[DavidMahler]

I have very limited experience with Grado. Considering I have a HUGE collection of headphones (either still owned or sold) I'd be curious to explore a high end Grado someday. I owned the SR60 and it didn't blow me away, granted it's only 50 or 60 bucks....Ocassionally at B&H i'll sneak a listen to the RS1 or GS1000, but the volume is never loud enough to really get an idea of what their sound signature is. I also am pretty sure the B&H source and amp is on the weak side, so I've never judged them. The craftsmanship and design of grados is one of the main things which has kept me from exploring Grados. I never found the SR60 comfortable or stylish and it didn't even feel durable to me. I am often confused as to why Grados charge $700 / $1000 and now with the PS1000 $1700 for a headphone which really is built on an ergonomic design they use for their $60 dollar models. Wood is nice, yeah yeah, but those ear pads and the headphones hanging on thin metal rods just feels very very shabby to me for that price. I know it's a retro look and I can appreciate that.

I would like to know what you think Grados do best, I know they are supposed to do rock music and guitar very well, but what specifically does that mean? How is the soundstage? What are the weaknesses as well.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[panda]

they're good at making music, they're not so good at making sound that doesnt really pertain to actual musical content, such as soundstage.

 

[roy_jones]

I have some of the same reservations. I'm a reluctant user. In a way, it's worse than being on the outside and wondering if you're missing something.

To be honest, I kinda wish that some factory in china would reverse engineer them and create a knock off that they would sell for 50% less. I can't help but feel like they're a hobbyist type of headphone that has filled a specific niche.

They're the embodiment of a business that is vulnerable to being made obsolete, if a competitor were to invest in taking their market share. I think the price controls contribute to that feeling that they're milking a cash cow and have potentially got lazy with their product innovations, etc...

I guess the HF-2 and PS1000 are counterexamples to that assumption.

In terms of sound, I wish I could find something that could do what they can do, because I would surely use it instead. I thought I may have found it with a W5000, but a closed can can't compare for rock, IMO. I think others will do a better job of capturing what Grado's can do, sonically.

Maybe I don't give them enough credit. Maybe there's more to their drivers than my skepticism would seem to suggest. I give them credit for having developed an inexpensive to produce. niche product, that is without much competition in the categories which they compete.

I find Grado very interesting as a business entity. It's amazing to me that they've been able grow and become what they've become without having been taken out of the game by a major manufacturer.

 

[Uncle Erik]

It really depends on which model you're listening to. The one I think you'd enjoy is the HP-1000 series. They're nothing like the others.

 

[parhelictriangle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaimaKesar /img/forum/go_quote.gif This one is also mostly great.ya rally

Note to Mods: this person is posting the same series of meaningless phrases under multiple aliases, probably to bring up his post count and acquire the HF-2s. As such, he should probably be banned and/or shot.

 

[thisbenjamin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roy_jones /img/forum/go_quote.gif To be honest, I kinda wish that some factory in china would reverse engineer them and create a knock off that they would sell for 50% less. I can't help but feel like they're a hobbyist type of headphone that has filled a specific niche.

It wouldn't bother you to buy a product that was directly reverse engineered from an American design, built using god knows what kind of labor in China? Some of the guys here that produce gear in China don't bother me as much when they post pictures of their production environment, showing examples of the working conditions, etc - however, if I get the slightest vibe that they're reselling someone's design, I stay the hell away. Building a superior product is something I welcome from anyone, anywhere - directly stealing someone's design thou is simply disgusting.

 

[thisbenjamin]

That's a really hard question to address David. I would strongly suggest you try and grab a few pairs and spend some time with them. The RS-1 is currently my favorite, not having heard the new PS yet, I cannot comment on it but the HP-1000 is something that I didn't have enough time with to truly form an opinion - it was unlike everything else "below" it in the Grado series. The RS-1 has a pleasant upper range, the highs and mids blend well together without really pushing anything forward too far. Tenors are lush and mellow sounding, very natural and lifelike, however flutes, some brass are a bit colored for my tastes. Vocals across the board are natural (using personal recordings made of friends and family to reference) and accurate. It's important to pair them with a dac / amp combo that is to your liking, spend as much time as you can swapping gear around. Being in new york you should have no issues finding someone local selling them that you can demo, maybe even get a loaner or something along those lines.

best of luck!

 

[Germancub]

I dont know but even the people that work at Grado dont wear Grados, "truly the worlds finest" indeed

 

[thisbenjamin]

German - make sure you check with the site you're direct linking to - their bandwidth is getting hit for that image, not ours.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know they are supposed to do rock music and guitar very well, but what specifically does that mean?

The Grados:

- Great speed
- Poor soundstage which results in a very aggressive, in your face sound
- Solid, deep bass (one of the reasons why you should get the SR80 instead of the SR60)
- Bright sound that gives the drums a metallic ring and guitars a sharp wail

All which allows them to do some rock with an energy and excitement that few headphones can complete with. Some rock, cause IMHO the Grados don't do a good job for many of the less direct soft/progressive rock like Pink Floyd or Beatles that require more soundstage and a more mellow presentation.

 

[MONVMENTVM]

As he is asking about the high end Grados: GS-1000 and PS-1000 do have a large soundstage and are more comfortable than the other models. GS-1000 also don't have such a forward (but sweet) midrange. In my opinion they fit to a lot of music genres. Some prefer RS-1's for Rock and Jazz because of the more forward mids and on-stage feeling.
HP-1000 are a completely different beast, being more balanced and detailed with nice bass.
I don't know much about the PS-1 but that they have good details and plenty of bass.

 

[MadMan007]

On the one hand I understand the hesitation but on the other hand I don't understand making such a big deal out of it. There are places that carry grados with 100% satisfaction guarantees, or you could buy and sell used, or maybe even get a loaner if there's someone you know or in your area. Basically there are risk-free (or nearly so - you might be out shipping) options, so why not just give one a shot instead of guessing and wondering?

 

[Shoreman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Germancub /img/forum/go_quote.gif I dont know but even the people that work at Grado dont wear Grados, "truly the worlds finest" indeed

What a ridiculous statement. You find a photo of one woman wearing earbuds (what would you have her wear in a work environment, by the way?) and you come out with this absurd generalization?

I think the first three words of your pretty meaningless post hit the nail on the head. You really don't know.

 

[tintin47]

I would say that the RS-1 definitely counts as a high end grado. I agree with most of what scytheavatar said. They do guitar in a way that no phone comes close to matching. It has to do, IMO, with the smooth but bright treble and the beautiful, very upfront mids. The attack on guitar and drums is very visceral because of the treble and mid energy, which lends them a really fun nature. I would not agree with scythe about more mellow rock. I would say that, if a piece of music has guitar in it, it will sound good on the RS-1.

I also think that the bass is done really well, especially with the older (more than a couple years old) RS-1s that I have heard. It is accurate and audible without being even slightly boomy or muddy. It also is very palpable and gives a good sense of tone. Really a pleasure to listen to. This is another reason that I think the RS-1s are so good for rock. The bass provides a nice anchor to the music and is always audible though it doesn't overpower anything.

Some things that they don't do well: soundstage, neutrality and detail retrieval. Soundstage is well known. It just isn't really there. That said, the placement of instruments is very clear to my ears, but there is just no width or "out of head" experience. These cans are not neutral in any way. They are built to be euphonic and they achieve this goal, IMO. They are accurate tonally for the most part IMO, just don't expect anything resembling a flat freq response. Detail is good through a good amp, but it just isn't on par with other phones that cost $700, $1000 or more.

 

[MadMan007]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoreman /img/forum/go_quote.gif What a ridiculous statement. You find a photo of one woman wearing earbuds (what would you have her wear in a work environment, by the way?) and you come out with this absurd generalization? I think the first three words of your pretty meaningless post hit the nail on the head. You really don't know.

I think we found out that that is in fact a cell phone earpiece/microphone and not music headphones.