[tinyman392]

Quote:

I got to hear them last week; they are very well balanced --- and probably one of the least bass-heavy Monsters I've heard! I'd say it's as close to neutral in tonality as Monster will ever get (as of now).
 
I'm a little disappointed with the materials they used, though. It's noticeably plasticky, though they have a collection of really unique gel Supertips shaped just for the Gratitudes (and color-matched too!)
 

The housings didn't seem plastic to me (it had a nice heft to it)...  The rest was plastic, but still felt fine to me. 

 

[601red]

Hi,
 
I'm a noob with a question. I recently purchased the Gratitude.
 
 Every time I try to put them in, you know, we start to twist them in to get that good fit, they make a crackling sound(on both sides). Is this normal?
 
It sounds like a crackling, electrical charge, "chi-ch-ch", uh, that kind of sound.... every time. Does this happen to others, or is there something wrong with mine?
 
They sound great. I just hate that noise....

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I'm a noob with a question. I recently purchased the Gratitude.
 
 Every time I try to put them in, you know, we start to twist them in to get that good fit, they make a crackling sound(on both sides). Is this normal?
 
It sounds like a crackling, electrical charge, "chi-ch-ch", uh, that kind of sound.... every time. Does this happen to others, or is there something wrong with mine?
 
They sound great. I just hate that noise....

 
That's not crackling, that's sibilance.  The sibilance does go down as they burn in, but never goes away completely.  A lot of people are sensitive to that, some more than others.  I would still go about listening to them and burning them in for a week before returning them.  After a week, if you still don't like them, do return them.  

 

[601red]

Thanks, TinyMan392.
 
Just want to be clear....this is BEFORE I start playing any music. Just sticking them in my ears.
 
I will follow your advise. If it doesn't settle down, I'm thinking of getting the Trumpet. In hopes of Trumpet having same SQ...
 

 

[psygeist]

Could that sound be driver flex ?

 

[601red]

Quote:

Could that sound be driver flex ?

Uh, I am a complete noob. Just what is this driver flex?
 
BTW, I used to own Beats Tour(not to my liking, so I got rid of them). Tour did the same thing, for me, mostly with the left piece. Any yes, this is before any music, for example, it's not even plugged in to any music source.....
 
oops, never mind. I'm new here. I've just read  some threads about driver flex.... guess time will tell is these drivers hold up.
 
Meanwhile, can anyone tell me the difference in SQ between the Gratitude and the Trumpet?

 

[nihontoman]

Quote:

Uh, I am a complete noob. Just what is this driver flex?
 
BTW, I used to own Beats Tour(not to my liking, so I got rid of them). Tour did the same thing, for me, mostly with the left piece. Any yes, this is before any music, for example, it's not even plugged in to any music source.....
 
oops, never mind. I'm new here. I've just read  some threads about driver flex.... guess time will tell is these drivers hold up.
 
Meanwhile, can anyone tell me the difference in SQ between the Gratitude and the Trumpet?

 
 
when you try to get a good seal with iems some of them have that driver flex. it's just the driver membrane flexing inwards because of the pressure generated while inserting the iems in the ear canal. try inserting it the way etymotic recommends:

 
 
this may or may not minimize the driver flex, but still you should try. also, it's a really good way to insert iems

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Thanks, TinyMan392.
 
Just want to be clear....this is BEFORE I start playing any music. Just sticking them in my ears.
 
I will follow your advise. If it doesn't settle down, I'm thinking of getting the Trumpet. In hopes of Trumpet having same SQ...
 

 
Oh, that's not sibilance then.  That is driver flex for sure.  If it doesn't do anything while playing music (EG, the side that is "flexing" does produce the same amount of sound as the other), then it's not really a problem.  It won't hurt SQ in any way.  I thought you heard the chchch while listening to music.  Driver flex is caused by a strong seal that causes the driver to flex inward (reason you hear the crackling), then when it's inserted, flex back out.  Lots of headphones have this.  If it doesn't affect the sound levels that the driver outputs, you're fine.  

 

[601red]

Thanks, Everyone.

 

[601red]

Is there any difference in SQ, when it comes to using different types of  ear tips?
 
The gel tips seems to block out noise the best(for me), but I get this feeling that I'm losing a little of the bass... am I imagining this?

 

[tinyman392]

Different seal leads to different sound.

 

[Takeanidea]

Hi there. Got my gratitude iems for a bargain price. The presentation was the best I have seen. 2 pouches both leather. Huge variety of tips. Storage case sumptuous.
The sound is excellent. Bass is there in reams. Not quite enough to overpower. The tips I am using ensure a great seal and low listening levels. There is some harshness when listening at high volumes. The vocals low end and soundstage and detail are all first class at this price range. I put them through my colorfly c3 my imod/ rsa hornet and my audiolab mdac/fidelity hpa200. I compared them with my hd800s through the mdac. The sound is high end and it's exciting much in the way that my audeze lcd2's are putting their flavour on the music. The hd800s were more natural and revealing. There were no great surprises other than I am a little afraid to put these and the lcd2 r2s side by side; I'm not sure which one would win.
I have klipsch x10is and the gratitude outclass these on every level. I have fischer dba mk 2 which beat the gratitude in the detail and soundstage by a shade but again are completely outclassed in the lower regions.
The shure ecl5 and ue triple fi 10s are more revealing and less harsh but neither have the warmth that the pleasant boost in the low end that the gratitude has. And neither are in the same class for comfort or seal when compared to the gratitude. The comfort and seal of course is dependent on the shape of your ears but I would also add that both the shures and the ue are designed to be worn with the cord around the ear. I find that far less comfortable and fiddly.
Has there been anyone unhappy with them so far?

 

[danielbarakat]

Nice little review Takeanidea.

I bought them a few days ago. Not fully broken in. I'm accustomed to over the ear headphones. I've pretty much owned all the best over the ear sealed headphones prices at $300.

I'm still getting used to the slightly smaller sound, and I'm guessing they won't be able to match the mids of my Senheiser Momentums. But i believe this is just an issue with IEMs vs. over the ears in general.

But I really like the bass. Nice control over the Monster Golds. I also remember the Coppers being too swollen with mids. The Graditudes seem to get that right, even though I would say the mids are slightly withdrawn compared to the highs and lows. But it still packs a lot of detail.

I'm not a fan of the treble though. It's a bit too splashy/siblant for me especially around the frequencies where cymbols lie.

But overall, for $200, I think it's an overall winner. Love the style too.

 

[illuzion435]

I got these as a gift. Do you guys think it would be worth it to keep it? If not should i consider selling these and put it towards something else? Any recommendations?

 

[illuzion435]

I have a pair of over the ear headphones but i do want something compact such as these in ear headphones.