This is the official thread for the Grado GH-2 Limited Edition
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- Type: Over Ear
- Amp needed: No - but recommended
- Open Back
Grado LinkAlso @ShaneD could you post your thoughts when you have the time? I would love to hear what you have to say about these.
Should be done
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That was very fast, thanks.
These are my favourite headphones and have been since I bought them, about two years ago.
The mids are prominent. The vocals stand out and the guitars are Amazing.
The only let down to me is the lack of bass. But even that is conditional. When I am enjoying music for hours it never occurs to me unless I hit a certain song and think to myself “I remember that song having more bass?” And then I go on to the next song and forget about it.
But when I put on my Elex’s or any other headphone that actually has a lot of bass, my first reaction is “There’s the bass!”. 
I can’t imagine ever selling them.
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There really is just something about Grados. They all sound similar but still maintain enough uniqueness between them to justify each model existing. I believe John Grado said that it’s like a burger restaurant. Everything they sell is a burger, but they all have different toppings and seasonings and that lets everyone find their personal favorite.
So far the GH-2 are a very good burger. The pair I baught supposedly only had about 24 hours of use so they are still well within the burn in period for Grados (it’s often said they can still change after even 100 hours). I really like how these sound, being a bit brighter and less bassy/warm than the Hemps but not quite as bright and lean as the SR80e. I’m pretty sure these are never going to be sold, so the only real question is if I like the Hemps or these more.
I’ll post more detailed sound impressions and probably an overview of pad swapping these some time next weekend.
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how does the GH-2 do for orchestral / instrumental?
Let me check
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Well that was the easy. These are phenomenal for orchestral and instrumental. The First two songs on the Hollow Knight OST sound quite possibly the best they ever have for me.
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try the Fallen Knight theme with all the horns. please. forgot the most important part of the request, please!
Sorry for the delay. There was a HUGE fuck off horse fly in my bedroom I had to deal with.
So I’m guessing your referring to the false knight song, which actually doesn’t have any horns in it (still sounds great though). The songs that do have horns like dung defender or radiance do sound great though. They have a nice bite to the sound without being harsh or overbearing. The organ in soul sanctum sounds grand, as it should. In general these do a great job with the lower strings and horns, making them noticable without making them at all boomy. The harpsichord in mantis lords cuts through and has a delightful pluck to the sound. Strings in general are what you should expect from Grado, excellent. The texture is damn near physical and it makes the sawing chello and bass sound visceral while making the more delicate strings sound clear and precise. Percussion is quite good as well. The higher pitched sounds cut through nicely and the lower drums are present without being too much.
Something I want to really point out is the soundstage and imaging, while it’s not necessarily wide, it is wide enough and VERY open, deep, and natural. Instrument separation and placement is great. In a song like fungal wastes you can really hear the wood block like sound bounce around and pinpoint were it is, even up and down a good bit.
With other instrumental music like the interstate '76 ost or the Witcher 3 ost these are similarly great.
Silver for Monsters… Oof, it’s good.
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Find me in the Alps! The Witcher 3 ost is sooo gooood on these!
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I was meaning one of the main themes from the Batman movies with Bale. I’m trying to find it now and will let you know the exact song name. 
it may be this. but on my HD599se powered by my iFi Zen DAC v1, it pales to what I heard on the Stellia powered by the Questyle CMA Twelve.
actually, I think this is the one.
From a brief listen to those tracks, I can say everything I said still applies. The only thing I would add is that the sub-bass and maybe the bass are a bit lacking, but only really in comparison to other headphones. It’s not something I tend to notice while just listening casually.
Also,I looked up Hanz Zimmer and apparently he did the boss baby soundtrack. I guess a paycheck is a paycheck.
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I’ve never watched Boss Baby, but I don’t see why it can’t have quality music. LoL!
oh wow…please try your Grado’s on The Dark Knight Main Theme - Piano Version by Patrik Pietschmann !
The GH-2 are great for this kind of solo piano music. They have the dynamics to really emphasize the harder notes (his Mandalorian theme really helps to show that), the treble is bright but not harsh or piercing, the mids are typical Grado greatness, and the bass is restrained enough to not sound boomy while being present enough to not sound too thin.
Like I said previously, the only possible complaint I might have about these is the bass can be a bit lacking, but for the kinds of music that these really shine with, it’s not at all a problem. Pluss a simple $10-15 pad swap can add that bass without too much, if any, negatives to the rest of the sound.
It seems like you should look into getting a Grado my friend. The Hemps might be the best option but you should look into the other models as well.