MD1032
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2003
- Posts
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Hi guys, I made this review for commando to post on his site, but he siad it was so big I should post it here. Anyway, here is the result of a year with my Grado SR-80's. I've never looked back!
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Keep in mind that I haven't listened to many other credible phones, so I'm not expecting you to like my review, but who knows, maybe it's OK.
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| Full SR-80 review. The Grado SR-80 is currently my headphone of choice and I personally think it is an excellent headphone. BASS: The bass has incredible impact, as all Grado phones do. There isn't actually a whole lot of bass compared to phones like the Sony V6, but the impact and tightness of this bass is incredible. Deepness can also be impressive. On some classical recordings I can hear a lot of deep bass resonance that is subtle but the phones still do a good job of outputting it, which is cool. The punch, though is really what makes this phone’s impact so impressive. I have never heard a tighter, punchier headphone. MIDS: Mids are as good as can be expected from Grados (quite good). They have very little hint of graininess (then again, this could be my source or recording) and are mostly very smooth. Male vocals, especially deeper ones, really shine on this headphone in particular and I think they are this phone's specialty. The detailed approach of these headphones really makes vocals sound realistic and liquid-like. The authenticity of every artist’s voice, whether breathy or scratchy, is portrayed well by this phone. HIGHS: Detail, detail, and more detail! Some people do not like this phone because its high end does tend to be very prominent and very fatiguing. Indeed, this is also the most fatiguing headphone I have ever used. The details really come out; being one of this phones strong points for sure. I think it is actually this increased detail and "harshness" as some deem it that add a lot of perceived detail to the rest of the sound, since all instruments produce overtones and high-end frequency squeaks and stuff that add realism to the sound. Unfortunately, the large amount of highs isn’t exactly ideal for some classical and especially jazz stuff. Clarinets sound artificial through these cans. They and other instruments lack a rich, warm, tone that I can appreciate as a musician. SOUNDSTAGE: This phone isn’t crazy on soundstage. In fact, it’s actually pretty poor. It has plenty of left and right, but very little front to back or up to down. In fact, my MX400’s actually have a more realistic center than these. If you’re looking for a big concert hall to be thrown in front of you, prepare to be disappointed. Don’t try to game with these either, as sometimes I am actually confused as to where specifically the sound is coming from. AMPED: This phone improves a decent amount with an amp. I know with the AV-710 the difference between unamped and amped is night and day. With some of my better sources, like my MZ-S1, the differences are extremely subtle. The bottom line is that the amp really makes the sound a lot fuller and better balanced. Sometimes I can’t explain why, in terms of frequencies and Head-Fi lingo, but my amp just makes the sound a lot more fun to listen to. High-end details are more prominent, but high-end harshness is actually reduced somewhat. Mids become more realistic, and bass gets tighter, louder, and has an even deeper, more powerful punch than before. The difference between unamped and amped with this phone, at least with my soundcard source, warrants the purchase of an amp, as the phone sounds a bit thin unamped in comparison, but definitely not “muddy” or “murky” as Headroom deems it. In fact, the phone is actually brighter unamped. BURN-IN: I've heard from some people that this headphone takes 2-5 years to actually fully burn-in. As of this point I've had mine for about a year and I can say these didn't sound half as good out of the box as they do now. Out of the box, they are very thin sounding. The high-end details are all there, but the sound is very shifted towards the treble end of the spectrum and relaxes noticeably after about 120-300 hours. The bass is very hidden out of the box (but not necessarily not extending any less than it would burned-in), and after 24 hours you will already notice a difference! After a year of "burn-in", these phones have improved tremendously. At a certain point I realized the difference in the bass couldn't be ignored. The bass has filled in and has actually come to a very nice level, so much better than within the first three months or so that I had these! The bass just has this depth to it now that the phone never initially had. Burn-in fills in the phone quite nicely, and there's no doubt these phones should be given a very long burn-in time before they can be properly judged. I really love the overall sound of this headphone. It has an excellent exciting, involving, foot-tapping impact that none of the other headphones I've ever listened to can capture. The only downside I can see to this phone is the high-end harshness, which I still find fatiguing at times. However, there’s something else you’re forgetting: FLAT PADS: These pads are amazing. Really. The bass improves tenfold with these, I’m not kidding. It’s like adding a really amazing subwoofer to an already nice speaker system. The punch practically knocks your head around. Bass guitars and double basses extend much better. The bass is just so awesome it justifies the downsides to these pads: When I initially threw these pads on, it struck me that the sound felt extremely compressed. The details were still there, but very hidden. These pads significantly attenuate the highs, which some actually might find relieving. I do, but I also miss the detailed and wide-open feeling the bowls gave me. What little soundstage was there is now extremely compressed. However, the extremely impactful, bassy new feel to the music is just undeniably awesome. It instantly put a smile on my face and got my foot moving. It is important at this point in the review to note now the stark contrast these phones have made from out of the box to now. I can confidently say now that amped, burned-in for a year, and modded with flat pads, these phones are the exact opposite of what they were out of the box. Out of the box they had this thin, high-end-heavy sound, with little bass. Now they are very bassy and punchy, making them ideal for rock. Truly this is exactly how these phones are meant to be, at least for me. You may wish to experiment and find a middle ground. These phones will greatly impress you no matter how you use them. I cannot recommend this phone enough for the money. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine! |
Keep in mind that I haven't listened to many other credible phones, so I'm not expecting you to like my review, but who knows, maybe it's OK.
