[cheemo]

Thanks for the impressions baka1969, I will look forward to reading your update in the future.

 

[tim3320070]

These are new drivers and I was fairly disappointed at first with the sound, they (like the other Grados I purchased new) mellow out and sound less congested after some use- maybe 60-80 hours or more. They are sounding better to me after this amount of time (similar to how my 325is and RS-1i improved).
I don't yet have an opinion one way or the other whether they are an improvement over the old MS-2i they came from. It seems the bass is tighter if I had pinpoint one difference.

 

[gknix]

I believe I've read elsewhere that these are meant to be used with bowls (L-cushions) correct?

Also, are the metal drivers glued the same way with the cups so that you can still use the hairdryer technique to remove the original cups and replace them with other ones?

Cheers

 

[Currawong]

gknix: As far as I know, the attachment of the cups to the part that holds the driver (on the 325/MS2 mod) is permanent. The drivers are held in by 6 screws (by pressure).

tim3320070: I've been wondering, since quite a few people buying them have fairly low-end systems, if they may not be able to notice the same difference in resolution between the stock and new drivers I did. As well, it might have a lot to do with the music I listen to as well.

 

[gknix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieE /img/forum/go_quote.gif One thing that crosses my mind given the "plastic revelation" regarding SR325/MS2 is whether HF-2 actually has sound hitting metal, or whether the wooden driver hosuing inserts into plastic too. Any HF-2 owners out there had a look inside yet?

You can take a look at my thread. I took apart my HF-2s!

 

[Zombie_X]

Well I wired them up according to how a Grado's +/- are, but they sound like the polarities are inverted. It sound very distant with no bass at all. I have all wires color coded and everything.. Hrm... time to tinker again.

I'll report back in 10 minutes.

 

[Zombie_X]

Back, well I tried all various wirings and I still get a bright, thin, and bassless sound. So I believe the Drivers maybe damaged.

Rhydon is it possible they are damaged? These do use the same +/- set-up as normal Grado's correct?

I wired them up perfectly. I made them balanced and wired them as follows:

White = Left +
Yellow = Left -
Red = Right +
Black = Right -

I also double checked my soldering and have W to pin 1, Y to pin 2, R to pin 3, and B to pin 4

I have no idea what's going on here...

EDIT: I desoldered my custom cable and swapped the stock cable from my SR-325is in and the exact same thing happens with it too. Man WTH is going on... They test fine with a multimeter and there are no shorts or continuity errors. I even did a direct to driver (placed both multimeter probes on the solder pads on the driver) test and I get the right Ohm reading. Rhydon any chance you can replace the drivers or help me troubleshoot this?

 

[tim3320070]

You are doing the stock cable with red = left and white = right (seems backwards but that is how Grado does it, I have confirmed this)? If wired backwards, would you still have the Ohms read correctly?
I say solder them reversed and see how that sounds.

 

[Zombie_X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim3320070 /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are doing the stock cable with red = left and white = right (seems backwards but that is how Grado does it, I have confirmed this)? If wired backwards, would you still have the Ohms read correctly? I say solder them reversed and see how that sounds.

I tried it that way and I still get the same error... Hrm... Odd thing is as I've recabled over 20 Grados and have not had this problem before. I'll tinker with it again today to see what happens..

Tim these do use the same pad layout as other Grado's correct?

EDIT: The drivers are definitely shot. I still get the right ohm readings, but they sound horrid. A very treble oriented sound, very thin sounding and harsh, and no bass. I even tried wiring them with reversed polarities and it didn't improve at all, but made it worse. Now the drivers are getting quieter and quieter. WTH I know how to wire a headphone up....I rewired all my previous Grados up, and all my friends as well.


EDIT #2: I have been trying to reach Rhydon by PM but I keep getting a timeout error with the server, has anyone else had this problem? I PM'ed Tim before and his went through, but not for Rhydon. I tried 5 times to send it.
Man I have not been having any luck lately..

 

[Currawong]

You should have Rhydon's email address, don't you?

 

[Zombie_X]

I don't have his e-amil but he responded to my PM already. Sorry Rhydon is I sounded angry towards you in anyway. I was just a little upset.

 

[shawn_low]

Got my barely used Magnum Lite MS2i from AlphaPhoenix today.

I put it on and it immediately felt 'wrong'. I own enough Grados (Gs1ki, Rs2, HF1, HF2) to know. The left side didn't 'sit' properly.

I pulled it off and had a closer look. I'll post pics soon.

However, the problem is that Rhydon reinstalled the black plastic ring (one that hold the cups to the gimbal) were installed in the opposite way. This mean that the left cup doesn't sit flat on my ears and there's too much pressure on the top of my ear.

It's an easy enough mistake to make but boy, it means I can't use the cans. It's rather uncomfortable.

Have emailed Rhydon. I wonder if it's an easy fix I can do myself.

I have emailed previous owner (he owned it for a couple of hours?).

Pics here:

See how the left side sits differently from the right.

Correct orientation of plastic ring/fork on the right:

Incorrect orientation on the left:

 

[Rhydon]

Shawn, those headphones were purchased from a previous owner so i cannot vouch for their integrity.

The part in question can be returned to its normal resting position by gently flexing the plastic forks to detach to the ear cups followed by reattaching them in a similar manor. If assembled correctly both forks should have a textured finish facing away from the ear pads.

 

[shawn_low]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shawn, those headphones were purchased from a previous owner so i cannot vouch for their integrity. The part in question can be returned to its normal resting position by gently flexing the plastic forks to detach to the ear cups followed by reattaching them in a similar manor. If assembled correctly both forks should have a textured finish facing away from the ear pads.

UPDATE!

Problems solved! I did as Rhydon suggested (boy, those plastic bits look fragile but they can stretch).

Now sitting on my ears comfortably.

Thanks for ultraquick response Rhydon.

I'm going to burn in the cans before feeding back with a proper comparison with other Grados I own.

For now, vocals seem more set back. Bass isn't as deep as the HF-2 but probably needs to settle. Bass isn't well defined yet. But for $200 (plus cost of whatever you sent in), it seems good value.

I'm just wondering if the plastic grados will sound different from the metal ones. I'm not a huge fan of the metal grados because they are too heavy. The plastic and woodies are great.

Might try to buy a cheap SR60s to fiddle.

 

[XXII]

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