Film Noir Buff Style Forum / Grado Headphones

4F Hepcat · 2016-09-20 02:12:06

Built by hand in Brooklyn, serious hipster audiophile and retro credentials, anyone using their headphones?

http://www.gradolabs.com/

I'm interested in auditioning a pair.

Last edited by 4F Hepcat (2016-09-20 02:12:38)

Chipper · 2016-09-20 08:43:37

My go-to for decades now. I currently own the SR80 and SR125. Incredible sounding cans, imo.

formby1 · 2016-09-20 11:52:05

I currently have a pair of Grado and a pair of Bower & Wilkins (B&W).

The Grado are a open-back design and the B&W a closed-back.

Open-backed designs can lack bass, but tend to be very spacious. Closed-back have better bass but can feel shut-in. This is relative.

Recently I've been revisiting Goldfrapp's back catalogue and tend to use the Grado's for their acoustic / cinematic stuff and the B&Ws for their Electro-disco stuff.

My advice is to consider the merits / demerits of each design approach and pick the music you are going to audition the cans with accordingly and see were the compromise is.

4F Hepcat · 2016-09-20 13:41:48

It's the open back design that intrigues me in hi-fi quality cans. I'm using an Ultrasone Pro 750 powered by a Musical Fidelity amp at the moment and they tend to get somewhat hot after awhile, good bass, but not really spacious. After the musical space, its the extended wearing comfort that has be wanting Grado cans

Chipper, do you notice a big difference between the SR80 and the higher end SR125?

The shop in The Hague that has them in has the full range, from the SR60 to the Woody Allens and above. All very tempting, but when you start going up a notch in those price ranges you definitely, as Formby states, audition with the music style you will be listening to the most.

formby1 · 2016-09-20 15:23:42

Chipper · 2016-09-20 18:04:48

Yep, I think you'll like them, hep.

4F Hepcat · 2016-09-22 02:16:58

Acton_Baby · 2016-10-15 07:01:49

Ah missed this thread cos I've been a bit busy at work.

Love my Grado PS1000s , cost an arm and leg (and then another leg for a dedicated headphone amp) but the most 'musical' sounding of any phones I've come across.
I spend most of my time in headphones or in-ears at work and still look forward to listening to stuff on them when I get home.

The SR325s are nice gear and if you want a nice addition they really benfit from a standalone headphone amp with a 'resistive ladder' output stage (in simple-ish terms where the amp runs at optimum/full tilt and the output level is controlled by different resistance circuits depending on the volume you want to listen at , rather than the more common 'soak' resistance on a single pot).
arcam do a few that aren't too nosebleed at around €300-350 or there's the Audeze deckard at €600 .

Chipper · 2016-10-15 07:15:41

SR125s are mighty nice.

4F Hepcat · 2016-10-15 08:02:55

Acton_Baby · 2016-10-15 09:26:33

^ it's a slippery slope the high end headphone world, I know someone with a serious Audeze habit who now buys upgrades instead of going on holiday ( surprisingly he's recently become single again )
I'm lucky and get to write them off as a business expense

#1 2016-09-20 02:12:06

Grado Headphones

#2 2016-09-20 08:43:37

Re: Grado Headphones

#3 2016-09-20 11:52:05

Re: Grado Headphones

#4 2016-09-20 13:41:48

Re: Grado Headphones

#5 2016-09-20 15:23:42

Re: Grado Headphones

#6 2016-09-20 18:04:48

Re: Grado Headphones

#7 2016-09-22 02:16:58

Re: Grado Headphones

#8 2016-10-15 07:01:49

Re: Grado Headphones

#9 2016-10-15 07:15:41

Re: Grado Headphones

#10 2016-10-15 08:02:55

Re: Grado Headphones

#11 2016-10-15 09:26:33

Re: Grado Headphones

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