Grados are the harley davidson of the headphone world

[headphonejunkie]

Grados are like the Harley Davidson of the headphone world. They keep their old retro styling and they use what has worked for them for years. People have used them and they have their own following. They do not feel the need to change because people use them and like what they create. While other headphone manufacturers try to entice you with all kinds of new and elaborate ways of making their headphones grado wants to stay with its tried and true designs. I think that is one reason why I like Grados. They remind me of a company that has been around for years and wants to stick with their original concepts and not get caught up in the make it better ideals of the other companies. So, when I am wearing my Grados I can feel that I am wearing a tradition that has been around for years. I feel like I have my own Harley Davidson for my head.

 

[rsabo]

Nice concept, but have you seen the GS-1000?

 

[F107plus5]

...and the new "Superglide;" the "Freight-train" model, looked pretty weird when it first came out in '71!

But it caught on.

Well; no it didn't. They "fixed" the style for '72.

...even though AMF, when they owned Harley in the 70s, did everything they could to botch it up!

Let's hope Grado stays independent!



EDIT: Oops,......that was over thirty years ago, wasen't it?

I guess maybe they don't change much.

EDIT, EDIT: Of course Harley HAS changed some. A little.

My '71 Electra Glide looked a bit different than my older brothers' 51 Hydra Glide, which looked a lot different than our Dads '13 Big Twin!!

The last major change took place in the 30s with the Knucklehead. So I guess we could say they're pretty stable.

EDIT, EDIT, EDIT: Fun story: All those Harleys were bought by us new. Even the 1913 Harley.

My Grandfather took ill in 1913 and my Dad who was 14 at the time was the only one working.

Unfortunately the horse took ill at about the same time and my Dad needed a way to get to work(s). A Harley was cheaper than a car.

My older brother took up the same trait when he got married in '51 and couldn't afford to buy a car, and since his wife was OK with it; they just bought a bike for a couple years till a new car was in the budget.

....to get back to cans: We had a Hallicrafters ham rig with "Earphones"(we sometimes called them "earphones" cause they went on your ears)that had bakelite housings,.....and usually wore them with no pads!! They came with some kinda squishy stuff with cloth on them like the well worn upholstery in a '37 Plymouth.

.....I bought my Harley in '71.....as soon as my '69 Mach 1 was paid off. I prefered to ride on MY terms!!

 

[headphonejunkie]

I haven't seen the new gs100 but if it is a new design concept it is still following how harley davidson has been going. They have changed their ideas too. Just look at the new bikes they have now.

 

[alex_cs]

harleys are great to ride, but they dont go fast, or corner, etc.

so you comparison may be apt, grados are good at one thing, but are far from the best performers? hehehe

 

[DRSpeed85]

That's funny. I was associating Grado's corporate philosophy with Morgan cars.

http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/home.html

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRSpeed85 That's funny. I was associating Grado's corporate philosophy with Morgan cars. Some of their cars even use wooden chassis as well!!

Yeah! And some of the early three wheeled Morgans with a single wheel in the back and a motorcycle V-twin mounted transversly in front of the grill!

Ultra cool!!

And Yup; ash frames!!

 

[rodbac]

One big difference jumps out at me:

Grados are actually cool looking...

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alex_cs harleys are great to ride, but they dont go fast, or corner, etc.

Or STOP! My 71 had a teeny drum brake on the front hardly thicker than a dinner plate that was supposed to stop our 800lb bike with 300lbs of wife and I!

Yeah...sure.

.....that's why in 74 I bought a new Triumph Trident to replace it. Now THAT baby was quick and could handle!!

I still have it!! It still runs great!!

 

[Todd R]

"Grados are the harley davidson of the headphone world?"

Noisy
Expensive
Don't handle well
Break down often

Don't seem like a Grado to me

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodbac One big difference jumps out at me: Grados are actually cool looking...

Yeah!! Especially the wood and leather variety! I used to play games as a kid, I was often a WW2 fighter pilot with my Dads earphones(headphones) on over my leather cap for realism(when I could sneak them outside).

I also wore my older brothers' old canvas backpack as a "parachute"!!

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd R "Grados are the harley davidson of the headphone world?" Noisy Expensive Don't handle well Break down often Don't seem like a Grado to me

"Noisy" was a good term for older Harleys!

My brothers' 51 had removable baffles in the mufflers for riding "in the country." Pull out a screw(or a nut on a threaded rod)and rap the throttle and the baffle would fly out the back!

For even more noise; the bikes then had manual spark retard on the left handgrip. You could advance and retard the ignition at will. Self-induced backfiring at the right time was a jolly thing to do!! And the flames at night! Wahoo!!

 

[rsabo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 Yeah!! Especially the wood and leather variety! I used to play games as a kid, I was often a WW2 fighter pilot with my Dads earphones(headphones) on over my leather cap for realism(when I could sneak them outside). I also wore my older brothers' old canvas backpack as a "parachute"!!

Ever jump?

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsabo Ever jump?

Ever jump? Almost!

When I was in the Navy in the 60s we had a parachute club aboard ship(USS Kitty Hawk; the oldest operational ship in the US Navy!)

We would jump from the ships rescue helecopter.

I was scheduled to make my first jump just one week before getting out of the Navy on a school-cut(early discharge to get to school before school started in the fall)

Unfortunately some more senior officers wanted to take the helo to go fishing.

 

[sniks7]

Grados like Harleys? You mean they don't stop, don't go, are difficult to handle, not much good out the box, cost a lot and have a high signal to noise ratio! But at least you can get matching underwear..

Of course Stax are like Ducatis: they are quirky but brilliant, great handling, fast response, wonderful sound and shaped like a curvaceous woman.

And Ducatis are so sexy you don't really need matching underwear.

So there