[ProtegeManiac]

As for comfort, my sr80s never got to the point of being comfortable. They were bearable, but so were my Ety HF5s. The Beyer DT770s definitely wins in the comfort department.

I get their >if it aint broke dont fix it< business plan but I would love for them to improve on the little things (ear pads, thinner braided cables, adjusting mechanism).

 
The thing with Grados is it's actually the chassis that is holding them back - the way they fit relative to the ears is part of what gives them that sound, however that's the primary reason why the soundstage sounds like that and there is glare on some models. They're still fired directly into the ears when the MDR-1R (as well as other, more expensive Sonys before it of course) already uses angled mounts like many German(ic) cans.
 
Of course, one can at least use denser cirumaural Beyer pads with them, or if one has money, straight up transplant an SR325 driver into a Beyer chassis) . I'm planning on getting a used 325 if I run into one, but I'm still not certain which way to go since I like the classic looks of it with a wood driver mount and the Beyer earpads adapter; but I'm thinking a Beyer chassis would be more comfortable overall (although way more expensive) and I can just send them in to get a Grado driver transplant. The C-Pads would retain the capability to fold them flat though.

 

 

[TWerk]

That guy can't be serious...
 
$273 for a pair of his C-pads?
 
That is the most outrageous thing I've seen here, and I've seen many outrageous things.
 
Hold on, let me go grab $300 bucks for a pair of friggin' earpads.

 

[Aizura]

  That guy can't be serious...
 
$273 for a pair of his C-pads?
 
That is the most outrageous thing I've seen here, and I've seen many outrageous things.
 
Hold on, let me go grab $300 bucks for a pair of friggin' earpads.

 
His analogy must be: If people are dumb enough to want to wear Grados around ear, they must be dumb enough to pay such a high price for a POS.

 

[Aizura]

There has been no evolution in audio quality since invention of the dynamic driver in 1937. The only thing that has evolved is the ability of manufacturers to decrease production costs and their marketing schemes that allows them to sell the same technology at steadily increasing price points.

bollocks

 
Listen to any vintage TOTL headphones and directly compare it to modern TOTL headphones.
The only difference is that the modern ones have different styling and cost about 8 times as much.
Listen and believe

 

[justaname]

Listen to any vintage TOTL headphones and directly compare it to modern TOTL headphones.
The only difference is that the modern ones have different styling and cost about 8 times as much.
Listen and believe

"There has been no evolution in audio quality..."
"The only difference is that ..."

Guess my next cans will be some 1937 vintages.

 

[vid]

In the mid-fi range, there hasn't been much evolution since the '80s or so, unless you count more sub-bass. Besides, with what we know today and with the software/processing power we now have, you can pretty much do the evolution yourself and save whatever someone else would charge for it.

 

[Aizura]

"There has been no evolution in audio quality..."
"The only difference is that ..."

Guess my next cans will be some 1937 vintages.

 
Correct conclusion.
 
If you can find one in good condition that still sounds like it sounded when brand new, prepare to have your mind blown.
 
People are brainwashed by marketing and led to believe that new things are by definition better than old things. Yet, most of the time, new things are released simply to satisfy the hunger of the consumer who always wants to have the latest gadget, not because the old one is inadequate from a technical/functional POV.
 
There are ofcourse technologies that are still very much in development. A good example is computer hardware, where new stuff is almost always better than the old stuff. Audio is one of the exceptions, where the technology seems to be stuck and engineers cannot find significant ways anymore to improve the sound. This is why headphone makers have to resort to rediculous marketing efforts with vague claims in order to make the new products "appear" better than the old stuff. They make statements like "improved airflow", better electrical conductivity by having 99,999999% OFC platinum coated wires, enriched with minerals from Mars, "diamond plated drivers", MU-metal shielding, "better dynamics" and so on, instead of simply stating facts that can be CHECKED, like "the memory capacity has been doubled" or "the resolution has increased from 100 to 200 pixels."

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

Listen to any vintage TOTL headphones and directly compare it to modern TOTL headphones.
The only difference is that the modern ones have different styling and cost about 8 times as much.
Listen and believe

Of course audio is still evolving, but at a much slower pace than in the past. Most companies just don't adopt any new technologies, but that doesn't reflect audio advancement. For example, Audeze's fazored planar drivers, Fostex's bio cellulose diaphragms, and Sennheiser's ring radiator drivers.

That's not to say quality products of the past can't be as good as new ones, it depends how much research and quality went into the equipment. Quad ESL-53 speakers from the 50's-80's are amazing speakers that are for the most part comparable to modern electrostatics.

 

[vid]

Of course audio is still evolving, but at a much slower pace than in the past. Most companies just don't adopt any new technologies, but that doesn't reflect audio advancement. For example, Audeze's fazored planar drivers, Fostex's bio cellulose diaphragms, and Sennheiser's ring radiator drivers.

 
There's a subtle difference here. If you can achieve the sound of eg. a fazor only with a fazor then we have evolution. Otherwise, we have an extra option.
 
Of course, if we're talking strictly headphone evolution and not evolution in sound quality, then new types of drivers are evolution, for sure.

 

[up late]

Listen to any vintage TOTL headphones and directly compare it to modern TOTL headphones.
The only difference is that the modern ones have different styling and cost about 8 times as much.
Listen and believe

preferring the sound of vintage cans and speakers to modern versions is one thing but claiming that headphone and speaker design hasn't evolved since the 1930's is ridiculous. pretty sure that the audio engineers responsible for the hd800 and kef blade would disagree with you.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  That guy can't be serious...
 
$273 for a pair of his C-pads?
 
That is the most outrageous thing I've seen here, and I've seen many outrageous things.
 
Hold on, let me go grab $300 bucks for a pair of friggin' earpads.

 
Wow thanks for pointing that out - last I remember it was, like, $170 or thereabouts. 

 
Looks like I'm going with 3D printed plastic.

 

[TWerk]

I mean, it's a pair of velour pads with an adapter so you can use it with your Grados. Close to $300? Completely insane.
 
What's even better is that he charges an extra $10 for black pads instead of silver. Okay dude, I forgot how rare of a color BLACK is.
 
Someone please just punch me in the face.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I mean, it's a pair of velour pads with an adapter so you can use it with your Grados. Close to $300? Completely insane.
 
What's even better is that he charges an extra $10 for black pads instead of silver. Okay dude, I forgot how rare of a color BLACK is.
 
Someone please just punch me in the face.

 
Back when I first saw that I'd bite for what  I remember the price was (that or I might have remembered a used price, not sure anymore) just to get that sort of circumaural pads around it. In any case he can demand such prices for woodworking skills, the same way welders can earn more than college grads. For my wallet though at that price I'm gonna get a used SR225 instead and wait for a 3D scanner-printer service around here.

 

[Beagle]

   
Listen to any vintage TOTL headphones and directly compare it to modern TOTL headphones.
The only difference is that the modern ones have different styling and cost about 8 times as much.
Listen and believe

 
A NOS $65 Yamaha HP-1 from 1976 would blow away many of today's 'top-tier' headphones.

 

[swspiers]

   
A NOS $65 Yamaha HP-1 from 1976 would blow away many of today's 'top-tier' headphones.

Even the new Hifiman, Alpha Dogs, Paradox, or Audeze?