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Grado Owners & Discussion Thread


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They are loved worldwide, and hand-crafted in America.

 

Unfortunately we don't quite get them as cheap as the yanks do - which makes sense, considering they all need to be imported.

 

So, how relevant are they here in Australia?

 

I've owned two pairs in the past:

 

Modded Alessandro MS1, and my current Modded SR80i (pictured below).

 

They are both cheaper models, with but have been made a bit prettier with new pads, and hand-crafted wood.

 

Definitely not "neutral" cans, but can be a lot of fun for a casual Sunday listen, depending on what kind of sound you're into.

 

So, anyone else into Grado stuff? 

 

Anyone tried (or owned) the high-end models?

 

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Guest fordgtlover

I had the SR60s. But AT Airs 700s were better. They were cheap and good value for money. They weren't all that comfortable and the ATs were. So I sold the 60s.

 

I had a very similar expereince

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I have a pair of SR225 that I tend to use on some of the poorer recordings that I have. Definitely more of a 'fun' headphone rather than an analytical one. I think the cups are more comfortable than the pads the base models come with. 

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I owned the SR-80's (before they changed the ear pads) and had them for about 10 years, absolute enjoyment.  When it was time for a new pair I found the next few levels didn't offer good value for money compared to the SR-80's where the sweet spot seemed to be.  I ended up with a pair of GS1000i's and I have been happy with them too except when when someone blew a driver "they didn't think the speakers sounded very loud", they are fixed up now.

The Grado phones aren't immediately comfortable or have that soft comfortable feeling but I can wear them for hours without irritation or getting sweaty ears.

The Osbourne speaker night was at the Burwood Music Center and they have a nice little room there with a wall of cans all on demo, I thought the GS1000's sounds best compared to the others on demo.  If I had to get another pair I would go back there to compare their range.

Edited by Dwizzle
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Surprisingly they are. I've owned Grado SR-60/80/225/325 and i version/RS-1/PS-500 and GS1k's along with Alessandro MS-1 and i version and MS Pro's. As well as 3 other modded variants using Magnum cups and Jaben's Alu mod.

 

Out of all of them I preferred the MS-1i, MS-Pro, RS-1, old 325 and PS-500's. They are very good with rock surprisingly do have deep bass when you have a good seal with jumbo bowls. 

 

Bang for buck would go to MS-1i with a nice wooden cup, really gives it a step ahead of the MS-Pro and other Grado's except the PS-500 and RS-1. 

 

Have heard the HP-1/2's can't remember one of them had the pink driver which is supposedly superior and the PS-1k.

 

Liked the HP-1/2's but were out of my budget range at the time (years ago). 

 

Good headphones for rock and some metal such as Tool. 

Edited by DefQon
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Bang for buck would go to MS-1i with a nice wooden cup

 

I agree, definitely one of the best bang-for-buck headphone purchases I've made in the past few years. I kinda miss it. Sold them on eBay for like $110..

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Yeah sounds about right in the ballpark what I sold mine for, bought it for like $100 on ebay, won the auction it came with extra pads and a mogami extension cable owner's missus couldn't tolerate the sound leak. I sold it for around the same price, so no loss for me. But I had the T1, LCD2 rev1 and 2, 3 pairs of HD800's, CD3000, D7000 and various other Stax it was no comparison to those at the time so they had to go.

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Had a PS1000 for loan a few years ago. I didn't end up spending too much time on them - 20 hours tops.

 

I will not go much into specifics of the SQ as that would be biased against Grado because I seldom listen to rock. With artists such as Bon Jovi and Journey, the PS1000 was a contender when lined up against the LCD2.1 I had paired with a Violectric V200, but it didn't sound right with orchestral and jazz - thin in the higher frequency and bloated with the mids.

Build quality was average for a >$1,500 pair of headphones. Nothing exceptional - the usual heavy materials with basic joints. 

 

I really wanted to like the Grados as they were the talked-about brand when I could hardly afford a fancy meal but they simply weren't that special when I had the chance to buy them.

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Grados and classical don't mix together I agree there. From a theoretical point you'd think the open back design of the Grado would automatically give good traits for classical and other large orchestra piece listening, but its more then just an open back.

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I'm a current owner of the PS500 and I really enjoy their sound. I manly listen to old school rock. I did find the a little painful to use for extended periods. This would be my only complaint, I think my glasses contribute to the discomfort.

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love my RS1i's :)

 

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I sold my sennhiser hd800, HD700, HD650, HD580S, and have owned all sorts of phones before from STAX to high end electrostats and these are my most loved headphones to date ! 

 

part of the reason I love them so much is the lovely little tube headphone stage I run with them :)

 

11434188605_e43ee9a5ba_b.jpg

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I just do not understand the thinking behind the design. No matter how good they sound , a lot of people will just pass because they find them so uncomfortable. Why should you have to faff about changing pads to make them comfortable? Surely it is not that hard for Grado to modify their design?

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I just do not understand the thinking behind the design. No matter how good they sound , a lot of people will just pass because they find them so uncomfortable. Why should you have to faff about changing pads to make them comfortable? Surely it is not that hard for Grado to modify their design?

 

don't find my pair uncomfortable(not something I can say about some other headphones e.g. the seen hd650)…on my Grado I haven't changed any pads…and no plan to do so … :)

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don't find my pair uncomfortable(not something I can say about some other headphones e.g. the seen hd650)…on my Grado I haven't changed any pads…and no plan to do so … :)

I had heard so much about them I tried several different models and they all hurt my  ears. The pads actually did nothing to alleviate that. I have owned a pair of Senn HD414 for about 25 years and I can wear them no problems. I understand that many people use these pads on Grados . Obviously the Grados suit some people and they don't suit some others. Maybe I have got big ears :)

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Excellent photos, and great gear! 

 

Also, pretty snazzy box they came in. Had no idea about that. Neat. 

 

thankyou :)

 

the box is a Grado special that they do…real mahogany. hand made in the US and specifically for particular headphones. they have a couple of models,

 

http://www.4ourears.net/Grado_Mahogany_Headphone_Storage_Box_s/1824.htm

 

a gorgeous box for the headphones and its pretty amazing on contacting them you get an email back from Rich Grado ! 

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I had heard so much about them I tried several different models and they all hurt my  ears. The pads actually did nothing to alleviate that. I have owned a pair of Senn HD414 for about 25 years and I can wear them no problems. I understand that many people use these pads on Grados . Obviously the Grados suit some people and they don't suit some others. Maybe I have got big ears :)

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dont know ...maybe  ears ?

 

we have both ... grados

 

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and the senn HD414s...recently re foamed...

 

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daughter modelling both phones that we own and love .... 

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I own the Alessandro MS1, bought them last year and it was my first venture into the open enclosure design.

 

Anyway, before I owned them, I really loved the design of them, all Grados. And the sound for classic rock is just right. Tested them against a few others on our local headphone shop and the MS1's were the clear winners. Personally I find them comfortable enough, or, not more uncomfortable than others.

 

I don't think I'll be changing them any time soon or in the near future... unless it's a Grado upgrade.

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I have Rs1i's, driven by a Graham Slee ultra linear amp

I am very happy with playing classic and acoustic tracks, as the detail is great, without being clinical.

I far prefer them to the Beyer dynamic dt250's I own, but it is not a fair comparison, both in terms of price and design( The BD being closed)

In terms of comfort, the pads can press on the outer edge of the ear, which has on occasion led me to investigate the larger G-cush pads as a replacement.

The general consensus on the Grado forums , is that this will alter the performance of the earphones, which are designed to sit at a certain distance from the ear canal.

So I have not taken the leap!

Any advice from those of you who have done this?

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