Grado-rama: A Guide to Grados

My journey with Grado might be a bit unconventional. While I wasn't particularly drawn to the sound signature John Grado aimed to achieve, especially in the brand's first and second generations, my perspective shifted a little when I briefly sampled the Alessandro MS Pro (a re-tuned RS-1; no idea which generation). However, its price was a stumbling block for my economic ability at the time (circa 2010 or so).

Fast forward to 2020, and I discovered the Hemp LTD, pinpointing the Grado sound that resonated with me. Even though its ergonomics and thick, non-detachable cable weren't to my liking, its sound lingered in my memory. Now, as autumn 2023 unfolds, my recent positive experiments with the SR80e have drawn me back to Grado, but this time with a more discerning ear and specific expectations. I'm searching for a sound signature that bridges the gap between the MS Pro and the Hemp. My research suggests a stark choice: either opt for the vintage OOP product (HP1k series crafted by Joe Grado) or embrace the latest generation reference. The former's super hefty premium — I'm reluctant to invest another 2-3k for Grado-style ones — makes me give up.

So, where does this leave me? Well, the RS2x is en route (ETA tomorrow), and I'm quite excited.

A side note: My perspective on Grado's potential might differ from the norm. I posit that the right Grado pair, when finely optimized/individualized, can excel in many traditional audiophile metrics, like soundstage or balance, or at least surpass general expectations. Hope my time with RS2x would provide me with more insights.

 

If you're referring to the Symphone drivers, I did have a DIY product based on the Symphone V9 for some time. While it was somewhat decent, it didn't quite resonate with me, especially when compared to the 4th-gen Grados I've experienced.

 

I went through this phase back in the day where I kept trying every version of Grado that I could afford (at the time). I've owned or heard the 60, 80, 125, 225, 325, HF-1, HF-2, PS500, RS-2, Alessandro MS1 and 2, at least a couple iteration of the Symphones/Magnum, one set of wood cups from the early woody head-fi DIY era (the guy was named Bill something?), one set of wood cups from martincustomaudio, and the abomination that was the Vixen which was some half wood half Beyer shell with grado driver franken mushpile. So that last one was obviously the worse Grado that I've heard.

Out of everything, probably my most positive memory of grados is the suicidegirls photoshoot with the RS-2.

 

What is the history of the Alessandro versions? I’ve heard a few things but im not sure what to believe.

 

I seem to remember a good Head-fi (or maybe innerfidelity?) post talking about all the versions of Grado as well as Alessandro’s. I’ll update this post with a link when I find it

 

Oh god, Bilavideo. This unlocked a memory I didn't even remember having; I was actually considering putting what money I had as a high school/college kid at the time together to save up for one of those cuz I thought it'd be "endgame" with how everyone was talking about it. Would have been a blind buy, but I knew nothing at the time so probably would have just been heaping praise on it like everyone else.

To be fair, those early Grados in wooden cups seems to be a winning combo, but this was around the same time MrSpeakers started making T50RP mods (was it Alpha Dog or Mad Dog at the time, or something else?) and those took over the conversation for a bit. Wonder how those early MrSpeakers cans would hold up today against other T50 mods?

Sucks that the Gerod pads seem unobtanium now. How hard would it be to launch a proper aftermarket pads business just so people have an actual reference, if Grado isn't willing to make those themselves?

 

The T50rp mods were a strong community effort before it went all commercial. Bluemonkeyflyer probably had the most well documented set of instructions in the early days, though he was far from the first too. Smeggy's Thunderpants were arguably the first "successful" commercial venture before he too got swamped under orders and crashed out (I think it was ultimately either an innerfidelity or stereophile review that did him in).

There were some really awesome measurements being developed by a few guys... I think arnaud and anakchan? one of them was doing finite element analysis stuff on the cup cavities and even developing 3d printed waveguides. All of this well before Mr Speakers and his mad dogs with their umpteen revisions (it got up to around 3.2) that he somehow kept twisting into upgrade kits that people paid for. He coincidentally "developed" his own waveguides shortly after the community ones were released which led to a thing that was quietly squashed out on headfi because sponsorship blah blah.

On the grado side, yeah Bilavideo wasn't the first but he was a prolific poster and his sheer volume and experimenting in the early days got the momentum going, but he crashed under the deluge or orders that he could never keep up with, similar to Smeggy. Martincustomaudio popped up around that time and made some absolutely beautiful cups. He made zero claims to sound, he just made pretty things. He smartly got out of the game when it became too heavy and he had regular work and family obligations; he fulfilled the last of his orders and quietly closed up shop from what I understand or moved on to other woodworking projects that still excited him.

The story behind Alessandro from what I vaguely recall is that they were a guitar amp boutique/modding company and wanted to expand their range and got in the door with Grado way in the early days and there isn't much to the story beyond that. Their headphones are based on the RS-1 (or 2?), 325, and I think it's either the 80 or 125 for their entry model (you can probably look at the pricing and determine from there; fuzzy memory wants to say 125).

 

https://alessandro-products.com/headphones/

If memory serves, they offer re-tuned versions of the SR80, SR325, and RS1, named MS1, MS2, and MS Pro respectively. This collaboration appears to be ongoing, with driver updates introduced for each iteration. The latest models are all equipped with the 4th generation drivers, commonly referred to as "x".

 

I think the MS1 was a re-tuned SR125.

 

Somewhere around the first or second gen, Alessandro drivers had a glob of goopy stuff on the back of the driver. I remember taking them apart but don't remember what else I found aside from that.

 

Man, this thread just sent me down a damn rabbit hole. Out of interest in pursuing some mods of my lowly Grado SR-80e, I've got some avenues I'd like to venture down, since they all seem to be budget friendly (and fun). After some digging around, and realizing A LOT of what's in the Grado Mod thread on HF is old news or nonexistent, I came across Earphone DIY Labs site, where they have these what appear to be (knock-off?) MS Pro wood cups. Has anyone had experience with these? I'm also curious of using a different driver sleeve material (i.e. aluminum) would be beneficial vs. the stock plastic sleeve.

http://www.earphonediylabs.com/shop/grado-headphone-modifications/grado-ms-pro-mahogany-wood-cup/

Aside from the cups and possible sleeve mods, I definitely want to give the detachable cable mod a try! I really took a difficult leap (/s) giving my S-cush pads the quarter mod...which turns out I really like.

 

I recall something like that. A touch of dynamat on the back of the driver. Supposedly just smoothed them out a touch versus the Grado.

After your comment last night, I went on Head-Fi looking for any info on the X series Alessandro, which presumably are based on the newer X series Grado. Info/reviews seems sparse. But you also mentioned suicidegirls, which I didn't realise was still a thing, so......

 

It's been some time since I've leaned on SBAF for gear-buying advice. This mainly stems from my realization that my preferences don't always match the collective's recommendations, as was the case with the Senn 6x0. However, today marks a delightful deviation. I'm thrilled to introduce a new gem to my collection.



Initially, I was prepared to return the RS2x if it didn't sufficiently distinguish itself from the SR80e. But as I sampled tracks, juxtaposing the two headphones, any lingering doubts swiftly faded. In every aspect where the SR80e excels, the RS2x surpasses it, and by a significant margin. This observation held true across three different pad choices.

The RS2x affirms that higher-tier Grados can indeed shine by standard audiophile benchmarks. While there's a discernible emphasis in the upper midrange and lower treble—a characteristic Grado peak—the rest of the auditory spectrum is well-balanced. It's intriguing how Grado has managed to craft a sound that's both refined and elegant while retaining a textured, crunchy essence. It's a delicate equilibrium between seemingly contrasting sonic elements, further enriched by a palpable sense of immediacy and spatial awareness. Priced at an MSRP of $550, it's one of the bargains in this hobby. I say this without hyperbole: I really struggle to think of another offering in this bracket that delivers such an engaging experience underpinned by stellar technical proficiency.

I'm eager to experience all my favorite albums through the RS2x, especially those often deemed less suited for Grado headphones.

Kudos to @purr1n bringing attention to this.

 

The glob wasn't dynamat (which has the foil layer to make it constrained-layer-damping), so it was probably just a viscous damping/mass load thingy. I remember one thing I tried was to use a piece of straw or small wood dowel shaved down to the right length and wedged between the back grill and drive to press down on it. My very fuzzy memory was that it decreased a bit of the zing, so probably just the extra coupling reduced some ringing.

As for the SG, there's an old thread on headfi that still has the SFW pics so all of you 3.2 thirsty mad dogs can go look it up yourselves.

 

note: I am the maker of nyczaj.audio EP01 earpads, so please let me know if this is not allowed.

I recently measured 6 types of earpads (both stock and aftermarket ones) on 7 different Grado models to see how they affect the frequency response.



I've tested S-cush, L-cush, G-cush (all original, not from ali or amazon), Beautiful Audio merino wool, Dekoni velour and nyczaj.audio EP01 and measured them on the following Grado's: SR60, SR125, SR325e, PS500, GH2, White and PS1000e.

I've used the miniDSP EARS to take the measurements and the used the Audioquest Dragonfly Black as the source. I've measured each earpad 3 times (on right channel), averaged them and applied the "psychoacoustic" smoothing in REW.
Results below.

SR60


SR125


SR325e


PS500


GH2


White


PS1000e

 

Do you have any preferences? For me it is:

1) GH2's with hybrid BA pads.

2) Hemp's with Shipibo pads.