[nikp]

Quote:

Some of the threads in which I see people complaining about Grado's closed in soundstage.
 

 

[jiggawhat]

Hey, well, everything I listed came from here on Head-Fi. Don't think I haven't read literally EVERY thread about potential headphones on this forum. And asking u guys about Grado headphones would be a selection bias - the reasons why people on these forums have most commonly recommended against Grados were as I listed.

Have I tried them? No, my Guitar Center doesn't carry them, I don't know of any other local places to try them, and the feedback here on Head-Fi seems to indicate they are not the appropriate type of headphones for a dance music + hip hop listener such as myself who does not listen to a SINGLE rock/metal track whatsoever (and classical sparingly) .

You asked a question "What happened to Grado's reputation" and I gave an answer...

 

[obobskivich]

Not to throw a wrench in the works, but the Grado headphones that I spent the most time with (the SR-225) were absolute darlings for rap/hip-hop; rivaled only by my HD-580s. That's entirely my opinion, but it is what it is. I don't listen to very much rock music, and I found the Grados ill-suited to the chamber music I like. Point is: people are going to disagree but that doesn't inform what you will or won't like. 
Quote:

Hey, well, everything I listed came from here on Head-Fi. Don't think I haven't read literally EVERY thread about potential headphones on this forum. And asking u guys about Grado headphones would be a selection bias - the reasons why people on these forums have most commonly recommended against Grados were as I listed.
Have I tried them? No, my Guitar Center doesn't carry them, I don't know of any other local places to try them, and the feedback here on Head-Fi seems to indicate they are not the appropriate type of headphones for a dance music + hip hop listener such as myself who does not listen to a SINGLE rock/metal track whatsoever (and classical sparingly) .
You asked a question "What happened to Grado's reputation" and I gave an answer...

 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Some of the threads in which I see people complaining about Grado's closed in soundstage.
 

 Greatly exaggerated in my opinion - my SR80i's on bowls have a more spacious sound stage than these Beyerdynamic T5p's
 I've got for the day.
 
 Closed versus open you say - well yes, but the T5p is also a $1000 headphone.
 
 Oh and the PS1000 has a massive sound-stage - K701 and HD800 rivalling.

 

[Focker]

I'm pretty new to headphones, and like what others have said, I very nearly didn't even give Grados a chance because I had read some very negative remarks about the sound. Well, to make a long story short, I happened to get hold of a pair of SR80is and fell totally in love with them. I was drawn to the open, airy sound and I was thoroughly impressed by the instrumental separation and imaging. On top of that, why some bash them for comfort is beyond me...I can barely even tell they are on my head. The earpads are slightly scratchy at first, but if you just wash them once that is easily remedied.  I have every intention of moving up into higher end cans very soon, but I had no idea I would be this fond of a $99 pair of headphones. As for the bass, I find it very crisp and non-boomy/muddy. As someone else said, it's not like having two subwoofers strapped to your head, but the bass is very cleanly reproduced. I didn't find it to be a weakness at all. Additionally, I have found Grado customer service to be very responsive. I had sent them an email with a few questions and received responses within the same day both times. I think people often get caught up in the "latest and greatest" mentality and maybe the idea of getting a pair of Grados isn't as exciting as they would like. For those of us who are able to look past such things and are interested in how our MUSIC is reproduced, Grados have proved to be an excellent choice as far as I'm concerned. I can't wait to get my hands on a pair of PS500s!

 

[fatcat28037]

Nothing, zero, nada, zilch can tell you what phones will sound like to you except your own ears. What you read here is opinion, not fact. Never make a decision based on other peoples opinions, you're cheating yourself.

 

[obobskivich]

Have heard GS-1000, not PS-1000, but agree even in that context about the soundstage; very good headphone overall - bloody expensive though. 
Quote:

 Greatly exaggerated in my opinion - my SR80i's on bowls have a more spacious sound stage than these Beyerdynamic T5p's
 I've got for the day.
 
 Closed versus open you say - well yes, but the T5p is also a $1000 headphone.
 
 Oh and the PS1000 has a massive sound-stage - K701 and HD800 rivalling.

 

 

[Mr.Sneis]

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Grado headphones.  If you can get over the build quality, and believe me it's pretty atrocious - worse today than in the past - the sound quality that you get is really very good.  I'd take the RS-1i over the HE-500 in a heartbeat and put it on a similar playing field to the LCD-2 as a headphone that is not perfect for everything but is well suited as a flavor for different genres.  On the low end I liked the sr80, hated the sr60. 
 
I don't see many prominent reviewers posting super positive reviews for X Grado paired with X amp very often though.  Magnum fans and modders are also all over the place -- I don't think their reputation is as bad as some might think.  Grado has always been somewhat of an underdog though, I don't think that's changed much.

 

[tribestros]

I absolutely love Grado.  I've never understood why this site has shifted away from them.  When I started here two years ago, Grados were universally praised.  I'm a guy who only listens to rock and electronic music (industrial, too) so that may be why I love Grado. If they had better build quality, they'd be ace.  But I see them a lot (even in public) because their design is so "in style" right now.

 

[Melvins]

Yeah man, those hipsters mang.

 

[ObeyurMaster]

I thought Grado was doing all right...with the latest entry PS500 getting very good reviews and all. Just like someone said, if you can get over the build quality and comfort issues, they are fantastic.
 
Personally, I love the sound and the looks of the Grados. I can see how many people can think the build quality is sub-par. I made some tweaks with the pads to improve comfort and now they are very comfortable for prolonged use. I've tried sr60, sr225 and sr325...and I'm already planning my upgrade:  HF-2 / PS500 / RS1.
 
Cheers!

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
 More Grado irony - how many times do you see someone with a generic avatar on here select the
 PS1000 as their avatar of choice? Many, many times - the sight of those big spongy cups and metal
 cups.
 
 All well and good and yet what chance would let's say the PS1000 have of making a recent
 'Top #10 favorite headphones at any price' list on Head-Fi according to general vote?
 
 I'd say Buckley's and none, I'd expect to see the V-Moda M80 make a surge to bump it out of
 10th position. Fascinating. So we have a headphone that many choose to select as their
 Head-Fi avatar, that happens to be universally ignored, that raises very little discussion and interest and
 yet some with the PS1000 avatar are happy to go the extra step by disregarding or criticizing a headphone
 they may have never even heard for themselves in the first place..
 
 Hmmmm...funny times 

 

[forsberg]

Well, how many new headphones has Grado come out with in recent years? All other headphone companies are evolving except for them.

 

[niranhopper]

The beauty of Grados is their beautiful open sound and low volume performance. I have listened to my fair share of flagships from other manufacturers but i would still pick the RS1 over the rest for low volume listening in the night and listening to live music. I agree that at higher volumes, the RS1 easily looses.  I guess in the current technical world, frequency response, distortion and efficiency matter more than simple pleasure of listening to music. That is probably why i think many people consider Grado to have lost their competitve edge.

 

[joelpearce]

The ironic thing is that people complain about them not evolving, but if they were to change their business model or styling, everyone would complain that they were selling out.  At this point, it might be impossible for them to win from a marketing standpoint.
Quote:

Well, how many new headphones has Grado come out with in recent years? All other headphone companies are evolving except for them.