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Originally Posted by vidranger1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
When people say the HF-2 has less of the detail, they mean in comparing only to the RS-1, isn't that so? But it still has very much detail as a Grado, yes?
Also for saying it is "dark." That is by comparing, no? It will not be dark like a Sennheiser?
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This is getting to be a family feud between happy owners of the HF2 and defensive lovers of the RS1. In side-by-side tests between the RS1 - which will always be the classic Grado flagship - and the recently dethroned flagship GS1k, the GS1k had punchier bass but recessed mids. When both cans were heard with the same set of bowls, the GS1k had more bass; the RS1 had more upper midrange.
That's basically the difference between the HF1 and the RS1. The HF1 has more pronounced bass and slightly recessed mids while the RS1 has less bass and more midrange, especially high mids. I chortle at the claim that the RS1 is more "revealing." If, by revealing, you mean it has more high mids, then sure. Not everybody has a love affair with high mids. If you're listening to rock, you may want more bass and less of the mids in your face.
Those who say the HF2 is "grittier" are commenting from the perspective of pre-burn-in. All Grados sound "grittier" before they're burned in, even the beloved RS1.
Those who say the HF2 is "darker" are speaking out of the wrong orifice. The HF2 is not "darker" except in the sense that it's less "bright." Another way to describe this difference is to say that it's more "balanced," though the kick in the bass is obviously a bit of coloring. The HF2 is not a "dark" phone. It is not a Sennheiser. Like all Grados, it puts no filter between the listener and the driver, so there is no veil. People who hate Grados as "bright" will also lump the HF2 into the same Grado category, but they'll have less to hate from the HF2, which has much more visceral bass and less ear-piercing treble.
I totally understand the preference for the RS-1, which is more even. One man's delight at all that bass can easily be another's loss at not having more high mids. Stated another way, if I were listening to classical, I'd prefer the RS-1. And for that person back there who suggested the Grados can't do classical, I completely disagree. They do classical wonderfully. It's just that acoustic music is the area in which a headphone like the K701 will shine. With music that has a lot of "siss," the K701s need an amp; otherwise, they produce a lot of ear fatigue mega-fast. Where the presentation is more natural (more violins, less cymbals), more extended highs will bring out more detail. If you want that effect, but all means, by a pair of jumbo pads and treat yourself to a G-701 (wink, wink). An SR60 will jumbos may sound too bright for rock but there's little harm doing it with classical.
I look forward to the day when Grado lovers keep multiple pads on hand, fully aware that the pads can brighten or darken the presentation to fit differences in the source material.