Grado GS2000e (New Flagship errmahgerd)

I'm one the nicest of the gang about Grados. I still remember how wowed I was the first time I heard them years ago: so fast and vivid. With their small soundstage, it was like being in the middle of band. I still like 80/225 for rock and thrash metal, but I can't take much more than half an hour. There are certainly worse phones than cheap Grados--K812 gave me a splitting headache! One can almost make a case for GS1k for quartets, as the big mid-bass hump picks up the cello and the upper-mid spike picks up the violins.

I've heard a number of the e series. The consistent features are improved soundstage depth accuracy and even worse FR. The cheaper ones use a slight mid-bass hump to try to mask the upper-mids, making for a neither here nor there sound. Also, I don't think I've ever heard anything consistently brighter than PS1ke. That was made by/for people with hearing damage. It's worth trying one of the original or i series used just to find out what all the fuss is about, but don't bother with their current line.

 

If anyone here is masochistic, get your hands on an HF-1. Those make the 325 sound like melted butter by comparison.

 

Grado can charge whatever they want because they are under no conventional standards of good. Like Beats their brand is built around marketing. Beats is celebrity endorsement with a huge marketing budget. Grado is the mom&pop shop with an emphasis on family legacy and being in the US. Neither have any relevance to sound quality. If you've got your own weird niche you can do whatever you want and charge whatever you want.

 

So have I, and I am a polite Englishman! So far as my internet diarrhoea is concerned, you're reading some right now, so I'll say no more.

So far as real-life constipation is concerned, a week of it, caused by pain killers, was one of the most unpleasant parts of my major-surgery experience. Really, it feels like (and is) being poisoned from the inside.

 

Grado's always remind of those old wooden dishwashing brushes my mom used when i was a kid.

 

Super!

In fact, probably just about right for the current state of my hearing.

Of course, I'd need after-market cables!

 

Haha yeah, might be a killer earwax removal tool!

 

Even in a picture that small, I can still feel the quality of that wood. All it needs is laser-etched type!

 

I'd love for Grado to make high-end headphones that live up to the price tag. I'm into the retro aesthetics of their low-end stuff, and sticking with it is a brilliant move. I know some people hate the look, but some people do love it — I'm not sure anyone really loves the way an HD6X0 looks. (Except maybe after associating the looks with the sound.)

Other manufacturers could learn something from Grado about how to make a headphone visually appealing (to some) without blowing up the cost. To me, the SR60 and siblings are like the headphone equivalent of Schiit's more affordable range of gear: respectable sound and good looks for the price. If only Grado's TOTL stuff were earning the kind of reputation that Schiit's TOTL has. Audeze might be the closest thing.

 

Audezes reputation? Cracking cups, inconsistency in frequency response between headphones? Failing drivers?

I don't really care what my headphones look like... the quality and price just need to correlate.

 

Huh, I hadn't heard about the reported quality problems with Audeze.

For me looks do matter, but not at the expense of sound. Maybe Ethers are the good-looking high end headphones my little hipster heart desires?

 

Vancouver hipsters will tell you go for PortaPros.

 

Maybe, maybe one can argue that Grado might look appealing visually, but they are one of most uncomfortable headphone designs I've ever used. No. There is little for other manufacturers to learn from Grado. It's really all about saving pennies and maximize margin.

 

I can agree with most of what's been posted here about Grado.

I also own the original HP1000 .

I have now heard the GS2000e in a meet (under meet conditions) and can say it actually sounds very favorably good.
Smooth, airy and detailed.

So maybe they finally got their act together on a more neutral tunning.

Cannot say any more or how refined it is.

 

That's good to hear. But the question remains, that do they sound good enough for a 1.4K USD cans? (even before we are talking about build/comfort)

 

By definition, to those that like the sound and style and comfort, yes. To those that don't, no. There is no objective answer to this question.

The same question can be asked on any summit-fi headphone. I paid $400 for my th600 and 1350 for my ether c. My wife asked if the ether c was more than three time better. All I could say was that to me, the ether c was better and worth the money.

I enjoy my RS2e at work. I had to stretch the headband a little and add mrspeakers doggie treats to take the highs, but I find the comfortable and so open that I can easily hear a person knock on my office door. To me, that was important.

I'm on the TTVJ tour list for the new Grados, so I'm looking forward to hearing them. Grado is definitely a polarizing company, so you will find those that hate it and will say the new cans are crap, and you will find those that love grado that are already saying they are best cans grado has ever made.

 

You can spend thousands on a sports car that you will rarely use and nobody will question it.
You spend over $1k on a headphone that you wil enjoy every day,
and suddenly your the crazy one...
Haha

 

Just dropped these Grados off in the mail from a loaner.

Brief impressions:

So there was someone at the last meet I went to who had a pair of modded Grado looking prototypes and they didnt sound half bad. They werent all bright and splashy etc etc but still werent ideal.

After reading up on these Grados I thought " Well here is my chance to finally hear a pair and they seem to be viewed positively... Maybe I can be converted into a Grado fan on my first real Grado"

Heck NO...not for me at least.

First of all, I have never held one over 1k in my hand but I do not understand the price for that. It is really cheap feeling. I can't think of a cheaper feeling headphone.

I will say that they do have some technicalities to put them at the high-mid-fi tier but I was perplexed at the tuning.

Bass:
Seemed present enough to not consider all the way bass light but there was no thump, rumble, impact, solidity or heft. It was tight and seemed pretty fast. Not flabby but sterile and un-emotive.

Midrange:
The vocalists kind of shouted these nasally, flat kind of runs that had no dimension, weight, body or anything natural. It was the best part of the headphone but it was very off and still felt recessed in the lower midrange and midrange proper. The upper mids were somewhat there but the treble......oh no.

Treble:
It reminded me of radio static but pretty peaky and splashy. Not really understanding why this would be appealing.

Soundstage:
What soundstage? Okay maybe some height but really no depth at alll None... NO depth.

Clarity, details:
Very good. Not just because of the treble boosting. There is a very clear and unhindered sound to this headphone that maybe is the sole reason people like this headphone. A first listen and I kinda appreciated it because it struck me as straight up clear but then I just couldnt get into any of my music really.

Everything sounded fake in timbre. Really fake. I have never heard fakeness so clear before. Details were there, just fake.

The cup cushions touch my ears but I didn't find it that bothersome. A cool thing about them is that it feels like my ears have plenty of ventilation.


I guess my main gripe is that nothing sounded like it had any body or soul whatsoever. The tonal balance I could give a pass on a few songs but the driver really sounds clear and detailed but sterile, emotionless and flat. I was expecting a lot more dynamics and imaging or holography as well as soul but really didn't get any of that.

maybe you should hear them for yourself.... but they sound nothing like a 650 I am glad I scratched that itch and resolved my curiosity but overall I really didnt like them. MMV

 

Very nice write up. Many thanks for posting it.

Is the 2Kereally as warm as an HD650?

Also, just curious if you have heard the RS2e. Sure, the RS2e is mid fi, but it might be one of the best grados (for what's that's worth). The RS2e may be the best of the RS line, for those that enjoy that sound. Again, just curious.

I'm looking forward to reading the reactions to this review over on HF. I havent checked yet, but I hope you posted I there too. I post a not very flattering HEX review in that loaner thread, and it wasn't a problem.

 

I can only imagine this picture If Tyll picks up the grado for review....