[Randy_M]

Personally, I love the sound with the bowl pads...I bought the flats, and they are just sitting in my drawer. To my ears, they just muddied up the sound - however, they are quite a bit more comfortable.....

I have SR60's, SR80's and SR325's

 

[markl]

1. Their sound.

2. Their looks.

3. Their build.

3. Their comfort.

 

[gradofan]

What's strange about the Grados -- a characteristic that many headphones share - is that, to some people, they are extremely comfortable, while other people feel that wearing Grados is like strapping sandpaper to their heads.

Sound quality is the same thing: some people don't like the punchy bass and accentuated highs of the Grados; the up-front, in-your-face sound doesn't do it for many headphone enthusiasts (mostly, Senn fans

).

A lot of the things I love about Grados drive other people crazy. And I don't think Joe is going to change his formula drastically; he has a corner in the market and makes great products. He can't beat Senn at its laid-back style, nor can he compete with the AKG K1000's soundstage. Instead, he should just tweak his already excellent products for his fans.

 

[GlowWorm]

I have no problem with the Grado's sound, it's their ergonomics that annoy me. I think they should completely redesign their headbands by making them more padded, and rugged. Also they should enlarge the enclosers, and earpads which will make them more comfortable for extended listening sessions. Until Grado makes a few changes I'll probably be looking at other brands for my future upgrades.

 

[markl]

Since Grados are such a niche product with such a small manufacturer, they (or really *he*) aren't/isn't going to update them every year like a Sony or a Sennheiser. I expect it will be quite a few years before we see totally new Grados, if then.

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl 1. Their sound. 2. Their looks. 3. Their build. 3. Their comfort.

1. DITTO
2. they look O.K.
3. DITTO
4. DITTO

 

[SptsNaz]

Quote:

Originally posted by tom hankins 1. DITTO 2. they look O.K. 3. DITTO 4. DITTO

Don't degrade Grado's because they're not within your tastes... I'm sure there are plenty of people who prefer Grado's over other high-end headphones. I can agree about the other ones to some extent though.

After all if they sounded different they wouldn't be Grado's.

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally posted by SptsNaz Don't degrade Grado's because they're not within your tastes... I'm sure there are plenty of people who prefer Grado's over other high-end headphones. I can agree about the other ones to some extent though. After all if they sounded different they wouldn't be Grado's.

I know for fact there are people who like the grados more than other phones. More power to them. I've owned three of the top pr. they sell. I don't like them much. Am I only allowed to post on this thread if they are "within my taste"?
Anyway my reply to markl's post was mainly done in humor. Sorry if I offended any Grado owners, It wasn't my intention.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally posted by SptsNaz I really don't know what he sees in the bowl pads. It must be some marketing technique to save money because the flat pads are light years better. The flats make the cans less bright, MUCH more dynamic, improve bass significantly and the comfort is much more tolerable.

There are pros and cons to both. I find the bowl pads open up the midrange and top end and take the bloat/hump from the midbass, which shows up with the flat pads. They also make the phones more "fast". The flat pads shrink the soundstage and spacial area down to zilch and condense the musical information. Having said that, I do find the flat pads more musical and they have more impact, and the bowls a bit biting and bright in comparison. I still don't think the ideal pad has been made (or discovered).

 

[markl]

I agree that Grados are either love-'em or hate-'em phones. To my ears they have a very idiosyncratic sound. It so happens that this voicing does not appeal to my particular ears; to me they sound fake and "colored". However, I'm just one data point, others have concluded that the Grados are quite desirable for their particular coloration. However, this still does not take away from the fact that they still look like WW2-era surplus junk.

And they're one of the most uncomfortable phones around (for me!).

 

[Sovkiller]

IMO a much better and less retro look, about 20 years more updated will be very nice, add this to a much better comfort......and they will gain a lot more potencial buyers for sure.....

 

[pbirkett]

1. Better comfort - the SR-80's I had were appalling. Why not make them circumaural? I prefer this design every time.

2. Their price anywhere outside the US, although that has little to do with the headphones I admit

 

[SptsNaz]

Quote:

Originally posted by tom hankins I know for fact there are people who like the grados more than other phones. More power to them. I've owned three of the top pr. they sell. I don't like them much. Am I only allowed to post on this thread if they are "within my taste"? Anyway my reply to markl's post was mainly done in humor. Sorry if I offended any Grado owners, It wasn't my intention.

Sorry I kind of lost track what I was talking about, taking the post the wrong way...

You might actually be right... I MUST try the Sennehiser hd 600 sooner or later and see how they compete. While I like the Grado's now, I don't find them anywhere near perfect.

 

[tanfenton]

I still like Grados and would only plead with John to return the flat pads to common production so that more people could have the opportunity to try them. Leave the design be. Right, Zanth? =)

NGF

 

[dabblerblue]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sovkiller IMO a much better and less retro look, about 20 years more updated will be very nice, add this to a much better comfort......and they will gain a lot more potencial buyers for sure.....

...but i like the retro look