Nice, looks great! Yea it is a whole new level of comfort for sure.
So, in a turn of events that will surprise no one, the White Album sounds great on the Hemps. This kind of makes me wonder what the White Headphone sounds like.
Also as a side note, I really just want to try every Grado from the 325 and up, including any of the previous limited editions I can get my grubby hands on. Itās starting to feel like I have a Grado addiction and the only thing stopping me from chasing that dragon all the way to Brooklyn is sheer force of will.
1 year later:
Oh man, I absolutely understand your new passion.
For me it was inflamed a long time ago, and since then I have bought one or another headphones from this fine brand.
Funnily enough, at the weekend I had a similar sound experience as you did, I listened to the Beatlesā Abby Road (Remastered) album and I was passionately singing along with it.
The musicality and emotions that many Grado headphones convey are unique.
Despite an impressive collection of various headphones, I always come back to Grado headphones for really relaxed and enjoyable listening.
If only I could have such a collection. For now, Iām just trying not to frivolously buy the RS1e.
Then choose a practical reason to buy one
There a a few special ones to try.thats for sure. I started with Grados 30 years ago and was happy with my SR125 for many years. But then the upgrade bug caught me and I soon had modified.my SR125 witheooden cups, porting and an XLR connector. Then Covid hit and I worked form home and started searching for that next better Grado. I picked up the original Black Aluminum SR325ās followed by the RS2e, then the SR325is, the RS2i and GH-3 Ltd. Finally I landed on the Hemp Ltd. The Hemps are a great sounding headphone. The Hemp and RS2e are my favorites in the group. With the right pads they both sound great. If I could only keep 3 it would be those 2 and the Black SR325 which has a special sound as well. If you decide to collect some, look for the rare modles with a popular reputation. I would love to pick the GH-2 or GH-4 if I find a pair. The PS500e is also one to look for.
Thatās basically how I feel right now. I think āAll I really want is the RS1eā¦ and the GH2 would also be niceā¦ and the GH4ā¦ and maybe try the PS500eā¦ā Untill Iāve pretty much named every model.
The really sad part is I know there would be some redundancy between models and I know I would really only need 2 or 3 models to hear all of what Grade has to offer, but I still want them all.
I also went as far as building up my own headphone using all Shipibo Audio parts (Limba wood cups) and Symphones V9 drivers as I had read these drivers give a nice improvement in bass output with somewhat less aggressive highs. I can say, they do sound absolutely great. In terms of bass they even beat the Hemp, in fact they have a very similar sound signature compared to the Hemp, just with a bit more energy in the LF area. I built them before getting the Hemp, which I bought used at a very good price.
Just got mine today. Buy these. Throw your money at them. Shove it down Gradoās Fān throat. Are there better headphones out there? Probably. Do I care? No, not really. The oneās I got sent have a Y splitter on the cable to prevent the spinning problem, and thereās good L and R indicators. Stock pads arenāt super comfortable, have 2 different styles on the way, but if they get even better than this? Fuck me sideways. Any build quality and cable complaints be damned
The answer to all your build quality woes.
If you love them as much as your post would suggest, the price is worth it.
Glad you like them, def try the G Cush pads as an alt, easily becoming one of my favorites
I have an update on pads for the Hemps. I recently got official Grado L-cush pads and have been trying them out on my Hemps over the last few days.
tl:dr is they have a completely different sound. More treble and less bass, but still sounds very good.
The bass is definitely less, but still present enough and very detailed. The sub-bass is lacking but Grados arenāt really for sub-bass anyway. The texture of the bass still comes through rather well and like I said, itās still detailed, just not as loud as stock pads.
The mids are no longer the signature thick lush mids of the Hemps, but are instead super clear and clean. This is do the the reduction in bass also pulling down the lower mids and making the upper mids the focus.
The highs are definitely brighter, but unlike the crappy geekria L-cush knock-offs (harsh and grainy), are still very smooth and clear and are rarely too bright for me. The detail is also much more apparent even though itās not necessarily more detailed.
These pads add a fair amount of sound stage. Overall itās not too much wider, but it does a better job of throwing those occasional sound really far away.
The real party piece is the dynamics and impact. While the bass is less impactful on account of it being less prominent, the rest of the frequency range is just as, if not more impactful, the treble especially. Percussion hits have a physical impact to them and pianos feel like something is tapping on your ears. I love it.
Comfort wise, these touch less of my ear but this means the pressure is more concentrated and the foam is the same as the stock F-cush pads. Overall not really better or worse, just different.
Overall, these sound great on the Hemps and make for a nice compliment to the stock sound. I still prefer the stock pads since that is the sound that made me fall in love with the Hemps, but the L-cush pads make me want to try something like the RS2e or GH4.
As a bonus, bernard23 on head-fiās Grado Fan Club! thread reminded me of the geekria LL pads. These are probably the best option if you want more comfort. They add a smidge of treble and change the bass and lower mids a bit, but they still have a lot if what makes the Hemps special. That also have a wider stage at the cost of some impact. Comfort wise these are pretty good. The foam is not at all scratchy and is thick and soft. Itās still an on-ear fit, but I actually like the comfort better than @ZeosPantera beloved geekria G-cush pads. I do however have a problem where the pads, due to their fairly large diameter, press on my temples too much, but thankfully the Shipibo gimbals and rod blocks allow me to tighten the rotation and prevent this.
While Iām mentioning Shipibo parts, hay Zeos, get Shipibo parts already. That hifiman headbanded abomination needs to go.
You can find similar, probably the same parts on Aliexpress, I tried some from earphonedyilabs and their mahogany half cups molding my old SR125, the problem.us they are made from Steel rather than Aluminum like Shipibo parts so they are heavy, the one I tried was a full circle so heavier than these. You can also find them and the flat G Pads for cheap on aliexpress.
Some.interestin dyi modding parts, good for Sr60 or SR80, I would.necer use these on my Hemp.
https://earphonediylabs.com/product-category/headphone-and-earphone-diy-kits/
LOL, more then the headphone I got and less parts.
Well the $50 listing seems to be gone and the next cheapest seems to be $75. The metal cups are heavy and suffocate the driver, meaning even putting a real Grado driver in there wouldnāt sound as good as a stock Grado. The cable and accessories are nice, but not really useful if your putting Grado cups with attached cables on the headband.
Also, since the gimbals have that nut on the inside of the cup, how would you attache that to a stock Grado cup? Also it really annoys me that the rod blocks are backwards. The rod is supposed to be behind the headband, not in front.
I still like the Shipibo parts best.
Do the hemps sound similar to the koss porta pro? Because recently Iām enjoying the portaproās relaxed and bassy sound signature and someone on reddit said the hemp is a super porta pro
Mostly no, but a little bit yes. The Hempās midrange and treble are totally different from the porta pros, having more upper mids and treble. The lower mids and bass are roughly similar, meaning warm and bassy without the best sub-bass extension, but the Hemps are warmer than the porta pros.
The big difference is that the Hemps are not really relaxed at all. The Hemps, and most all Grados, are very lively and exciting headphones due to there tuning and great dynamic capabilities. This isnāt to say the porta pros have poor dynamics, but just that the Hemps have very good dynamics. This means the Hemps will have more of a physical impact to sounds and overall be more engaging.
I can absolutely recommend the Hemps for there lush lower mids and exciting upper-mids/treble, but if youāre looking for relaxing, they may not be the best choice.