[bebraw]

I guess their overseas policy hurts them a bit. Paying a hefty premium for a pair of Grados doesn't probably seem that appealing to people outside US.
 
I'm personally really happy with Grado products. They got me into this hi-fi thing.
 
I suppose it might have something to do with trends and marketing as well. Perhaps that's a part of their niche appeal. It probably takes a certain kind of person to truly like Grado and their design.

 

[VALIENTE]

Quote:

I'm personally really happy with Grado products. They got me into this hi-fi thing.  

Me, too. My SR60 opened me into audiophile thing. I hate to see my Grado SR60 placed inside the cabinet, but I had meaningful moments with it. I am in conquest with higher fidelity and so I bought higher audiophile headphones. 
 
Yes, there are areas that the selling prices of Grado products are very high like in our place. So I did not buy models higher than SR60 anymore.

 

[Scornergy]

Quote:

Forums do need to grow and cycle members, but the question is:
Is head-fi? There dont seem to be enough people interested in "finding their sound" to keep head-fi hopping with "new" as opposed to "right now"

Well I don't need that much hand holding.  Its taken me 10 years of enjoying my 225's for me to decide that my taste in music sufficiently changed to want something that does a bit more and better.  I went from 70's / 80's rock and disco tracks to remixes of the genres in Trance/GOA/EDM/industrial/House.  I even went so far as to go to a DIY forum, and built my own amp with parts ordered from Radio Shack. 
 
However, now I need some more professional advice on where to grow from here, and of course my amp knowledge isn't that great.  Pretty sure I can't just build my own amp for higher end cans. 
 
Speaking of 'finding their sound' can you elaborate?  Are you referring to how one listens to music or finding the equipment to do so? 
 
Also, how bad is the build quality really?  I mean my current 225's have lasted for almost ten years now, and I've only replaced the pads once. 

 

[wind016]

king of rock. there is none higher

Im sorry that you've never heard anything better. Anyways this has been discussed before. It always leads to fighting no matter how fair each side is. Grados just aren't good for the price anymore. 10 years ago? Come on now. Get to know whats out in the market before you praise something you got 10 years ago

 

[keanex]

I was under the assumption the SR60i, SR80i, and 225i were priced decently, no? Though like I said the 225i were outperformed by my Ad900 in every way imo.

 

[nikongod]

By "finding your sound" I mean just that: finding your sound! I guess its hard to explain, but its the kind of random wandering amongst various options in headphones until you find one (or a group) that just fits in with you, and how you listen. Once you have an idea of what you like its much quicker to zero in on new headphones, but its something you dont see noob's doing today: They seem to buy any random headphone and who cares if it truly fits their preferences and they are gone. Part of this is listening maturity for example: when I started listening to hi-fi stuff I could listen to garbage for ages without picking out that I didnt like it. now within about 30 seconds of listening to a new headphones I can tell if it deserves any more time on my head. Many of the other people who have been doing headphones for a while do the same and we dont always agree. Its nothing special, just being dialed in to your own sound. 
 
I would not worry much about the build quality of grados, some people just cant see a grado thread without bringing it up. Grado dosnt have QC issues, anti-grado-peeps are just really loud. 

 

[wind016]

I think the forum is better now. Headphones are being suggested purely on needs. M50s are recommended alot because many noobies desire portability. Grados are still being actively recommended so I don't know what the problem is

 

[nikongod]

I am still curious to hear a set of M50. Everyone assures me Im in for a laugh, but sometimes you gotta see the train-wreck to believe its crashed.

 

[Scornergy]

Quote:

Quote:

king of rock. there is none higher

Im sorry that you've never heard anything better. Anyways this has been discussed before. It always leads to fighting no matter how fair each side is. Grados just aren't good for the price anymore. 10 years ago? Come on now. Get to know whats out in the market before you praise something you got 10 years ago

Please keep things calm.  "I" was the one that bought my cans ten years ago.  I only asked what happened in the intervening years.
 

 

[wind016]

People just realize that Grados aren't "the best." They are still good headphones but competition in the high end market has increased dramatically.

 

[Kevin Brown]

I don't understand some of the comments in this thread.
 
Grados are only for rock?  Not to these ears.  I listen to rock, ambient, jazz, classical, and a crapload of other stuff with ... yes ... Grados.  And I own and I've listened to a bunch of other headphones.  Each headphone has its own strengths and weaknesses, and Grados are no different.  Sennheisers, AKG, Beyers ... all are no different.
 
I have AD900's and I prefer those for some things and Grados for others.  I most certainly wouldn't say that either is "better" or "worse".  That's why I have a bunch of different cans I play against each other on a routine basis.  But my go-to headphones at the moment are HF2's and RS2i's at work, and SR225i's at home.
 
For whatever reason, I think Grado gets a lot of criticism on Head Fi, maybe because of their specific tonality in the lower priced models.  But the funny thing to me is that as you go up their line, the tonality changes such that comments about the "Grado sound" to me are ignorant and meaningless.
 
Anyway, I can't speak to the quality and performance of Grados 10 years ago wrt their peers, but I can today, and I most certainly find them price and performance competitive at the different price points I've compared them against the competition.

 

[Digital-Pride]

Quote:

People just realize that Grados aren't "the best." They are still good headphones but competition in the high end market has increased dramatically.

 
It's not that they were the best(which in audio there is no such thing as the "best"), they are one of the best options depending on what genre of music you listen to.  I disgree with your assertion that they are not worth their price value.   While the Grado sound signature is not for everyone, it is wrong to simply dismiss a fine audio line simply because YOU don't particularly care for it.  I appologize if I seem combative, it just irks me(keep in mind I don't own any Grados personally) when people slam proven brands just because they didn't gel with sound signature.

 

[Kiwikat]

I've got my eyes on a pair of RS2i's.  I'm hoping they will be my answer to a more fun and open rock-listening headphone.  The HD25-1 does a fairly decent job but they're pretty flat in general.  They also look awesome, though that doesn't really matter.
 
This hobby is starting to suck me (and my wallet) in big time... 

 
 
I'm sure a real amp isn't too far off as well...

 

[wind016]

 
It's not that they were the best(which in audio there is no such thing as the "best"), they are one of the best options depending on what genre of music you listen to.  I disgree with your assertion that they are not worth their price value.   While the Grado sound signature is not for everyone, it is wrong to simply dismiss a fine audio line simply because YOU don't particularly care for it.  I appologize if I seem combative, it just irks me(keep in mind I don't own any Grados personally) when people slam proven brands just because they didn't gel with sound signature.

Yea. I agree and that is why I put "best" in quotes. People always claim them as the best as one poster just did. They are simply just another sound signature

 

[baka1969]

I agree with much of what nikongod said about finding your sound preferences. I've been through the "modern" Grado lineup and phase. The SR-60, 80, and 225 are excellent for their respective price points. I would argue that the SR-80i is the best value in open dynamic headphones under $100. The issue I had with Grado is that beyond the 225 there becomes some serious competition. Once you get to the RS1 and beyond it almost becomes laughable that Grado charges the prices they command for the same build quality of their $80 SR-60. Which, for $80 is pretty good. For $700+, it's a bit embarrassing to me. That said, the HF2 is a great, but different, sounding Grado. I just shifted from the colored, yet fun, sound of Grados to a more neutral sound signature.


The ironic part is, and Ari will attest, the Grado sound signature of the vintage Joe Grado headphones were more neutral than the current models and have a more "today" sound to them. So what's old is new again...