[Raguvian]

Just an honest question here, not trying to start a flame war, but I was wondering why everyone loves Grados so much.

I used to have SR-80's (not the i's) and while I loved the sound and was fairly comfortable, the build quality was trash. The rods that provide the adjustment for the cups kept sliding up and down and wouldn't stay in place whenever I took the headphones off and the cables were a joke, especially the Y-connector that had those ghetto crimps on them that kept bending and looked like they would give out at any second.

Also, the fact that you could swivel the cups around and around until the wires broke is pretty dumb. I ended up selling mine and got something a lot sturdier, but I was wondering if other people feel the same way because I keep reading about how great they are, and in the portable headphone review thread by joker he talks about how the SR-60's are well built and gave the build quality a 8/10

Also, have they improved the quality on the i's at all? I really want to like Grados but after my experience I'm trying to avoid them at all costs...

 

[gbacic]

I only love my SR60's because of the sound. They are pretty comfortable but the build quality is almost unacceptable.
But damn do they sound good

 

[Ridleyguy]

I have the same issue as you with my SR80s...or at least a similar issue. I actually can't figure out how an electronic signal gets by the Y connector at the top, as one of the wires looks so thin from being twisted.

I have fairly recently auditioned all the Grados at one time, and I didn't notice a great difference in quality, but I didn't look at them that closely for differences.

 

[Head Injury]

1. How exactly are you taking your headphones off? My much heavier HF2s don't slide up and down the rods at all. And when they do, is it really that much of a pain to readjust?

2. The cable is probably the sturdiest part of the headphones. Big, thick, beefy, and heavy. Not some wire-thin cable like on portable headphones. I've had no rips or tears in the cable of my SR60i in the nine months I've owned them, but I got a split in the rubber of the KSC75 cable after two months. The non-i version have a thinner cable, though. I'll admit the crimping looks scary, but I've had no problems with it. And the HF2 has no crimping whatsoever (and a cable that's as thick as a pencil). I imagine others higher up in the product line are the same.

3. The argument about infinitely spinning cups I've never understood. Why exactly does it matter? Are you going to play spin-the-driver with your buddies? The cable is going to look nastily twisted and become uncomfortable well before twisting will tear it. My cups never twist more than 180 or 360 degrees before I fix them anyway. Is it a necessary feature? No, but it doesn't hurt in actuality.

4. They ARE well-built. They look fragile but the plastic is actually pretty thick. Would it be more durable with metal? Yes, but five times heavier. I've thrown my poor plastic Grados in bags numerous times, dropped them even more, and they're no worse for it.

5. What exactly is your "experience"? You've mentioned what you see as the flaws, but not how they've affected you. Are you really willing to give up on the headphones you want to like just because their cups swivel and occasionally need adjusting? I personally put sound over build quality as long as the headphones will last. If you're different, I guess you'll need a pair of these:

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

Pretty simple. I like Grados because they're the best-sounding cans I've tried.

I also think that the build quality of the SR-80s is commensurate with other $79 headphones I've seen, though I must say that my $60 SR-60s had none of the defects described in the original post. The Y-connector thing is easy to deal with once you become familiar with what to do and what not to do.

 

[Mochan]

Grados sound good. But they aren't really my cup of tea. I sold my Grados and moved on to another brand. I also find the higher end Grados are too overpriced. Especially when the build quality is still pretty shoddy all things considered despite going metal or wood. I get far more bang for buck out of higher model AKGs and Audio Technicas and even Sennheisers compared to Grados. At low levels though the lowend Grados are terrific bang for buck like the SR60 and MS1.

 

[gbacic]

Many people have problems where the wire breaks where it meets the cup of the headphone. It gets so badly twisted because it isn't very noticeable that it destroys the cable.

But it is fixable, and it would happen to any headphone if you did it, it's just that Grado continues it's 'retro' style.

 

[Mochan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olias of Sunhillow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pretty simple. I like Grados because they're the best-sounding cans I've tried. I also think that the build quality of the SR-80s is commensurate with other $79 headphones I've seen, though I must say that my $60 SR-60s had none of the defects described in the original post. The Y-connector thing is easy to deal with once you become familiar with what to do and what not to do.

Personally I found that the build of the $60 SR60 was trash compared to the build of the $40 K81 DJ, YMMV.

 

[Pepsi]

I think "everyone" is an overstatement, the sound personally, is not my cup of tea but a lot of people here do enjoy it, also they are a very reputable company, John Grado is very passionate about it. As far as build flaws go, i never owned a pair long enough to experience them.

 

[jjinh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raguvian /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just an honest question here, not trying to start a flame war, but I was wondering why everyone loves Grados so much. I used to have SR-80's (not the i's) and while I loved the sound and was fairly comfortable, the build quality was trash. The rods that provide the adjustment for the cups kept sliding up and down and wouldn't stay in place whenever I took the headphones off and the cables were a joke, especially the Y-connector that had those ghetto crimps on them that kept bending and looked like they would give out at any second. Also, the fact that you could swivel the cups around and around until the wires broke is pretty dumb. I ended up selling mine and got something a lot sturdier, but I was wondering if other people feel the same way because I keep reading about how great they are, and in the portable headphone review thread by joker he talks about how the SR-60's are well built and gave the build quality a 8/10 Also, have they improved the quality on the i's at all? I really want to like Grados but after my experience I'm trying to avoid them at all costs...

I also hate how the cups swivel, which could lead to the wires getting twisted, and all the other problems, but you clearly mention you love the sound... a lot of us like the sound, so that's why we buy them!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Here's a list of my Grado headphones I've owned over the years:

SR60
SR125
SR225i (my favourite in the Prestige Series)
SR325is
RS1
RS1i (currently own) [my favourite Grado headphone]

I've also listened extensively to:
SR80
HF2 [my second favourite Grado headphone]
GS1000
PS1000

Now they may not be as fancy as say the R10, D7000 or HD800, but I've never had a quality issue with them. The Reference Series are real nice to behold actually. The wood is quite retro and nice to look at.

But where they really shine is just how good they sound...with rock/hard rock/metal they are pretty tough to beat! Awesome slam, presence, timbre with great detail.

I'm actually listening to Van Halen right now with my RS1i 's and I am still amazed just how great they are!

I guess you either get them or you don't. But those how do "get them", love them!

 

[gbacic]

The first RS1's had square posts, and the HP1000's had locks on the posts

why they got rid of them is beyond me.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbacic /img/forum/go_quote.gif The first RS1's had square posts, and the HP1000's had locks on the posts why they got rid of them is beyond me.

My first RS1s did have the square posts and my new RS1i's have the round ones, but both seem pretty sturdy and I've had zero issues with both.

The reason would be to simplify their bill of materials and make procurement easier and costs less (just a guess).

 

[robjrock]

I thought the sr60i's were pretty over rated.
I slightly prefer my ath-m50s over my MS1i's but mainly just because my m50s are more versatile.
Grados are great for anything with fuzzy guitars.

 

[Raguvian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Injury /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1. How exactly are you taking your headphones off? My much heavier HF2s don't slide up and down the rods at all. And when they do, is it really that much of a pain to readjust?

Well when I had those they were my only headphones and I was using them everywhere. Since I couldn't just put them on for hours at a time and had to keep taking them off, yes it became a hassle to keep fidgeting around with them and readjusting them since the cups wouldn't stay in place. My other headphones don't do that so I don't think it's too much to ask.

And I take my headphones off by pulling the cups to the side with both hands and taking them off.

Quote:

2. The cable is probably the sturdiest part of the headphones. Big, thick, beefy, and heavy. Not some wire-thin cable like on portable headphones. I've had no rips or tears in the cable of my SR60i in the nine months I've owned them, but I got a split in the rubber of the KSC75 cable after two months. The non-i version have a thinner cable, though. I'll admit the crimping looks scary, but I've had no problems with it. And the HF2 has no crimping whatsoever (and a cable that's as thick as a pencil). I imagine others higher up in the product line are the same.

I never found out how sturdy the cable was but the crimping constantly worried me that it would just break if it kept bending back and forth too much, and being my portable headphones as well, they would keep getting bent out of shape. Do you know if the new i series has that crimping, specifically the SR-325is?

Quote:

3. The argument about infinitely spinning cups I've never understood. Why exactly does it matter? Are you going to play spin-the-driver with your buddies? The cable is going to look nastily twisted and become uncomfortable well before twisting will tear it. My cups never twist more than 180 or 360 degrees before I fix them anyway. Is it a necessary feature? No, but it doesn't hurt in actuality.

Well obviously one isn't going to sit there and keep spinning the cups till the cables break but spinning them will happen which will put more tension on the cables and cause them to break. At least that's what I've read anyways.

Quote:

4. They ARE well-built. They look fragile but the plastic is actually pretty thick. Would it be more durable with metal? Yes, but five times heavier. I've thrown my poor plastic Grados in bags numerous times, dropped them even more, and they're no worse for it. 5. What exactly is your "experience"? You've mentioned what you see as the flaws, but not how they've affected you. Are you really willing to give up on the headphones you want to like just because their cups swivel and occasionally need adjusting? I personally put sound over build quality as long as the headphones will last. If you're different, I guess you'll need a pair of these:

I too put sound quality over build quality but I was afraid that the headphones wouldn't last and being a college student tight on money, I really didn't want to have broken $100 headphones. Maybe I'll give them another shot but it seems like there are other headphones that offer good build quality and sound for the price (save for the SR-60's).