[LightDarkSonic]

So yeah I'm definitely in trouble, I do am looking for something which would fit my 598s a little better. I know my Magni 2 is better but I really prefer doing the unthinkable and pairing Modi 2 and E17! The punchy bass, mids that are more forward and have more body really got me addicted! The pairing results in a more balanced sound than the E17 by itself! But the need to upgrade is stronger, thinking on getting a cmoy from JDS Labs for a quick and effective upgrade as they are said to have a really good midrange which is what I'm looking for in this pairing, my E17 will still be my go-to portable amp so I will still take good care of them! Ah! And by what I read they would be a good way to tame grados as they are a little laid-back and have sweet highs.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Are grados good just for rock? Can they play well other genres?

They have a relatively early roll off. On some rock music they tend to have a punchy bass drum that otherwise, tonally sounds like the bass drum needs two pillows stuffed in it.

On power/symphonic metal with a lot going on their forward sound makes it all sound like the band is just throwing everything at you. Imagine if Street Fighter and Samurai Showdown get VR so you have first person view of E.Honda slapping you or Charlotte stabbing you.

If you listen to EDM it can't "drop the bass," and if you think of it in terms of cars playing hiphop/crunk, it's nowhere near that black Escalade rattling windows from six blocks away when they're not doing drive-by shootings.

I use Grado more for pop and jazz actually. And especially for jazz - the midrange boost gives them such a raw quality it sounds like a vocal jazz jam session (right down to the "I don't care about imaging at this point" part) since the vocals are boosted above the other instruments (unlike rock/metal small venues or jam sessions where a vigorous drummer can drown out everybody).

But the need to upgrade is stronger, thinking on getting a cmoy from JDS Labs for a quick and effective upgrade as they are said to have a really good midrange which is what I'm looking for in this pairing, my E17 will still be my go-to portable amp so I will still take good care of them!

You can save up and wait for the Cavalli Tube Hybrid to come up on Massdrop again, or if anybody here sells theirs. Use that at home with the Modi, and use the E17K as a transportable.

And by what I read they would be a good way to tame grados as they are a little laid-back and have sweet highs.

Not sure about the JDS version but I had an active ground and regular CMOY before and both were rolled off at the top that they worked with Grados but they barely get an HD600 loud enough, with the bass bloated and treble practically non-existent, though that's likely due to the 300ohm load on amps with a single 9v battery (that said, my D-Zero works off a 7.2v Li-Ion and doesn't sound like that).

I'd still just go with the Cavalli amp for home use and the E17K as a transportable.[/QUOTE]

 

[LightDarkSonic]

They have a relatively early roll off. On some rock music they tend to have a punchy bass drum that otherwise, tonally sounds like the bass drum needs two pillows stuffed in it.

On power/symphonic metal with a lot going on their forward sound makes it all sound like the band is just throwing everything at you. Imagine if Street Fighter and Samurai Showdown get VR so you have first person view of E.Honda slapping you or Charlotte stabbing you.

If you listen to EDM it can't "drop the bass," and if you think of it in terms of cars playing hiphop/crunk, it's nowhere near that black Escalade rattling windows from six blocks away when they're not doing drive-by shootings.

I use Grado more for pop and jazz actually. And especially for jazz - the midrange boost gives them such a raw quality it sounds like a vocal jazz jam session (right down to the "I don't care about imaging at this point" part) since the vocals are boosted above the other instruments (unlike rock/metal small venues or jam sessions where a vigorous drummer can drown out everybody).




You can save up and wait for the Cavalli Tube Hybrid to come up on Massdrop again, or if anybody here sells theirs. Use that at home with the Modi, and use the E17K as a transportable.




Not sure about the JDS version but I had an active ground and regular CMOY before and both were rolled off at the top that they worked with Grados but they barely get an HD600 loud enough, with the bass bloated and treble practically non-existent, though that's likely due to the 300ohm load on amps with a single 9v battery (that said, my D-Zero works off a 7.2v Li-Ion and doesn't sound like that).

I'd still just go with the Cavalli amp for home use and the E17K as a transportable.

I see... Well I have a really big problem though, I don't live in the US, actually in live in Brazil and massdrop doesn't even deliver here, even if they delivered custom would kill the price for me as I usually buy through relatives that go to the US. What tube amps would you recommend then?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I see... Well I have a really big problem though, I don't live in the US, actually in live in Brazil and massdrop doesn't even deliver here, even if they delivered custom would kill the price for me as I usually buy through relatives that go to the US. What tube amps would you recommend then?

Well anything else I'd think of you'll likely have to import them so same problem. Unless you check what's available through local stores and then I'll check off some of them.

If you'll have people buy them for you and then bring them back, there's the Little Dot Mk1, but if it has to come from China I'm not sure if it will get to them in time. If your relatives have a home in the US you can have the CTH delivered to that address I think, but I'm not sure if Massdrop can send to an address that isn't the billing address for your credit card. You could ask Massdrop if they do though.

BTW if you order from JDS Labs you'd get the same problem, so maybe check what's available in your area. At least import taxes are paid for and you have warranty support without shipping it out and having to deal with customs when they come back.

 

[gasmonkey]

As an owner of Grado's, I understand the original question as "how bad is the discomfort?"

325e: horrible. Dont bother, the most you can listen is an hour, and yeah, Rodriguez sounds like god jerking a guitar off, but your ear can only watch so long.

I was skeptical when Grado claimed their PS1000 were comfortable. Yeah right! But Im sitting here typing to you on hour 3 of listening today. I have no problem with the PS1000, even though it is the same material! Just a 50mm driver surrounding the ear instead of resting upon it.

My uninformed opinion is that Grado becomes comfortable when it sits around your ear, not on your ear. Otherwise, forget it. Not any form of comfortable.

Edit, using chord mojo and elekit tu7200 tube amp.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

One other thing about Grado on-ear comfort though - you can also realign where the driver/earpad sit on the ear. Cymbals also won't sound too far off to the flank/too forward if you have it moved forward and lower (blue) compared to how people would instinctively put them on (red).

 

[433521]

My 125 is comfortable - secure but not too tight. Plenty of material in the pad for cushioning. I thought the 60 was too. The Sennheiser 414 pads give a more secure feeling. Not a fan of using the L cush pads - the 'speaker grill' rubs against my ear. Haven't tried the G cush (large bowl) pads.

None have fallen apart for me.

If they do so in a short amount of time, you might try sending them back to Grado during the first couple of years. They're pretty good about supporting their headphones.

 

[harry501501]

I found the sr80e comfy enough but the earpads that came with them are fairly heavy duty foam and i can see someone disliking this