[kn19h7]

Its just way too troublesome to swap around...
 
And I would rather try out more new musics, instead of keep listening to limited set of songs from various "perspectives"

 

[Hoagie]

I think some are missing the point. There is a difference between only being able to afford one headphone and preferring one headphone.  I'm pretty sure that those of us with multiple headphones could only afford one at some point of our lives.  I don't think OP intended to be dismissive of the fact that cost is a factor in what we have as opposed to what we would prefer.
 
I prefer multiple sound signatures.  I listen mostly to jazz and Blues.  It's like being in a large auditorium or small smokey bar.  I have to admit I will sometimes place the same CD over with different headphones on just because of this fact.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

The above arguments site the Absolute Sound issue, which goes back to the dawn of Audiophile days of whether there is such a thing.
(As much as I love headphones, I always felt that alternative sound signatures that make you happy are the goal, and, well, nothing sounds like
real music, and much of concert music is amplified and also affected by the venue, so IMHO, the Absolute Sound can't be pinned down, even with speakers.)
 
 

 
At first I thought you meant The Absolute Sound magazine. Oh well.
 
Your argument is an old one, and frankly it comes down to your audio philosophy. Are you interested in find the most neutral, uncoloured phones, those that will alter the sound the least, or are you in the hobby purely for experimenting and finding the "funnest" sound? It seems to me a lot of younger posters here fall into the latter category. You rarely see them discussing accuracy or neutrality, but rather what phone sounds best on a particular recording, even to posting links to the recording (which is something I could probably live without, but then I'm just an old fart). Those of a more traditional bent, such as myself, are looking for what best resembles the original goal of hi-fi--the headphone that least molests and assaults the virginal sound before it gets to us. When I hear a phone described as "fun" these days I head in the opposite direction. When I see a poster--especially a younger poster, so well as I can identify them--complaining about a phone being boring or sterile, my interest is immediately piqued. That might sound cynical, but it's a technique I find surprisingly useful. Most younger posters are seeking a sound that will enhance the particular genre of popular music they favour, whereas I seek a sound that will simply get out of the way of the signal coming through, so far as that's possible.
 
Of course some will ask, how do I know what the signal actually sounds like, since I only ever hear it through a transducer? Well, I go to orchestral concerts and trust my audio memory (yes, I'm into classical. I told you I was an old fart). I've tried many, many phones (I told you I was an old...oh never mind) and I pretty much know instantly which phones take me back to the concert hall and which leave me standing out in the street disappointed, It's not really rocket science, at least, not with acoustic music. Of course, if I were into electronic stuff, or maybe rap, it might be a different story, and I can see that finding the right phone for a genre already pre-distorted--or "enhanced" to some degree--could be a real pain in the butt. So maybe you all ought to switch to classical and save yourself a lot of....no, no, I didn't say that...forget I said that...
 

 

[ktm]

I'm an old guy, and subscribe to the "more is better". I don't normally swap daily or anything. But I do switch
up gear. I'm able to afford a few good headphones. I don't know that I'll ever go for one of the top guns.
But I have an RS-1, hd-650, and a stax sr-202.  And I do like what each brings to the table.
Best of all, it's easier than swapping out speakers!!! I do also use my 2 channel speaker rig about
half the time. Speaker wise, I finally did find one that does it all good enough to stop.
Headphone wise, that hasn't happened yet.
 

 

[stacker45]

My philosophy is simple, if i like what i hear, i'm happy, regardless of brand, price, or popularity, that's right, i joined the Dark Side (Grado), a few years ago, so even if it's not exactly what the artist, or the sound engineer want me to hear, odds are, we don't have the same exact tastes anyway, the most important thing is that I, like what i'm hearing.
 
And about the multiple headphones question!, i plead guilty your Honor.

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

lol the Grados being the "Dark" Side, which reminds me that I should really try and get one but there is too many of them to choose -.-
 
I have 2 right now but I want to keep exploring different headphones. For me, the excitement is to check out the technological differences between headphones. Although, I would prefer if I have just one headphone for regular use. My current headphones are quite the combo, each having its own trade-offs. I don't mind keeping them for now.

 

[stacker45]

You can get the SR60i for a song, and get a very good idea of what most their entire line sound's like, exept of course for the PS500 and the GS/PS1000, wich depart quite a bit from the traditional Grado 'house sound'.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

I often hear people here say that they prefer to just have one headphone as their ultimate choice.
I just could never relate to this idea. All phones bring different things to the table sonically (and even comfort-wise).
All phones have their strengths and weaknesses, and the flagship phones all have unique personalities and are just great in different ways.
This is part of the joy of headphoning, to be able to hear your favorite music from other valid perspectives.

 
Its not only headphones, it happens with all things in life. The grail object. That one person you consider as your ultimate choice, that one pen you really like amongst your collection.
 
Not that I don't like perspective change, but you can't keep changing your perspective all the time, sometimes you just need to sit down and relax. Some headphones do most of the things so well you don't really feel like needing anything. 

 

[Bee inthe Attic]

Quote:

 
At first I thought you meant The Absolute Sound magazine. Oh well.
 
Your argument is an old one, and frankly it comes down to your audio philosophy. Are you interested in find the most neutral, uncoloured phones, those that will alter the sound the least, or are you in the hobby purely for experimenting and finding the "funnest" sound? It seems to me a lot of younger posters here fall into the latter category. You rarely see them discussing accuracy or neutrality, but rather what phone sounds best on a particular recording, even to posting links to the recording (which is something I could probably live without, but then I'm just an old fart). Those of a more traditional bent, such as myself, are looking for what best resembles the original goal of hi-fi--the headphone that least molests and assaults the virginal sound before it gets to us. When I hear a phone described as "fun" these days I head in the opposite direction. When I see a poster--especially a younger poster, so well as I can identify them--complaining about a phone being boring or sterile, my interest is immediately piqued. That might sound cynical, but it's a technique I find surprisingly useful. Most younger posters are seeking a sound that will enhance the particular genre of popular music they favour, whereas I seek a sound that will simply get out of the way of the signal coming through, so far as that's possible.
 
Of course some will ask, how do I know what the signal actually sounds like, since I only ever hear it through a transducer? Well, I go to orchestral concerts and trust my audio memory (yes, I'm into classical. I told you I was an old fart). I've tried many, many phones (I told you I was an old...oh never mind) and I pretty much know instantly which phones take me back to the concert hall and which leave me standing out in the street disappointed, It's not really rocket science, at least, not with acoustic music. Of course, if I were into electronic stuff, or maybe rap, it might be a different story, and I can see that finding the right phone for a genre already pre-distorted--or "enhanced" to some degree--could be a real pain in the butt. So maybe you all ought to switch to classical and save yourself a lot of....no, no, I didn't say that...forget I said that...
 

 
Your hi-fi headphone search to reproduce the feeling you get (or the sounds you hear) at an orchestra hall is just as legitimate as the hi-fi headphone search someone else embarks upon to reproduce the feeling (or sounds) they may get at a hip hop club. You started being an old fart the first time you said those words aloud, or wrote them down.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

 
Your hi-fi headphone search to reproduce the feeling you get (or the sounds you hear) at an orchestra hall is just as legitimate as the hi-fi headphone search someone else embarks upon to reproduce the feeling (or sounds) they may get at a hip hop club. You started being an old fart the first time you said those words aloud, or wrote them down.

 
If you can find a passage where I say that other people's search for a particular sound that suits their chosen genre is not legitimate, you might like to quote it. If not, you might like to amend your tone to something more in line with the tone of my post.
 
My meaning is encapsulated in this sentence: "Most younger posters are seeking a sound that will enhance the particular genre of popular music they favour, whereas I seek a sound that will simply get out of the way of the signal coming through, so far as that's possible" and nothing I've said elsewhere departs from that. Perhaps you could read it again without the attitude.

 

[reddragon]

i bought a few cheaper ones to experiment to see what i like and how each of them fairs at each price point and such. i find out that i dont really swap headphones, i mostly just use one and have the others around if i ever feel like playing with them but chances are i dont use the others that often, maybe swap once a month, that kinda thing. i think my upgraditis is starting to itch now too... sigh... 

 

[stacker45]

Quote:

'happy to see you have GS1000s. I have them (the i versions) in my collection and I'm a big fan of them.

 
If memory serves me well though, you prefer the GS1000 to the PS1000, where as me, my GS1000 don't see much use, since i bought my PS1000.

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

 
If memory serves me well though, you prefer the GS1000 to the PS1000, where as me, my GS1000 don't see much use, since i bought my PS1000.

Your memory is correct (thanks for reading my posts!). I had the original GS1000, traded up to the PS1000, had some issues with the bass and highs (a little too much of both), and happily traded the PS1000s
back to the GS1000 (i-versions, even better). 
In keeping with my original post, while the GS1000s are certainly not the most refined phones, they have a special excitement and openness and extreme level of comfort that gets them lots of head time.
They have a great spacious sound and seem to embody what Grado is all about and seem like a much improved version of the RS1s I have had for 10 years.

 

[Bee inthe Attic]

Quote:

 
If you can find a passage where I say that other people's search for a particular sound that suits their chosen genre is not legitimate, you might like to quote it. If not, you might like to amend your tone to something more in line with the tone of my post.
 
My meaning is encapsulated in this sentence: "Most younger posters are seeking a sound that will enhance the particular genre of popular music they favour, whereas I seek a sound that will simply get out of the way of the signal coming through, so far as that's possible" and nothing I've said elsewhere departs from that. Perhaps you could read it again without the attitude.

I am not here to argue with you or defend my words. I just made a light-hearted comment after reading a post that I interpreted as being light-heartedly ageist. Perhaps if I put a tongue-sticking-out-smilie afterward like you did, it could be viewed as such.

 
(No attitude here, or disrespect intended - this is just the way that I communicate. I will however apologize if I offended you, as I do not wish to get caught up in an online spat)

 

[stacker45]

Quote:

Your memory is correct (thanks for reading my posts!). I had the original GS1000, traded up to the PS1000, had some issues with the bass and highs (a little too much of both), and happily traded the PS1000s
back to the GS1000 (i-versions, even better). 
In keeping with my original post, while the GS1000s are certainly not the most refined phones, they have a special excitement and openness and extreme level of comfort that gets them lots of head time.
They have a great spacious sound and seem to embody what Grado is all about and seem like a much improved version of the RS1s I have had for 10 years.

 
I too prefer the sound of the ''i'' version of the GS1000, and when you think that you can get, the GS1000i and RS1i, or the GS1000i, PS500 and SR60i, for the price of the PS1000, i'm telling you, it's a good thing that i really LOVE my PS1000, otherwise i'd go crazy thinking about that.