[waterking]

actually, the PS2000e's pushed by a Hagerman Tuba sound extremely good.

 

[headwig]

actually, the PS2000e's pushed by a Hagerman Tuba sound extremely good.

I've never actually heard a high-end Grado. I'd be curious to - I don't imagine my beaten-up SR80s are representative of their best, and I'd like to see where the Grado house sound goes when refined. And to be fair, even the SR80s sounded better than they looked (until they fell apart).

Foam that disintegrates into dust is never a good feature in headphones though.

 

[elvergun]

Grado, anything Grado. I find them harsh and overly bright.

but they still use that awful foam

What does "awful foam" have to do with harsh and overly bright? If someone tells you that you can replace that awful foam with an aftermarket pad you will just say that you don't like black plastic...and if someone tells you to get a wood Grado instead you will just say that termites will eat your headphones. It seems that you don't like Grado headphones.

Does the fact that you don't like Grados make them overrated?

 

[gooeyrich]

Grado does seem to be very polarizing among the audiophile community.

 

[Claypole]

Simply disliking certain headphones doesn’t make them overrated.

If you were looking to buy a set of Grados, you would probably read as many reviews and opinions on them as you could. You would see that they divide opinion to a certain degree. I would say these opinions are generally honest and well considered, which to me suggests they are correctly rated.

The same goes for certain Sennheiser headphones. I borrowed my brothers’s HD650’s to try out, and I wasn’t impressed with the sound. It seems a lot of people would agree with me, whilst a lot would disagree, and think they are great. Just like the Grados though, people are offering honest and considered opinions, which again, means they are correctly rated rather than overrated.

I would say ‘overrated’ headphones are normally the more popular brands and models aimed at casual listeners. Certain ’fashionable‘ brands get just as highly rated on Amazon as the more ‘audiophile’ grade stuff. I would say the average ‘Beats’ customer is far more likely to overrate their product than a Sennheiser customer.

 

[ruinedx]

but they still use that awful foam

Yes they do

Not the most luxurious but it is functional.

 

[easo91]

Gotta be the m50x, I’ve never heard another headphone so far from neutral praised for it’s neutrality. It’s not even a bad sound, I’m just wondering how this came to be seen as a neutral option.

 

[headwig]

Gotta be the m50x, I’ve never heard another headphone so far from neutral praised for it’s neutrality. It’s not even a bad sound, I’m just wondering how this came to be seen as a neutral option.

Yeah, although I didn't think much of the construction I wouldn't say the Grado SR80 was overrated. Based on online reviews I got what I expected, and I enjoyed listening to it. Then I bought the ATH-M50 based on online reviews, and I was surprised by how the descriptions didn't fit what I heard at all. An exaggerated mid-bass hump, no texture in the mids and treble that was dry and harsh. Initially impressive enough but soon intolerably fatiguing. Definitely overrated.

 

[Mink]

Gotta be the m50x, I’ve never heard another headphone so far from neutral praised for it’s neutrality. It’s not even a bad sound, I’m just wondering how this came to be seen as a neutral option.

I think these are both overrated and underrated. At first the M50s were truly liked by a few who wondered why no one bought these instead of the overpriced Beats by Dre.
Beats bashing was popular at Head-fi at the time and it didn't took long for many Head-fi newbies to copycat this sentiment: "Beats suck, get a pair of M50s". In every "Which pair of headphones?" thread the M50s were recommended, in many cases by people who didn't even auditioned them or owned them. Youtube followed this hype and there you had it: a decent pair of headphones was hailed as the bees knees of headphones. And then came the backlash. The realization came that other brands had nice headphones too, and what do you know, some even sounded better. What goes up must come down. A fine pair of headphones soon was hailed as the worst pair of headphones.
As I see it, the trip of the M50 hype train was rather short in comparison with the long and winding road down. So in a sense the M50s actually are underrated, they are nowhere near as awful many make them out to be. I like them.

 

[ADUHF]

^My attempt at a perceptual plot of the AT M50x, based on Rtings raw FR plots.

LEFT: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#295/4011
RIGHT: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#295/4012

If you think these are over-rated, then what closed-back HP in the same or lower price range would you recommend as an alternative? AKG K371? Beyer DT-150 or 770? Somethin else? Or would you just go with an open-back, like the Senn HD 600 or HD 58x, and do without the (sub-)bass?

The M50x is not my favorite headphone. But it still sounds about as good or better than most of the other stuff I've listened to recently at GC and Best Buy. As indicated on the above plot, it has some unevenness in the upper bass/lower mids, and a few dips and bright spots in the treble. And its timbral precision is a somewhat compromised by the lack of smoothness in its response. But it's fairly well-balanced overall imo. And has decent clarity and imaging for a lower-cost headphone.

 

[AnimalOnDrums]

What does "awful foam" have to do with harsh and overly bright?

Nothing, they are just both reasons I find Grados overrated.

If someone tells you that you can replace that awful foam with an aftermarket pad you will just say that you don't like black plastic...and if someone tells you to get a wood Grado instead you will just say that termites will eat your headphones. It seems that you don't like Grado headphones.

You can change the pads on nearly every headphone out there, especially the ones that have been mentioned on this thread. But, buying new pads or parts for headphones does not make them any less overrated. And you have no idea what I would say. I never said I did not like the plastic on them, or that I did not specifically like the wood on the Grados. If that were the case, I would have pointed that out as reasons I think they are overrated to begin with. And once again, termites? Really? If I had termites in my house, my headphones would be the least of my concerns, lol. You are really reaching here. I own other headphones that have wood ring or cups so that makes even less sense. And yes, I don't like Grados. If I liked them, I probably would not be saying they are overrated. Most of the headphones people have said are over rated are headphones they do not like all that much.

Does the fact that you don't like Grados make them overrated?

By itself, no. I never said it did. I was not aware that I was required to mentioned every reason why I think they are overrated. Other people in this thread have also mentioned Grados, and for similar reasons to mine. Why aren't you concerned with any of them and just me? Why you are pointing this out only on my posts is strange, and I'm a freakin muppet!

 

[AnimalOnDrums]

Yes they do

Not the most luxurious but it is functional.

ha ha ha, that is true. I will give you that!

 

[easo91]

^My attempt at a perceptual plot of the AT M50x, based on Rtings raw FR plots.

LEFT: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#295/4011
RIGHT: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#295/4012

If you think these are over-rated, then what closed-back HP in the same or lower price range would you recommend as an alternative? AKG K371? Beyer DT-150 or 770? Somethin else? Or would you just go with an open-back, like the Senn HD 600 or HD 58x, and do without the (sub-)bass?

The M50x is not my favorite headphone. But it still sounds about as good or better than most of the other stuff I've listened to recently at GC and Best Buy. As indicated on the above plot, it has some unevenness in the upper bass/lower mids, and a few dips and bright spots in the treble. And its timbral precision is a somewhat compromised by the lack of smoothness in its response. But it's fairly well-balanced overall imo. And has decent clarity and imaging for a lower-cost headphone.

For under $150 new? The MDR-7506 if you’re trying to mix but also can be a pleasant listen, AKG K553 (or the K550 or the K553 MKII) can be had for around $100 if you’re patient.

 

[XLR8]

Not sure what you mean - the materials and build are impeccable...



As my friend commented upon seeing these, "If this is the Prestige Series, I'd hate to see the S**t Series."

It gets better the higher you go up in the series.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Overrated is such a meaningless word. Overrated compared to what? The objective truth with individual tastebuds or overrated in terms of too many ratings?

But ok I’ll play:
Urbanears Plattan is an awful headphone and is worn by pretty much 25% of all Scandinavians out in the open. For the price there are just so many other choices that it is nigh on ridiculous purchasing said travesty....but sure most of them doesn’t come in bright pink, yellow, turquoise or purple.
I find most noise-cancelling headphones to be trash...but then again I’d much rather travel with a cheap pair of say SE215s that both sound and isolate better. I get it though..some folks just don’t like the penetration.

To me personally I could never get along with Grados past the SR60 and SR80..but I’m not sure I would consider them overrated. Some peeps genuinely dig the aggressive sound signature. I recently tried on a GS1000e and my brain immediately felt like the old Iron Maiden tune ‘Run To The Hills’. Comparing it to an SR60e was almost surreal. In my experience what you get when you “upgrade” your Grados is higher peaks in the mids and treble, bigger mid-bass hump as well as much poorer bass extension.
‘Well they’re overrated then!!!’
Nah I just don’t like them.