Grado, decisions and practicality

[admin_exported]

I'm sure this has been discussed no end but... Comfort issues with Grado alongside which model is 'right' for me.
In my experience I'm gaining nothing from spending £1000 on some headphones because I can't appreciate the difference that high end offers over other mid-range devices.
Right so here's the question, I don't know if it'd be practical to aim at someone in my situation or someone who's lived through it but basically i have quite an extended budget as well as a pretty decent SS headphone amp and portable amplifier (although considering what i'm looking at i don't think this would be entirely necessary). I listened to a friend's new Grado SR60i's as i was helping him with some modifications and found that i really liked the sound signature and from what i've read up until the 325is this pretty much stays the same. If it helps i've recently upgraded my Shure's from SE420 to the SE530 and that as far as i'm concerned was a worthwhile increment so i'm looking for the Grado equivalent of the SE530? I realise for some this may be a no brainer but i'm new to Grado's and there seem to be no retailers nearby for me to audition them all. I realise to some me spending possibly less on home listening might seem like a foreign idea but realistically i spend a lot of time outside of the house (commuting etc...) so i saw it fit to spend a little more.
Second issue is a small one but it seems there are a lot of people having issues with comfort? Is there anyone that can help? In my experience most forums etc are bi polar in their opinions and if there is a tiny issue it can be blow up to huge proportions but really when i get home they'll be on till i go to sleep, would this be possible or are the rumours true???
Any comments or advice would be highly appreciated and if i'm way off the mark i'm happy to reconsider my Grado's and start from scratch.
Thanks in advance, Jim

 

[idc]

I have the SR80s and as for comfort they are different from other headphones with the pads and bowls. I prefer the pads due to more even pressure across the ears. But I do find I adjust them a lot as they move about, which is why most of my cans are around ear.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi Jim

This is a slightly thorny issue with me: I've the SR60i and, TBVH, I'm not overly impressed by the sound, but like any aspect of Hi-Fi it is so subjective. I'll quickly explain why I'm not that fond of Grado. I can understand the plaudits, they do everything the reviews say: Their qualities are undeniable. However, for me, having all that detail, transparency and dynamics strapped to my ears is fatiguing. Fine for 5 or 10 minutes, but any longer they are draining. Personally, I prefer (contentious) Sennheiser PX100. A little warmer and far better if you need to take them on public transport.

As regards comfort I've no issue with Grado. I'm not a huge headphone user (my daughter uses the Grados more than I), so the shortcomings aren't a problem. But if I was to buy again, I would look at Goldring NS1000 or a Sennheiser...

I'm sure there will be those who think I'm out of my tree...

 

[John Duncan]

Right. I think a pair of 60s or 80s will just about be the same as Shure 530s, having both Grado 80is and some Shure 425s in the house at the moment, and a pair of Grado 325s at work. Whilst the 435s are great (and the 535s are stunning) - especially in terms of detail - neither can give you the bass weight a proper pair of cans will give you.

Though some others do comfort a bit better than Grado (I prefer a full circumaural, as it were), I can't say I find them uncomfortable. You may have trouble going to sleep in them though, they're an odd shape and difficult to lie down with your head on a pillow, for example - and being open backed, this also makes the sound very different in one ear!

 

[Anonymous]

I wear glasses and have no comfort issues wearing my Grado's for 1 - 2 hours most evenings. I use the bowl pads out of preference for sound but comfort wise I found minimal difference between bowls/pads.

 

[PJPro]

Also consider the RS1. You can get a pair of these second hand for the same price as the 325s.

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't been able to find any for the same sort of price, but then i'm assuming i'm not looking in the right places? I've found some of the old RS2's? Then again my reason for not going for any of those was the different sound stage but then again i guess they're going to be similar anyway, hmmm... You may have just made me extend my budget somewhat...
It might be worth completely reconsidering, I was (as most people on here seemto) just hoping for some positive reinforcement for my decision but i think that's where i'll have to differ and actually take people's points into consideration, unless i get a sudden flood of comments saying they're comfortable... (cue comments)

 

[Cutlass]

I've 3 sets of Grados, the little iGrados, RS2s and GS1000is. The first thing I've noticed is that they all improve as you improve your source. Listening to music on my laptop I prefer the iGrados to the RS2s but on the hi-fi the RS2s just leap ahead. So I supose what I'm trying to say is choose the headphone roughly in line with the quality of your source or your next upgrade. Secondly, Grado headphones are useless for listening when commuting unless you want your fellow travellers singing along with you! Stricly for home use only in my opinion. As to comfort I have no problems but I have a smallish thin head. Although I've had not much experience with other headphones I like the clean detailed sound of Grados with (on my RS2s and GS1000is) deep tuneful base, they seem to provide the 'whole picture' without tinkly shouting treble or boomy splashy bass. I have to add that I don't listen at high volumes.

Good luck with your experiments

Cutlass

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

so do you not recommend I get a i pod grado amp and rs_1 phones

overkill I would be recording in lossless,

By the way do your gs 1000 blow the others away?

 

[simon3102000]

I can wear my grado 125i for hours and find them very comfortable, somerimes I don't want to take the off as I'm so cosy! But they would be a nightmare to use in public as they are open back and leak a lot of noise! If I pop to the loo upstairs I can still hear them! They sound like a cheap ipod dock or like your playing music of your phone so you would annoy a lot of people on the train! And I'm pretty sure they would be wasted on an ipod if you where gonna use them with one? And the things with the budget grados is they are so good that its hard to justify buying the high end ones for a large amount of money. They aren't very bassy but a have a more balanced sound which is what I like.

 

[Cutlass]

Dear Gradosomeday

In my experience Grado headphones improve with improvements in the source. Using a notebook or iPod connected directly to the headphones I think the RS2/RS1/GS/PS1000s would probably be overkill and not good value for money. However, with a suitable sound card or iPod dock taking the digital signal (lossless) to a high quality DAC and headphone amp then I would think (but I don't know) things might be different. I tried some friends SR325si recently for an extended period and can recommend them as being a similar sound to the GSs. To my ears, the GS1000is are better than the others but in a suptle way. They are more open, have excellent base without the boom you get with some speakers, they can sound delicate and moving and are very comfortable. They are expensive but I have recently spent 5 times their price trying to get a similar sound from speakers, but to no avail. Grado dealers I have been to seem to stock models up to the 325s so I would try and listen.

Hope this helps