[frozenOx]

I think the Sundara will be brilliant for what you are looking for
Unlike many others on here I don’t hear the Grado Hemp as being ‘warm’ or indeed differently tuned compared to the other Grados one can purchase ie it sounds very forward and aggressive. It also comes with a significant amount of bass roll-off which actually makes Sennheisers like the HD600/650 appear like regular basshead cans.
What it does do is trick you into believing that it’s ‘fast’ or something to that effect. I think it is the somewhat lean bass response coupled with the extra amount of energy one gets via the upper mids and treble, which both come across like the Grado of old: a punch to the face.
Mind you a lot of folks tend to go for that type of presentation...but if you are looking for something which is less tiring than the Beyers in the highs..Grado is not your safest bet. A Sennheiser probably is. The Sundara though strikes a fine balance between the two and has a wonderfully almost estat sounding treble.
I’m guessing here...but I think the Hemp has gotten all these stickers of being an outlier from Grados line-up and somewhat of a ‘warmer/bassier/jack of all trades’ headphone simply from the fact that it’s made of Hemp....and people naturally float away to thoughts of Cheech & Chong, Cypress Hill and Bob Marley.

I have DT770s, and owned most of the 6 series Sennheisers with the 58X in my possession now. I got the Hemps this week and it sounds like you are talking about them based on what you've read and not from use.

The Hemps have very deep bass. I heard and felt a sine wave all the way down to 35Hz. They roll off a lot from there, but I could clearly still hear and feel the bass that low.

They're like the HD600 in that they're neutral between about 70Hz and 2000Hz, and have very well tuned treble. Also an intimate soundstage. Only the 58X has as deep bass, but it has too much volume. They don't handle fast music well at all like death metal. But for classic heavy metal they're great.

How i can tell the Hemps blow the 6 series out of the water is when i put on jazz, acoustic, or live material. Which is why someone like me would say they're better all rounders.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I have DT770s, and owned most of the 6 series Sennheisers with the 58X in my possession now. I got the Hemps this week and it sounds like you are talking about them based on what you've read and not from use.

The Hemps have very deep bass. I heard and felt a sine wave all the way down to 35Hz. They roll off a lot from there, but I could clearly still hear and feel the bass that low.

They're like the HD600 in that they're neutral between about 70Hz and 2000Hz, and have very well tuned treble. Also an intimate soundstage. Only the 58X has as deep bass, but it has too much volume. They don't handle fast music well at all like death metal. But for classic heavy metal they're great.

How i can tell the Hemps blow the 6 series out of the water is when i put on jazz, acoustic, or live material. Which is why someone like me would say they're better all rounders.

I can only relate what I heard when a/b’ing between the Hemp and HD600 at my friend’s house. He is in the process of sending the Hemp back because it is too forward for his tastes and lacking in bass. He additionally feels that he was mislead by the many accounts over various headphone enthusiast sites of it being a more balanced sounding Grado...which basically were the very reason for him buying it in the first place. He’s owned a couple of Grados before and was never fond of the aggressive signature.
I am not saying this to rain on anyone’s parade, most especially if you dig this headphone, but I think it only reasonable to inform someone looking for a smoother ride than what he is experiencing over his Beyers...that the Hemp isn’t the way forth.

 

[frozenOx]

I can only relate what I heard when a/b’ing between the Hemp and HD600 at my friend’s house. He is in the process of sending the Hemp back because it is too forward for his tastes and lacking in bass. He additionally feels that he was mislead by the many accounts over various headphone enthusiast sites of it being a more balanced sounding Grado...which basically were the very reason for him buying it in the first place. He’s owned a couple of Grados before and was never fond of the aggressive signature.
I am not saying this to rain on anyone’s parade, most especially if you dig this headphone, but I think it only reasonable to inform someone looking for a smoother ride than what he is experiencing over his Beyers...that the Hemp isn’t the way forth.

I recommended he go with Sennheisers, as the Hemp is still a bit neutral bright. the Sundara is too. The darker headphones are the Senn 6 series.

If you're a basshead, then yes. The Hemp is bass light. But it has bass extension, much more than the Sennheisers. But put on some Nile on your 600s and compare to the Hemps. I don't see anyone saying these have bass slam, because they don't. They're well balanced.

Bass slam with balanced FR everywhere else, you're not going to get that in a dynamic. You need to go planar and EQ to your liking.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I recommended he go with Sennheisers, as the Hemp is still a bit neutral bright. the Sundara is too. The darker headphones are the Senn 6 series.

If you're a basshead, then yes. The Hemp is bass light. But it has bass extension, much more than the Sennheisers. But put on some Nile on your 600s and compare to the Hemps. I don't see anyone saying these have bass slam, because they don't. They're well balanced.

Bass slam with balanced FR everywhere else, you're not going to get that in a dynamic. You need to go planar and EQ to your liking.

Neither my friend or I are bass heads though. His prefered can is the HD600 We do however both enjoy a good amount of extension.
I didn’t test any Nile but whilst listening to bass heavy tracks and some with a hefty amount of subbass (Burial, Tool, Aphex Twin, Autechre), I heard far more information and volume over the 600.

 

[YtseJamer]

Happy new year everyone!

@Kammerat Rebekka No disrespect intended, but I couldn't disagree more with your comments. I have owned pretty much all the HiFiMan headphones (still have the HE-6SE), and I would always recommend the Grado Hemp before all the HiFiMan headphones under $500 or the HD6XX.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Hey man tastes differ and that’s essentially what makes this place fun

 

[YtseJamer]

Hey man tastes differ and that’s essentially what makes this place fun

Yes and we don't all listen to the same type of Metal music

 

[YtseJamer]

Bass slam with balanced FR everywhere else, you're not going to get that in a dynamic. You need to go planar and EQ to your liking.

Yes you can with the ZMF Verite Closed

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Yes and we don't all listen to the same type of Metal music

You’re quite right although I still feel the winky emoticon sends off mixed messages
There are no headphones that magically change their tonality when you feed them with special music. The presentation remains the same, no matter what type of metal one listens to.
...and I find it hard to believe that certain bands/albums somehow are able to move all subbass information up in the mid and upper-bass and still making it sound like it’s emanating from below.

 

[frozenOx]

Yeah I'd say your friend would really like the 58X if the Hemp and 600 are too bass light. It has a lot of bass. I think all of the 6 series are great for rock, heavy metal, black metal, thrash. Faster, downtuned stuff is mediocre but not horrible. Let's just say I listened to all the Carcass FDR releases on the Hemps because they were so good.

I prefer sub bass extension over volume, and there's not any 6 series that get bass right IMO. for me, the Hemp is perfectly tuned and I'm not exaggerating that. But ears are different.

As much as i like the Hemp i still plan on getting some LCD2s or other big planar.

I would love since ZMFs! But man that is just way outside my comfort zone in price. Used LCDs or m1570 is what I'll probably end up with. ZMFs are beautiful too.

 

[YtseJamer]

Most of the bands that I'm listening to have well recorded and mastered albums, hence the reason why I have more expensive headphones. (Opeth, Dream Theater, Katatonia, Tool, Mastodon, Riverside, Soen, Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, Fates Warning, The Ocean, Rush, Steven Wilson, etc.)

Do you think that I would have invested $2500 for the Verite Closed if I was only listening to Black Metal music? I still have a cheap pair of Koss Porta Pro X with me and they are still my #1 recommendation if you are only listening to average/poorly recorded music.

 

[YtseJamer]

As much as i like the Hemp i still plan on getting some LCD2s or other big planar.

I would love since ZMFs! But man that is just way outside my comfort zone in price. Used LCDs or m1570 is what I'll probably end up with. ZMFs are beautiful too.

Yeah the ZMF are not cheap. You should try to find a pair of pre-fazor LCD-2.

 

[frozenOx]

Most of the bands that I'm listening to have well recorded and mastered albums, hence the reason why I have more expensive headphones. (Opeth, Dream Theater, Katatonia, Tool, Mastodon, Riverside, Soen, Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, Fates Warning, The Ocean, Rush, Steven Wilson, etc.)

Do you think that I would have invested $2500 for the Verite Closed if I was only listening to Black Metal music? I still have a cheap pair of Koss Porta Pro X with me and they are still my #1 recommendation if you are only listening to average/poorly recorded music.

When your headphones cost more than the album's recording budget...

PortaPros with a pad swap rule. I have the yellow 414 pads with the center cut out. Comfort and metal. I put away my 58X because of those.

 

[shuto77]

Our hearing deteriorates quite substantially with age. I cannot help taking that into account in choosing whose reviews I trust.

This is true. It's more about the nostalgia for me.

Most of the bands that I'm listening to have well recorded and mastered albums, hence the reason why I have more expensive headphones. (Opeth, Dream Theater, Katatonia, Tool, Mastodon, Riverside, Soen, Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, Fates Warning, The Ocean, Rush, Steven Wilson, etc.)

Do you think that I would have invested $2500 for the Verite Closed if I was only listening to Black Metal music? I still have a cheap pair of Koss Porta Pro X with me and they are still my #1 recommendation if you are only listening to average/poorly recorded music.

We have similar tastes.

Do you also like any of these bands: Dillinger Escape Plan (and Greg Puciato's side stuff), Car Bomb, Between the Buried and Me, Mastodon, Baroness, Ne Obliviscaris, Gojira, Deftones?

 

[eaglerock]

Wow such an interesting discussion.
Steve's Guttenberg video was a great reference, the Grado hemp sounds like an amazing headphones but for me on ear is just a no go, and in his words they are bright

Any thought on the AKG k712 pro with Metal? the sounds stage is something that i seem to like.