[Greeni]

My RS2i is overly bright and aggressive for me, I am sure this is not the case with everyone but in my case it aggrevate tinntius.
 
How do you tame an overly bright Grado ?
 
- TTJV flats
- interconnect cable with roll off highs
- tube amp
- crossfeed processor
- simply get a Senn
 
Please share your experience

 

[Armaegis]

Tube amp, EQ down the highs, and digital processing for room effects (like "concert hall") will all tame the brightness.

 

[3602]

Try putting some felt in front of the driver. Tune the thickness to your liking.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Flats will bring the driver closer to your ear - you won't be helped by that. Neither will a different cable. Yeah, I know there's controversy there, but you can use an oscilloscope to demonstrate that high frequencies still get through on every cable. A different amp might help slightly, but I wouldn't count on it.

It can sometimes help to turn down the volume. Graphic equalizers can take out or tone down the highs.

And it's also possible that you're simply not a Grado person. You might be happier with a HD-650.

 

[spartan123]

I tried every thing I could think of to tame the Grado's.  In the end I just came to the conclusion that they were not my cup of tea.

 

[eucariote]

Comfies do a good job of attenuating the high frequencies.  For a while I used SR60 ear pads on my SR225s, and quite liked the result.  The right tubes and opamps can also help.  So can Senns..

 

[tdockweiler]

I was able to tame my SR-80, but I'm not sure what I did that caused this. It's best to experiment. I can now listen to them for hours.
 
I used cheap felt from the Wal-Mart hardware section and used that to surround the inside of each cup. It's much thicker then most other pieces of felt I think.
You can buy the felt in strips and not just sheets. I had to cut about 15% off of each strip and then cut the ends off. Two surrounds the SR-80 cup perfectly.
 
I also put a felt button on the driver.
 
I originally poked 10 holes around the driver. Big mistake for me since it added too much mid-bass IMO. 4 is perfect.
 
I also removed the fabric cloth "filter".
 
When experimenting I covered up 3 holes on each side, 6 in total with felt. I figured this would kill the sound, but it's not that bad. 4 total holes are left open and the bass is PERFECT.
 
I also removed the SR-80 button, but it ended badly since I now have a circle hole in the grill. I planned on replacing it all anyway.
 
It was either the 6 holes covered with felt and 4 open or the removal of the button. I highly doubt it was the button, that wouldn't make much sense.
 
I think the felt surrounding the cup didn't do it. I'm sure of this!
 
The highs now are tamed a lot and the sound is not fatiguing. I should point out that I still use the FLAT pads. Before I did this mod I used the same pads and had the fatiguing highs.
 
At this when someone tries this they can easily reverse any changes.
 
Just make sure to NOT poke too many holes all at once!
 
When removing the fabric filter, don't accidentally poke the driver. It's easy to do!

 

[beez]

i use flats on my grados 95% of the time. they will absolutely tame the brightness, add warmth to the midrange and impact to the bass. grados were meant to be used with flats imo. dont bother messing with interconnects unless for aesthetic reasons. tube amps are nice but not completely necessary for grados. senns are good phones too but for me they never had the emotion the grados did.that said i do sort of miss having an hd650.

 

[kite7]

I would get a tube amp if you like everything about the grado sound and don't want to take anything away except taming the highs. Flats are horrible in my opinion, everything sounds like a mess. Highs disappear, soundstage collapses, ugly mid bass boost; there's too many trade offs just to tame the highs with flats even though it is a cheap solution. Flats just about took away everything I liked about bowls. If you are not already using an amplifier of some sort, I'd highly recommend getting one.

 

[Greeni]

To the Grado fans, may I ask one more question.
In terms of treble only, would you consider the RS1i be smoother than RS2i ?
I am interested in the treble quality only, the other aspects I can handle.
Thanks.

 

[Vandal]

Quote:

 And it's also possible that you're simply not a Grado person. You might be happier with a HD-650.

The RS2i and HD 650 are at opposite ends of the spectrum aren't they? Wouldn't something in-between be a lot more suitable? I wouldn't know which, but an HD 600 perhaps?
 
Quote:

To the Grado fans, may I ask one more question.
In terms of treble only, would you consider the RS1i be smoother than RS2i ?
I am interested in the treble quality only, the other aspects I can handle.
Thanks.

I find the RS1i to be smooth. People describe it as a more refined RS2. I do not find the treble disturbing at all. The mid-range is full of life, zestful and energetic, like a toddler on red bull but not excessive. However, the only place I find it lacking a bit, is the narrower soundstage, and slightly less bass. I am comparing to circumaural phones like the HD 650/600 that I have heard. However, I've never heard an RS2/RS2i. However, decent amping does increase the bass, and while I don't find the RS1i sibilant, the SR225 was a bit more so, and amping it, seemed to make them less fatiguing. In fact, even with the RS1i, I've found that amping generally means I listen to them a bit longer, partially due to the better sound, partially due to the fact that my ears get less fatigued.

 

[nickchen]

You can make a "RS2000" out of your RS2, click on the MS1000 link in my sig. The interesting part for you is described in last bits of #1, if you use distnacers and GS1K pads and put textile in the latter, you can tune down shrillness to any extend you like, dependent from chosen material.
 
It wouldn't be a real Grado any more afterwards though, due to the SS and greater smoothness, you'd end up somewhere in the middle between a RS2 and a K701.

 

[Argyris]

Quote:

Try putting some felt in front of the driver. Tune the thickness to your liking.

Or toilet paper. You can laugh, but the results were astounding. It's the same basic principle either way: you're trading a little soundstage, openness, and bass presence for smoother, less fatiguing highs. I thought it was well worth the two minutes or so I spent applying it to my SR225i.

 

[Mad Max]

The right tubes, opamps, etc. or equalizing.  Generally, a warmer amp and laid-back treble if possible.  If all fails, perhaps the Grado signature isn't for you and an HD6x0 might be better.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

This is what I do to tame the overly bright sound of my SR325is:
 

 
A high shelving EQ at 1700 Hz.  I have several presets each with different amounts of EQ.  The presets vary the shelf from -0.5 dB to -4 dB in 0.5 dB increments.  I find -3 dB to be about right for most of what I like.  But it depends on how Grado I'm feeling at the moment and what the music is like and what I'm listening for.
 
Right now I'm listening to Tracy Chapman on New Beginning with the above EQ setting.  I like it very much.  The voice and balance sounds much more neutral and right than the unEQed Grado 325is sound.