I had a hard time deciding between the the 325 and the Hemp. Years ago I tried a Grado 500???....The treble, to my ears was piercing. I read the Hemps had tamer treble, and I am enjoying them with my Schiit Asgard 3 and have a Chord Mojo 2 on the way.
But, I have a feeling the the Hemp headphones are just the "door opener" to my newly found love for Grado. So I'm open to even higher end Grado headphones than the Hemp. Any suggestions/recommendations from Grado lovers? PS I'm am an old school, traditional stereo system lover that has been searching for a reasonable facsimile of that sound via headphones.
Hey! Welcome and nice to have some company. I was shocked to find all these notifications.
So I am in an interesting position.
I ordered the Grado RS1x a while ago and it's just freakishly good. Great pairing with the Mojo 2 but as I think I might have written about here, the sound wasn't quite what I was wanting. I upgraded to a Hugo 2 (can find them for $1300 or so) and it absolutely unquestionably hits the spot. If you like the Mojo 2, do not listen to the Hugo 2 it will mess you up. It does everything the Mojo 2 does but somehow with more spaciousness and more... musicality? It's more natural. I dont know how to explain it but it made me smile in a way the Mojo 1 did but the Mojo 2 never did. It bummed me out but it's true.
The RS1x is amazing and it's the highest you can go using the standard ear cups. Grado makes different varieties
SR - "prestige" series consumer still great
RS - "reference" - like the high end daddy of the SR series
GS - "statement series" - has the big G ear cups that make the sound distant. But these are crazy detailed. Not for those who want to feel like you're sitting on the stage or in the first row. More for those who like being 10 rows back. Not my preference.
So then, the Grado group on Facebook came into view.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2222321420/
Great group to ask questions on and get real info from people who own all the gear. But two things happened.
As I wrote about here earlier, the PS500e were the best pair Id heard before the RS1x except the GS2000e which are incredible detail wise but they are not nearly as intimate with their larger G cups that take the music away from your ears. The L cup is the closer cup and I cannot imagine listening much without it. I loved the PS500e but I wanted something better which is where the RS1x came in.
So on this group, the owner of the Grado company posts that he has cooked up a batch of prototype PS500x headphones for $500 or something. This is significant because they dont make that headphone and they are clear they have discontinued the PS line. I couldn't resist. I bought them. I am currently on a trip and they were shipped home so I havent heard them yet. I cant really understand why Id want two pairs but Im willing to let my senses guide me. If they are that good and that much fun in addition to the RS1x, I'll keep them. If not, I'll sell them.
Then the same dude puts up an ad saying he did the same thing with a PS2000x. For two grand. I bought them too. I have to know how good they sound. We'll see. I will probably end up selling them all. The RS1x will be hard if not impossible to beat and I can't see myself holding on to so many pairs. I'm just not that sophisticated and I find everything I like sounds incredible on the RS1x.
