GanChan
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2002
- Posts
- 758
- Likes
- 12
My scalp has been complaining recently due to headphone headband friction, so I decided to try a different type of phone for my TV/computer listening. Clip-ons never quite fit my particular ears well enough to deliver the full frequency range, so I went with the behind-the-neck eGrados. (The other candidate on my short list was the adjustable SportaPro, but I kept hearing that they were super-dark in sound....)
Anyway, I like the eGrado. I understand that they're basically just a reincarnation of the iGrado, only with less clamping force (a lot of people were complaining about the tight fit). I can't compare them, but these headphones fit my head and ears perfectly. I guess I lucked out, since there are no adjustable parts.... I wear these for several hours without any problems.
The construction looks cheap, and I wouldn't want to test the thin cable with too much activity, despite the fact that the eGrado is designed for sports and such. In my case, they're not leaving the house; I have JVC Marshmallows for the rough stuff.
The sound is quite good for the price, IMO. Just to qualify that statement, you should know that I'm not a bass-head; some of my favorite headphones in the past have included the ER6i, Sony V6, Senn HD280 and HD590. On first listen, the eGrado did seem a little on the dark and boomy side. But I got the impression that it wasn't so much a matter of excessive bass as rolled-off treble. Instead of doing the quarter mod or otherwise messing with the phones themselves, I opted to apply a bit of EQ -- and I'm glad I did. As soon as I hit the Treble Boost on my iPod, the sound leveled out beautifully, with plenty of high-end sparkle (and some extra upper mids) to balance the bass. On my Yamaha receiver, I left the treble knob flat but dialed the bass knob down a notch. Same improvement! The sound is now very clean and detailed. The soundstage remains narrow, and isolation/leakage are what you'd expect from an open design, but none of those issues happen to bother me.
These will suit my casual listening purposes just fine, as long as they remain intact. I will handle them with care.
Anyway, I like the eGrado. I understand that they're basically just a reincarnation of the iGrado, only with less clamping force (a lot of people were complaining about the tight fit). I can't compare them, but these headphones fit my head and ears perfectly. I guess I lucked out, since there are no adjustable parts.... I wear these for several hours without any problems.
The construction looks cheap, and I wouldn't want to test the thin cable with too much activity, despite the fact that the eGrado is designed for sports and such. In my case, they're not leaving the house; I have JVC Marshmallows for the rough stuff.
The sound is quite good for the price, IMO. Just to qualify that statement, you should know that I'm not a bass-head; some of my favorite headphones in the past have included the ER6i, Sony V6, Senn HD280 and HD590. On first listen, the eGrado did seem a little on the dark and boomy side. But I got the impression that it wasn't so much a matter of excessive bass as rolled-off treble. Instead of doing the quarter mod or otherwise messing with the phones themselves, I opted to apply a bit of EQ -- and I'm glad I did. As soon as I hit the Treble Boost on my iPod, the sound leveled out beautifully, with plenty of high-end sparkle (and some extra upper mids) to balance the bass. On my Yamaha receiver, I left the treble knob flat but dialed the bass knob down a notch. Same improvement! The sound is now very clean and detailed. The soundstage remains narrow, and isolation/leakage are what you'd expect from an open design, but none of those issues happen to bother me.
These will suit my casual listening purposes just fine, as long as they remain intact. I will handle them with care.
