped.  Otherwise, that rattle becomes part of the presentation.  The vibrations off of the magnet plate are not as bad as those of the car door, but you can actually end up with buzzing.  Damping adds mass to the plate and absorbs the vibrations, giving them nowhere to go.  The effectiveness of doing so becomes immediately apparent.  Even if you never heard anything problematic before the damping, the loss of it afterwards will surprise you.

 

[sssboa]

I just modded my 325is
Salad bowl cushions, 4 venting holes, removed buttons, added handband cushions from Beyewrdynamic Pro.
I think the bass is verging on too much for me, I made 4 holes because PS1000 have 4. But if I had only this pair of headphones it would be ok. Just as I put on Grados I don't do it normally for bass, I have 4 pairs of Beyers for that. Bass is only slightly less than Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 when well amped though it's better defined on Grados.
Thank you for all posts on modding, helped a lot.
Andy
 

 

[sssboa]

Quote:

 

Here's what you do.
 
1. Open the cups and vent the drivers (punch all ten holes to really unleash the tiger by increasing the airflow).
2. Damp the magnet back with something like Dynamat or BluTack.
3. Remove the plastic button from the back as it bounces HF waves right back into the presentation.
4. Remove the plastic ring stuck near the rear grill as it has no use and adds unwanted resonance.

Doesn't the plastic ring at the back keep the grid in place?
 

 

[joseph69]

Quote:

I LOVE the G-cushes on my 325's.
 

Did you do any other mod's to them?

 

[whoelse]

I am not discounting any modding of Grado but just a curious question. Wouldn't Grado being expert in sound and how to build good headphones have good instruments to measure, tune and add necessary damping to optimize their product to their best?
 
If not, why don't they have interest in doing that or not knowing how to optimize it making simple tuning? They add something behind the magnet on the RS-2/RS-1 or higher but why not the lower model?
 
Again, I am not discounting, I am thinking logically and wanting to find out if I have miss something.

 

[joseph69]

Last week I went out and purchased the (G) cushions to try on my SR325is's for my own self right from Grado Labs, that's right, right from the Grado factory in Brooklyn N.Y. Not surprised, I asked the receptionist if I could come there to purchase the cushions, and she said no, they only sell to authorized dealers, so I asked her if she could locate me a dealer in Brooklyn since I was on my way into Brooklyn, and she got back on the phone and said I could come there!!! I felt like I just won the gold tickets to Willy Wonkers Chocolate factory!!! When I got there, there was no signs of a Grado factory at all!!! Just two old wooden gray doors on a busy Brooklyn street with a sidewalk entrance. I rang the bell, and a man opened the door (maybe one of the Grado brothers, I don't know), I stepped in and said hello and asked to speak to Theresa, who BTW is a very nice woman, I told her who I was and what I was there for and she sent a woman from upstairs down with my cushions, and I paid her the 45$ and thanked her for letting me go directly to the factory and told her I felt honored to be there. I didn't get to see the Grados being made, but it was still a cool.
 
Anyway I've been wanting to try the (G) cushions on my 325is's for a while now after reading so many different opinions on their sound, BTW I do not have a comfort issue with the (L) cushions at all. The second I put them on my head I immediately noticed the sound stage was tremendous compared to the (L) cushions, but that was it.
While listening to the music I noticed the bass was pretty much gone and the mid range was much further away and the highs gave me a headache, even at low volume. All of the instruments had the same tone and had lost all of their texture to me. Everything sounded the same, and the sound stage was so big I found it to be annoying, plus I thought they were uncomfortable. I listened with them on for about 5-6 hours and I was done with them. Fortunately another Head-Fier had the 15' Grado extension cable up for sale and he was nice enough to trade with me. In the end I was still glad that I had the experience with the (G) cushions so I know how they sound for myself. BTW this is just my opinion, I understand there are people who like these (G) cushions on their 325's who also do the hole mods for more bass and that's their personal preference and what they like, but I wasn't about to do that to mine because I think Grado made the 325 with plenty of R&D and that's the reason they sound so good just the way they are.

 

[Twinster]

I know it's an old thread but feel that I need to share my experience with a new set of G Cush on my SR325 ( not 'i' or 'is' but old Black aluminium cups). I have good experience with G Cush on MS-Pro in a Ultimate configuration but was not expecting much on the SR325 & Pads only.

I listened to that setup yesterday for about 1 hour and trying various music genre it was a good experience. I notice the increase in the soundstage and it was great. The bass to my surprise was still very present with good impact. The midrange was a bit further in the space but consedaring the increase in the presentation it was still forward enough and still engaging. I have not notice an increase in the treble region. I bough the G Cush because I couldn't listen to the SR325 with my L Cush ( or the yellow and flat pads ) anymore. This could be me that get used to large presentation and could not enjoy the Grado presentation. I found that the midrange was to in my face and even with acoustic genre ( my favorite ) I use to like them but couldn't anymore but the larger pads ( I think, still need more time ) seems to have brough some balance back and enjoyment on my favorite Dave Matthew's, Yo yo Ma, Pat Metheny.

Again maybe it's the sound signature difference of the old SR325 but must review on them said the Flat pads was the best.

 

[bbophead]

Quote:

I know it's an old thread but feel that I need to share my experience with a new set of G Cush on my SR325 ( not 'i' or 'is' but old Black aluminium cups). I have good experience with G Cush on MS-Pro in a Ultimate configuration but was not expecting much on the SR325 & Pads only.

I listened to that setup yesterday for about 1 hour and trying various music genre it was a good experience. I notice the increase in the soundstage and it was great. The bass to my surprise was still very present with good impact. The midrange was a bit further in the space but consedaring the increase in the presentation it was still forward enough and still engaging. I have not notice an increase in the treble region. I bough the G Cush because I couldn't listen to the SR325 with my L Cush ( or the yellow and flat pads ) anymore. This could be me that get used to large presentation and could not enjoy the Grado presentation. I found that the midrange was to in my face and even with acoustic genre ( my favorite ) I use to like them but couldn't anymore but the larger pads ( I think, still need more time ) seems to have brough some balance back and enjoyment on my favorite Dave Matthew's, Yo yo Ma, Pat Metheny.

Again maybe it's the sound signature difference of the old SR325 but must review on them said the Flat pads was the best.

This reflects my experience and opinion exactly.  Good to know I'm not alone.

 

[traehekat]

I use the G-Cush pads if for nothing else the increase in comfort over the L-Cush pads.