Let us talk Grado

[Dackzy]

So yesterday I tried the full lineup and damn I am not impressed at all. I know all of this is a preference thing, but this is my opinion of them.

 

If we start with the SR 225e, they are okay nothing special at all, not very detailed and they have a more warm sound to them, but then you go down to the 125e, 80e and 60e and they are more "neutral" and more detailed, but god damn the build is bad, they use cheap plastic that is kinda rough, it feels like they used a 3D printer to print it out on and not a very high quality one..

 

Then we have the 325e, 2e, 1e and 500e and for the price you pay for them they are kinda meh, nothing special, they build is better, but still not something special or very good. I don't really have much to say about them.

 

lastly we have the GS 1000e and PS 1000e and let me put it this way, I would not trade my HE 560 for any of them, sure they have all that American made BS going for them, but the sound quality is nothing special, sometimes I felt like it was a bit lower than the sound quality of my HE 560.

 

I liked the 60e and the 80e, but I do not think that they are worth the price tag they have..

 

All in all I would say that they are overpriced with 10-20%, and I would recommend buying them used, if you want some grado headphones

[Volbet]

Where the hell did you get the opportunity to try the entire Grado line?

 

As for Grado, I have only ever tried the RS 1e, and I might just be a bitch. but my ears were just slain by the highs of those.

While it's nowhere near as bad as the Beyerdynamic T-series. it was still pretty tiring. 

 

I know people tend to prefere the Grado-sound when they listen to rock and/or metal music due to the sharp highs and subdued, yet somewhat tight, bass.

I guess the Grado sound is just an aquired taste.

[Dackzy]

6 minutes ago, Volbet said:

Where the hell did you get the opportunity to try the entire Grado line?

A shop in Århuse

7 minutes ago, Volbet said:

As for Grado, I have only ever tried the RS 1e, and I might just be a bitch. but my ears were just slain by the highs of those.

While it's nowhere near as bad as the Beyerdynamic T-series. it was still pretty tiring. 

 

I know people tend to prefere the Grado-sound when they listen to rock and/or metal music due to the sharp highs and subdued, yet somewhat tight, bass.

I guess the Grado sound is just an aquired taste.

I listen to rock and I kinda like my K612, RE400i and H- 560 more than any of the grado headphones for that and the highs in the 225e was just bad and maybe a bit too laid back

[Volbet]

11 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

A shop in Århuse

Well, there's a thing we don't have in Copenhagen. 

And there is only one place left to buy new records. 

 

11 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

A shop in Århuse

I listen to rock and I kinda like my K612, RE400i and H- 560 more than any of the grado headphones for that and the highs in the 225e was just bad and maybe a bit too laid back

Again, I guess it's an aquired taste. 

Personally, I didn't really like K612s for just listning to music. They always came off as a bit too sterile for my taste. 

But they aren't as painful to listen to as the Grado pair I tried. Maybe I can use them when I'm older and have lost more of the upper range of my hearning. 

 

I would say my Shure SE846s with the neutral filter are the perfect balance of fun and sterile sound, but they are also a polarizing pair of earphones. 

[Dackzy]

2 minutes ago, Volbet said:

Well, there's a thing we don't have in Copenhagen. 

And there is only one place left to buy new records. 

Finally I found something that Copenhagen doesn't have  

2 minutes ago, Volbet said:

Personally, I didn't really like K612s for just listning to music. They always came off as a bit too sterile for my taste. 

that is kinda why I like them, I can hear every single thing that is going on in the music and I just think they are epic for Volbeat.  

 

3 minutes ago, Volbet said:

But they aren't as painful to listen to as the Grado pair I tried. Maybe I can use them when I'm older and have lost more of the upper range of my hearning. 

Yeah they are not that painful especially when you compare to some of the grado headphones. When you start loosing the upper range you would maybe love them  I wonder if that is why I see so many "older" people that are into audio using grado...

5 minutes ago, Volbet said:

I would say my Shure SE846s are the perfect balance of fun and sterile sound, but they are also a polarizing pair of earphones. 

GOD DAMN, those are expensive, I think the 425 is a bit too much for IEMs, mostly because they don't last me that long. The left plastic cord on my RE400i just broke, so I could see the inside of it but they still worked, so I grabbed some clear silicone and fixed them  

[Volbet]

6 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

GOD DAMN, those are expensive, I think the 425 is a bit too much for IEMs, mostly because they don't last me that long. The left plastic cord on my RE400i just broke, so I could see the inside of it but they still worked, so I grabbed some clear silicone and fixed them  

Once you break the top of the perfomance/price-curve there is no way back.

As a person with a pait of HE560s you should understand.

 

I don't use the SE846s as portable headphones. They are permanetly stationed in my home office. I use my MSR7s for portable use. 

Also, the cord is borderline Pioneer SE-A1000 material so it won't break any time soon. And it it do break then I can buy a new cord. 

 

10 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Yeah they are not that painful especially when you compare to some of the grado headphones. When you start loosing the upper range you would maybe love them  I wonder if that is why I see so many "older" people that are into audio using grado...

I need to ask my dad what he thinks of Grado. 

The man is 52 and has been a drummer since he was 12, so if anyone has lost their hearning it's him.

[Dackzy]

2 minutes ago, Volbet said:

Once you break the top of the perfomance/price-curve there is no way back.

As a person with a pait of HE560s you should understand.

 

I don't use the SE846s as portable headphones. They are permanetly stationed in my home office. I use my MSR7s for portable use. 

Also, the cord is borderline Pioneer SE-A1000 material so it won't break any time soon. And it it do break then I can buy a new cord. 

Well I am also bit greedy and it is not like I listen very intensly to the music when I am walking around and I really only use EIMs for when I am walking around, because with on ear or over ear I look like a douche if I walk around with those types... The RE400i cable is so cheaply made...

 

I am on the look for some good nice 200$ in ears, but it is really hard to get some more neutral and really detailed IEMs with detachable cable for that price..

7 minutes ago, Volbet said:

I need to ask my dad what he thinks of Grado. 

The man is 52 and has been a drummer since he was 12, so if anyone has lost their hearning it's him.

Maybe he would love them  

[Hans Christian | Teri]

The Grado headphones certainly are their "own thing". I've honestly never been a fan of their headphones either, but their phono cartridges are phenomenal for the price.

[Dackzy]

1 hour ago, Hans Christian | Teri said:

The Grado headphones certainly are their "own thing". I've honestly never been a fan of their headphones either, but their phono cartridges are phenomenal for the price.

I kinda like their 80e, but I do not think they are worth the money. I have no idea about their phono cartridges.

[Guest]

Treble response like the Himalayas all up in your grill, distortion across the board, build quality on par with something made in a garage. Some people like them, but some people like committing murder as well.

[Dackzy]

2 minutes ago, SSL said:

Treble response like the Himalayas all up in your grill, distortion across the board, build quality on par with something made in a garage. Some people like them, but some people like committing murder as well.

Yep the build is bad, they could atleast have made them well for the price you pay. I might get my hands on the 80e and test them at home, instead of like 4-5 min in a shop with my phone and free spotify, but I will buy used that is sure. Just so I can do a real review of them and maybe mod them a bit, to see what would help them and what would not.

I think the people who really love them have lost some of their hearing in the high frequencies.

[GamerDude]

Heh, almost embarrassed to admit that I'm a fan of the GS1000i, and though I have the PS1000, not really liking it as it sounds rather dark. The GS1000i is a different animal, yes, the treble can be somewhat hard for many to handle, but since I'm an older guy who can't hear beyond 12kHz - 13kHz.....I dunno, I kinda enjoy the treble on the GS1000i.

 

The thing about the GS1000i is that it has this sublime bass that I don't hear outta any of my other cans. The Grado peeps at HF did explain that it had to do with speed and decay, hence the GS1000i has this almost surreal bass that none of my other cans can match.....and yes, perhaps I prefer the way the GS1000i presents treble and bass (especially the bass). Certainly the bass on the PS1000 can be said to be 'thicker' or more lush, but I dunno, I just don't like it.....and its overall sound sig. Why am I keeping it? It looks awesome! Yes, I can be quite shallow as well.....

[Dackzy]

16 minutes ago, GamerDude said:

Heh, almost embarrassed to admit that I'm a fan of the GS1000i, and though I have the PS1000, not really liking it as it sounds rather dark. The GS1000i is a different animal, yes, the treble can be somewhat hard for many to handle, but since I'm an older guy who can't hear beyond 12kHz - 13kHz.....I dunno, I kinda enjoy the treble on the GS1000i.

 

The thing about the GS1000i is that it has this sublime bass that I don't hear outta any of my other cans. The Grado peeps at HF did explain that it had to do with speed and decay, hence the GS1000i has this almost surreal bass that none of my other cans can match.....and yes, perhaps I prefer the way the GS1000i presents treble and bass (especially the bass). Certainly the bass on the PS1000 can be said to be 'thicker' or more lush, but I dunno, I just don't like it.....and its overall sound sig. Why am I keeping it? It looks awesome! Yes, I can be quite shallow as well.....

we all like different things