[Silver]

I have got a chance to listen to Gino's setup(963SA, all expensive IC/PC, Twinhead) with R10s and HP-1s. R10s sound fantastic, especially for female vocal, it's something to die for. In contrast, HP-1s sound dull and boring. It lacks the sparkling highs and the impeccable soundstage of R10s. However, it is better than R10s when listening to rock 'n' roll(R10s are TOO bright for rock). I just can't understand what's wrong with HP-1s... Source? Amp? Or just that I prefer the colored sound of lower end Grados to the so-called neutral sound of HP-1s?

 

[DesBen]

Tho there are exceptions, Grado's 32 ohm present a tough load for tube headphone amplifiers. Sure, you can optimize the output transformer for the Grado (as is probably the case with he Melos), but most tube amps are probably targetting higher-impedance headphones. This presents the output tube with a less than optimal impedance which prevents the tube from sounding its best.

This seems to be the case with the MG Head OTL: I was never really pleased with how it sounded with Grado. If the twinhead was designed with the same target impedance in mind, I suspect this could have been the problem.

Try the cans with a solid state amp or a built-for-Grado Melos. I've heard the HP-1 out of some Melos and the sound was nothing short of stunning.

 

[Guyferd]

no, nothing is wrong .. it's just that it doesn't stand a chance against The King

 

[MichaelFranks]

Ear max pro is apparently a great match for the grados as well, I too was far from impressed with the regular mg head/grado combination.

Hopefully the mg head otl-32 has truly addressed the grados special needs, the ASL line is such a great value it would be nice to have a tubed unit which is truly versatile at such a reasonable price.

edit: the EMP suggestion isn't something I can verify, just what I remember reading here, perhaps others can confirm/deny this assertion.

 

[Silver]

I remember that the Twinhead was specially tunned for R10s... Not sure though.

BTW, HP-1s also don't sound good with Cosmic. Do you think it will sound good with XP-7 which will be brough to the meet on 8th?

 

[Tuberoller]

I am no big fan of the HP1/Hp2 phones. I have owned several over the years and now have an NOS HP1 that just does'nt impress me. I can see and hear why some folks like them but they are certainly not my flavor. Yes,I have used them with all the many,many amps and sources at my disposal and I'm thinkin' this is just one of those cases of mass nostalgia for a product that is no longer produced. I find this whole thing similar to the frenzy surrounding gear like the Thorens Turntables and Marantz tubed preamps(all of which I own or have owned) this is all great gear but there is certainly superior stuff being built today and this is coming from a big fan of vintage gear. All it takes is for a few well-placed proclamations of mystical qualities and then the market takes off. I paid $140 for a perfect pair of HP2 three years ago and bought an NOS HP1 from a pro-audio dealer for $375 a year later. The prices now are insane and in a few years the folks who paid this kind of money for these phones will be kicking themselves,I've seen it happen.....Think Quad speakers.

I recently had a friend from Okinawa visit and he brought along his HP1 and R10. He does'nt have a great amp to use with his phones so part of his purpose was to hear some of the amps I have. We used all the Ray Samuels,Headroom,and Meier audio amps as well as the Singlepower Supra and Wheatfield HA2 and concluded that the R10 is the king. I have come across many phones that I feel offer better performance than the HP1 but again this is all a matter of personal taste. I won't argue that the HP1 were at one time very great phones but they are far,far from the "holy grail" that some have proclaimed them to be.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller I recently had a friend from Okinawa visit and he brought along his HP1 and R10. He does'nt have a great amp to use with his phones so part of his purpose was to hear some of the amps I have. We used all the Ray Samuels,Headroom,and Meier audio amps as well as the Singlepower Supra and Wheatfield HA2 and concluded that the R10 is the king. I have come across many phones that I feel offer better performance than the HP1 but again this is all a matter of personal taste. I won't argue that the HP1 were at one time very great phones but they are far,far from the "holy grail" that some have proclaimed them to be.

Agreed. This time I can comment because I've heard HP2's. The build quality is excellent of course... SQ is very good, and very Grado (I am positive that they have a tipped up midrange, but some may disagree). Soundstaging and other characteristics I found to be typical of other Grado headphones I've heard in the past. No holy grail, just good cans (somewhat forward) with a nice midrange resolution that jumps out at you a bit... maybe a little too much.

BTW, I agree about Thorens turntables... I almost didn't want to get one because of that "get on the bandwagon" feel to them! But I couldn't turn down "free plus $75 for shipping/packing" for an excellent condition TD-160 MkI. Properly oiled, tweaked and adjusted it sounds wonderful, but I'm sure there's better.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Or just that I prefer the colored sound of lower end Grados to the so-called neutral sound of HP-1s?

Yup. And be glad. The market for HP-1's is insane. People who have never even heard them are paying over a "G-note" for 'em - crazy!! (Then they sell them a day later after they decide they're uncomfortable

)

Be glad you don't have to participate in that frenzy. Although, liking the R10's doesn't exactly put you in a position to save money

. But at least you can get a brand new pair right now.

I, personally, like the HP-1's because I think they are transparent. No undue colorations anywhere in the spectrum, no fake soundstage - just the music being played thru them. They just get out of the way. The Grados don't try to make the music more exciting than it already is. The R10's left me thinking about the headphones themselves more (and, IMO, a bit too much). But that's just me. *shrugs *

 

[Welly Wu]

How would a guy who is used to the Grado RS-1s take to the HP-1 UWB cans? Please speculate...

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally posted by Welly Wu How would a guy who is used to the Grado RS-1s take to the HP-1 UWB cans? Please speculate...

Although I prefer the HP-1's by a wide margin (don't like the RS-1's hardly at all), you'd probably be bored. Speculatingly speaking, of course...

 

[braillediver]

Grado HP-1’s Yuk. Get rid of them as soon as possible before they damage your hearing.

Better yet send them to me for proper disposal.

Hazardous Headphone Disposal site operator. I’ll wave the fees on the first 5 pairs sent in.


This public service announcement is brought to you by:

Mitch

 

[SumB]

Quote:

Originally posted by MichaelFranks edit: the EMP suggestion isn't something I can verify, just what I remember reading here, perhaps others can confirm/deny this assertion.

The Earmax Pro is superb with Grado headphones.

 

[Spent&Bent]

Quote:

Originally posted by MichaelFranks Ear max pro is apparently a great match for the grados as well, >< ><edit: the EMP suggestion isn't something I can verify, just what I remember reading here, perhaps others can confirm/deny this assertion.

Confirmed!

Actually I have decided today to start first with the portable performance of the sr-125 vs rs-2 comparison that I am working on, since I don't get much done when listening on the EMP with RS-2!!!

 

[MichaelFranks]

how about the otl-32?

I can confirm the fisher 400 drives grados quite nicely!

 

[yidimsum]

The major strength of HP-1000s is that it reflects the sound of the source/amp as accurately as any headphones that I have heard. It is clear window to what it's connected to. Garbage in, garbage out. Connect it with good cables, good amp, and good source, and you're in heaven. The HP-1000s are 40 ohm by the way.

Voices/musical instruments are rendered as accurately as possible with the HP-1000s - other headphones, i.e. R-10s & RS-1s add coloration that some may like, but it isn't my cup of tea. This coloration becomes bothersome to me because the signal coming from the source already reflects a fairly accurate portrayal of the sound of a violin, and the extra woodiness that the wood ear-pieced headphones add becomes an unwelcome coloration.

I guess I differentiate headphones and speakers - I don't look for the same sound in headphones as I do for speakers. The strength of headphones is the quickness and PRAT. Speakers soundstage and image much better than headphones IMHO, so although I look for these qualities in headphones, they are not the consuming priorities.

Musicality in the HP-1000s doesn't come from the headphones, but if your source sounds good, the HP-1000s are the last limiting factor. Not many headphones can claim this.