[Aynjell]

Flats = Win.They've got that bass impact of the comfies, and the nearness as well... but I also get better resolution like the bowls provide! I can hear the vibrations of the guitar in the riffs of "Coming Undone" by KoRn. This is something I couldn't do with QM Comfies.

I can understand though, why Grado chose to stop fitting their cans with them. They're not comfy. Personally, I'd prefer a bit more softness, but I'm scared the softness will rob me of the sound I'm getting (bring me closer to the driver). Musicality is up a great deal. I get that resolution and the bass and nearness. It's all there. What I wanted from grado. A complete disregard of sound stage for enjoyability! It's not muddy... it's perfect to my ears. Well worth the 35$!

 

[Bilavideo]

Mine arrive in four days. I'll be back with a report once I get them in hand. The buzz on these is too interesting to ignore. Since switching to comfies, I've noticed a remarkable increase in bass. I used to swear by the bowls but the comfies, by themselves, are a lot more fun. If the flats can beat quarter-modded comfies, I'll be sold.

 

[zozo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aynjell /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... I can understand though, why Grado chose to stop fitting their cans with them. They're not comfy. Personally, I'd prefer a bit more softness, but I'm scared the softness will rob me of the sound I'm getting (bring me closer to the driver). ...

Don't worry. A few hundred (or thousand) hours of play time and all the oils that seep in will make them pretty comfy

 

[Aynjell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zozo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't worry. A few hundred (or thousand) hours of play time and all the oils that seep in will make them pretty comfy

I won't shower for a week. That'll get 'em nice and oily.

I KID I KID!

But they really do bring the sound of the comfies, plus some detail. It's like bowls + comfies. Only problem is, they're flatter up top still...

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought the story was that he bought up the last remaining stock from Joe Grado. Although you would then have to wonder why the couple pairs of "new" flats that I have are in pristine shape/not crumbling or showing signs of age, as they probably would if they were nearly a decade old. As for the OP: Yes, I would recommend them. Flats are as comfortable as bowls and change the sound of RS-1's, etc., in a very pleasant way. More intimate and more bass "oomph" which, for many genres, sounds pretty darn good.

I spoke with Todd and he mentioned that Grado still makes the flats for him only. Could be Grado has allowed their earpad supplier to still make them for him.

 

[Aynjell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero /img/forum/go_quote.gif I spoke with Todd and he mentioned that Grado still makes the flats for him only. Could be Grado has allowed their earpad supplier to still make them for him.

Way I understood it talking to him was he bought them off some company in another country. Japan actually.

The reason they're so expensive is because he doesn't move enough of them to warrant buying them in sufficiently high quantities for a bigger price break.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aynjell /img/forum/go_quote.gif Way I understood it talking to him was he bought them off some company in another country. Japan actually. The reason they're so expensive is because he doesn't move enough of them to warrant buying them in sufficiently high quantities for a bigger price break.

When did you talk to him? Maybe this has changed? I talked to him today.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

I just got the flats in the mail today as well, and I'm happy that they have a more fun, bassy sound. The vocals and guitar still bite, and the treble doesn't spike as much as I recall with the bowls.

The soundstage goes to hell though, that's the immediate thing I noticed as well.

 

[Aynjell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got the flats in the mail today as well, and I'm happy that they have a more fun, bassy sound. The vocals and guitar still bite, and the treble doesn't spike as much as I recall with the bowls. The soundstage goes to hell though, that's the immediate thing I noticed as well.

Yep. I ended up swapping tubes to compensate for the slight lack of sound stage, and I got even more rewards. They're the perfect match for the M8161... which are wider, and have a small hump from lows to lower mids... with the rest being very spacious and neuetral.

Sounds even better!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero /img/forum/go_quote.gif When did you talk to him? Maybe this has changed? I talked to him today.

3 days ago. When I bought my pads. Doubt it's changed since then. Unless he lied to one of us. He told me he gets them from some job in japan.

 

[iHelp]

Flats FWIR are great.

How about some DIY C-Pads?

 

[sampson_smith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero /img/forum/go_quote.gif I spoke with Todd and he mentioned that Grado still makes the flats for him only. Could be Grado has allowed their earpad supplier to still make them for him.

Cool beans. Either way, this means that there will be plenty of flats around in the future for, err... future Grado fans to enjoy. I love what they do to the treble and bass, but, like others have said, the soundstage goes to H-E-double-Canadian-Men's-Olympic-Team-Hockey-Sticks! Whoot!!! (Thank goodness, imho, we beat the Swiss. That was a closer call!)

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since switching to comfies, I've noticed a remarkable increase in bass. I used to swear by the bowls but the comfies, by themselves, are a lot more fun. If the flats can beat quarter-modded comfies, I'll be sold.

I think you just have to brace yourself for a different sonic perspective. I think the flats sound best at low to moderate volume levels. At high levels, things tend to get a bit cramped.

I use the flats on my RS-1 and SR200, because they were originally designed to use flats. I would not use them on my HF-2, since I am getting sufficient bass and balanced top end with the stock bowls. I would also assume that the "i" series might also be a bit bass-heavy using the flats.

 

[K_19]

I actually love the intimate, "on stage", IEM-like soundstage of the flats, actually. I honestly wouldn't have gotten a Grado for soundstage anyway (unless I wanted something like GS1000)... and the bowls' soundstage isn't great to begin with either.

I've tried the bowls many, many times on my RS1, and no matter how much I try to like them, I can't... they just simply sound way too thin for my liking. Flattened and taped they're better, but I find that I would still enjoy the flats more. It's a shame, too, because bowls are actually more comfortable for me due to them being almost circumaural on my small ears.

 

[tjumper78]

when i had ms2 and sr325i, i tried pretty much every option for the pads.
the flats were more much more comfortable than the stock pads (or are they called bowls?) and gave me better bass but it decreased the highs.
for me, the yellow sennheiser pads gave me the most comfort while maintaining the original grado sound.

 

[Aynjell]

After a couple of days with them, and now that the new toy fad has passed, I can safely say I reccomend the TTVJ flats. THey dim the highs just enough, bring in the bass just enough.... and offer just enough sound stage to set the SR325i apart from other cans.