Grado Love or the RS2 (TTVJ Deluxe Pad) Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by purr1n, Feb 13, 2020.

  1. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    I wouldn't expect any sonic change. The Grado cable is very thick though, and I'm always untwisting the cups. I'd imaging that the twisting would be even worse with thinner more pliable cabling. The Grado cable is also very durable,with multiple conductors for each channel. Grado claims that the multiple conductors help the sound, but I think they are just there for redundency in case one conductor fails. The wire inside Grado cables is of excellent quality as well. I wish I could source it for my DIY projects.
     
  2. oh_okay

    oh_okay New

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    I think this is why the Grado community (and to some extent, the gen-pop) tend to be divided about their favorite Grados. The HP-1's, when I first put them on (even to this day), sound like an AM radio. After a few mins of "brain break-in", their qualities emerge. Chalk this up to evolution and psychoacoustics. The SR series are more of an "immediate like" .. well, if your brain has the Grado gene to begin with.
    I haven't heard any of the woodies yet. I'm sure I'd like them.

    Speaking of the Grado sound, how about M&D's MH40 or V-Moda as an alternative? Say to the 225e?
     
  3. oh_okay

    oh_okay New

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    Snapped a shot of my HP-1. They're in great shape; that silk screen lettering from this era was an issue .... and note the cable ....

    [​IMG]
     
  4. oh_okay

    oh_okay New

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    I just saw the Z Reviews video on him experimenting with G-cushions on his SR60 and SR80. Z seemed VERY impressed. Flats, Sennheiser 414 "yellows", been there, done that. Mixed opinions on those.
    Anyway, as long-time Grado fan, I'm ashamed to admit I've never experimented with G-cushions.
    Anyone out there care to comment on their experience?

    ------
    Some more eye candy ... from my inventory photos ...
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2020
  5. oh_okay

    oh_okay New

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    Oops ... I meant to say G-cushions, not S-cushions. Above posted re-edited for correction.

    So, these ...
    [​IMG]
     
  6. nithhoggr

    nithhoggr Author of the best selling novel Digital Jesus

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    They sound great on the GH-1, but that's the only Grado I've heard of them improving that doesn't come with them.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Those on a SR60 are an unmitigated disaster. Z reviews is too easily impressed.
     
  8. dncnexus

    dncnexus Friend

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    I had a similar experience, Grado for me though is something I always have a lust for, which I am not sure why? Maybe its the looks, not sure but I don't really enjoy them, I am treble sensitive, and for my music preferences it just doesn't match, but I keep looking at them, maybe I will just get a cheaper one to satisfy that weird itch I have for them occasionally
     
  9. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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  10. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I'm glad knowing what the successors to John Grado are doing in their spare time. That one animated ad with the smoke is an embarrassment. Do that shit in your own house or backyard.
     
  12. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    @Hands bump :) Would you share a quick comparison of RS2e vs HF3 or v9? I know your measurement rig died but any subjective impressions?
     
  13. Jay

    Jay Facebook Friend

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    The unfortunate thing about this whole juvenile act is these headphones probably sound really good. And $420, how cute. I bet they had lots of fun with their first beer, too.
     
  14. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Eh, seems to be there's a growing contingent that see weed as equal to or even less harmful than tobacco, and so wear their use of it as a badge of honour. Eh, I'm not a fan of either but as long as people don't blow smoke into my face I respect their choices.

    So it's an Audioquest-esque liquid woodish chamber except not as finely pulped? That... might actually be nice to hear as it might be less of the resonance play you get with solid wood chassis, like MDF for speaker cabinets? The 420 price tag's definitely hilarious (ha-ha I can't stop laughing /deadpan), but if these use the better Grado drivers it could be a nicer take on the RS2 balanced presentation.

    Random aside: @purr1n's comment about smoking reminded me that Joseph Grado was an opera singer of some renown. Are there any recordings of him performing? I've been wanting to hear for years. Not an opera connoisseur in the slightest, but curious all the same.
     
  15. oh_okay

    oh_okay New

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    I don't think so.
    I tried the G-cushions on both my SR-80's and 225's. They changed the sound over stock pads ( with elec tape mod) ... and for the better. I prefer the change ... and I even like the G's over flats.
    YMMV.
    BTW: I got the G's from eBay. Seller: an aftermarket Chinese supplier. Pleasantly, the foam material is identical to Grado OEM. Often, the eBay/Ali Chinese pads use different material (e.g., S-cushions, etc.)
     
  16. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    Never thought this day happened. But I am joining the team Grado for the first time in my life. Not sure what I like now can be called "Grado-ish" though -- nowhere close to what I remember with SR325 (non-e), RS1 (non-e), PS1/HF1 (yeah I have a friend IRL who is a super grado fanboy collector...).

    Anyway Hemp measurement posted: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...nts-reviews-and-impressions.9627/#post-310077
     
  17. likearake

    likearake Acquaintance

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    @purr1n what amps do you like for the rs2e? I reckon the Hemp is pretty similar to RS2e with the flat pads.

    Particularly in terms of cheap amps... my Valhalla 2 is pretty good except it has no balls with the Hemp. But it shows that they are capable of soundstage / layering. MCTH doesn't come close. Vali 1 too noisy. Maybe I'm in mid-fi amp purgatory.

    On a related note, I have fucked up TMJ so on-ear is the best headphone I can wear without extreme pain. Thanks for the Grado recommendations! Next best is HD650.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2020
  18. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I owned a 225e several years ago. I liked the sound with rock and jazz, but when I found SBAF and the Sennheiser love here, I fell deep into that hole and sold my 225. Nowadays my only full sized headphone is an HD580 and I’m quite used to its sound. It’s versatile and my pair are very clean and neutral, but I wanted something fun. The Hemp thread led me back to this one and it seemed like if I could find a good deal on an RS2 I would have a nice “fun” complement to my 580.

    On a whim I searched on eBay and found an RS2e in great condition with a carry case and extension cable for a decent amount less than a new Hemp and went for it. Ordered the deluxe flat pads from TTVJ immediately after.

    I’ve been playing them through my chain of RPi/502DAC->Gungnir MB->Liquid Platinum all evening and I am duly impressed. The deluxe flat pads balance out the FR significantly. Still, these are undeniably fun, with that crunchy guitar bite and a low end that can actually kick like a mule on properly mastered material (try the MFSL mastering of R.E.M.‘s Reckoning or the MFSL SACD of Pixie’s Doolittle or of course the hi-res master of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories to see what I mean). The highs can still get a little peaky at times. I suspect a more laid back amp like the Lyr 3, which makes my 580 sound downright sleepy at times, would be an excellent pairing here. I’ll be trying that combo out tomorrow.

    These feel visceral and tactile. Textures really shine here, especially with recordings that weren’t multitracked together after the fact. Something like “Long Black Limousine” from From Elvis In Memphis, where the whole band was recorded together in a room, playing together, sounds and feels a hell of a lot like a live band playing together in a room. Some of this is detail, of which the RS2 can resolve plenty, easily as much as the 580, and with its more upfront presentation it’s easier to pick out said details. Some of it is the zippier drivers that give everything a sense of momentum and urgency. Some of it is in the way these headphones render macro dynamics dramatically.

    If my 580 is the respectable older brother, studious and reliable, a good honest guy, then the RS2 is the wild child younger brother, exciting, restless, mercurial, unpredictable, charismatic. I know exactly what I’m getting with the 580 and it never lets me down. The RS2 is full of surprises and twists and turns. It’s definitely the fun complement I was looking for.
     
  19. Tachikoma

    Tachikoma Almost "Made"

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    I think its this particular quality that has kept the MS-Pro glued to my ears over the last few days. There's also something about "non-soundstaging" headphones that makes them sound a lot more realistic - I've mistaken sounds on an audio track for real life sounds several times now.
     
  20. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    One thing I didn’t expect at all was the bass quality on these. I’m listening to Paul’s Boutique right now and the sub bass feels endless, and yet it doesn’t overtake the rest of the FR.
     

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