Grado headphone £25 upgrade

[worrasf]

My Stan Capella headphone amp arrived today (very pleased but more later elsewhere) which got me playing with my headphones.
My favourite uber cans are Grado GS1000's - I like pretty much everything about them but they are a tad heavy on the old pate. I remembered my old trust Grado SR60's in the consigned to the loft after buying the GS1000's. Tried them out with the Capella and OK but much leaner and 2-dimensional compared to the GS1000's and the "on-ear" fit is not to my liking. However, I had previously bought a new pair of ear cups for the GS1000's and kept the others as a near perfect spare. They fit straight onto the SR60's and what a difference they make :)

Bass is tighter and better defined, presentation is much more 3D than 2D and they have lost much of the "thinness" in the midrange.

I dont suppose longer listening will reveal much more detail etc but they certainly sound much better than in stock form.

A new pair of ear cups is £25 http://www.fishpond.co.uk/Electronics/Ear-Zonk-Replacement-Grado-Headphone-G-Cushion-Fits-Grado-GS1000i-PS1000-Pair-Black/0095225365669?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=ps&utm_campaign=UK

So if you have a pair of Grados and fancy a reasonable priced tweak I don't think you'll be disappointed.

FWIW the I am really pleased with the way the Capella is sounding and it's only been on about 3 hours

:cool:

[StanleyB]

Bass is tighter and better defined, presentation is much more 3D than 2D and they have lost much of the "thinness" in the midrange.
Try the Depth Control on the Capella. It can iron out the thinness in a lot of cases.

[jandl100]

Yep, I've posted a few times about this upgrade for more lowly Grados. -- and see my siggie below!
... and see this ad of mine from last January http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?29978-FS-Grado-325i-headphones-with-ear-cushion-upgrades!


But when I was looking, Ear Zonk weren't selling :( - so I paid over twice the price for pukka Grado items :( :(

But yes, a major upgrade for my 125i and 325i Grado headphones. :thumbsup:

[worrasf]

Ah sorry Jerry hadn't clocked your posts so kudos to you for first post.

Pleased that I wasnt fooling myself though.

[alan47]

Thanks for the heads up on these pads.I ordered a pair three weeks ago and they just came today.:D I never could bring myself to spend £60 on mr Grado's pads but for £25 these are a major upgrade on my old RS1's i can't believe the difference they make :eek:.Cheers and a Happy Christmas to all...

[southall-1998]

Have some old Grado SR80's which I like using from time to time.

Surely those ear cups should fit well on the 80's?

S.

[alan47]

They certainly will Shane,it'll make a totally different pair of phones out of them,loving what it does to mine anyway..

[southall-1998]

Ta Alan!

S.

[Ammonite Audio]

Just ordered a pair of these pads for my old SR60s. There is 'something about' the SR60s that makes them rather engaging, but clearly they could do with a fuller sound. So, to go with the new ear pads, I've bought a second hand Cardas headphone cable (originally for HD650s) with which I'll re-wire the Grados. The old cable is badly twisted and quite possibly pretty crap too, so re-wiring the SR60s is worth a go.

On that note, does anyone know how to separate the two halves of the SR60s' plastic shells? They seem to be fairly well stuck together.

[alan47]

If you look at Head-Fi you will find loads of info on how to take the plastic cups apart.Depending on which glue they were using,you can either use the gentle appliction of a hair dryer to melt it,i used the tapered handle of a teaspoon to pushed between the parts to separate mine,i had to put the cups into a bowl of hot water on my 325's,ooer missis,it worked but you wont need that on the 60's.Good luck.Determination is required......

[Ammonite Audio]

Thanks. Gentle leverage with a small flat screwdriver blade did the trick, then I trimmed off the excess hot melt glue with a knife. The Cardas cable arrived today, so I'll be doing some soldering later.

[alan47]

Well done,i didn't bother to glue mine back up,just put some black tape around the inside of the cup,and pushed them back together.Let us know if you hear any improvement in SQ...

[Ammonite Audio]

Well, that has to be one of the best 'upgrades' that I've ever performed on audio equipment! Like you, I did not bother to re-glue the shells, but since there's a tight fit, I can't see anything coming adrift.

The Grados have now acquired a classy, rich sound that makes the AKG 550s sound rather thin and brittle. The new solder joints will settle down over a day or so, but I'm very happy so far. All I have to do now is wait for the bigger foam pads.

The Cardas headphone cable is possibly a bit over-the-top for the SR60s, but since I bought it used, that's OK.

[alan47]

Damm it,i will have to put that on my to do list now!The large pads made RS1's sound almost 3D,plus a much more positive bass.It would seem like a recable is worth it after all,i have been putting it off for years..Cheers