Ya know; speaking of MS2i, these really aren't a bad thought.
The ones I have, that I've had for almost a year now, are of beautiful quality. There's not a thing wrong with them, and most of the ones I've read about here are also of good quality. Sure, there are a few bad ones mentioned, but like anything else, the bad ones get the most press. It's the same thing with comfort.
But yes; there are some quality problems and some folks do indeed have a comfort problem as well, but there hasn't been a quality problem that I've read about that wasn't resolved by Grado, and most folks who have comfort concerns find them to be comfy enough after a bit of time for the pads to settle in. It took just as long for my HD600 to become comfortable as it did my MS2i.
Grados do have one advantage; and that's the ability to change pads to come up with just the right ratio of comfort and performance, and when some folks talk about excess clamping forces...which was the problem with my HD600...don't forget; the Grados have a full metal band as the main part of the headband and it can be bent, is intended to be bent, over and over again to get just the right fit. No reason not to have a comfortable clamping force.
And the MS2i has the same wider padded band as the Grado woodies, so it's more comfortable than ever.
A lot of the true Grado/Alessandro fans acknowledge that there are some problems with new units, they've resigned themselves to using a little super-glue or an o-ring or clear nail polish now and then when required, but it's worth it just to get that Grado/Alessandro sound. It's all a part of being in the club!
.....I was almost disappointed when my MS-1 and MS2i both arrived "on-time" when others were having to wait. And almost disappointed when my cans showed up with no problems either. I didn't have as much fun stuff to talk about! I don't even have fading paint on the housing faces yet! The MS-1 are showing some wear on the R and L blocks, but that was most likely caused when my four Grandkids aged 6 through 12 had complete control of them for over four full months last year. I took them back when they got the cans tangled in their computer chair and managed to give it a spin. It ripped a few chunks of insulation from the cable between the "Y" block and both housings, but a little electrical tape and they work just fine!
Tough little buggers indeed!
