Ruined my right driver of HF-1 while burning in?

[juzmister]

did you send your serial number? if not, you could be a little sneaky and send a new email...(from another account)

 

[nierika]

Dude, why even mention that you were burning them in with bass-heavy music?

Also, playing music in headphones overnight is normal use, especially on Head-Fi.

 

[fureshi]

the distortion may be coming from the song itself. a lot of music nowadays is recorded too hot and ends up sounding distorted on systems that give a lot of detail. for example, on one of my break beat cds (golden gate breaks), two of the songs' bass distorts while all of the other songs sound fine. you might want to check with other music that you have.

 

[granodemostasa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulveling Their response is hilarious. Usually companies lock up employees like that and keep them as far away from the customer as possible, but at Grado Labs, they have him/her answering emails There have been other equally amusing Grado Labs responses posted before. Someone should start collecting them and post a reference thread for all to enjoy You're not alone. As for your problem, I find it surprising that you were able to damage the headphones with music. Usually transducers are pretty robust; they should be able to take a lot of abuse without issue - unless they really are defective. Maybe (hopefully) it's just a hair touching the driver? Can you give us an idea how loud you were driving them? What source & amp were you using and where was the volume dial? Were you using CD or gain adjusted MP3s? Good luck with your problem, and I guarantee you Todd will prove more helpful than Grado

I can't believe you sent me searching for grado quotes: here is what i've found:
Sounds like you ruined the drivers with the "bass heavy music" that you used.
Grado Labs
----------------------
Please return them to our factory address listed below and we would be more than happy to correct any and all problems. Please include a short note explaining all.
Thanks so much.
Regards,
Grado Labs
4614 7th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11220
------------------
"We would like to apologise to all buyers of a Grado RS1 with cosmetic flaws. We had a problem due to [insert cause]. Therefore we would like to invite our customers to send us back their flawed headphones, which we will replace with flawless ones. We will of course cover shipping both ways."
-------------------
"Thanks."
--------------------

 

[003]

Oh man that sucks dude. I did this with an SR60 a while ago, only difference is yours is a lot more expensive and it's a limited edition! That must suck!

 

[F1GTR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utarch00 I took this as them being a little snobish. Is it just me or am I reading to much into this.

I would say a little bit of both. That's just Brooklyn love for ya. I've actually had a one word reply from them before. Once I inquired as to whether John would/could replace my HP-2 drivers and recable them with an RS-1 cable with a "name your price" attitude implied.

The reply was "No".

Quote:

Originally Posted by nierika Dude, why even mention that you were burning them in with bass-heavy music?

Honesty perhaps? Many, including myself, still consider it to be an imperative personality characteristic.

 

[DevilDog]

Chris, I feel for you, man. But their response was not necessarily a flat out no.
Besides, there has to be some kind of support for even a limited edition headphone. This could be a good test case for Grado Labs, how well they support these very special limited edition headphones they sold only to loyal head-fi members. People who consistently not only buy, but recommend their products. Surely it can't be that expensive to replace a drive on a $200 headphone.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I just grabbed my HF-1 box and looked at the warranty. First, send in the warranty card if you haven't already.

Second, it says that the headphones are warranted for one year from date of purchase. However, it has an exclusion as to "misuse" and "abuse." Those terms are not defined in the warranty.

Here's where it gets a little complicated. Since there's some wiggle room there, the terms will most likely be defined by the state you live in. And your state can redefine the terms of warranties, too. If you know how to use a law library or know someone who does, the answer can be found.

However, you're going to have to send them to Grado Labs either way for repair. I'd just box them up, include the original sales receipt (a requirement) and a very brief letter stating that one driver stopped working. You never know, they might find a production defect when they open them up and you'll be covered. If not, argue your side. Can't hurt. At worst, you'll pay a few bucks to get them fixed. The HF-1 is a good can, I'd pay to fix mine.

 

[Mr.Shadow]

Uncle Erik, way to go !!

Indeed a smart decision !

To the thread starter, I listen to my HF-1 with bass heavy music all the time for a couple of monthes now, and they played it well all along.
I dont think that there should be any problem with that at all, and if there is one I am pretty sure its a manufacture problem/defect !

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Shadow To the thread starter, I listen to my HF-1 with bass heavy music all the time for a couple of monthes now, and they played it well all along. I dont think that there should be any problem with that at all, and if there is one I am pretty sure its a manufacture problem/defect !

Me too. From what you've told us it doesn't seem like these cans were abused. Grado should honor the warranty. Good luck!

 

[augustwest]

It's too late for this now, but I can't help but wonder, why not burn them in by just listening to them??? Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided.

They don't sound that bad right out of the box?

- augustwest

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by augustwest It's too late for this now, but I can't help but wonder, why not burn them in by just listening to them??? Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided.

That pretty much constitutes my method of burn-in. I feel like a lunatic leaving a pair of phones playing by itself in a secluded corner. Imagine what any visitor might have to say about my mental state when they see it.

 

[nierika]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F1GTR Honesty perhaps? Many, including myself, still consider it to be an imperative personality characteristic.

I don't think there is anything dishonest about saying "I've been using the headphones for a couple weeks and they have developed a crackle in the right driver." when it wasn't due to misuse and abuse. Saying something like "burning them in with bass heavy music" only encourages a misunderstanding (which seems to have occurred in this case).

 

[Qsilver2001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by augustwest It's too late for this now, but I can't help but wonder, why not burn them in by just listening to them??? Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided. - augustwest

What if the thread starter listern to them & burning in at the same time with "bass heavy music" and got the same problem "right driver not working". Do you think Grado will have a different reply? I think not

 

[jim580]

I'm a little confused here.
It says nothing on my Grado paperwork about avoiding 'bass heavy music'.
It's not like utarch00 started them out of the box bass heavy at distortion levels.
What did he do wrong???
Leave them unattended during burn-in???
What, did they get lonely and die of a broken heart???
I'd say way more than half of head-fier's use this process.
I've got 270 hrs. on my 701's. Almost all of it unattended so I can note the changes without psychological adaption being a big factor.
I've used a variety of music, including bass heavy.
I reiterate, what did he do wrong???
utarch00, let us know how it turns out.
I would also call Grado and not rely on e-mail. Sometimes the more personal approach will have better results. JMO.
Good luck,
Jim

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