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Why the hate for Grado?

NiagaraPete

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I've owned a couple pairs and don't understand the hate. I've also owned Sennheiser, AKG, and Stax. The Grado are comfortable and even the less expensive models sound okay to me.
 

Sombreuil

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For 3 main reasons I'd say:
- They are not confortable for most people. I personally couldn't stand them on my head for more than 30 seconds.
- Grado fans used to be very vocal and people started to hate Grado for their community more than for the headphones themselves.
- Let's be honest, what the heck is this:
 

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NiagaraPete

NiagaraPete

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Wow okay. I find then comfortable I also like the fact that they are made in the US.
 

JWAmerica

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I enjoyed them for what they are, but they're not exactly hifi. I don't prefer the open can sound in general. I've not heard super high end open back cans however. I'd rather spend $200-300 on closed back headphones that have proper bass response.
 

_thelaughingman

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Biggest drawback to Grado is that there is a lack of innovation in their drivers, they're not suited to many music genre's except for classical and the lack of comfort and build quality. They're good set of starter headphones before you realize their limitations.
 

WickedInsignia

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Grados generally deviate from the preference target in some especially prickly areas. I haven't tried them but there's at least one very good reason not to recommend them to most people.

Also maybe don't read into this too much, but their interview with Hypebeast suggests they rely on the hearing prowess of their CEO John Grado. I'm sure proper research-informed design is involved but Grado is a homespun family-owned business that probably falls into the same issue many smaller-scale headphone producers seem to: a reliance on the auditory opinion of a company figurehead to determine whether their headphones sound "right". I assume this can sometimes lead to conflicts with what will sound good to most people based on extensive research, and it doesn't seem like Grado is large enough to do their own groundbreaking R&D.

Again take that with plenty of salt but their measurements and general user testimony isn't exactly consistent with an agreeable headphone.
 
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Firefly00

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I actually don’t have a problem with my SR80s. I find them comfortable, awful build, NO DETACHABLE CABLE (!!!), decent sound.

My Aeon RTs just arrived and they completely destroy the Grados on every front, except convenience (Grados don’t need an amp)
 

Daverz

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Have they improved in "spatiality"? I remember the SR-60 as being very "inside the skull", with little sense of stereo spread. And they were hell on the pinnae. That said, I wouldn't "hate" on them as they had a very immediate sound that was engaging as long as you could stand to wear them.
 

pozz

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Dislike the headphones because they're bright. Dislike the cartridges because they're prone to hum.

For the headphones, I don't like the wood aesthetic, but I do think the exposed foam cups are an interesting design idea.
 

Galliardist

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I found the cartridges to be OK: owned two at different times, nothing later than 2003 when I ditched vinyl, they've probably changed since.

The on-ear headphones at least are a pain for me to wear. I seem to remember that they were not so bad sounding years ago, but recently they seem too bright, as others have said. I've only had contact with the Prestige series lately though.

Their website is slow and pretty awful as well, unless you like watching a GIF of a G logo appearing and disappearing for over a minute, followed by constant redraws of the page you're trying to read when it appears.
 

JJB70

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They're one of those marmite brands which tend to elicit strong opinions one way or the other. Personally I don't find them particularly comfortable and I am not such a fan of the sound signature. The sound is probably very appealing to many not used to decent headphones as it is bright and seems detailed and resolving, but I find it quickly loses its allure. However, there is a consistency in their design language and tuning which I admire even if it is not to my taste. Grado headphones are what they are for better or worse, they are not the result of happenstance and it would be a poorer hobby without companies like Grado.
 

pozz

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I liked this walkthrough of their factory:
 

blse59

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I don't hate them in the slightest. There's just an icepick at 2.5 khz (or 2 khz, I don't remember) that hurts my eardrums. If they got rid of that completely the headphones would be quite good. A speakers on your ears experience.
 

BlackTalon

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Pressure from the SR60s foam surrounds hurt my ears. A lot. Very uncomfortable. But Stereophile loved them, so I suffered through the pain for a few years before I no longer had a need for headphones. I recently pulled them out of a 15+ year hibernation to see if I could get them usable for my 8 year old son. Besides the disintegrated foam, the wiring seemed to be suffering from a broken connection. I tried some DIY surgery, but they still didn't work. So my son has been spared the pain from the earcup pressure that I put up with for a couple years longer than I should have.

Anyway, I think they helped spark the development of high-performing headphones that we all benefit from these days. And that is a very positive thing. But when I was shopping for a pair of headphones in the $500-$1,000 range late last year, each time I started to think about a Grado model I pinched myself so I would wake up.
 

Human Bass

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They are deaf to the customers request for detachable cables. Something extremely easy to implement but they are extremely stubborn for some stupid reason.
 
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