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I still have a soft spot for Grados, even if I don't listen to them anymore. Grado SR80 was my first open-back headphone, and it was a revelation vs. everything I'd owned before that. The SR80 was my only headphone for ~8 years and served me well, which is why I'm hesitant to throw them under the bus after I realized the Koss KSC75 sounds better for $15 :P
I bought some SR80 10+ years ago. They were my entry point into open back headphones. I initially liked them, but that changed after I bought a set of V-Moda m100. I’ve since moved on from the m100 and still have the SR80 but find them unlistenable.
My son has the m100 and uses them for gaming. My current daily driver headphone is the LCD-X.
I went back and purchased the SR60x, SR80x, SR225x andSR325x to review them but sold them off because I'm just in a different part of the ocean now. I have the LCD-5, the Susvara, the Utopia and the AB-1266. I also have a Qutest and a Ferrum Oor/Hypsos combo. I don't have any need for cheap Grados, but none of the stuff I have now would be something I could just toss in the car or a book bag. None of it would show up to my door for $300 or less.
Same. But I'm not sure why people think the KSC75s sound better. They sound fine, I guess.
I've been a Grado fan since 1993. I've owned the SR60, SR125, SR325i, and my current Grado Hemp. It certainly is a niche product and I don't think people buy them for absolute tonal accuracy or crystal clear resolution. What they do have, especially the Reference series, is a unique balance of warmth and "dynamicism", as I like to call it.
The company itself tunes everything by ear. They don't measure their headphones at all, so it might be fair to say that you might find a bit more variation in them than with most manufacturer's headphones. And yes, pad-swapping can change the sound characteristic. And the cables they use have never been my favorite. I hate them actually. And they can certainly clamp down on your ears but it's nothing that a little headband bending can't fix. Ergonomically, they're a mixed bag of parts and nostalga but there just something about that Grado sound! It's a love/hate thing but when my ears get tired of my IEMs, I put on my Hemp and just enjoy the musicality of it.
If anyone (audiophiles mostly) is curious about owning a pair, may I suggest starting with the 325x. If you really want to splurge, start with either the RS2 or RS1. And most importantly, don't expect end-game quality. Just free your mind of audiophile nervosa mentalities and just enjoy the music they produce. There's a reason why they have been around since 1953!
Yep. They're lively. To me, they feel natural and live, with all the good and bad that entails. If people want more bass, they could just boost the bass or create a bass-shelf. They're not the best headphones money can buy. I wouldn't trade my LCD-5 or my Susvara or my AB-1266 or my Stax SR-009 for a pair of Grados, but none of those headphones can be purchased for a few hundred dollars and none of them would I run without an amp. I remember buying a pair of SR-60s that had flecks of paint on them because the former owner wore them while painting a house. Nothing wrong with that.
They havent been around since 1953. Company has...maybe. Headphones themselves have 30 year old history
@wind016 That person is totally deaf by the end of the tuning, 325i finishes whatever hearing he got left. I have the 325i and they won't let me return it LOL! there is nothing I could do with it to help it, pads, EQ, everything. It's good for 10 mins and I am tapping out.
I have a 325X and yes, the niche product is a perfect description. It is a fashion statment and a usable headphone too. Like an anti-Beats hp or resto-mod car. I really appreciate the outdated design and comfort with the different but enjoyable sound.
we can talk comfort only with G-cushions otherwise is hell
Granted, there's something cool about the 325x, with its leather headband and aluminum shells, but the best thing about it is the bareback approach. There's no front damping. The result is a lively, sparkly top end. Now, the original 325 used L-Pads, which weren't flat pads and they weren't G-Pads. They looked like radial tires and ended up being an awkward hybrid between on-ear and around-ear pads. They made your ears ache more than the S-pads. I find the flat pads less comfortable than the S-pads but they do garner better bass. You have to take breaks or your ears will ache, though there are lots of around-the-ear cans that leave your skull feeling like you stuck it in a vise.
If you want to enjoy the sparkle but with more bass (no sub-bass; mylar pads can't produce that), create a bass shell between 50 and 100 Hz. Just a few decibels up and the bass is plentiful. It's kick-drum bass, not knuckles to the floor, but for most genres, that's more than enough.
@wind016So you’re basically saying extra treble and extra bass ruins your hearing lol ok.
Hearing you talk about the upper mids and treble sounds so delicious. It looks like i need to try these things out, i love bright headphones.
The Grado Sr225X and SR325X are fantastic headphones, especially for classical and jazz. Yes, undoubtedly there are some improvements that Grado might make, but I am a very happy Grado headphone user for 20+ years.
I simply called Grado after dealing with comfort issues. They told me to put some dish liquid soap on the parts of the pads that touch your ears, let them settle for a few minutes. Fully rinse and let air dry. I can wear them pretty much all day now.
I can imagine they are nice and plush like sponges now should i get SR 60x and sell my HD 560s headphones?
I'm a huge Grado fan, my 325x are my main driver. The sound is unbelievably good, and the soundstage+Imaging are very good. It's DEFINITELY niche though. Wouldn't recommend to everyone, but if you try it and love it you might just be part of the Grado fandom.
22 years ago I got my 125s. Plugged into a Best Buy A/V receiver they sounded spectacular in the day. I got an extension cord so I could sit farther away. Eventually they faded into the dustbin, replaced with AKGs and iPods, etc. But the thrill of open back I'll never forget.
Polarizing for many aside, they most certainly have secured a loyal following and especially among audiophiles and high end listeners who are not necessarily headphone arena centric. Regardless of measurements and my leaning towards a different sound signature for most cans, still dig my 11 year old Soviet styled 325’s and that energized signature sound for certain applications or music. Would love to see them provide different pad options.
When I put them up against my Stax SR-009, the 009 wins, but I'm still blown away that an SR-60 can even fight that fight and lose. There's something about the open-back, zero-front-damping, sonically-transparent pad approach that is better than people think, especially those who "know" without ever having heard these headphone or given them a chance. If I had to criticize Grados and Grado Labs, I could write a book, but I find it annoying that the criticisms are always the same ones, with little attempt to dig any deeper. These headphones are being dismissed by the cool kids in much the same way that cool kids trash the nerds during a passing period.
@wind016 LOL. Yup, everyone has different ears, tunings and experiences. Glad there’s so much out there now to choose from.
Just Great review! Sentimental aspect is important for some.
Grados are awesome in the sense they present sound so differently from any other headphones. Theyre very in your face, while having wide open soundstage. Theyre so good for rock music. And the 2 year old X Drivers really made Grado a MORE all arounder compared to the sizzling previous drivers; but theyre still not perfect. But they are perfect for doing something very different but very good. They also hold up incredibly well and the comfort becomes much much better. They require some loving
Where do you get those giant aftermarket replacement pads?? Didn’t see a link in the description.
I haven't had my Grados for twenty years or so. They were the SR-125 or SR-225, my first good pair of headphones. It was the first time I had a sense of soundstage, impact and detail. But it was also like putting your tongue on the contacts of a 9v battery. There was a kind of energy that was sometimes unwelcome.
Eventually, the cable started failing around the Y-splitter. And the damaged remains got lost after moving house one or two times. If only I could have replaced the cable!
I’m a mixing engineer and I have a pair of Grado GS1000s. They are really great for finding problems in the mix quick (especially the sibilant range)
I go between checking mixes on the Grados and the HEDDphone because they show totally different sides to a mix
I have noticed even though grados are low impedance they really do sound a lot better with a good headphone amp/DAC in general
A word on how tight they are on your head, the headband is metal and you can or might be meant to bend it to the shape of your head after bending the shape out to be wider on mine the amount of clamping pressure is nil they just sit on my ears and are incredibly comfortable despite the pads (I am using SR60Xs)
I still remember 8 years ago when I demo'd an sr80e from a local audio shop, the guy there played some live violin orchestra and for me it was love at first hear.
I decided to save up money from my job back then and bought a 2nd hand sr80, had it modded to have removable cables (dual 3.5mm) and it served me well until 2020 when the pandemic hit, I left the sr80e on my locker and only got it back in 2022. Love it for gaming and listening to acoustic songs.
I absolutely love my pad swapped base Grados for playing keys and listening to spacey/reverb-y music. For punch I use Koss Porta Pro with stock pads. They are like night and day.
I got the 325x a few months ago and, although I liked the way they sounded, I was on the verge of returning them and sticking with my Sundaras, as I found the F pads so uncomfortable after about 30 minutes listening. I also tried the official G pads, which were a great improvement but introduced a bit of sibilance. I decided to give them one last try before returning, and picked up the Geekria G pad equivalents, and these were gamechangers for me. I love how they sound with these pads. They're not quite as deep as the official G's, so I found that they eliminated the sibilance whilst improving the bass and retaining a wider sound stage, and I find them so comfortable I can wear them for hours. Other ear/head shapes may not agree! Very much a personal preference and, of course, the cable is still a pain in the arse.
I own a GS1000, i love it for classical, acoustical music in general, small formations, it's very dynamic and really makes the music live. I've changed the pads, found them not confortable after a while. And I don't care about the cable being thick and not removable.
What's that pink stereo in the background?
Im fully in agreement with you regarding Grado's
I'm listening to really old Grados right now, just to be contrary. I can see my HD600s from where I'm sitting, but I'm listening to these. And I'm enjoying it Andrew. Ya hear?
I love the way Grados look, though I found ksc75 surpassed SR60e in every way.
So that's why I swapped my sr60e drivers to ksc75.
It was a fun project, and now I don't dislike using them without EQ.
Though I found out that part of the treble peaks are definitely because of the cup shape.
The KSC75 is what the iGrado should have been. The iGrado used inferior wire and was not open, though its grills were made to look open. I cracked one open and found that all of the pin-prick holes were simply for show. Grado has since continued the iGrado - and for good reason.
Hey I personally have the Grado Heritage GH 1 and would be interested on some reviews
I've had a pair of Alessandro MS-1's for it must be over 20 years. I've replaced the pads several times. I use them on my gaming pc. My only other pair is a pair of Takstar HF580 that I won when they came out. It may be just because I am so used to them, but I prefer the Grado/Alessandro's
I was given a 2nd-hand pair of the original Grado SR-60 back in 1998, and to address the longevity concerns, they were still going strong when I accidentally left them in a hotel 9 years later. At one point, there was an issue with the y-split (they use a different design now), but I was able to repair that myself just fine. To me, swapping for the doughnut-shaped pads was absolutely critical. I think it’s good to remember that at the time these first came out, people were using them with things like cassette walkmans, and so the voicing resulted in something that was perceived as more neutral than it would be with modern sources. Unfortunately for these guys, the Sennheiser HD-600 came out shortly afterwards and changed everything
I still have my pair of SR60's that I bought in 1994. Also, my PS-500's, RS-1's, Hemp-phones, and GS-3000's. 🙂
The only Grados I have ever broken by accident was a pair of SR-325s. That was because I carried them everywhere, without a case, and the weight of those aluminum shells overcame the glue job on one side. I simply glued them back and never had another problem. There are Grados that are closed to 40 years old and still working because they're lightweight, limber and made from materials that last as long as plastic lasts.
I like my grados for watching movies, they make dialog fairly clear during heavy action scenes. They are also nice for listening to drum music especially stuff with a lot of cymbals.
Love the 80x's I have ( the sound when EQ'ed is amazing) and made them comfy with those geekria pads you showed.. but HATE the cord.. but I'm diy type and gearing up for the detach cord mod and bought a nice cord set ! It's going to be great. Also Have Sennheisers and out of the box are great, still need a little EQ'ing.
I don't always EQ because I don't always want to fuss with it, but I've yet to find a headphone whose sound couldn't be improved with EQ.
@@billkilpatrick3465 Yeah.. got some DT770 250 ohm and terrible without eq. might not even keep them !
We need more Grado reviews.
YES! I'd love to see some Grado mods be professionally measured. I LOVE my 225e's, however I also tell people asking online about them that they are a good headphone to have if you're going to have more than 2 or 3 headphones. If someone asks for an everyday all-rounder, I wouldn't say these are that. They're like a rocket launcher... Good to have in your arsenal, but you wouldn't use it in every situation.
What single headphone would you use in every situation? I wouldn't use an AB-1266 in every situation - or a Focal Utopia or a Susvara or an LCD-5. But if we're talking about a knock-around headphone you can throw in a back seat or a book bag, cheap Grados work just fine in a relatively quiet environment. Lightweight cans in hard plastic are plenty durable. You won't get sub-bass but the kick-drum bass is fine for classic rock. The lack of a filter between ear and driver does sound more natural, just the opposite of an Aeon Flux stuffed with pads until the presentation has been neutered clinical. The Grado house sound is a lot more engaging than the HD-6XX whose branded flat/neutral profile sounds aloof by comparison. People fuss about the nondetachable cable, but how often do you really detach a cable? And if we're comparing microphonics, the stress relief and Y-split in an SR-60 is a lot less microphonic than the Neumann NDH 20 and NDH 30. The vivacious treble and lush midrange are what make Grados surprisingly euphonic for less than $300. If I want more bass, I can't get sub-bass out of a Grado, but a bass shelf between 50 and 100 Hz brings in plenty.
My SR125x isn't as "vivacious" in the treble region-think my previous SR125e extended a bit better. The x in the 125 made it a tad warmer and more "normal", while still basically having the "Grado" mid-forward sound. SR125x do sound good, just a bit different than the older 125e. Given that the SR325x are supposed to be even "warmer" (i.e. more "normal"-and perhaps crowd-pleasing?), I am happy to stick with these "bad" Grados instead.
Have yet to try the bowl pads or the SR225x pads on mine-have tried the bowls on an older model, forgot which (I've had several, from 60 to 125e, the latter which is the most fresh to my mind.) If I had money to spend, would buy a wooden one for the aesthetics, but dread the idea of "warm" Grados, as there are so many other brands that specialize on "warmth" and not "offending" with high upper mids and treble frequencies.
(To be clear, I also own "warm" headphones and IEMs-I just do not relate Grado with an extremely laid back tonality. Perhaps the Prestige series has me confused with their "real" sound, but I do like this reviewed cheaper series quite a bit, even if I do not listen to them all the time.
The gentleman above is well-informed but seems to be of the mind that headphones can be objectively good or bad based on "proper" measurements to a target. I do follow graphs myself as a very loose guide, but ultimately many models are unique and worth the experience even if the graph "determines" they "suck." I think that being rigid with what is a "good" sound could suck more in that strictly following an specific audiophile groupthink audio "target"-and worse, ridiculing those who do not adhere to the objectively "good" standards, as he frequently does in the video-may prevent us the experience of some good headphones/earphones that could be special, even when the established groupthink has deemed these "unworthy" due to "bad value", "wonky sound", etc.
All in all, I definitely would always like to have at least an SR125(letter) in my collection, as they do have a sound, even fully stock, out of the box, that is interesting and musical, as well as unique among my other headphones/earphones, for better or ill. They have *their* sound, and I respect that-can be very beautiful and/or appropriately aggressive depending on tracks/music genres.
No need to argue, like what you all like. :)
That was 11 minutes of cheap shots without much in terms of originality. You simply parroted popular criticisms of Grado. In taking such a dismissive approach, you missed an opportunity to put real meat into your analysis.
Grado was invented by a watchmaker who got into hi-fi during the heyday of vinyl. His first products were needle cartridges. The late Joseph Grado expanded into headphones because of the threat to the needle market posed by the arrival of CDs. The design he went for is essentially an acoustical approach, what you'd expect from a guy making needle cartridges.
Joseph Grado's HP1 was a minimalist headphone with an aluminum body, an open-back design, gimbaled shells (whose two-axis movement was designed to accommodated differences in ear shapes), with sonically transparent foam pads.
The three keys to the original HP1 were the open backs, the lack of front damping and the use of foam pads, though the pads, themselves, held a fourth key, which was minimal distance between the ear and the driver.
There are trade-offs in this approach but it certain deserved a better analysis than your 11 minutes of sh*t talk disguised as assessment. The Koss PortaPro is even more minimalist but, with its smaller drivers and its lack of an actual headband, but it's silly to bash that product, whose obvious purpose is to present itself as a decidedly-honest small-form, knock-around headphone that provides a surprisingly full sound out of something you could fold-up and put in your pocket.
Why can't you give Grados a fair hearing?
The objective, in making the HP1, was to create a headphone with sparkle and clarity, rather than a muddy, resonant can. The open back was a good idea. Most audiophile headphones today are open-back. The use of foam pads also avoided the muddiness of sonically opaque materials like leather, vegan leather and sheepskin.
The tradeoff in using foam was the bass drop-off, which is a problem encountered by Sennheiser in going with open backs and velour pads. Arguably, Sennheiser's approach, to tonally balance its open backs was to slap on front dampening. This made headphones, like the HD-6XX sound less bright, but it also introduced the "Sennheiser veil."
Grado's approach was to eschew such front damping in favor of a "bareback" approach, which gives Grados a livelier top end. It's fair to talk about Grado brightness and fatigue but that's hardly the end of the analysis.
To my ears, Grado's approach reminds me of a liveliness I associate with analog and vinyl. When I first heard this sound, I found it intriguing. Growing up when cassettes were the successor to vinyl - because they were portable, seemingly more durable and less expensive (and less clunky) than reel to reel - I was blown away the first time I heard vinyl, which seemed to have so much more energy to it.
When Joseph Grado designed the HP1, there was no market for sub-bass. Bass was mostly defined by kick drums. Obviously, the bass guitar drives lower than that, but with overtones, you can hear bass on many cheap speakers that center on midrange and provide mid-bass at best. For a lot of popular music down through the decades, there was no marketable need to pony up with tons of sub-bass.
The HP-1 was a headphone whose open architecture, low weight and clarity made it a terrific companion during the Act II of the headphone story, when headphones were largely accessories to hi-fi stereos, back when 10-foot non-detachable cables made more sense.
One way Grado attenuated the brightness of the HP1 was to use flat pads (F pads), which pushed the ear closer to the driver. This attenuated some of the treble dispersion and created a better seal as the cushions were compressed. This helped hold in more bass, though it also reduced the soundstage. Grados were sold as headphones that felt more intimate, with the feeling of a live room.
Some have complained that Grados are too bright, especially those who've tried to capture more bass by simply turning up the volume, only to get drilled with more treble. Obviously, the best way to bring up the bass is selectively. This can be EQd with a simple bass shelf between 40-100 Hz. This won't give you sub-bass, not with a mylar driver, but for many types of music that are not dependent on sub-bass, the effect is quite nice.
When you bass-shelf a Grado, you avoid the need to crank it up louder to get more bass. In doing so, you avoid the need to overdo the treble. The sparkle on the top feels more joyful, not like daggers in your ear.
But you didn't bass-shelf any of the Prestige headphones you tested, did you? Maybe you'd say you don't bass-shelf anything, that EQ is for Philistines. But why would it wrong to do it on a Grado but not wrong to do it on an Audeze? My LCD-Xs sure sounded nice when I treble-shelved them for greater up-top clarity? My current LCD-5 sounds better with a tweak or two.
I don't know if you're an EQ snob or not. I'm always amused by those who dump on EQ but then tell you to swap amplifiers, cables, DAC filters and pads - as if they're not tinkering with the sonic balance. Why is it okay for me to use my Ferrum Hypsos to tinker with the voltage but it's not okay to simply add a bass shelf to a Grado?
There's no consistency to these cheap shots. The Prestige Series is the mostly-plastic knock-off version of Grado's more expensive headphones, with models originally named after their original price point ($60, $80, $125, $225, though the $325 was sold for $295 out of fear that charging more than $300 made it less marketable at the time). Why should any manufacturer be judged by its cheapest, and therefore most compromised, offerings? Are we doing that with everybody else? Does that mean Sony is to be judged by its most Cracker-Jack cheapos? How about AKG? How about HiFiMan? Is my Susvara to be judged by the quality of the HE400SE? Is my Focal Utopia to be judged by the merits of the Elegia?
Grado is not the only headphone manufacturer that goes "bareback" when it comes to putting nothing between the ear and the driver. Focal does that. Unquestionably, Focal makes some of the best headphones on the market, including the Utopia. You can hear that undamped sparkle. Where Focal bests Grado - beyond the plushy pads, headband and detachable cables - is in its use of non-mylar material for its premium headphones. Focal uses aluminum, magnesium and beryllium. But it doesn't charge a few hundred dollars for these products.
You complain about Grado cables, as if janky cables weren't ubiquitous - and on some of the best headphones money can buy. Most of the Prestige series headphones have Grado's lighter cables, a distinction you didn't bother to make. If you think Grado cables are heavy, cumbersome or stiff, what did you make of the Utopia's or the HD800's or the Clear's? You didn't think the Abyss Diana's cables were a little awkward? How about the Susvara's?
Love the looks but I had two SR80s and they both developed a very slight clicking sound on playback and the cables failed on both of them. Maybe Grado’s higher end headphones are better but I’d avoid their lower end gear.
Your EV RE20 mic sounds great for voice. Interesting review.
Agree! I really enjoy the sound of his videos
I bought Grado SR80 in 2006. I did not like them at all. I sold them to someone, and they absolutely loved them. Crazy how polarizing the sound is for these
I’ve been using grados since the late 90’s. I have owned every model of the rs1. I have also owned several models of rs2. Along with hemp, gs3000, ps500, ps2000, gs1000, hf1 and 2, Cocabola (sp?) limited edition, along with sr60, 80, 225? And latest 325. Probably others. I also own audeze lc5 (model?), Dan Clarke expanse, a bunch of senns, focal utopias, and the latest rossin phones. I am also a professional musician. I have to say that the grados hold their own with the best of them. Intimate and dynamic with lush midrange and incredible dynamic prowess. Just sayin’.
Nobody liked your comment so let me be the first to tell you you're not alone. I've owned the SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225, SR325, RS1, HF2, GS1000, PS1000, PS500. I've also owned the Audeze LCD2C, LCD-X, LCD-4z and currently own the LCD-5. I also own the STAX SR-009 and the SR-007a, along with the HiFiMan Susvara and the Focal Utopia. I sold off my HD600/650/660S/660S2 and HD800, along with my Beyerdynamic DT770, 880, 990, 1990, 1770 and T1 and my STAX L300 and L700. They're all great headphones. Each has its strengths and charms.
I have literally A/B'ed all of these headphones against Grado's cheapest cans and I'm always surprised when Grado holds its own against headphones that are 10-30X their price. I'm not saying Grados are flawless or that they're the only way to fly. I'm glad my appreciation for them didn't prevent me from discovering great moments with other cans. But when I run into posers who trash these headphones because they're fronting for other audio snobs, I have to laugh.
If people hate Grado's cables, how do they not hate the big lumpy cables on the Focal Clear and Utopia? How did they give the Sennheiser HD800 a pass? How did they not have the same hate for the janky cables of the Susvara and the Abyss Diana?
If they hate that cheap plastic look of Grado's least expensive cans, how did they not freak out when they tried out the Stax L300/L500/L700?
If they can't stand the treble on a Grado, how do dry-hump the treble on the DT-1990 Pro?
If their souls are in torment over the non-detachable cable, how did they not scream, "I'm melting! I'm melting" when they ran across the DT-770, DT-880 and the DT-990?
@@billkilpatrick3465probably because the sound compensate these flows….😅😅😅
i loved my Grados so much. I will buy again, just have to chose one.
Had a number of Grados over the years all the way to HP1000/HP2. Always enjoyed them especially for rock and metal. The fit and finish is definitely much to be desired asside from the great looking RS series. Loved the RS1 and GS1000.
I've had the SR80e for a while now. I don't dislike it, but I don't use it much anymore since I've expanded my headphone collection. I didn't consider modding them until now, and that does sound like fun! Maybe I'll tinker with it sometime.
Modding is great fun. Grados are the easiest headphones to pad swap. If you steam the cups, you can pry them apart to get to the drivers. Modders recable. They put ticky-tacky on the back of the driver to reduce vibrations. You can replace the cups with different tone woods or aluminum. You can also go cup free. Some replace the plastic forks with aluminum ones. The headband on the classic Grados used to just be a piece of vinyl (Now there's foam padding) but it's not hard to swap that out for leather. Cocobolo is a great tone wood. An even better one is Indian rosewood.
Yeah, no shit, I admit that Grados are bad in some ways.
But after some personal issues that caused me to almost completely phase out of the hobby, the Grado GH2 were the pair of cans that restarted my passion after over two years of dormancy.
I always say that each model of Grados have their own unique flare in them and the fun of listening to Grados are more or less getting used to each headphones own personality.
They're more or less the trash food of the Hi-Fi world, it gets a whole lot of flak but they're just stupid fun and a guilty pleasure to listen to.
I hate to admit it, but after seeing a number of headphones come and go during the years that I'm into the hobby, for some odd reason only the Grados stayed in my collection while anything except an AKG K701 went out the door in the end.
And......yeah, I did ditch the chance to get an Audeze LCD-2 for a discounted display use Grado GS2000e because the latter sounds so bad that it's good.
This channel was the main reason that spiked my interest in planar headphones in the first place, but a used GS2000e from nowhere still beat the crap out of any sensible reasoning in the end.
It was 50% off, and it's a god damn GS2000e with an extremely bad reputation that no sensible audiophile should supposed to like.
I know I'm supposed to hate it to my guts to be politically correct as an audiophile, but who am I kidding, I actually enjoyed listening to that wooden pair of cans more than I should.
Love my Grado SR-80x, the lightweight feel, the soundstage, the solid cable, the fast and accurate bass, I frankly wouldn’t listen to my jazz music with any other headphones. These do that genre stunningly well. Another album I adore on my Grado’s, are both Eric Clapton and Alice In Chains MTV Unplugged.
Yes! I love listening to the AiC MTV'S Unplugged with my 325x, especially Rooster.
I just sent a pair of SR80s back after three month of usage, because it possibly wasn't that sturdily attached, I got a loose connection on the left side. But that is just one case, not representative. And I still think about buying Grados again, I was quite happy with my SR80s, though it was a real switch on generell sound compared to my two pairs of AKGs before.
I still have my SR325i (Prestige Series) and they sound great with orchestral, symphonic, female singer -music. They are tireing up your hearing a lot after max 2hrs.
For unknown reasons, over the ear headphones cause me headaches. The light on ear Grados are the only headphones that were comfortable for me. But, and this took me a long time to come to understand, I have a sensitivity to high tones (think trumpets) and the Grados came to torture me. I didn’t know for years the Grados had these characteristics (this was nearly 20 years ago). FWIW, the wooden ones are less torturous.
I owned a pair of Grados a while ago and I loved them. Classic Rock sounds so good on them that when I sold them I pretty much stopped listening to the genre.
Grados are one of those headphones that I think people buy because of how they look, their story of being hand built by a small family company, or because an Auzzie hyped them up... (love ya Wade)
But when people try them, they do experience something unique. Not much else sounds like a Grado, and to me they do come across a bit nasal sounding, but I remember when I first got mine I did love them and would defend them to the death. Nowadays I wouldn't buy one for the sound and wouldn't recommend them either for their sound, but for their story, look, and unique features, they might be something you like
Grados do sound unique. I don't care about them as a trending item. I don't care about the immigrant story stamped into every box. To me, they sound like vinyl. They have the unusual combination of open backs, zero front damping and a light footprint (till you get to the premium models). The ear-driver distance is super close. The pads on the ears allow vibrations to run through the outer ears. If you listen to acoustic music - anything but metal or EDM - there's a clarity and sparkle that's vivacious. The lack of sound isolation allows room noise to enter. If it's not too loud (or too rumbly, canceling out all the bass), your brain gets confused. Just as with the Maggies, you hear the music as coming from the room.
Grados don't do a great job with music where bass, especially sub-bass, is the calling card. They don't do great with screechy metal or with music that needs a vast HD800-like soundstage. But they sound more live than an HD600 or even an Aeon X. Their flaws actually make the sound feel more like it's happening right there. And if you want more bass, you can build a bass shelf around 50 Hz that will give the bass more weight (though nothing will give you sub-bass).
I once thought about getting the GRADO Hemp "Limited Edition" but for $470 and it being an on-ear NFW!
I love my RS1X. The sound, for me, is crisp and agile.
The biggest problem I had was those earcups would swivel 360 and twist that non-removable cable and cause a short. I decided 18 years ago to wait to replace them until there was a model sold with a removable cable. Still haven't replaced them.
Those are G Cushion bowl pads that Grado makes for their other headphones. Geekria makes their version of it, same way that they make their version of other brands' headphone pads. idk but Resolve makes it sounds like Geekria came up with those pads on their own.
I bought a pair of SR-125e about 3 years ago and have only used them maybe 10 times. They've been in their box for over 2 years now. I just can't wear them for more than 30 minutes. I do like how they sound but the cable is just so stiff and heavy that the weight of it always pulls the headphones down and I always end up having to replace them on my head. The clamping force isn't strong enough to make the headphones stay on your head and the pads aren't comfortable for my ears at all. I much more prefer something like the HD-58x for the equivalent price.
I like the retro look combined with being able to call the Grado Hemp, "my hemphones" plus they're lightweight and comfortable with the over ear pads I use. Meanwhile, on the technical side, my aging ears seem to perceive a more subjectively even response than the objective measurements indicate. IMHO they're seriously more than good enough without taking themselves too seriously.
I used to give credence to the idea that maybe Grado was popular with older ears because of hearing loss but it's really about your taste in treble. Grados have what, to some, feels like a raw sound because they don't filter the driver and the ear/driver distance is close, especially with the flat pads. This makes them mid-forward. It's why the cheap Grados have less soundstage and a more intimate presentation. Headphones that increase ear/driver distance and filter the driver tend to subdue the mids. Some headphone listeners prefer rolled-off treble. They like subdued mids and imagine they're getting more soundstage. They will even tell you this is more "refined." To me, it's less engaging. And while I'm a big fan of the classic LCD-2 and LCD2-C, I'm not surprised that HiFiMan has forced Audeze to retune. To my ears, the classic Audezes sound better if you treble shelf them. Without a treble shelf, I find myself wondering what happened to the cymbals. But the headphone that made me appreciate treble wasn't a Grado; it was the DT-1990 Pro with its speedy/detailed Tesla drivers and its appreciation (rather than aversion) of treble.
80x and dekoni pads, i reach for them as often as my other cans. it’s not about better or not. it’s about do i enjoy the music, and with my grados, i sure do.
I personally own the hemps, and find them hard to beat sound wise. I like the stock pads more. Great bass, highs smooth, mids luscious. Forward mids.
I hear you I have the Hemps on right now. After getting the comfort figured out I think they are fantastic. They make some of the best headphones for classical and jazz, but I find hemps shine best with electronic music to my ears.
@@ekolite8224 Yes hemps are the best Grado for EDM.
Would highly appreciate it if you'd make a video for HD600 mods especially JAR600.
The SR 60s were my first "Quality" headphone back in the late 90's. I had nothing to compare them too but Headroom said they were the best option under $100 so who was I to argue? Many, many years later and many HPs later, I know Grados have their faults but dammit, nostalgia can make you do funny things. I picked up the SR125x awhile ago and I also picked up the Dekoni "Shipabo" style pads for them. With the stock pads on just forget it. I couldn't even wear them long enough to make a judgement on sound. With the Dekoni pads on, well they are a set of cans that I can enjoy listening to at times. Not a daily by any means but every once in awhile with the right amp(the Nitsch Piety is a nice dance partner)they can give me a few hours of enjoyment.
Yes the cable is an abomination(will probably be my next mod), and the build does not inspire confidence, but I will say that I do not regret buying them at all.
The pads are one area where Grado has been mailing it in for decades. The original HP1 had paper drivers. Foamy flat pads allowed for a crispier treble and their minimal distance from the ear allowed for a lush midrange. But with the open backs and the foamy pads, a lot of bass would be lost. At the time, most music defined bass as kick-drum bass so it made perfect sense to go bareback. You could get a livelier top end without sacrificing too much of the bottom end.
A similar tradeoff is associated with the classic etymotic er4p, which is one of the clearest IEMs ever made, but with a notoriously bland bass. Nobody rocks out to the er4p but if you want clarity, that one is a dandy.
Grado should have done more with the pads. Dekoni's focus on this critical area has been awesome. You can take any headphone and really change the presentation by clever pad-swapping. Grado's limited experiments with pads (flat pads, small pads, large pads, salad bowls) only considered shape, not material. Grado rightly assumed that leather and sheepskin would kill the clarity but didn't put enough thought into thicker foams and hybrids.
With respect to the cable, most original cables suck. That includes the lamp cord on the HD6XX and HD800, the weird cables on the Susvara and Abyss Diana, and the heavy, cumbersome telephone wire used by the Focal Utopia. For weight and flexibility, Beyerdynamic and Dan Clark Audio make vinyl-covered cables that at least don't feel weird or heavy or nutty. My favorite cables are after-market cables, with relatively little weight and a nice mixture of flexibility and good looks.
But if he was going to beat up on Grado's cables, why go after the Prestige series? Most of their cables are less weighty than the 10-connector cables on Grado's more expensive cans.
Grado's (especially the Hemps) sound great - good intimacy and detail. Sound more like the balance of sound you get in actual live music without the overblown and unrealistic bass that is so common these days. They also give you a close and intimate front row like sound.
And - I like their minimalism, light basic design with nothing unnecessary or overdone. Just about the sound. The only criticism I have is the lack of detachable cables.
I agree and wish the cables weren't quite so bulky.
About 10 years ago I had £500 to spend on some headphones and I booked a morning audition where I listened to eight different headphones within my price range, I ended up with Grado PS500e fitted with PS1000e pads. What made them stand out for me (as a then listener in their 50's) was the treble which I agree it can be a bit "hot" at times. In comparison, the others I listened to sounded dull and lifeless. It may be that for older listeners who lose some of the high frequencies as they get older, the Grado's are a better listening choice. They get used daily and I have had no issue with the build quality. Great video by the way.
There are tradeoffs to every headphone. While Grados can be fatiguing, and there are spikes that can certainly be annoying with certain genres and recordings, if you A/B them with other cans, many do sound dull or lifeless by comparison. It's the removal of front damping. That bareback approach is livelier, which is why Focal does the same thing, albeit with much more expensive metal drivers.
DMX had a cool video about Dan Clark Audio's use of front damping filters, discussing how they allowed the user to customize the sound, basically by attenuating the treble. But, he warned, if you go too far, the result is sound that's safe but dull and lifeless. The resulting sound is too clinical. That, in a strange way, is a great argument for Grado's bareback approach.
When people scoff at Audeze's embrace of EQing as the best way to get the most out of their premium headphones, nobody asks why the manufacturer has to put a sock in the cups to tame the treble. If the driver is so correctly tuned, why do you need an "attenuator"? You need it because one driver can't cover all frequencies without making compromises.
A lot of headphones give you "better bass" by restraining the treble, which is what L-pads do to keep a speaker's tweeters from out-screaming the bass, but if you've only got one driver, you either restrain the treble or you boost the bass. I believe that treble-restraint makes for a more clinical sound, and I'm not a fan. A simple bass shelf lets you fill in the low end without losing the vitality of the treble.
I'm an older listener but my affection for treble was not created by loyalty to the Grados. It was in listening to the DT-1990 Pro, which turns cymbal crashes into diamonds. After the 1990, I found it hard to go back to the LCD-2/LCD2C/LCD-X - not without building a treble shelf. With Grados, a little bass shelf (50-100 Hz) comes in handy. You can also take a ballpoint pen to the back of the driver and punch some holes in the felt/paper filter on the back. I used to prefer the ballpoint method but once you do it, the Grados don't scale up on an amp. They already have the maximum bass. I prefer EQing the bass; it's reversible.
Its better to buy a a cheap gaming headset with large cups and a good frame to getting into modding with. Aliexpress offers some really good drivers now and I've had good success with the biconcentric 63mm driver. It needs a 1. order xo to make the Harman target but thats only an inductor and a 1-2uF cap.
What I love about the Grado Sound is the fast responsive drivers and good micro detail (in regards to the RS1X, and RS2X)
true, the higher end ones don't have the issues he mentioned.
@@jumbocrunchhIMO my GS3000x almost rivals my Hifiman HE1000 with the right source. The bass is stronger on the Hekse but I hear more microdetail on the Grado.
I'm treble sensitive. The Tin Hifi T3 was unlistenable. Bought sr80x expecting to hate them. Loved them. Also didn't find them uncomfortable. I don't get it either.
I think Grado is an option when you stop looking at the graphs alone and start really investigating what sound do YOU like, not what Harman-Cardon thinks about it. As mentioned they are extremely easy to mod with simple pad swap, you can make them intimate or soundstage beast, you can make them piercing or tame, so mod possibilities are countless and eventually you can build the Grado you will love.
I was very surprised when discovered that I was missing my SR80e when sold them, so I've sold my Sundara to buy SR325x did a cable mod and pads swap, and now they are the only headphones which could literally make me dance. Some music is just so alive in those and so real like a direct feed from the microphone. I know they aren't versatile but the energy they could deliver with some songs is unmatched.
Would I recommend Grado as the only headphones? Probably not, but as an addition to the collection they are clear must have.
I listen to heavy/prog/power metal from the late 80s to mid 2000s and I was told Grados would be perfect for me. I bought the Grado SR80e which was a more budget pair but they sound so harsh to me no matter how I EQ them or different sources. I actually like my HD 6XX the most over the Sundara the HE400se the HD 600 58X 560 for some reason. I have bad hearing and maybe I have to turn them up so loud they distort or something I don't know.
I like Grado, especially the RS2e, but my favorite headphone of all time is the Sennheiser HD 600.
I don't think it can just be called V-shaped, maybe at least a M or a W or something. MM-shaped?
mmm shaped
Mediocre shaped😂
Love the grado sound. That’s all I can say about grado. The build, comfort and that stupid attach wire kills it for me.
I'm just the opposite. While I love the Grado house sound, I'm less critical of the "build, comfort and wire" of the plastic Grados, which can be had for $250 or less. The "build" is minimalist, like that of the Koss PortaPro. It's just a delivery device that straps two drivers to your head. There's no pretense. I never found these headphones uncomfortable, just not plush. The headband is a flat wire so you can adjust its tension by simply bending or unbending the underlying wire. People complain about the the on-ear pads, but that's just on-ear pads. You have to periodically remove the headphones to give your ears a break. I'd typically do this every few hours. In the meantime, the on-ear pads made the bass more visceral, in the sense of direct contact with the outer ear. I eventually outgrew the Grados - not because they suck but because I like metal driver dynamics (like the Utopia), planars (like the LCD-5 and the Susvara) and estate (like the SR-009) better. But if you compare the price, the Grados are the better value.
Thanks, a little message for support
Love my Grado rs-1 my most musical headphones for listening to music. And listening to music is what it is all about.
I've owned the original RS-1 headphone (with button) and wide pads for many years and they are still my go-to headset. I've added HiFiMan Arya Organic, Sennheiser 800s, Focal Clear, HiFiman Sundara, Sennheiser Drop HD6xx, Grado SR80 with wide pads, Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro, Apple Air Pod Pro, Apple Air Max, Sony WMX1000M4, etc. I still use the RS-1s for reference.
I think if you're interested in Grados but are really off put by their peaks in the treble, do consider the Hemps and the sr325X. They have some VERY nice tuning that is unlike the ones shown in this videos. Imagine an HD 650 with soundstage. Really WIDE soundstage.
I find my Grado SR80's sound ok plugged straight into my iPhone - they make songs sound more exciting and engaging. However for more serious listening via my DAC and headphone amp they are terrible, their frequency balance which is intended to make then sound more detailed then becomes a limitation, as their peaky, pearcing sound signature then becomes very apparent and makes music sound artificial and unpleasant to listen to even for a short amount of time.
The Grado SR225x have been my favorite headphones for almost ten years. The Grado 325X are a close second.
How would you compare the two? I’ve had the 225 for several years. Been thinking about picking up a 325.
Grados have to be modded to be able to be used, as soon as I took them out the box I knew I had to replace the cable as the stock cable even on Xs is trash and far too heavy for how light the headphones are, On ear is just not comfortable and would rather have open back IEMs than on ear headphones. thankfully I managed to get an open box 325x for £120 off.
I heard the SR80e and I liked at times, and it did get sharp at some points. I have the GW100 and they are far better, Grado DSPed the hell out of it and it was great. I would be curious to see it measured.
Also, for comfort, the Dekoni and Nyczaj pad options with leather and cloth are a huge improvement.
I love Brooklyn; I was born there and grew up there from the mid '50s to the mid '60s (I'm still close, just on the other side of the Hudson now; and yes, I'm old). I wish I could support Brooklyn and Grado. But no bass, strange, unpleasant treble, dollar store build quality (but they're light!), uncomfortable and beyond cheap stock pads, terrible non-detachable cable (I think it's 2023 in Brooklyn, too, isn't it?). Bottom line: No thanks. I once seriously considered the Hemp because, well, they sort of have a cool vibe, a reasonable price, they got some decent reviews, and they were from Brooklyn. But the cons were just too many. My primary listens ATM are the Arya, the ZMF Aeolus, and the Thieaudio Monarch MK II. I don't think I'm missing anything without Grados. (I'm listening to the Monarchs a lot right now since I have a broken lower right arm and putting on a full size headphone with one non-dominant hand is doable but harder then you might think.)
get well soon dude
Sounds like you need an ultra-light headphone to be able to place on your head one handed while you rehab... you should try Grados!!!
You shouldn't buy a headphone because it was assembled in Brooklyn nor should you trash it because it's made of modest materials. It's not that Grados have no bass. They have no sub-bass. The open back/zero damping/foam pad/mylar driver combination makes them great for some things and not-so-great for others. With bass boost or a bass shelf between 50-100 Hz, you can get all the kick-drum-level bass you need. When you make that adjustment, you don't have to crank these cans up to levels where the treble bothers you. But that's assuming you're not treble-averse to begin with. The DT-1990 Pro is a fantastic can, but not for someone who prefers the laid-back sound of a traditional Audeze or the flatter/more neutral sound of an HD600.
I don't mind the non-detachable cable on the Grados any more than I minded it on the classic Beyerdynamic trio (DT-770, DT-880, DT-990). One benefit of Grado's approach is that its non-detachable cable has a lot less microphonics than a number of headphones with detachable cables (like the Neumann NDH20 and NDH30). The stress relief on the Grados helps negate a like of microphonics while a number of detachable-cable cans (especially the ones with single cables) have microphonics in abundance.
I have owned a bunch of Grados (SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225, SR325, RS1, HF2, GS1000, PS1000, PS500, and that horrible iGrado). I enjoyed them all for what they were when I had them, but I moved on. I have a Susvara and a Utopia and an AB-1266 and an LCD-5 and an SR-009 and an SR-007a. I still have an SR-60 around here somewhere, which is useful for when I need a headphone but I don't care what kind of abuse I'm exposing it to.
I hope you cover the RS2X and RS1X at some point. I bought the Hemps and I think they're a tasteful deviation from neutral. Super punchy and physical sound. Loads of fun to listen to
i don’t know who this guy thinks he is, but Grado is one of the best headphone maker in the world! they made headphones well before this guy was half as pretentious as he is. can’t even finish this video
He's normally an excellent reviewer but he's just parroting the word on the street, which is aggravating. He hasn't taken the time to do more than put in a cursory review. This is unusual for him. He's ordinarily one of the more honest and careful reviewers. Z did much the same thing on a number of Grado models, then did an about-face. Josh Velour made a similarly snarky video, one where he trashed a GS1000 as muddy after replacing its salad bowl pads with the pads for an SR-60. DMX, on the other hand, is no less demanding a critic but he jumps into these cans with more objectivity. He doesn't like the frequency response he sees on the graphs, but he is quick to identify the headphone's strengths. This video is just a trashing to curry favor with the snobs and graph cultists.
There's a kind of lost secret about how to use and make them much more comfortable. It used to come on the instructions of older Grados, but it has been removed.
It consists of just putting your hands on the end of the headband (just above the L/R rodblocks) and pull the cups away from each other. You do this 3 or 4 times and the clamp goes away. Just like that. I bet it would drastically change people's experience with the Grados.
I have like 3 kinds of pads to use with them, each one has a different sound signature. And that is as far as I went with "modding". No need to go any further to enjoy them
@wind016funnily enough, they used to add padding too! Now they don’t give padding or advice.
I got into headphones through a pair of 2nd hand replica grados, which I did a driver/cable swap on, so no part of it remained Grado :/ i learned about the brand later, and only now that its got a DIY scene. I think Grado took the instructions off because they don't want to insult people's intellegence. You take the cup off for the first time, and bam you see what's going on.
imo Grado sound is very preferential; either you love it, or you hate it, because it's very different from a lot of the other headphones out there.
At least that's my experience based on the 325x and RS1X.
The trade off of the cables, the QC, and comfort are pretty bad. Personally I wouldn't recommend Grados to friends unless they want to try out their house sound (i.e. want to try something different) or like you said, they wanna dip their toes into the DIY modding community.
Supposedly the ZMF pads and the adapter helps quite a lot of the comfort issues (since it turns it into a over ear rather than on-ear); that + their pilot pad might help address all of the comfort issues honestly, if you're willing to invest more money into it. Been on my list of things to try out since I actually do like listening to the Grado sound time to time
I bought the RS1’s about 18 years ago after getting wrapped up in all the hype, and comparisons with very expensive Stax earspeakers. I liked the look back then, but everything else was wrong. The scratchy ear pads that were torture for my ears. The horrible cable that I always managed to catch and tug on. The total absence of many bass frequencies! At the time I applauded the treble and detail retrieval, but I was kidding myself. Luckily I made money when I sold them and am in heaven now with Meze 109 Pro’s.
I was introduced to Grado when I was allowed to wear the original SR60. Not any revision, THE OGs. And they sounded great. Super detailed, great bass (especially for the time), and no real 2K peak. So, I got SR80e. And they had the 2K peak.
Can someone explain WHO is responsible for this deliberate tuning?
Shame you didn't get an OG SR-80 instead.
Personally I think the OG 60 and 80 were the best tuned models of their class.
@@mahoslash Yes, but it is too late now. Better give money to any new headphone, vote with your wallet.
What kind of pads did your SR-80e have? There was a time when the lower Grados were distinguished by their pads. The SR60 had the small pads. The SR80 had large pads, which were designed to create more sparkle and enlarge the sound stage. The L pads have since been discontinued. Now, Grado sells the 60, 80 and 125 with flat pads. This has increased their bass thunk. I used to buy SR60s, do a pinch mod on the small pads and rip off the front dust guard to increase their sparkle. I'd also use a ballpoint pen to vent the driver backs. With some, I replaced the plastic outer shells with various tone woods, the best of which was Indian rosewood.
at 4:21 what is he saying? gi-krea pads?
“Geekria” pads.
I have owned the SR325 for years. They were a disappointment and hard to enjoy. They were really uncomfortable and replacing the pads helped with ear pain but they just don't seem to fit comfortable on my head. . I actually like the simplistic construction and feel that the build quality is better than average. The connector cable is well made but is heavy and stiff. I am looking to get some open back headphones for music and voice over mixing.
You owned the original SR-325, which had a different set of pads, the discontinued L-pads (L for large). They were shaped like a car tire, higher on the room and lower on the insides. They were like a hybrid between on-ear pads and circumaural pads. One complaint was that your ears went into the pads rather than on them.
The other is that the aluminum, which would have been fine if the pads actually retained the bass rather than spilling it like water through a net, exasperated the tonal imbalance. The aluminum shells did help with the top end, enhancing the detail, but because they selectively enhanced, they aggravated issues of tonal balance.
I purchased an M3 amp, which had a bass booster. On that amp, my SR-325 had the best of both worlds - strong bass (though with zero sub-bass), lush mids and lots of sparkle in the treble. Today, I've done the same thing with. EQ, building a bass-shelf between 50 and 100 Hz.
Today's 325, the 325x, is slightly darker and returns to the flat pad (what Joseph Grado put on his HP1). The closer ear/driver distance and the flattening out of the flat pads puts more thunk into the bass, but it does so at the cost of some treble spark. Today's 325 deserves the praise it's getting. If you listen to rock, it's a very engaging can.
The worst thing about Grados is their pads quickly deteriorate and leave black dust on your head. The second worst thing is they start you down a 20+ year path of spending thousands on headphones and other audio gear. I'll probably never buy another Grado but also never sell my PS500e.
My first "audiophile" headphone was the original Grado SR225, which I bought about 20 years ago for $200.00. At the time that was a lot of money to spend on a headphone but there weren't a lot of choices at that time. I actually still have them just for the nostalgia. Would I buy a Grado as my first "audiophile" headphone today? No. No I would not.
Grado headphones got me into this hobby many years ago. In fact I actually started importing grado sr325's from hong Kong and reselling them for a bit of extra pocket money when I was a teenager about 20 years ago. On first listen I was astounded by the detail and i was from that moment hooked on HiFi. It didn't take long for what I lived about the grados, the detail, to become super fatiguing (it could actually remind many recordings) and I moved on. But they did get me Into the hobby, and I think my story is similar to a lot of poeples. Back in the day (and maybe still today?), Nothing else for its price could open a newbies ears to a whole new world of sound than a grado could. Hearing things you've never heard before, clear as day, is the easiest way to get hooked by this hobby
Yes. It’s crazy but 20 years ago, I started with a pair of Senns and then a 325. The 325 sits by my kids’ digital piano. Not sure it is competitive in todays market.
Part of that fatigue is the mid-forward design, which is accomplished through a tight ear/driver distance. There are rings you can buy that push the driver back a little, opening up the Grados from a more intimate sound to something more spacious. That's essentially what Grado is doing with its premium cans, like the GS1000 with its salad bowl pads. I don't really like the G-pads. They're too big. The mids recede too far. They also undermine the stability of the headband, whose forks are made for flatter pads. Right now, Grado is selling its mid-fi cans with flat pads, which give greater thunk to the bass. But they do so at a cost in the treble, which is attenuated. I don't like muting the treble.
It has got a peak at about 4 khz rather than 2 khz. I equalize them by lowering the 4 khz region by 3.8 db and the 2 khz region by 1 db. I elevate the 20 khz and 60 khz regions by 0.5 db. With this equalization, given that they retain their unique and wonderful dynamics, they become as addicive as tobacco or coffee. You do not like them straight away, but once you're used to them, even the roughness of they pads becomes really addictive. Anyway, these need the aforementioned equalization in order to shine. One might argue, why bother equalizing a headphone when you can get a neutral one in the first place? Two reasons: timbre and dynamics. I also have the Hifiman Arya and the Sennheiser HD800s. They are marvellous with their soundstage and everything, but I still haven't found a headphone that does timbre and dynamics like my sr325is.
The compensated frequency response looks a lot less dramatic than the raw…
It's a metal headband. If it's squeezing your head too tight, just bend them out a bit.
Yeah, I think they stink out of the box. However, I'm intrigued by modding and I have tried a bunch of them on my SR60 pair.
I would still only recommend getting them used or discounted if possible, and if you like EQ the lack of weight can turn them into winners.
Haven't tried the higher-end ones and probably never will unless I don't immediately have to do a cable mod on them.
Should you have to mod a headphone that’s already too expensive to make it sound acceptable?
I've got SR80E. Last week I pulled the mesh circles off to remove the hairs trapped inside. Well guess what? Those screens reduce performance by more than a little. As of right now my r2r NEC CD-650 is pummeling the daylights out of my s/d Music Hall player and I never would have known how superior it is without removing those stupid screens that attenuate midrange and block detail. 'The Way It Is' sounds so good now it's hard to believe I'm using a budget Yamaha HTR-5730 (with 12awg power cord from True Value and polarity reversed at the wall).
oh stop it a prostitute washed clean is still a dirty slack, Grado is a joke
ur supposed to bend the headband to fit the size of your head, so that they just barely hover over your ear. that way they feel like clouds
This is one of the few channels where there is nothing is in a "about" section what are these people's backgrounds doing these reviews. Given the smugness "on steroids" of some opinions it would helpful to know more about the value of the opinions of people rendering these opinions other than a TH-cam channel connected to an online store that sells headphones. It is appears to be a collection of relatively young guys listening to headphones without knowing where they are coming from in experience, background etc. I know we have become numb to this low bar it does not mean it does not exist. If there is something significant about these reviewers background it would be nice to see an "about section"
I bought a pair of sr80e a time ago, and I liked it, it was a different experience that I can get out there and I liked it, so I wondered how other unique experiences the other models may offer, how the more expensive options may improve the sound? so I managed to get a used pair of sr125e... and I hated them, horrible sound, piercing and even painful at times and the earcups were the most uncomfortable thing I've ever put on my ears, so yeah, I love my sr80e but the sr125e that I have are unlistenable on their own, had to swap the pads to exactly what you're holding on your video, and yeah, the swap improved the comfort and the sound, that is to say, they came closer to sound to the sr80e lol, but still different and interesting, so that's good enough to keep them for the once in a while usage
Oh resolve you are being sooo kind and neutral but im looking behind what you're saying. I'm laughing so hard dude. Oh god I'm in tears. Grado are a 'hair coat' worn by communists and those who can nolonger hear properly. I'm impressed how carefully and intricately, you avoided directly calling them crap... which they are. 😂😂😂😂 the icing on the cake was the fr graphs. I was laughing so hard my cheeks hurt. Looks like a seismometer readout, mid earthquake, above 1k 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. Thanks dude, you have made my day xx
yup haha that company is managed by communist clown
I may be hard on headphones but my Grado 80 and 120 fell apart on me. By contrast I have Meze99 Classics that are over 3 years now and still solid.
This is gonna be entertaining!🍿
Find a well-recorded jazz album, and listen with your beloved Senn 6xx. Change up to any model of Grado. It’ll sound overly bright for a few seconds but keep listening. After a short time change back to the 6xx and they’ll sound like the earbuds an airline hands out for free.
well if I just want a pair of drivers hung on a headband I would go for the Koss KPH-40i Utility , the Koss is the even more minimalist approach to the same design philosophy
I'm listening to this through SR60es. I like them. But I bought them for about half the price of an equivalent Grado set costs now.
I owned a pair of SR225's for over 10 years. Being a self professed audiophile, I purchased them because they were very expensive and highly regarded by other self professed audiophiles ... so they HAD to be excellent, right? Over the first five years, I went through an additional 2 sets of very expensive replacement pads while enduring 2-3 hours a day of ear torture. When I finally reached my pain threshold, I cut a bright yellow grout sponge into two large roundish shapes and removed inner circles small enough to friction-fit each of the speakers. After that, they were like wearing nothing on my ears. Incredible, and they looked totally amazing. Unfortunately, the wiring started to wear and the left side gave up the ghost so I've since moved on to even better headphones. These Skullcandy cans rock ...
Once the cable of the X series relaxes, it becomes one of the best behaved cables I have ever dealt with... But still not detachable. Dang
it never will until John is alive he is like stubborn child
I don't like most original cables - not the ones on the Focal Clear or Utopia, not the ones on the Susvara, not the ones on the Abyss Diana. They're always stiff or janky. Beyerdynamic and Dan Clark Audio make acceptably-benign cables, cables I don't have to think about. But the best cables are after-market cables.
@@soulfulfool his stubborness kind of adds to the charm though. I can imagine an angry old Gipetto up in his attic "you no a like my wooden head-a-fonia, fuck you, leave"