[skitlets]

Perhaps people collect grados because they have the "grado" sound which is found in all of the headphones, but each individual model gives a little something different in addition to the grado house sound.

 

[bozebuttons]

I Just like the Grado sound and owned them way before Head Fi (HP2s,Sr60s,RS1s)
I sold the HP2s still kicking myself over that one,sold them for 250.00 they where mint and I was the origional owner.
Still have the RS1s SR60s, also have HP1s,HP3s,PS1s,Sr40s (since Head Fi)

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evilson I think they look wonderful. Looks sorta like something out of Bladerunner.

tell me about it - i told someone they would look like a robotic princess leia with the MS-2s on - and they STILL bought it!

 

[ssportclay]

I own a pair of grado SR225 headphones.These things suffer badly from small driver syndrome.In other words,they remind me of the small speakers in the transistor radios I had as a child.If I listen to speakers and then switch to the grados I become very unhappy.I would not recommend grados to anyone for this reason.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssportclay I own a pair of grado SR225 headphones.These things suffer badly from small driver syndrome.

Uhhhh..........they are rather small, as are most headphone drivers. Maybe our ears should be bigger to allow for larger drivers? Just a thought.

 

[ntsour]

My firt decent headphone was a Grado. I bought it although I thought that probably there were other headphones better overall (taking acount design, comfort, soundstage etc.) out there. I tried to explaing to myself this urge to buy those ugly ducklings and probably have a theory about the original question of this thread.
I think that Grado, the company, has managed to create something that is not just a good product. Nowdays we normally buy things that follow trends and are designed and fabricated so that they are replaced very soon. They fall out of style, or are obsolete by newer models or they just plainly fail. The last is not normally true with headphones but the others probably they are. Grados, on the other hand, have something timeless about them. Their design has been stable for decades and so are the basic ingredients of their sound. Add to that the fact that their evolution is through extreme refinement and not "scarp everything and let's try something different". You know you are buying something proven through time that will not follow the short lifecycle of a normal product.
Additionally, the combination of their qualities and misgivings: sound, design, discomfort, marketing techniques (or lack thereof) etc. have created a following which probably make the owners feel more like joining a club than buying a nameless product. It is not just for everybody and sometimes thats a good strategy provided that you, as a company, don't mind staying small.
Getting all of them I think is like trying all plates in your favourite restaurants. Each one is a different approach towards the same goal and you know you trust blindly the cook.
I hope I don't develop this condition because it is quite costly...

 

[taoster]

ahh Grado! I am inspired to go home, power up the EMP and get the SR-325 ready for a workout..

(there should be a sr-325 smilie as it's just so damn cool with the metallic)

 

[geekay]

i just wonder how long shuld be my sr325 burn in?

 

[tiberian]

hate to break the party but i think its stupid that grados aren't even listenable without flat pads and the rs-1s don't worth the retail price.
a pair of new rs-1 with flat pads will cost 735, and you can get a pair of baby r-10 style cd3k woodies for that price. FYI my cd3k woodies blew the rs-1 with flats out of water...no contest.

the sr-80s however were great headphones, i liked them.

 

[comabereni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntsour My firt decent headphone was a Grado. I bought it although I thought that probably there were other headphones better overall (taking acount design, comfort, soundstage etc.) out there. I tried to explaing to myself this urge to buy those ugly ducklings and probably have a theory about the original question of this thread. I think that Grado, the company, has managed to create something that is not just a good product. Nowdays we normally buy things that follow trends and are designed and fabricated so that they are replaced very soon. They fall out of style, or are obsolete by newer models or they just plainly fail. The last is not normally true with headphones but the others probably they are. Grados, on the other hand, have something timeless about them. Their design has been stable for decades and so are the basic ingredients of their sound. Add to that the fact that their evolution is through extreme refinement and not "scarp everything and let's try something different". You know you are buying something proven through time that will not follow the short lifecycle of a normal product. Additionally, the combination of their qualities and misgivings: sound, design, discomfort, marketing techniques (or lack thereof) etc. have created a following which probably make the owners feel more like joining a club than buying a nameless product. It is not just for everybody and sometimes thats a good strategy provided that you, as a company, don't mind staying small. Getting all of them I think is like trying all plates in your favourite restaurants. Each one is a different approach towards the same goal and you know you trust blindly the cook. I hope I don't develop this condition because it is quite costly...

I agree with these sentiments completely. I have a small collection of Grados now and love them them more than any other headphones I've tried (not that many, admittedly). As for the aesthetic/engineering aspect of them, they are designed from the touted "function first" standpoint--essentially from the drivers out--i.e. round drivers-->round enclosures-->universal swivel design to adapt to ear orientation and noggins of all sizes and shapes (yes, headband adjustment required)... and finally, nothing extra or funky about the headband. Thus, Grados reminds me of well-engineered and timeless items from many different industries that start with the functional aspect of the instrument/product/device first and go from there.

Think of how many things you own that look great and function poorly. Think how many times you've replaced those items with something else more updated and cooler looking that functioned just as poorly. IMO--they'll never be Sony, but I've lost count now of how many cheap plastic Sony things I've thrown away.

Cheers~

 

[geekay]

so how the price?
where to get it?

 

[comabereni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiberian hate to break the party but i think its stupid that grados aren't even listenable without flat pads and the rs-1s don't worth the retail price. a pair of new rs-1 with flat pads will cost 735, and you can get a pair of baby r-10 style cd3k woodies for that price. FYI my cd3k woodies blew the rs-1 with flats out of water...no contest. the sr-80s however were great phones and well worth the asking price.

I agree. Having just praised Grado engineering, let me now say I think high-end Grados are well into the fog of diminishing returns.

Grado is a small firm with a limited product line--after reading, and experiencing, the difference between so-called high-end Grados, low-end Grados, Grado knock-offs (Alessandros), and reading others' experiences and preferences, it is fairly obvious to me that the engineered variations from the top-end to the bottom-end are rather limited and that you may well find you prefer the SR-60 over the 225, or the 325 over the RS-2, or maybe even the MS1. Thus, the primary differences are probably driven by marketing decisions--i.e. slightly different tuning, slightly different cosmetics ("got to have the wood ones with the slightly larger air chamber"), and widely variable price tags to establish distributor relations and to provide the "right" headphone to people of differing discretionary incomes.

If I remember my reading correctly, Grado wasn't having much success getting stores to carry their headphones until they had a true "bottom-end" headphone for the masses, the SR-60, and then it all took off from there. The literature says something like "Grado figured out a way to manufacture a quality headphone they could sell for less than $100", or something like that. What I think Grado did was not so much "figure out" anything much by way of manufacturing. Instead, they probably made a pricing decision in order to establish a presence in the marketplace--thus the SR-60 likely shares virtually all the design benefits of the more expensive headphones--and the resulting superior sound, making it a true "best buy" in the industry and one of the value headphones to beat. I highly suspect the diminishing returns kick in right after that, more or less. Unless, of course, you *really* like metal and wood over plastic and have the $$ to burn.

Just my $.02 and a lot of speculation based on my professional experience.
.

 

[wolfen68]

I've settled on the 225's as the sweetspot for my needs. They've been modded with a leather headband and a mini plug. I have no desire to own any other Grados....unless somebody wants to send me theirs

 

[archosman]

What about the RS-1? I figured after my 325s I'd hate them but I got a chance to listen to a pair at the Nashville meet ($3 RatShak pad mod) and really enjoyed them.


Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman There's never been a Grado I've wanted to hang on to for too long. I suppose some are immune

 

[BowerR64]

Does anyone have a picture of a pile of grados? I want to see a stack of em.