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Todd the Vinyl Junkie is running a loaner program for the Grado HF-3. A write-up of one’s impressions is part of the conditions for participating so here we are. I originally posted this on Head-Fi loaner thread but figured I’d cross post it here as well.
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First off I'd like to thank Todd for running this loaner program. I've been curious about Grado's recent offerings for some time, and this tour provides the perfect opportunity to audition without committing to anything. My write-up won't contain any images as previous reviews have done a great job of capturing the physical aspects of the HF-3 so onto the impressions...
Pre-conceived Biases
I came into this review with an ambivalent attitude toward Grado. Many years ago I owned a set of Grado HF-2 but ended up selling them as I found competitor offerings more to my liking. I'm not a big fan of the Grado industrial design or ergonomics, but the wooden ear cups do have their own distinct character. When buying new headphones, I rarely seriously consider Grado as I prefer closed headphones or IEMs with strong bass, present midrange, and smooth treble. More or less the Harman curve. In my mind, the Grado house sound is rolled-off deep bass, accentuated mid-bass, forward vocals, and a spike in the treble.
Initial Impressions
Right out of the box my impression of the build quality was so-so, not something that immediately wows you with a luxurious look and feel, but the wooden ear cups do have their own rustic charm. The headband is a strip of metal wrapped in leather, and the ear-cups adjust up and down on a metal rod, which is held in position by friction. The headphones sit on the head nicely with a "just right" amount of tension. Grado has been doing this for years and while no one will describe the build as extravagant, the design gets the job done. The earpads are simple foam that sit on top of the ear. I could see this causing discomfort during longer listening sessions.
The cable is sturdy enough, however they are hard-wired to the earcups which is an old school throwback as every single headphone I own has removable cables. Since the earcups swivel freely, the cable above the Y-connector can easily become twisted up which takes some finagling to smooth out. I prefer cables that "don't draw attention to themselves" so this is a bit of a let down.
Test Setup
All sonic impressions will be done using the Oppo PM-3 as a reference point. The Oppo PM-3 is an extremely neutral set of closed-back, planar magnetic headphones with excellent bass extension. Although discontinued, while available they retailed at $399 which is roughly the ballpark of the Grado HF-3. I'm not necessarily comparing the two headphones head-to-head to determine which is better, rather the PM-3s serve as a neutral reference point for comparison. For test set up, both headphones are driven by a RME ADI-2 DAC FS with level matched to 80 dB via pink noise and a SPL meter. The transport is a Macbook Pro playing FLAC files.
For reference other head/ear phones I currently own are: Audio-Technica M50x, Sony WH-1000XM3, Sony Z1R, Shure SE846, Shure KSE1200, Sony MH755, and Tennmak Pro.
Sound Impressions
I listened to a variety of tracks, but for the sake of brevity I'll only post a cross-section of genres.
Billie Eilish - bad guy
This track begins with some punchy bass that extends into the sub-bass region. The HF-3 has a surprisingly nice amount of impact with perhaps a smidge less "thump" than the PM-3. Given the Oppos have basically no bass roll-off, this a more impressive feat than initially let on.
The initial vocals have clear separation between channels and it's very apparent that there are distinct vocal tracks for each channel (lesser headphones have difficulty resolving this). Main vocals immediately jumped out as more forward than neutral, but on the positive side it sounds like Billie is singing up close and personal. The Oppos might be slightly more resolving as you can pick out the recording's noise floor which is not apparent with the HF-3s.
Sabaton - Carolus Rex
This track hits like a wall of sound on the HF-3s, with the growling vocals and crunchy guitar rips right up in your face. I can see why Grados are known for rocking out. The midrange again jumps out, which does well for tracks like these but I could see it get tiring over the long run. I actually had to turn the volume down when listening with the Grados (despite the level matching at 80dB) due to how "in your face" the sound was. I imagine if you mainly engage in low-volume listening, these HF-3s should be high on your list. My RME ADI-2 DAC has a "smart loudness" feature where it'll raise the bass and treble as you lower the volume in order to maintain "punch". The HF-3s tonal tuning basically have this built-in.
Endless Love - Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Sun from The Myth Soundtrack
This is a great duet in Chinese & Korean which serves as a great test for sibilance. There are the beginnings of sharpness in a lot of the "shh", "chh", and "xing" sounds which can be smoothed over (ala Shure IEMs), presented with nothing removed or added (PM-3), or accentuated to ear-slicing levels (Etymotic ER4P/S, Sony SA-5K).
Jackie's voice comes out with a much bigger image, again that forward midrange. The HF-3s really put the vocals front and center on this track, whereas the Oppos present the vocals more in balance with the instrumentals. If you like an emphasis on your vocals and the idea of "recessed midrange" strikes you with horror, these Grados should be right up your alley. Despite how prominent the midrange is, there is no undue sibilance however I finally understand what people mean when they describe vocals as "shouty". With the HF-3s Kim sounds like she's really belting out her lines!
Conclusion
The Grado HF-3s have a forward & vibrant midrange, which is great for vocal and instrumental focus. The mid-bass is punchy with surprisingly good low-end extension, which easily was the biggest surprise for me. On the other end of the spectrum the HF-3 is a bit on the bright side, and while it won't smooth over sibilance in tracks, neither will it accentuate it. It's probably no surprise soundstage is below average for open cans as everything is basically right in your face (the forward midrange has a lot to do with this). Probably not the best cans for classical and orchestral music, nor is it the last word in refinement but overall a fun sound signature. Due to it's tonal balance, the Grado HF-3s make a truly excellent low volume listening headphone.
———————-
First off I'd like to thank Todd for running this loaner program. I've been curious about Grado's recent offerings for some time, and this tour provides the perfect opportunity to audition without committing to anything. My write-up won't contain any images as previous reviews have done a great job of capturing the physical aspects of the HF-3 so onto the impressions...
Pre-conceived Biases
I came into this review with an ambivalent attitude toward Grado. Many years ago I owned a set of Grado HF-2 but ended up selling them as I found competitor offerings more to my liking. I'm not a big fan of the Grado industrial design or ergonomics, but the wooden ear cups do have their own distinct character. When buying new headphones, I rarely seriously consider Grado as I prefer closed headphones or IEMs with strong bass, present midrange, and smooth treble. More or less the Harman curve. In my mind, the Grado house sound is rolled-off deep bass, accentuated mid-bass, forward vocals, and a spike in the treble.
Initial Impressions
Right out of the box my impression of the build quality was so-so, not something that immediately wows you with a luxurious look and feel, but the wooden ear cups do have their own rustic charm. The headband is a strip of metal wrapped in leather, and the ear-cups adjust up and down on a metal rod, which is held in position by friction. The headphones sit on the head nicely with a "just right" amount of tension. Grado has been doing this for years and while no one will describe the build as extravagant, the design gets the job done. The earpads are simple foam that sit on top of the ear. I could see this causing discomfort during longer listening sessions.
The cable is sturdy enough, however they are hard-wired to the earcups which is an old school throwback as every single headphone I own has removable cables. Since the earcups swivel freely, the cable above the Y-connector can easily become twisted up which takes some finagling to smooth out. I prefer cables that "don't draw attention to themselves" so this is a bit of a let down.
Test Setup
All sonic impressions will be done using the Oppo PM-3 as a reference point. The Oppo PM-3 is an extremely neutral set of closed-back, planar magnetic headphones with excellent bass extension. Although discontinued, while available they retailed at $399 which is roughly the ballpark of the Grado HF-3. I'm not necessarily comparing the two headphones head-to-head to determine which is better, rather the PM-3s serve as a neutral reference point for comparison. For test set up, both headphones are driven by a RME ADI-2 DAC FS with level matched to 80 dB via pink noise and a SPL meter. The transport is a Macbook Pro playing FLAC files.
For reference other head/ear phones I currently own are: Audio-Technica M50x, Sony WH-1000XM3, Sony Z1R, Shure SE846, Shure KSE1200, Sony MH755, and Tennmak Pro.
Sound Impressions
I listened to a variety of tracks, but for the sake of brevity I'll only post a cross-section of genres.
Billie Eilish - bad guy
This track begins with some punchy bass that extends into the sub-bass region. The HF-3 has a surprisingly nice amount of impact with perhaps a smidge less "thump" than the PM-3. Given the Oppos have basically no bass roll-off, this a more impressive feat than initially let on.
The initial vocals have clear separation between channels and it's very apparent that there are distinct vocal tracks for each channel (lesser headphones have difficulty resolving this). Main vocals immediately jumped out as more forward than neutral, but on the positive side it sounds like Billie is singing up close and personal. The Oppos might be slightly more resolving as you can pick out the recording's noise floor which is not apparent with the HF-3s.
Sabaton - Carolus Rex
This track hits like a wall of sound on the HF-3s, with the growling vocals and crunchy guitar rips right up in your face. I can see why Grados are known for rocking out. The midrange again jumps out, which does well for tracks like these but I could see it get tiring over the long run. I actually had to turn the volume down when listening with the Grados (despite the level matching at 80dB) due to how "in your face" the sound was. I imagine if you mainly engage in low-volume listening, these HF-3s should be high on your list. My RME ADI-2 DAC has a "smart loudness" feature where it'll raise the bass and treble as you lower the volume in order to maintain "punch". The HF-3s tonal tuning basically have this built-in.
Endless Love - Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Sun from The Myth Soundtrack
This is a great duet in Chinese & Korean which serves as a great test for sibilance. There are the beginnings of sharpness in a lot of the "shh", "chh", and "xing" sounds which can be smoothed over (ala Shure IEMs), presented with nothing removed or added (PM-3), or accentuated to ear-slicing levels (Etymotic ER4P/S, Sony SA-5K).
Jackie's voice comes out with a much bigger image, again that forward midrange. The HF-3s really put the vocals front and center on this track, whereas the Oppos present the vocals more in balance with the instrumentals. If you like an emphasis on your vocals and the idea of "recessed midrange" strikes you with horror, these Grados should be right up your alley. Despite how prominent the midrange is, there is no undue sibilance however I finally understand what people mean when they describe vocals as "shouty". With the HF-3s Kim sounds like she's really belting out her lines!
Conclusion
The Grado HF-3s have a forward & vibrant midrange, which is great for vocal and instrumental focus. The mid-bass is punchy with surprisingly good low-end extension, which easily was the biggest surprise for me. On the other end of the spectrum the HF-3 is a bit on the bright side, and while it won't smooth over sibilance in tracks, neither will it accentuate it. It's probably no surprise soundstage is below average for open cans as everything is basically right in your face (the forward midrange has a lot to do with this). Probably not the best cans for classical and orchestral music, nor is it the last word in refinement but overall a fun sound signature. Due to it's tonal balance, the Grado HF-3s make a truly excellent low volume listening headphone.
