[FatherVic]

I'm sorry if I sound like I am stating the obvious but why not listen to the Grado through the Walkman?!

The last pair of Grados I had (just SR80e) actually sounded best through my Walkman (A15). Really great combination, in fact, and at 1/2 volume. I would probably still have them now if I could gust stand the feeling of Grado pads against my ears.

That wasn't their intended purpose for me. I have a good turntable which I want to get up close and personal with.
As great as the Sony is it really isn't getting the best out of what the RS2 are capable of. Having just dropped money on the cans, new amp and luxury pads I would rather I didn't have to spend yet more to upgrade to another player (I know I could wait as part of an upgrade path but I am rather impatient when it comes to new toys).

That said, try the O2 with ohter headphones to see if it still gets that "cupping" sound.

My Shure seem fine and seem to give me more of what I'm looking for.
I've got some time to potentially spend with a dealer this coming week and if I see my friend tonight then I can use his cans for a bit.

 

[FatherVic]

Let me tell you a story...

Spent a little time with a friend and whipped out my little O2. In with his HD 600s and not bad at all. Not quite my sound as they're too polite and no bite. At least the amp isn't faulty.

Before my adventure starts I decided to blindly buy a set of HE4XX. No experience of planar but I thought screw it, can't get much worse...

I've been able to do a little more listening with some other equipment and headphones.
All I can say off the bat is - Grado suck balls. At least to my ears. As they are they are of no use to me and I've no idea why they have such accolades.

Off to the big city for the day to catch a Coheed and Cambia show. Got in early enough with plenty time to get to a dealer I know and have a play with what they had in stock. Sadly very little to hand but still worthy time spent.
On with the Moon 230 as reference and first on the ears are the Meze 99 classic. Straight out of the gate and I thought to myself - this is what I'm missing. Crisp treble, mids where they should be and plenty bass. A little too wallowy for me but suitibly impressed.
Next on was the Sonorous. Not quite sure which. 2s, maybe 3s. Didn't last long on my ears at all. Similar issue to the Grado with a horrible mid. Tried their big brother, didn't fair any better. So it's not just Grado that have such a strange presentation.
Next I'm handed a paperweight - the Pioneer Monitor 5. Within the first second by far the worst I've heard. Thin sounding, no body to anything.
Away I go more confused.

I come home next day and open the package I'd received before I left. In it we have the pads I'd ordered - the Beautiful Audio.
As you read earlier I did make a reference to the Grado 'as they are' - as stock. After a brief listen in original form on with the new pads in anticipation.
And what do I experience with these new pads? Sadly more of the same, even more exacerbated. Play with the EQ but nothing I try finds a sweetspot. More money wasted I thought.
But then the potential saving grace and last ditch attempt - the alternative foam padding to switch over to. From the moment I hit play.... This. Is . It!
The difference was immediate. I can barely describe how MUCH of a difference something like this has made to the performance of these cans. I honestly thought they were a lost cause. And this is even without any EQ.
In to what I thought was a part of the problem - the Bryston. Not at all...
The bass these can now produce is more than acceptable. Not earth shaking but ample. Instruments have body and weight. Highs are nicely crisp with plenty sparkle. Sitting listening to these the detail retrieval is fantastic revealing textures and timbres previously unheard.

I cannot oversell the difference and (to me) massive improvement these have made as to how these cans now perform. And not just just sonic performance, the comfort is greatly improved to boot.

 

[buke9]

You have got me wanting to check out the Beautiful Audio pads for my RS1’s that I don’t hate like you did the RS2 though.

 

[FatherVic]

You have got me wanting to check out the Beautiful Audio pads for my RS1’s that I don’t hate like you did the RS2 though.

The main thing is really cost. It's not prohibitive and considering what we spend on accessories isn't too bad as such. The cynic in me though still looks at this as some foam and a bit of fabric.
This difference is undeniable though. Sadly for me the super-comfy, ultra-squishy foam doesn't work for me and am using the denser type. It's still not as firm as the stock pads and then you still have the wool on top of that . The larger design helps too by going a little more around the ear though not encapsulating them.
I did get hit by Her Majesty looking to take a cut so another added cost to back careful of.
Looking forward to showing these to my friend again and then see what these planars can do once they arrive. A lot of listening ahead.

 

[buke9]

Well not going to be hit Her Majesty myself . Have not heard the HE-4XX’s but do have the 400,400S and 500’s along with the T-X0,Ether-C and Abyss so I do like the planar sound. They will be different some like it some don’t will like to hear you’re impression of them though.

 

[FatherVic]

...will like to hear you’re impression of them though.

Being at work all week I've missed the courier but I got them through the door this morning.
I have to say I am very impressed! In terms of sheer value for money they do offer a lot of sound. A few points are taken off for their build/design/comfort but their musicality really shines.
Were it not for the fact my Grado were picked up on the cheap I'd be very p'd off and I have to say it's hard to choose a favourite between the two.
On an A/B between the two they do offer very different sound and an immediate switch is quite jarring.
Nothing scientific but roughly level matched between the O2 and the Bryston.
Switching to the Grado they appear bright and unruly though this does pass after a short spell. The bass has a lot more impact on the Grado with these pads.
I was a little disappointed having read the planar are meant to be good at bass. There is lots of detail but not the experience I expected. It is however clean and measured and fits together nicely.
The biggest difference I can describe in their presentation is that the 4xx sound like you're in a broom closet with a very up close and personal performance in your face. The Grado on the other hand sound as if the artist has climbed in to your head as their personal jam room. Both are great depending on what you want to achieve.

 

[castleofargh]

Being at work all week I've missed the courier but I got them through the door this morning.
I have to say I am very impressed! In terms of sheer value for money they do offer a lot of sound. A few points are taken off for their build/design/comfort but their musicality really shines.
Were it not for the fact my Grado were picked up on the cheap I'd be very p'd off and I have to say it's hard to choose a favourite between the two.
On an A/B between the two they do offer very different sound and an immediate switch is quite jarring.
Nothing scientific but roughly level matched between the O2 and the Bryston.
Switching to the Grado they appear bright and unruly though this does pass after a short spell. The bass has a lot more impact on the Grado with these pads.
I was a little disappointed having read the planar are meant to be good at bass. There is lots of detail but not the experience I expected. It is however clean and measured and fits together nicely.
The biggest difference I can describe in their presentation is that the 4xx sound like you're in a broom closet with a very up close and personal performance in your face. The Grado on the other hand sound as if the artist has climbed in to your head as their personal jam room. Both are great depending on what you want to achieve.

planars tend to extend very low which is why they have good reputation for the bass. but they also stay very flat when most people are somehow used to have some amount of bass boost compared to the rest. so objectively they're pretty impressive, but it's not to everybody's taste.

about the vertical tilt for the center image, it is due to the frequency response and entirely depends on your own head and ears. what may feel up for you could feel in front or even down for somebody else. if you're interested in this, Mr Griesinger shows a little tuto and some very basic explanations here:
note that his approach is for binaural recordings he did with mics in his own ears, so his end result is almost perfect. for us with general music, it's the same idea when it comes to setting the position of mono signals. but because of various variables, you may end up with other things going wrong, or simply with a general signature you don't like(that's how it is for me). because our HRTF for headphones should ideally compensate for a sound source at 60° as if they were speakers, but what Griesinger sets up is our HRTF for 0° azimuth. so how much difference there is for us between 0° and 30° on one side, that's how off target we will feel when using his method. could be almost perfect or could be annoyingly wrong. but as far as the center image is concerned, his method does work.
aaaaaannnd I'm off topic. ^_^