Grado Hemp (2020) Measurements, Reviews, and Impressions

I think I was looking for tracks that reminded of old Grado, electric guitar wasn’t as in focus as I recall. On the other hand, listening to rap (bass) was never so pleasing with other Grados. And also surprised to learn how much I don’t miss my Grado fix after living with modded 6XX. But! all just quick listen in subpar conditions. I’d like to do a fuller comparison vs 6XX.

 

Yeah I need to correct my fake news as it seems some of the GH1/Gh2s have the red backed drivers and others do not. Making it even more confusing apparently the newer RS2es no longer have red backed drivers and are using the black/blue one. Certainly ruins my theory!

Grado works in mysterious ways.

 

Remembered I purchased Hemp as a Porta Pro (portable) replacement. Listening from iphone dongle atm. Yes, it sounds bigger, more resolving, and smoother. Closer to a portable 6XXm actually (58X not “portable” enough, still full-sized and clampy - not comfy and convenient, and not so much more interesting sound-wise as a trade-off, so sold and kept on porta). The short 3.5mm ended cable is sized alright but heavy.

I was not blown away initially as a competitor or even as complimentary to my 6XXm. Ill now refrain from knee-jerk reactions. I have some other pads to try too and will do a comparo and measurments later.

 

“The Grado Hemp headphones sport the original Flat Pads that were designed and used on many of the early headphones from Grado Labs. For a long time I was able to have them made for me by the manufacturer in small quantities and sold them exclusively but Grado Labs has had them manufactured for this headphone.” -Todd @TTVJ

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-grado-hemp-limited-edition-ttvjaudio-com.934571/#post-15671346

 

Bizarre had some stuff go down and didn't have time to really listen at all for a few weeks. Now I love the Hemps, fully off the fence. So weird.

 

Sold Hemp to get RS2e. I sold the Hemp because the bass did get a bit fatiguing during longer listening sessions. RS2e I hoped would have cleaner bass and less fatigue. RS2e with f-pads sounds a little brighter and clear(?) vs Hemp. I can't say if RS2e is certainly an upgrade yet. I feel like male vocals and guitar are more colorful and interesting. I'm leaning to RS2e being the more refined overall since that's how it should be considering pricing but cannot say I've really heard it so yet. All I've listened to so far is Nirvana's Nevermind, Cobain's voice sounded different (better? more life-like?) and it was captivating. I wish I held on to Hemp for A/B because I feel I remember the Hemp bass being a little more impactful. Hard to be sure though since I've now gotten accustomed to these bass-tastic Foster biodynas.

RS2e stock sucks unlike Hemp... f-pads / TTVJ deluxe flats!!! I will update after I get some more time.

 

RS2e is clearer and more detailed. I think some of that though is attibutable to the brighter frequency response and treble fake detail. RS2e is not supposed to produce a whale of plankton but it certainly sounds it in the mids.

This morning listening to Ray Charles and Sam Cooke has been exhilarating.

The difference in acoustic instruments and vocals is palpable. But surprisingly, switching to rock music its less impressive. The bass and impact is not as great as Hemp so not as funky. Cymbals are a bit brighter than Hemp and I think overshadow some of that extra resolution in the mids. There is a bit of ear fatigue, but its that warm treble fatigue feel and not bass induced headache feel (hemp).

RS2e has more resolution but is not better (different). Id take the Hemp for an all-rounder so long as you dont listen too loudly to drown out background noise over a long period of time (headache). You may be mid-fi in comparison to 6X0 (stock) and RS2e (ttvj deluxe) but both of those I like less overall. My 6XX currently has been modded to sound more like Hemp, so dont know if Ill want to get another right away. Will be selling RS2e.

 

I’d like to be more clear, there is not a wide gulf between Hemp and RS2e bass. Like I said, it was difficult to recall the difference. Part of the issue too is that RS2e’s more treble tilted or peaky vs Hemp, so the bass is not as prominent. Hemp’s bass probably just different as @purr1n demonstrated in his distortion measurements of RS2e vs 225e (Hemp grade driver) and I had considered this before buying another Grado. I looked at limited models the GH2 and GH4 which are priced higher like RS2e. The GH2 distortion measurements I saw looked more like Hemps so disqualified. GH4 I dont recall if I saw distortion measurements but it’s rarer to find one used cheap enough for me anyway because its newer so chose RS2e. The peakier treble was enough for me to dismiss but continued listening anyway because it was so resolving and revelatory.

E-MU teak/ebony bass not better but more extended. Denon D5200 uses a different driver and I listened to that one for hours with bassy music and had no fatigue. I’d say that one has better bass than Hemp and was the catalyst for wanting to upgrade from Hemp. D5200 though has a small peak at 8kHz and headband issues that made me look for an alternative (E-MU which I’m still not sure if its a worthwhile trade).

 

How does the RS2e or Hemp compare in transients speed and quality to PS500/e, if not a pain in the butt question for anyone? I have a pair on loan and think the bass volume is prodigious at the expense of being kinda blegh (think the metal-mahogany pairing results in weird confused sound, kinda more muddle than haze), but I only have S-cush and fake L-cush style pads on hand to use with them. Not likely I'll ever get around to trying the HF3 out but always curious to see how much I can cheap out with Grados and how high their lower-end lines punch comparatively speaking. Also legit curious how the chassis affects sound haha

 

I don't trust my memory much and it's been years since I had the old RS1 but yeah, it does feel like it lacks the sense of litheness that most expect of a Grado. I'd like to say it's ambivalent, like it's trying not to be a typical release of theirs but it fumbles the jump. I might rather be using a stock SR60 with EQ than this, though the silver paint is nice to look at. Wonder if anyone local has a Hemp they're willing to loan....

 

Based on comparisons and FR measurements I’ve seen online the newer “e” version is a much different sounding headphone. Still on the dark side though for Grado.

 

I prefer the PS500 to the Hemp and the RS2e. I feel like it extends more cleanly into the upper and lower frequencies. While I had the Hemp on loaner from TTVJ, I took some notes on the differences I heard. I need to revisit my notes and do a write up.

The GH1 is really similar to the PS500. I really regret selling them. They seem to be really rare these days.

 

The Hemp are on sale in Canada, $549 instead of $599.

https://baybloorradio.com/grado-the-hemp-headphone-limited-edition

 

The Hemp are so damn good. Am I the only one to think that these headphones sound like a faster version of the HD600 with better bass, and the punch of some of the ZMF headphones?

 

I'm not as well versed and experienced as most of you but I really like the Hemps a lot. I got them as an upgrade from my Alessandro MS2i's and don't feel any buyers remorse. They're a bit different from the MS2's but still a ton of fun to listen to rock, jazz, acoustic. Staging is similar, both play fast and have a nice reverb on electric guitars. Acoustic strings being plucked sound really nice. Hemps are significantly better for electronic music and hip hop though. And they're quite a bit easier to drive.

I've been plugging my Hemps into my PS4 controller while I game and I'm surprised at how good it sounds. I can't imagine that controller is putting out much power, very little I'm sure. Most of my headphones I gotta run it from the controller and to an amp first to get the sound loud enough to play with, even my cheap ones. But these Hemps sound great just plugged into the aux port. Powerful bass and crystal clear clarity. Soundstage and imaging could stand to be better for serious gamers but I think the imaging while gaming wasn't bad at all. I still had a good sense of where the sounds were coming from. But I really enjoyed the powerful bass and clarity it provided. My monoprice modern retros I used for gaming and it had some powerful bass but it didn't provide anywhere near the level of clarity. And it didn't play quite as loud.

Anyway, I love these Hemps a lot.

 

Hey everyone. I purchased @pure5152's pair, which arrived last week. I'm feeding them with a Schiit Modius (SE for now) and Liquid Spark. This is my first pair of Grados, which I've been actively avoiding for close to 15 years now. The Hemp seemed mostly up my alley, based on numerous impressions and reviews, so I wanted them a chance. I'm happy with them so far. I'm curious about upgrading my amp now, so that will get expensive.

Question: Are there any pads that at least serve as a side grade sonically, but an improvement comfort-wise. Based on what I'm reading here, the pads for the Hemp are a little different from other Grados, and it seems that most pad alternatives come with notable trade-offs.

Thanks in advance.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Geekria-Repl.../B00TGCDHL2/ref=pd_bxgy_2/147-1234950-7546423

I liked those the second best. I still think the stock pads sound better but those are closest while providing a slight comfort upgrade. I didn't like how L pads sound on the Hemps, either Grado or Geekria. The Geekria pads are cheap enough it might be worth buying a couple and just trying for yourself though.