[BrookR1]

I ordered them from TTVJ on Sunday, received them on Wednesday, and am now getting around to listening to them. I'm doing a comparison with my PX100s and SR-80s.

Initial impressions:

Very comfortable
Surprisingly dark compared to the PX100s and especially my SR-80s
Smaller sound stage than both
Highs were rolled off
Love the cord
They leak much less sound than I thought they would

I wonder how these would sound with the backs removed. I'm still making up my mind about these.

 

[XXstatic]

I just bought a pair that had a damaged cable for 20$.
I had a cable from a pair of KSC 75's that I just soldered in, I noticed that there is a piece of thin foam inside each earcup between the driver and the steel "Comet can" looking shell.
I wonder if removing the foam would help brighten them up a bit?

 

[SONGsanmanwah]

So far I'm only able to quarter mod mine. I'd love to hear more comparison with SR60/80 to get some ideas what to look for in order to improve SQ.

iGrado is EXTREMELY comfortable. This come from a lot of easily overlooked details its designer put in. For example, the parts of cable that connect to earpieces (the upper part of Y) are not ordinary cable but rubber tubes that do NOT stick to the wire inside. The cable has much more elasticity and folding problems become minimal.

Comparing to 1.5 minutes folding/unfolding my PX100 or 50 seconds wrapping my Portapro (with too many of my precious hair on the sliding pieces), I prefer sliding the iGrado in and out of my backpack and never look back.

I think from Grado's point of view the product is an obvious dilemma. They offer something which can't be too expensive (aiming at non-Grado fan iPod users) and can't be too attractive SQ wise (or they'll kill theirown SR 60). The way things turn out, I just hope those behind the development of this product would get back on their feet soon. We still need more new Grados. Rock & Roll can never dies, you know

 

[Debaser86]

I love my iGrados... though lately they've been a little ignored due to my recent K81dj and Vibes purchases. I think I'll give them a good listening session over the weekend, because, alas, I miss them so!

 

[Mrvile]

I've always wanted to see what people's impressions were of the iGrados with the quarter mod compared to regular Grados...but it seems the iGrados are a bust and no one is buying them!

 

[BrookR1]

I spent another hour with them in the gym and the sound stage opened up for me, but they still seemed a little dark even with the treble boost set on my ipod nano. I'll give them more time and write a little more as I get used to them and maybe do a little AB comparison with the PX100.

So far my SR-80s blow these away in every way.

I did a little more listening and then read the package:: "...retains the legendary sound that is pure Grado: warm harmonic color, full-bodied vocals, excellent dynamics, rich bass, and an ultra-smooth top end." Ya think I shoulda read this before listening to them????

XXstatic...how did you pop the backs off? I saw the 4 little tabs on each phone, but didn't have a tool handy.

 

[XXstatic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrookR1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif XXstatic...how did you pop the backs off? I saw the 4 little tabs on each phone, but didn't have a tool handy.

Actually those 4 tabs do hold the driver in along with a cleverly hidden screw that is located underneath what appears to be the pivot point but as we know the phones don't pivot...

Looking at the ear foam do you see the little black porthole cover? If you take a very slim/small screwdriver you can pry the cap off and under it is a tiny phillips head screw that holds the driver into the exterior housing.
The more time I spend with these the more I like them over my KSC 75's.

 

[BrookR1]

OK...I found the treble control on these things!!! For the heck of it, I moved the phones around my ears thinking maybe I had them on wrong?

I had the drivers centered on my ears and moved them back on my ears. The sound opened up. I moved them back even more. Yes! There's the treble! The sound stage opened up even more. I swear, it was like having a built in EQ on these things. The further forward (and more centered) on my ears, the more bassy and darker the headphones became. The farther back on my ears, the more open and airy the sound became. Unfortunately, where I like the sound, the position of the headphones is such that the drivers rest about 1/2-3/4 of an inch beyond the back of my ear. The front of my ear almost digs into the front of the ear slot. Comfort just went down a couple of points.

I'm also not sure if I can keep these in position while I ride. We'll see. I may still try removing the pad from the back of the driver...or even try the quarter mod.

So far, the sound improvement brings them almost up to the SR-80. The bass isn't as punchy and the mids are slightly more recessed. These are getting much better with time, though.

 

[Mrvile]

Have you tried the quarter mod yet? I'm sure it would open up the sound quite a bit.

 

[baskin9659]

hey songsanmanwah,from your post it seems you have both the igrados and the portapros,which is better sound quality wise.

 

[SONGsanmanwah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by baskin9659 /img/forum/go_quote.gif hey songsanmanwah,from your post it seems you have both the igrados and the portapros,which is better sound quality wise.

When I first got the iGrado its SQ seemed to be in the middle between PortaPro and PX100, after I paired them with an amp (PA2v2) I prefer them to either phones.

@BrookR1: That exactly what I do! I always pull the neckband backward a little bit to get better sound. Grabbing neckband with one hand to lift/roll the phone a little to get them into position is also part of the ease of use I've come to love.

 

[MaZa]

It has been said that the iGrados darkness comes from overthick pad. People have either quartermodded original, or have putted thinner Sennheiser PX100 pads on it and voila, almost SR60 type sound.

 

[_M2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrookR1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I ordered them from TTVJ on Sunday, received them on Wednesday, and am now getting around to listening to them. I'm doing a comparison with my PX100s and SR-80s. Initial impressions: Very comfortable Surprisingly dark compared to the PX100s and especially my SR-80s Smaller sound stage than both Highs were rolled off Love the cord They leak much less sound than I thought they would I wonder how these would sound with the backs removed. I'm still making up my mind about these.

can you burn them in and come back with a consensus?

 

[BrookR1]

will do...I'll give them a week or so.

 

[Skylab]

I bought a pair of iGrados for running. They work very well for this purpose, and they sound quite good. Surprisingly good bass.