[wolfetan44]

Quote:

I dunno dude.
 
It's supposedly the best amp regardless of price.. I literally know NOTHING about it cept that I like buying expensive stuff because it feels good lol. (I'm kidding)
 
Take it to PM please and let these guys discuss grados here

Ok lol. Respond to my PM then haha.

 

[Twinster]

Oh ok thanks. And Would the O2 and ODAC be able to power 600 ohm headphones you think? 

I have used my O2 with my T1 and they sounded good. Mind you the T1 are 600 ohms but are easier to drive compare to DT990/600. My O2 high gain is set to 3.5x but can easily be change to 6.5x of gain.

I haven't used the O2 or the ODAC, I just figure with all the graphs and shiet that it'd be somewhat good.

I can't speculate on what'd be the better one. I just liked my HDP a lot.

Chris you are one of the rare one to like the HDP with Grado . I owned the HDP in the pass and loved it with my Sennheiser HD650 but found it way to bright with my MS2 at the time (and I'm a treble head more than a bass head). I replaced it with the Centrance DACmini and live happily ever after.

Just sharing my own experience.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

 Twinster /img/forum/go_quote.gif


I have used my O2 with my T1 and they sounded good. Mind you the T1 are 600 ohms but are easier to drive compare to DT990/600. My O2 high gain is set to 3.5x but can easily be change to 6.5x of gain.
Chris you are one of the rare one to like the HDP with Grado 

 . I owned the HDP in the pass and loved it with my Sennheiser HD650 but found it way to bright with my MS2 at the time (and I'm a treble head more than a bass head). I replaced it with the Centrance DACmini and live happily ever after.
Just sharing my own experience.

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I fed into the NFB-12 hype. It has more power, but it sounds more or less the same. The HDP was actually really punchy for me, thats the one thing I got from it that I'm not able to get from any other amp.​

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I'm running HD800 which is bright too right now. All of my local audiophile friends run the HDP since they build the damn things literally a 20 minute drive away from me so we can just pick it up right there lol.​

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It was a helluva source for the Lyr though I'll give you that.​

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[HeadphoneAddict]

So, why do my SR-60 drivers in a single-piece all-wood body/cup with pure dead soft silver cable and flat pads sound about as good as an RS-1?  
 
Aren't the drivers supposed to be different?  Mine is more transparent than my HF-2 #24.  I hadn't listened to them for over a year, but I'm trying them out with a new amp and re-discovering them.

 

[layums]

So, why do my SR-60 drivers in a single-piece all-wood body/cup with pure dead soft silver cable and flat pads sound about as good as an RS-1?  
 
Aren't the drivers supposed to be different?  Mine is more transparent than my HF-2 #24.  I hadn't listened to them for over a year, but I'm trying them out with a new amp and re-discovering them.

Which silver cable you got? Name? Where did you get it from? Sounds good!

 

[taiden]

Quote:

So, why do my SR-60 drivers in a single-piece all-wood body/cup with pure dead soft silver cable and flat pads sound about as good as an RS-1?  
 
Aren't the drivers supposed to be different?  Mine is more transparent than my HF-2 #24.  I hadn't listened to them for over a year, but I'm trying them out with a new amp and re-discovering them.

 
 
 
My sr80is are really putting out some performance with all the upgrades I have in them. The only thing original is the gimbals/blocks and drivers. I was skeptical of cables increasing performance, but I found that after switching to my curly maple cups and silver cables that my humble SR80is presented much more clarity and intricacy. Not sure which did it, as I swapped both simultaneously.
 
So in a way I'm not surprised that your SR60s are doing really well. It never ceases to amaze me the performance that can be gained from some simple mods. Especially l-cush pads.
 
I liked my original SR60s more than my SR80is. I just wish my drivers weren't blown, as I'd love to use them in my current setup. That's what you get for chucking up your driver in a toolroom lathe, catching tooling, and throwing it across the shop into a concrete wall.

 
I switched my cups up for these. I'm in love. I couldn't part with them...
 
 

 

 

[Klaatu]

Quote:

My sr80is are really putting out some performance with all the upgrades I have in them. The only thing original is the gimbals/blocks and drivers. I was skeptical of cables increasing performance, but I found that after switching to my curly maple cups and silver cables that my humble SR80is presented much more clarity and intricacy. Not sure which did it, as I swapped both simultaneously.
 
 

 
I'm doing a very similar set of upgrades except I'm not quite ready to swap out the cables. Is there a lot of soldering involved? I have zero experience soldering, but I'm confident I could handle something simple. I'm still a tad skeptical about what sort of return I'd get from a cable upgrade.

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

Do wood cups make enough of a difference to justify $200-$300 from Martin (Im aware its lower other places)? Is it all about the looks with wood cups? Or does it change the sound enough to justify $200-$300? Thoughts from owners please.

 
Sonically wood provides a definite improvement over plastic. So if you are looking to improve the tone and timbre of your plastic Grado the answer to that question is yes. Martins cups bring a premium for their looks though. Ultimately when you're shelling out 2 to $300 for something though it's about value.  I've had Martins work in my hands and on my ears. His cups are absolute works of art, and that's hard to put  price tag on.

 

[taiden]

Quote:

 
I'm doing a very similar set of upgrades except I'm not quite ready to swap out the cables. Is there a lot of soldering involved? I have zero experience soldering, but I'm confident I could handle something simple. I'm still a tad skeptical about what sort of return I'd get from a cable upgrade.

Cables are really easy to change. All you need is a cheap soldering iron. I personally dont use extra solder, the solder that is already on the solder pads on the driver is more than enough. If the wire is clean you really shouldn't need to tin it... although tinning first is always the best idea. I just prefer to not mix solder when possible.
 
 
Really though, you can start practicing soldering with less than $20 worth of supplies from walmart. Invaluable skill. I have a video I made recently that was for automotive wiring but it still applies. If you want the link, PM me.
 
I was skeptical too. Like I said, I don't know if it was going from my mahogany cups to curly maple, or if it was the cable, or both... but I expected no difference and was really disbelieving of what I heard. But it's there and I cannot knock that.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Which silver cable you got? Name? Where did you get it from? Sounds good!

 
It's probably the same as any other pure dead-soft silver wire, but this one was done by Ken at ALO Audio a few years ago.  No magic sauce though, and only a couple of these were ever made..
 
Quote:

 
My sr80is are really putting out some performance with all the upgrades I have in them. The only thing original is the gimbals/blocks and drivers. I was skeptical of cables increasing performance, but I found that after switching to my curly maple cups and silver cables that my humble SR80is presented much more clarity and intricacy. Not sure which did it, as I swapped both simultaneously.
 
So in a way I'm not surprised that your SR60s are doing really well. It never ceases to amaze me the performance that can be gained from some simple mods. Especially l-cush pads.
 
I liked my original SR60s more than my SR80is. I just wish my drivers weren't blown, as I'd love to use them in my current setup. That's what you get for chucking up your driver in a toolroom lathe, catching tooling, and throwing it across the shop into a concrete wall.

 
I switched my cups up for these. I'm in love. I couldn't part with them...
 

 
I own a stock pair of SR-60 and MS-1, and they sound nothing like these woodied SR-60 - somehow the upper mids peak has been tamed with these.  I almost want to call them an RS-60 because the body housing and cups are all wood, not plastic body with wood cups, and they are so close to an RS-1 in sound.  Interestingly, my previous HF-1 with flat pads and APS V3 cable sounded a lot like my RS-1 with APS V3 cable too, but an RS-2 with APS V3 cable was much more forward in the mids with flatter soundstage.  
 
I have re-cabled all the high end Grados I've owned except my HF-2, and they all improved a bit (two HF-1, RS-2, RS-1 and HP-1000).  I haven't re-cabled the HF-2 because they are #24 and the last one made from the 1st batch without the typo on the cups, so I want to leave them stock.  I almost bought my son's pair (#120 I think) before he sold them, just so I could re-cable as balanced, but other things came up.  There seems to be no point to re-cable my SR-40, which have not been taken out of the box and I think might be rare.

 

[sygyzy]

Hi, sorry I haven't read through the entire thread. To be honest, it'd kind of overwhelming. Just curious, are all Grado mods purely aesthetic? Before you jump on me, I realize anytime you change a component of a headphone (like change the plastic housing and replace them with wood) it changes the sonic characteristics. What I am asking is are there any "must" have mods that help with comfort or sound? For example, the T50RP mods seem interesting because the cans are relatively cheap and you are helping with some deficiencies. Compare that to milling brass housing for a pair of M50's and swapping them in. This could be done, but why? 

I love the look of the Grado mods and I feel like I am missing out but I don't want to put rare redwood cups on my MS-2's just for the heck of it. Where should I start?
 
Thanks.

 

[layums]

You have ms-2's. Leave well alone would be mine. You could put some new magnum drivers in and buy some wooded cups. But then you would have another headphone.

So get yourself another grado band to hold drivers and cups. Don't destroy the ms2's just get another pair setup on the side.

 

[sygyzy]

Oh that's comforting. You think the MS-2's should just be left alone? 
 
It's also very surprising you are basically suggesting a build a pair of Grados from scratch. It's amazing that there enough aftermarket parts to make that possible - drivers, cups, bands, rodblocks, etc. What would you assemble?

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

I love the look of the Grado mods and I feel like I am missing out but I don't want to put rare redwood cups on my MS-2's just for the heck of it. Where should I start?
 
Thanks.

 
The pads. Pick up a pair of flat pads from Todd at TTVJ or try some electrical tape on your bowls.
 
Quote:

Oh that's comforting. You think the MS-2's should just be left alone? 
 
It's also very surprising you are basically suggesting a build a pair of Grados from scratch. It's amazing that there enough aftermarket parts to make that possible - drivers, cups, bands, rodblocks, etc. What would you assemble?

 
A pair of Magnum drivers from Rhydon, some wood cups from Marty, perhaps a cable from Chris, and...

 

[layums]

Yep. Exactly. I would piece together what's needed. It would be a shame to rip apart the ms2. They are already a modded grado, and a high quality one too. I'm going to try and do just this in a few months. Build a grado from pieces here and there, but it will not be a grado.

Just got my cups today from Vibrolabs. Stunning service. The attention to detail Luke has is incredible a bit old fashioned in some sense when you compare it to the faceless mass produced market of today. However Grado themselves are still a nice "small" company. But you all know what I mean.