[OwlAudio]

I am curious--are people who are using the Grado HP1000's using them at home with a stationary stereo system, or are you using them with a portable system such as an ipod and portable headphone amp?

Reason I ask is I noticed the HP-1000 comes with 1/4" standard, which is unusual for headphones, most of which come with 1/8" and a 1/4" adapter. If you want to use the HP1000's with an 1/8" system you need a 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapter.

This leads me to believe this headphone is intended for home use, however I am curious if this is how they are predominantly used. how many people are using them with a portable setup and using a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter.

Or if you don't own them how would you use them if you did?

 

[Killercrush]

No way I would use these for portable use, they don't isolate at all, they are big, heavy, flashy, expensive and no portable system is enough to do them justice IMO.

 

[robm321]

Definately on my home system. I wouldn't take the chance of damaging them by wearing them on the go.

 

[feh1325]

i wouldn't even let them go outside my house

 

[Duggeh]

I think that Nomad wears his Qualias as portable cans though.

 

[mulveling]

Oh geez...do you know how awesome those cans are? Their sound quality deserves nothing less than a great home setup with a well chosen dedicated headphone amp ($1K+ neighborhood IMO). Would be a shame to use them up on a portable rig, especially since the cable's electrical connection to the driver has been known to sometimes give way after a solid tug.

 

[Jahn]

heck, these babies were meant to plug into a studio engineer's mixing board! i highly doubt Joe Grado ever imagined a pairing with a walkman or discman (as they were called back then) so it's not unusual at all to see a 1/4 plug on it.

 

[makasin]

Yeah, pretty much all "audiophile" headphones come with 1/4 inch plugs unless they are IEMs

 

[lmilhan]

The Alessandro MS-2is are about as brave as I get for portable phones.

Not only does using an HP-1 portably seem absurd to me, it would also be completely impractical. They're heavy, leak sound in and out like a sieve, and they need a good beefy amp to drive them properly (preferably a tube amp). Not to mention they are a collector's item that are worth $1300+. It would almost be like me using my PS-1s portably - that would be rediculous.

But hey, stranger things have happened. Some Wingnut here at Head-Fi used a pair of K-1000s portably once. Granted he wasn't serious, he was just being a goof, but where there's a will there's a way. I suppose if I had enough money that I could whipe my ***** with hundred dollar bills, then maybe I would consider using such a beautiful, rare and expensive pair of headphones portably. But since that is unlikely to happen any time soon (read: never), I will leave my expensive gear at home, thank you very much.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn /img/forum/go_quote.gif heck, these babies were meant to plug into a studio engineer's mixing board!

exactly. these weren't intended as an audiophile's toy, but rather as a studio tool. joe built them as a recording reference phone and they should be treated as such and fed well. that said i have little doubt that they could be run decently, though perhaps not optimally, off of an rsa sr-71.

 

[Icarium]

Lol, I've heard that these have been sighted before... but I really wouldn't recommend using them for uncontrolled environmental use ;p

If Nomad really uses Qualias with his portables he is just mean spirited ;p Haha, jk.

 

[quattro98]

I've only ever used them with an amp for home use.

 

[lan]

These are one of my portable headphones. They are rugged and well that's that.

They don't really have a place inside for me since my house is ruled by other better headphones.

I must agree that most portable rigs (and even home rigs) are not that great especially to my tastes. Fortunately I can tweak to my desires. I think mine sound great on my portable rigs. I will be tuning my next ones for it.

 

[unkamartin]

OwlAudio,

Well this is a very good question. As the phrase goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Here’s a web link to some images made on a visit with Joseph Grado at his home earlier this spring:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinmckenzie

You’ll notice the master enjoys listening to Grado HP-1000's with both iPods as well as, "portable Swiss made audio playback systems".

In, “Image 6”, notice as well the condition of his HP-1. I recently attended a funeral mass during which communion was offered to the congregation. In watching the priest handle the chalice during the ceremony, it reminded me of how Joseph cares for his personal headphones after using them. I do the same; by reverently handling them when using them and then returning them to proper storage when our listening sessions have concluded.

Smiles,

Unkamartin



Quote:

Originally Posted by OwlAudio /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am curious--are people who are using the Grado HP1000's using them at home with a stationary stereo system, or are you using them with a portable system such as an ipod and portable headphone amp? Reason I ask is I noticed the HP-1000 comes with 1/4" standard, which is unusual for headphones, most of which come with 1/8" and a 1/4" adapter. If you want to use the HP1000's with an 1/8" system you need a 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapter. This leads me to believe this headphone is intended for home use, however I am curious if this is how they are predominantly used. how many people are using them with a portable setup and using a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. Or if you don't own them how would you use them if you did?

 

[Jahn]

Thank you for sharing those pics! I think that's the first time I've seen Joe wearing his cans - awesome!