There is a whole community of people passionate about audio and music particularly when it comes to enjoying music with headphones. An audiophile can describe headphones in such detail and can distinguish different headphones based on their own signature sound. Enthusiasts will have multiple headphones. A few years ago, I began using headphones for several hours every day. My $30 dollar Bluetooth headphones weren't cutting it. I fell into a rabbit hole. It’s a whole thing. If you spend enough time in the headphone forums you learn quite a bit. I hate to say it, but I started wanting to collect headphones .
I learned about the brands within the sub-category: AKG, Sennheiser, Hifiman, Beyerdynamic, Audeze, etc. There's one brand that is quite controversial for its sound signature, and that is the Grado headphones. The consensus is fragmented. One YouTube channel called DankPods called them the villains, and has a video called "the best worst headphones."
There is a lot to like about the company. It is family owned and is made in the United States. I also just really love the vintage look of the headphones. I'm not sure if it was the accolades from their fans or the aesthetics but I ordered a pair. Their cheapest model is the Grado 60x for around $100. This was the one I chose to try. According to these forums, there is not much benefit in purchasing the higher models unless you go with the 325 series model.
Today I tried them. I find them visually appealing as I did in the photos but unlike the photos, in real life, you can tell that the build isn’t very sturdy or durable. They look very slight, and compared to the build of other headphones, there is a noticeable difference. For the record, I’ve heard that Grado are extremely durable and long-lasting headphones with decent quality control. It’s not hifiman.1
These are on-ear headphones. The best way to describe them is it sits on your ear rather than enveloping the ear like over ear headphones. I find on-ear headphones much less immersive and comfortable. It's harder to get lost in the audio compared to over ear headphones. On-ear headphones from my experience has so much less noise isolation. Nevertheless, I already knew they were on ear and wasn’t deterred by that.
I tried out the sound and I didn't like it. I hate to write these negative critiques, but my first reaction was that the headphones were lacking. I noticed how little I enjoyed my favorite songs, which sounded less appealing to me than they usually did. I wasn't enjoying the music and it kind of bothered me. Music has always been an experience for me. At its best, it would consume me. I don’t think I qualify as an audiophile and I haven’t been picky with my sources of headphones in the past. (Perhaps my beloved Sennheiser headphones have spoiled me.) I kind of found myself hesitant to try some more songs because I didn't want my subjective experience of those songs ruined. Maybe I'm being dramatic, and maybe it's not that bad. But here I am listening to music while using my old headphones.
On forums, users will describe the sound signatures of certain headphones as “fatiguing” and I found this to be an accurate description of my experience. It was similar to the KOSS KPH30i. After a while you just want to take them off or just be in silence. I found voices in podcasts or calls less tolerable and somehow more uncomfortable.
One thing I dislike about myself is how I always try to flee from silence and try to have some kind of noise even when I go to sleep. One potential benefit of keeping these headphones might be to use them to get more comfortable with silence. Because I preferred silence to the sound signature. I got a headache on the left side. I think I’m “treble sensitive”.
I found my experience with Grados interesting nevertheless. I wondered if for some people music sounded like this all the time. It's like having the experience of not enjoying something you normally enjoy immensely. I'll try these headphones again but I cannot justify the cost. In the insane headphone world, these headphones are considered cheap, but they are not cheap. $99 is too much money for a pair of headphones I dislike and an absolute robbery for headphones that make me dislike sound in general. I don't see how I could keep them rather than getting a DT 770 or something else within that price range. I am also very curious about the AKG 702 for it’s supposed wide soundstage. In other words, I'd rather get my money back and get some other headphones instead.
There is a theory about the Grados. Apparently, the sound was tuned by the ear rather than by a machine. I believe it was tuned by a man who suffers from hearing loss from his previous years of concerts and other such things. I'm not sure of the exact story. This is what I just read from a Reddit comment. This is not a reputable source. Anyway, so the not-so-polite people on the forums referred these headphones as "headphones" for deaf baby boomers. But personally, I am thrilled. If I live long enough and can barely hear anyone, I’ll be keen to try these again. It will be a new experience.
I don’t really need headphones at all though. For me, the Sennheiser 600 are my go-to headphones. I'm happy with them; they should and can be my endgame. Any further collection is consumerist, materialistic hoarding nonsense. This whole post is silly and just a big complaint and the opposite of the minimalism I wish to attain. Excuse me while I order the AKG 702. 2
Also speaking of aesthetic appeal, why does this design below make me think of fighter jets in the best way possible?
Hifiman are known to have poor quality control
For the record, I didn’t purchase the AKG 702 headphones. I don’t think you can buy your way out of an empty void in your soul. At least not with headphones. Luxuries vacations might work. Or a mansion. I’m open to finding out. But seriously that what we are all doing though right? Distracting ourselves to death.
The part where you mentioned possibly 'get more comfortable with silence' was hilarious. Well done I really loved reading this.