[kramer5150]

The bowl pads certainly change over time. In the pics below the pads on the left are less than 1 hour, the ones on the right are about 18 months of regular use.

 

[Zanth]

Compression makes sense. First, all foam compresses and the inherent elasticity of the material decreases over time. This goes for the most dense foam (lumbar supporting center foam in many posture sensitive mattresses like tempurpedic, posturepedic etc, then of course the less dense tempurpedic nasa foam) all the way down to foam used in the pads.

One must also remember that the body's natural oils will soften the pads and increase the rate of compression because the oils will lubricate the foam but will decrease its capacity to "bounce back" to its original shape. The up side of this is that the natural oils help the foam to soften as well, making them more comfy. Nothing lasts forever, and the pads are pretty cheap to replace.

 

[courierdriver]

I also own Grado's...SR-125'5...and the lettering is also still prestine. Have had them about 6-weeks now. No problems with my cable, either; and I've had them slung all over stuff. It seems really good, at avoiding-becoming a twisted mess! Sound is awsome, too.

 

[Orre]

My SR-60's are over 6 years old. All letters except for the first S on the left cup, are intact.
The silver on the buttons' borders are rubbed off, more or less.

I've used them almost every day, on my way to/from work.. I think they're still in pretty good condition, although I should probably buy new pads, I've only changed them once..

 

[Tull1996]

I have owned a pair of SR-80's for about a year and so far (knock on wood), they are fine...not the most comfortable headphones..and just looking at them you think "I better be sorta careful with these....a good stiff breeze could make them fall apart)....but all the paint is still there and nothing has fallen off.

A good friend of mine has had a pair of SR-60's for probably 10 years....he's not NEARLY as careful with his stuff as I am....they have been knocked around and all that....and other than the pads looking like they spent some time in a viet nam prison camp, they are in GREAT shape...no paint worn off, nothing falling apart....so...maybe it's just the luck of the draw with Grado's (or maybe they just don't make them like they used to).....if I didn't like the sound so much, I would certainly look to other makes.

 

[Rob80b]

The reason I started this thread is that I have the chance to return SR225’s for full value toward a higher end Grado, IF they are in AS NEW condition. ( don’t you love upgrading)
I had the SR60’s for a few weeks prior to moving up to the SR225’s and they showed absolutely no sign of wear over the same period.
Grado obviously used a different paint on the buttons, or the plastic is slightly different so that the paint never really adheres and will wipe off with the slightest touch.
Anyway I’ve emailed Grado , so we will see.

 

[MegaMeee]

the silver on my couple of years old ms1 has held up really well. Not the same story for my recently puchased k1000 thats a couple of years old as well... I think people should stop complaining about their silver

However the modded comfies are streched too much now so they dont fit properly, and the ear side has turned a sort of greenish colour. Considering I use them for gaming and pretty much everytime I use the net or studying, Im guessing I use them probably 3-4 hours a day so I think its okay that the pads are starting to wear out. My other problem is that the black plastic insulation has frayed where the cord enters the headphones.

 

[VR6ofpain]

As with all headphones it is completely dependent upon how you treat them. I sold my SR-80's after owning them for a little over a year. They still look mint. I used then, but kept them in the box, and always put them down flat...not throwing them on the desk or in a bag.

Honestly I think my K601's need to be treated nicely, they feel fragile.

 

[incognitoedleon]

The paint on my nearly 5 year old SR60 is still perfect. Same goes to my SR325i's, but I've only had those for a couple months.

 

[Rob80b]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob80b The reason I started this thread is that I have the chance to return SR225’s for full value toward a higher end Grado, IF they are in AS NEW condition. ( don’t you love upgrading) I had the SR60’s for a few weeks prior to moving up to the SR225’s and they showed absolutely no sign of wear over the same period. Grado obviously used a different paint on the buttons, or the plastic is slightly different so that the paint never really adheres and will wipe off with the slightest touch. Anyway I’ve emailed Grado , so we will see.

I'm quoting myself because I think everyone is missing the point, Grado's paint on the buttons literally just came off by touch not by any sort of use.

 

[omedon]

My brother has had a pair of SR-80's for around 8 years. He never really used them for home use but as an around town phone. They weren't really babied and have seen a lot of use & travel.

Some of the paint has been scratched away and this year one of the cups disconnected from the band. He was able to glue it back in though.

 

[Rob80b]

Update, my dealer took back the SR225's and I moved up to a new pair of SR325i's, very nice.
ps. the paint does not rub off, YA

 

[dmunky]

The silver paint on the L and R of my HF-1s come off just by touching it. The rest of the lettering on the cups are perfect though. I was kinda puzzled by this since my previous pair of SR-60s never had that kind of problem. Anyone recommend any kind of silver paint markers? I think I have a Testors one laying around somewhere.

 

[Hellacious D]

The weak grado build quality really pisses me off. If I'm gonna pay 200 dollars for headphones they should be made of metal, wood, and leather. To be fair, the build quality of almost all audiophile headphones is disappointing. How much does it cost to use leather earpads instead of pleather? I guess these companies can't afford to cut their profit margin down 3% on products that are already overpriced. Either audiophile headphone companies are making a killing or high end drivers are incredibly expensive to make.

 

[Geoff Rymer]

The paint on the L of my HF-1s has pretty much all come off. The paint on the R is immaculate, as is that on the ends of the chamber. What is the difference that causes that? No idea. However, it doesn't affect the sound any, so I can't say I care that much...