[erdavis]

Hi all,
 
A little background on me since I am new to the forum. I recently got Tidal as a way to enjoy hifi music, but I am noticing that my current earbuds are not doing the music justice.
 
 
Current:
 
Sennheiser CX215 - Owned for about 2 months, not bad for watching youtube or Hulu, but not the best for enjoying hifi music.
 
Previous:
Klispch S4 - Liked them, but had severe cable issues. Actually bought two, but gave one set away - replaced because the cable broke where the it attaches to the TRS connector.
 
Ultimate Ears Super Fi 4 - Very clean sounding with good separation, but no low end. - replaced because the cable broke where the it attaches to the TRS connector.

Shure SE215 (or equivalent) - Dog ate them after owning for two days.

Based off of my past experiences I know I like the following:
Smaller earbuds - This is the main reason I like the CX215
Symmetrical cords (can't stand asymmetrical cordage)
No inline controls (I don't need a mic or remote - they always feel cheap)
I like to wear them in the cable down position (I am not a fan of behind the ears)
 
Overall I am looking hard at the Grado GR10e's. I was highly interested in the GR10's, but with the revision to the design with the GR10E I am even more interested - I do understand that the changes were very minor. I am more of a fan of the styling of the SR60e, rather than the GR10e, but open back headphones don't work for my listening environment.
 
The moving armature seems intriguing and one of the reasons I am interested in the GR10E's, but I understand that $400 is a lot of cash and there are a lot of other potential choices out there.
 
Additionally my last few headphones all died because of cable issues... not driver issues. That has me concerned and I wish the GR10E's had a detachable cable for the price.
 
I am also looking at the Klispch X11i as well as the Shure SE425 (con - over ear cable). I would buy the Sennheiser IE800 if they weren't $800.
 
When I do listen to music is is driven off of either my Apple Macbook Air, iPad or iPod - don't know if that impacts anything.
 
I am mainly looking for any reason I shouldn't pull the trigger on the GR10e's as I was pretty much sold on buying their predecessor.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Whenever I read a post from someone that says they have had multiple headphone cables fail in the same way, I have to wonder if there is something about the way you are using the cable that is contributing to the failure. Did the cables that failed have straight plugs or right-angle plugs? Do you use the headphones in a way that puts stress on that connection?

 

[erdavis]

They were all right angle plugs and they are plugged into my laptop.
 
I rarely every transport the laptop and if I do I do not take the earbuds with me.
 
I never excessively pull on the cord or do anything out of the ordinary. I find it strange as well that I have had multiple cord failures at the same exact location. It is also not a model specific laptop issue as I have changed laptops/brands over the years.

 

[PeterLBennett]

For what its worth I have been using the GR10's for nearly a year with my Astell & Kern AK120 and because I dont sleep particularly well I use them most nights on a sleep timer. This means they double up as earplugs, necessary because (dont tell her!) my wife tends to snore in the middle of the night. I'm sure my practice with these phones is unwise but the main point here is I have never had any trouble with the cable _ I am surprised because they don't look very robust but in practice they are!

 

[erdavis]

Are there any issues with driving these off of a Macbook, iPhone or iPad when used in conjunction with Tidal? Something like an Astell & Kern is out of my price range.
 
I don't think an amp would be required, but I just want to make sure that I am maximizing their capabilities.

 

[PeterLBennett]

I'm not familiar with Tidal but know that the GR10s are fine with iphone/ iPad without an amp.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

No worry. I was using my gr10 with my iPhone. I also have a few nice amps and DACs, which of course improved the sound quality of the gr10. But it was not worth spending another $300 for the gr10. The iPhone/iPad is already a great audio player - not hi-fi DAC/map level of course, but still enough for the in-ears.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Also the GR10 is much more durable than it looks. That cable is tiny, but I've never heard anyone complained about a GR10 with detached cable. Even in the worse case (warranty run out and cable broken), you can email Grado and ask for repair. COnsidering that the company was even willing to replace drivers for broken SR and RS, I strongly suppose they will help you with the GR10 if something unfortunate happens.

 

[flinkenick]

I've had the Sennheiser CX-300II, and I don't know if the CX-215 is similar, but I thought it was a fun iem with excellent bass. I bought the GR10 but was very disappointed with it and actually preferred the 370 euro cheaper CX-300II.
 
As with most iems it will strongly depend on your music preference. If you tend to listen to indie or classic rock, classical music, jazz etc. the Grado's might be great for you. If you listen to more energetic music like hip hop, pop, metal, EDM or electro the GR10's might be a huge disappointment like it was for me.
 
If you're interested in a IE800, you could consider second hand. I bought one for $350 on head fi, and would always choose a second hand IE800 over a GR10.

 

[bubbakja]

I've had the GR10's now for a month (im pretty sure they are the GR10e's as they have the hole in the bottom).  Previously I had the ultimate ears triple fi 10's, klipsch x10's, and s4's.  I've been a fan of Grado since I was a senior in HS when my dad gave me a pair of SR-80's for graduation, and had upgraded to the SR325's.  I was wanting to experience the GR-10's since most of my listening is to IEM's at work while I code.  Previously I had been running my tripleFI's through a Fiio E12 mont blanc amp and was pretty happy.  I'm not some uber earphone guy, so I can't talk the lingo.  What I can say is that the upgrade brought a sense of clarity and openess that the tripleFI's did not have.  I swapped back and forth on a few songs and I was sure it was worth the money.  
 
The interesting part is while the tripleFi's really needed the amp to bring out the full range of my music, the GR-10's do not.  They sound amazing running off my iphone6, when listening to modern music.  I mostly listen to rock/alt rock, frequent bands : Tool, Soundgarden, NiN, Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, any thing Jack White, Black Keys, etc.  The newer albums all sound fabulous out of the box.  I find older recordings to be a bit underpowered in their mixing.  An example would be NiN, comparing Pretty Hate Machine and Hesitation Marks.  Pretty Hate Machine really comes alive w/ the amp where Hesitation Marks shines through on its own.
 
In the end if you like rock (and I believe that in general the community agrees on this)  The GR-10's are absolutely amazing.  Grado also has an amazing customer experience.  Any problems with your IEM's postwarranty, contact them and send them in with a $30 check and you will be taken care of.  I had my SR-80's refurbished after a decade and had 0 issues.  
 
*I was not a fan at all of the klipsch x10's.  I got the x10's and tripleFI10's during that magical era of Amazon black friday sales for $99 each.  I felt the x10's were barely a step up from the S4's, where the tripleFI's were at the time earth shattering.  

 

[erdavis]

I picked up a set of GR10E's. Overall very good build quality. Very small buds.
 
The sound is a little flat on the bass end as many people have mentioned. I ended up downloading an EQ adjuster (Boom for Mac) and was capable of getting really good deep sound. With proper EQ settings you can probably get these buds to sound any way you want... With the only downside is that you then have to adjust every device you use them on.
 
As far build quality, the plastic is very nice and hard as many people have previously mentioned.
The brass is really solid feeling. The cable is very thick and feels very strong (no worries about longevity).
 
I really like the nipple on the left side bud as I can pick up which side is which in the dark.
I am currently using the large size ear tips (which feel perhaps a little too big), but the mediums felt a little too small. I may switch back to the mediums.
 
Noise isolation is very good.
 
Overall my first impressions were that they were a little expensive for the sound quality and then after doing a custom EQ setting there is no question why they are priced the way they are.
 
Exceptional performance once they are setup to your liking.

 

[423223]

   
Noise isolation is very good.
 

I'd have to disagree. I would give them a 6.8 or 6.9 out of 10.

 

[VinegarBoy]

I'd have to disagree. I would give them a 6.8 or 6.9 out of 10.

I tested a set extensively and would have to disagree. I would give them a 7.4 or 7.5 out of 10.