Has anyone tried this mod on their Gardoās?
https://www.beautifulaudio.biz/grado-cable-adapter
How easy is it to install? What is the quality like? It looks easy, and the pictures look pretty good.
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I tried both F cushion pads and TTVJ. I found TTVJ to have more broad spectrum base (if thatās a thing). TTVJ overall felt more balanced in both base and treble. With F cushion I could get to higher volume without treble blowing up. But TTVJ consistently were more detailed. That said, the F cushion are WAY more comfortable. For me I appreciated the sound of TTVJ so much I stuck with them.
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Question. Do the TTVJ pads fit the SR80e? My F-cush pads that came with the Hemps are too big. Iām guessing they got stretched out since the Hemps have a slightly larger lip to hold the pads but I want to make sure fine the two pads are obviously related.
They fit my SR80ās and SR325ās just fine.
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@Hazi59 do you have any tips for how to remove the headband from a rod block to replace/upgrade the headband?
Stock or aftermarket? Stock, you will want to slowly wiggle the plastic rodblock back and forth gently until the glue releases itās bond. Grado uses a type of superglue for the rodblocks, instead of hot glue like the plastic cups. Wiggling gently so as to not bend the steel headband is important. If that fails and you donāt care about the rodblock being destroyed, you can always use some diagonal cutters or any tool you have to do the job and just crack it off.
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curious to your findings, my favorite for the 80ās are the Geekria, made them way closer to the Hemps, L-cushions for a more light and airy sound
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I can already say it is NOT worth it to buy the yellow senn 414 pads. They are $10, not the greatest foam, fit way too tightly, and get little foam crumbs everywhere after the hole punch mod. The earzonk are only $5 and sound the same after the hole punch (without getting foam everywhere).
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on a side not, have you found a more comfortable F-cushion for the Hemps?
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Looking forward to your results.
I got some pads to try also: Grado S, L and G cushions, Misodiko G cushions and Earzonk L cushions.
It came with the Earzonk L cushions installed so Iām listening to that now.
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No, but only because I actually no longer have comfort issues thanks to the Shipibo metal set. My issue was caused by the top of the pad pushing my ear into my glasses. The Shipibo set angles the cup farther in at the bottom, so that is no longer an issue. Other pads may be more comfortable, but I dont need that comfort anymore, especially at the cost of sound.
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I would appreciate if you could get and compare the geekria pads and your TTVJ pads. Iām curious if they have a similar sound, but I donāt want to end up spending more on pads than I did for the headphones (Iām pretty close at this point).
right on, i was looking at their site yesterday, seems like a nice upgrade, especially the comfort. Really like how yourās turned out.
Sorry, Iām new to Grado and not too familiar w/ the pads. Which one are the geekria pads and/or TTVJ?
Geekria is a brand; you can find them on amazon and such.
TTVJ is Todd the Vinyl Junkie
He also has ādeluxe flat padsā for Grado
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Oh sorry. I confused you for elementze. Regardless, these are both options if you want to try more pads. The geekria add a good amount of bass and are rather comfy. They fit a bit loosely and compress over time during long listening sessions, but they are only $10 and still sound great. Elementze can tell you about the TTVJ pads.
These are the geekria pads.
These are the TTVJ pads. There is also a $50 āupgradedā version.
So @elementze, can you get the geekria pads and compare them to the TTVJ pads for us?
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Yes, Iāve actually already tried the Geekria pads 
And for reference, I have only tried the āupgradedā version. I asked TTVJ what the difference was and he said: āThe flat pads and the deluxe are the same pads but the deluxe have been treated and sound more open than the untreated pads. So yes, they do look the same but they do not sound the same.ā Since Iām a sucker for snake oil I just ordered the āupgradedā version. So my comments below are with regard to those.
Comfort: Geekria are much softer and immediately more comfortable. The TTVJ feel like new stock Grado pads, rough. Iām assuming theyāll break in over time. It really didnāt bother me. Something I definitely noticed is the Geekria are much more comfortable when wearing glasses (as I tend to do while working and listening). The TTVJ are pretty rough with glasses on.
Sound: (Iāll do my best here, Iām not a particularly experienced reviewer) Geekria have a more noticeable impact on treble. If you think your Grados sound to bright, these will definitely help. The low end I thought was comparable between the two, maybe a slight edge to the Geekria having a warmer overall sound. I attribute most of this difference to the size of the opening. The Geekria cover the outer rim of the monitor. Whereas the TTVJ do not cover any of it. I suspect if you cut the Geekria pads back the sound would brighten up. I never tried that.
I like the detail in the TTVJ, much closer to the L pads in that regard. And doing an A-B comparison with Geekria I felt like the Geekria were muffled slightly. Part of what I like in my Gardos is the clarity, so the TTVJ were the winners for me. Compared to the L pads the TTVJ really bring up the low end, really nice improvement in bass response. Absolutely no sound stage! Borderline negative soundstage - all of the instruments feel like they are in your head, between your ears.
In the end, Iām running with TTVJ pads and really enjoying them.
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