Grado SR80i - Treble so harsh my ears bleed

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Hi,

I bought the SR80i's on the back of the what hi-fi award to use in front of my pc as I am spending a lot of time there at the moment (im a techy). I only listen to flac (ie loseless music), and have a Xi-Fi Titanium HD which is supposed to be pretty good as far as PC sound cards go.

I used to have a pair of £50 Beyerdynamic DT235s that I bought many years ago, again off the back of what hi-fi recommendation. As I found them so good, I just assumed these grados would be that much better as they are also award winners, and "the best under" £150.

Unfortunately, I can't stand the things. The bass is punchy, the soundstage is good, seperation is very nice, and I don't care about the sound leakage as I work from home......but my good the treble!! At anything above very low volumes, it's like a harpy is screeching in my ears. I had to stop listening after about 20mins as I was getting a serious headache.

I guess the problem is exacerbated by the fact im using a purely digital music pathway, despite the source being bit for bit perfect compared to the cd (I rip all my music from my own cds).

I don't really know what to do now: as i just rushed into richer sounds, bought them without a listen based on the fact they were award winners, got them home, and ripped the box open, and away I went. I guess im pretty much stuck with them arent I? I doubt they are "faulty", I just don't like how they sound.

Can someone recommend me an alternative that wont cause me to lose my upper range of hearing before im 35? I can spend upto £150, but im not sure I want to after buying these! I dont want to be stuck with 2 pairs of headphones over £100 that I hate. I might just get me another set of £50 Beyerdynamic!

Thanks
 

eggontoast

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You have discovered the wonderful Grado sound signature.......wonderful no !

You can tell that Grado's are tuned by an elderly gentlemen as all the high frequencies are boosted to compensate for the loss of high frequency hearing.
 
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Anonymous

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plastic penguin said:
Just leave them running overnight and see whether they improve. I had the same problem with my SR60is. Perhaps they are not for you.

So did the SR60is work out or did you send them back?
 
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Anonymous

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eggontoast said:
You have discovered the wonderful Grado sound signature.......wonderful no ! You can tell that Grado's are tuned by an elderly gentlemen as all the high frequencies are boosted to compensate for the loss of high frequency hearing.

Haha...this is quite funny but it doesn't really help me (though I suspect that what you are saying might be true).

Could you tell me your age and what you recommend instead? I am not being ageist or anything like that, but im 31 years old, believe I can still hear the full range of sounds, and would like something commensurate with that profile.

Cheers.
 

eggontoast

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sp00d said:
Haha...this is quite funny but it doesn't really help me (though I suspect that what you are saying might be true).

Could you tell me your age and what you recommend instead? I am not being ageist or anything like that, but im 31 years old, believe I can still hear the full range of sounds, and would like something commensurate with that profile.
What music genres do you listen to ?
 

Jason36

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I dont find my SR80i's screechy....OK as eggontoast and a few others will confirm, they are not the most Bass Heavy Headphones, but definately not screechy. I would also suggest leaving them playing at low volume for a while to see if they burn in and even out a bit.

One point I will add is that having also recently purchased a pair of Denon AH-D2000's, these do show up how much bass the Grado's actually lack.

My Grado's have now been relegated to the bench....well sat in the office, for listening at work. My Denons are now my main headphones for at home listening...bonus is they dont leak sound like a B***H either :)

Can definately recommend the Denons though :grin:
 
sp00d said:
plastic penguin said:
Just leave them running overnight and see whether they improve. I had the same problem with my SR60is. Perhaps they are not for you.

So did the SR60is work out or did you send them back?

They improved but still wasn't over-thrilled with the tonal qualities. I rarely use headphones (that honour goes to my daughter) so kept them. Discovered that I prefer a warmer presentation, so I'll be looking at either Goldring or Sennheiser.
 
Hello everyone,

It just goes to show that one size doesn't fit all. Most people love the detail, dynamic sound and tonal balance they get from their Grado headphones. However, clearly other people prefer a different presentation. Once again it demonstrates the value of trying and buying from a good retailer. One who is interested in helping you over the long term.

By pure coincidence, one of my colleagues got his copy of 'Which' magazine over the weekend. The December 2011 issue reviews 80 pairs of headphones, from £5 to £250.

Can you guess which model comes out best for sound quality?

You're right, at the very top is the Grado SR80i

best regards,

Steve Reichert - PR Manager, Armour Home (Grado)
 

eggontoast

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Jason36 said:
I dont find my SR80i's screechy....OK as eggontoast and a few others will confirm, they are not the most Bass Heavy Headphones, but definately not screechy. I would also suggest leaving them playing at low volume for a while to see if they burn in and even out a bit.
I did when I first got mine I couldn't use them for more than 20 mins at a time. One thing that helped was to set the volume to your usual level for other headphones then just back it off a tad.

Jason36 said:
Can definately recommend the Denons though :grin:
Not sure he will find any for <£150 though.......unless you sell him yours, you can then upgrade :dance:

Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome said:
Most people love the detail, dynamic sound and tonal balance they get from their.........
I think the problem is they are not tonally balanced and are extremely coloured.

Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome said:
By pure coincidence, one of my colleagues got his copy of 'Which' magazine over the weekend. The December 2011 issue reviews .........
Is that allowed on the WHF forum :shhh:
 

Jason36

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eggontoast said:
Jason36 said:
Can definately recommend the Denons though :grin:
Not sure he will find any for <£150 though.......unless you sell him yours, you can then upgrade :dance:

STOP IT!! >)

Was having a think about my system the other day actually......Seriously considering selling the Caspian M1's and buying a cheaper integrated amp for when I want to listen to some vinyl.

Adding either a Furutech ADL GT40 or CA DacMagic Plus to the Laptop and then possibly getting an even better pair of headphones......However at the moment I am very happy with the Denon's.
 

eggontoast

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Jason36 said:
Adding either a Furutech ADL GT40 or CA DacMagic Plus to the Laptop and then possibly getting an even better pair of headphones......
I had my eye on an Audiolab MDAC looks interesting. The only thing is there is no info in the Tech specs about the headphone out, does this mean its an after thought ?

WHF did you try the headphone output and if so was it any good and did you try it with high (300 - 600Ω) impedance cans ?
 

Clare Newsome

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The headphone out is a great aspect of the Audiolab, and one of the reasons it won Product of the Year.

I've bought one myself, and it's sounding great with a range of Grados.
 

eggontoast

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Clare Newsome said:
The headphone out is a great aspect of the Audiolab, and one of the reasons it won Product of the Year.

I've bought one myself, and it's sounding great with a range of Grados.
Is there any chance you could tease some technical specs from Audiolab and post them ?
 

Jason36

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eggontoast said:
Jason36 said:
Adding either a Furutech ADL GT40 or CA DacMagic Plus to the Laptop and then possibly getting an even better pair of headphones......
I had my eye on an Audiolab MDAC looks interesting. The only thing is there is no info in the Tech specs about the headphone out, does this mean its an after thought ?

WHF did you try the headphone output and if so was it any good and did you try it with high (300 - 600Ω) impedance cans ?

I also like the idea of the MF MDAC......just wondering whether its worth the extra money over and above the ADL GT40 or DacMagic Plus?

Do you have future Demo lined up for the DacMagic Plus Claire??
 
Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome said:
Hello everyone,

It just goes to show that one size doesn't fit all. Most people love the detail, dynamic sound and tonal balance they get from their Grado headphones. However, clearly other people prefer a different presentation. Once again it demonstrates the value of trying and buying from a good retailer. One who is interested in helping you over the long term.

By pure coincidence, one of my colleagues got his copy of 'Which' magazine over the weekend. The December 2011 issue reviews 80 pairs of headphones, from £5 to £250.

Can you guess which model comes out best for sound quality?

You're right, at the very top is the Grado SR80i

best regards,

Steve Reichert - PR Manager, Armour Home (Grado)

You've hit the nail firmly on the head: One size doesn't fit all. I get a little bit disconcerted when reviews are mentioned. I can understand why Grado win so many awards, they produce quality headphones without question. But for me, having a component so close to ones head, and producing so much info, is too overwhelming to be comfortable.

My RS6s have similar tonal qualities to the Grados but I don't walk around the house with them clamped to my head.

Horses for courses.
 
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Anonymous

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I used to have a pair of Grado 125s; hated them and wondered what all the fuss was about. Then I discovered Sennheiser was to my taste. HD202s and HD380 Pros now. Wonderful bass.... :dance:
 

poldo

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Well I have the same Grado sr 80i but my ears hurts because of the thight desgin, the pads are pushing my ears to bleeding :wall:.

So the Grado needs to go, but what is a good alternative? I want to use it with spotify only on my Imac or iPhone at home, because when I am outside I have the Senn px200.

So my question:

What is a good alternative for the Grado S80i, I don't use an amp or dac but I am willing to pay more for better sound and better comfort.
 

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