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

They look pretty awful. Grado also needs to update those gimbal rod holders - headphones that expensive shouldn't have so much plastic. I don't know why they reserve the metal gimbals for their higher end models. RS2, PS500 should have them as well.

 

I like Grado but their recent innovations just mean they are only 10years behind instead of 20years.

edit: Whatever, pretty.

 

Marketing trickery. Excuses for marking up higher tier models by hundreds or thousands when difference in production costs is possibly in the tens.

 

They gotta make money to afford those property taxes in NYC + labor. Not cheap for any of this stuff at all.

Still the higher end models are overpriced for what they are...but I kind-of wanna hear the RS1/2X. I bet the RS2X is the Hemp sound but upgraded while RS1X is the less aggressive sounding RS1e that won't work well with F-cushions.

 

True right. I do prefer buying American as well.

RS1/RS2 has always been the sweet spot, but the Hemp was actually good without reserve. Looking forward to impressions.

@purr1n reviewed the RS1e and I think it was 50mm too. It was an odd one. Wondering if they changed directions again sound wise.

 

One thing that surprised me about the GS1000i I have is its sublime bass, I mean, for a pair of headphones that looks so....umm, flimsy (?), one doesn't expect it to have much bass. I fell in love with its sparkle, and the visceral bass that it seems to be capable of. Recently, the replacement pad I had for it kinda got all flakey so I'd gotten two pairs (a large stock-like pair, as well as smaller ones) just to try 'em out.

 

I've got the RS1x's in-house; able to listen to them over weekend as I got back from a business trip. I enjoy the Hemps quite a bit and have started to come to something of an understanding with the 325x. Pulled the trigger on the RS1x on a whim....liked the looks and would it be the Hemps +?.

Short-short so far.....having never heard any Grado's higher in the line than the Reference series for any meaningful amount of time:

• Notably better 'technicalities' than the Hemps....staging bigger, imaging sharper, pretty darn resolving (not Clear/HD800 levels, but best Grado I've heard in this regard).
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• It's faster sounding overall/more energy with treble than the Hemps.
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• It has much less bass impact ('slam') than either the Hemps or the 325x. Much less. I'd call this a bass-light headphone with the stock pads.
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• Tone is warm, touch dark. Really, really good with guitar/male vocals (or at least to my preference). It's not bad with vocals in general, it just "warms" female vocals up a bit. Same for piano. That's a listener preference deal, YMMV. Drums/cymbals sound darn good on these.

In my couple days with them...I'd say they are like a pair of Hemps that wanted to grow up to be a HD800 and maybe along the way settled closer to a DT800. These are...again, early on....like my HD800s's in usage, more a trick-pony. With certain mixes/genres it is very, very impressive ....and then average/meh at the balance. Coming out of a tube amp...acoustic strings/male vocals....dynamite. Rock/metal that favors clean guitars + good sound mixes....real nice. Music that needs slam n' grit...no sir, I haven't found these the right partner yet.

If you are a tube amp cat that enjoys guitar/string forward music with male vocal mixes....be it rock, jazz, folks, blues, classical.....so far I'm finding magic with these. But that also turns to kind of polite, slightly boring/non-descript delivery outside that music box. The Hemp's and 325x get gritty, they can inject fun into mediocre or poor mixes across a lot of genres. Not saying you like how they add that coloring, but they do add it. Their weakness for me is their so-so technical abilities (stage/imaging/resolution). The RS1x way ups the score on the latter, but its' fun quotient is very dependent on the mix it's being fed.

 

@Jerseysam have you tried the F cushions on your RS1x?

 

No sir...I will, but wanted to give the phones a week or two with different DAC\amp combos on original pads to better understand the sound. They are maybe the most Jeckel and Hyde headphones I've come across....right amp\song-mix they sound like $3k+ phones, switch it up and meh city.

 

do you use the TTVJ pads?

 

"The best parts? No Sennheiser veil and great Grado articulation. Even the HD600 has a bit of that Sennheiser veil, famous with the HD650. With the pads, I honestly cannot say that one (Sennheiser) is better than the other (Grado) or vice versa. They are just different with what they do well. I just happen to be in a Grado mood lately."

I feel Marv just put it perfectly there and I couldnt say it better when I compare HD650 to RS2x. They do things so differently. What is clear is that HD650 are the king of smoothness. you can play them as loud as you can and they still somehow never seem harsh or shouty. The RS2x is def more Utopia like in that sense where there's a sweet spot db the cans like to play

the grado comfort are horrible though. how do you manage?

 

I bought an HD600 just to be ready to compare to RS2x (eventually i hope). And want an Senn around as a reference. And chose HD600 over HD650 because lighter bass may be less annoying than 6XX warmer but dirtier bass.

I feel HD6XX has only "veil" issues in the bass (dirty). Mids are not laid-back or sleepy, and highs are the best. I think the veil is in comparison to Grado. You don't read veil as synonymous with Sennheiser anymore. That was from a old period on HF when main options were Sennheiser, Grado, Beyer, AKG, and STAX. In that cluster I can see HD650 being called veiled.

I will donate $100 to help fund purchase of an RS2x if its difficult to get a loaner. Most interesting headphone to me atm.

 

I can offer my pair for a loaner if sbaf cover insurance. Problem im in Canada....

 

I thought the flat pads were a bad combo with the RS1 line because of the way the driver is situated?

 

yeah, my mistake. Forgot the F pads are not really suited for the RS1

 

...for what it's worth, for those who poked....I did try F and G pads on the RS1x. Personally think they got it right with the stock pads...the F gets pretty congested on the bass and loses a ton of air in the upper mids/treble. G tempts you with some more air/sparkle in what is already the semi-strong suite....but bass get anemic. I do think the drivers are set/tuned differently than the Hemps as it's not as 'coherent' a sound with F's on.

I could flesh out my initial impressions...but honestly would not change the story. I would slightly soften my take on the bass....for sure not slammy, for sure not it's calling card. But does extend decently and at least votes 'present' on decent mixes. Still think this is some very impressive voodoo if your fix is Tubes -> string/percussion/male vocals. Maybe my favorite headphone for that as this point.

I was a little 'hmmmm' on the RS1x, but with the right genre/mix have come to love it. Really love it. Where I was a little 'hmmmm' at first is....OK, wow...real nice acoustic, jazz, classical, etc. (if you like a warmer tone).....but hey, most all good headphones sound good with those genres. I was...and am always....after cans that make my terrible metal mixes sound good. The Hemps...and the 325x's...do that. I thought maybe the RS1x would take that a bit further.....but maybe the practical truth is "very nice equipment doesn't make shit mixes sound better". Maybe my 325x's, Hemp's, Elex, DT880....the color/energy they bring is what overcomes garbage metal mixes where everything is squashed into the lower mids. When paired in that tube -> string/percussion forward, or just decent mix set-up....these cans are really something. I don't know if they will convert the non-Grado believers.....but these and my HD800s's now own my jazz/acoustic/guitar/etc. listening time.

 

@murphythecat impressions of RS2x with f-pads. Credit to murph. Interesting that Grado just didnt do a higher tier model with f-pads stock. And wonder if Hemp will be discontinued or if permanent part of line up.

 

Wow my bad