They are a different tuning than most headphones for sure, kind of like a reverse Nighthawk. And yes, they are best at slightly lower volumes. Even when quite they still have great detail retrieval imo.
The stock pads are good, but I really do think the earzonk L-cush pads are the best. They may not be the most comfortable but they are good enough for me and sound wonderful.
Also feel free to bend the shit out of the headband to loosen the clamp. Donāt worry, it wonāt break. Itās just a piece of spring steel inside the vinyl headband.
I think these might be the same thing as the earzonk L-cush pads, just being sold by a different brand and on your Amazon.
So having used them for about 5 hours now (on and off over the past two days) I can safely say the Geekria G-cush pads are a very good option. I still donāt know if I like them more than the earzonk L-cush pads, but they are worth trying.
One interesting thing to note is that both the geekria G-cush and earzonk L-cush pads seem to be the same material and a very similar design. Makes me wonder why geekria sells those god awful L-cush pads instead of something like the earkons?
Pretty.much just the top back edge, but the pressure is rather low, so itās not a big deal for me. Obviously YMMV since everyone has different ears but the G-cush style is rather good for comfort. One other thing to note, the back of the pad doesnāt actually make any kind of seal behind my ear. I donāt know if this wound make it uncomfortable for some or if it changes the sound drastically, but thatās how they fit me special snowflake head.
Ordered these and the EJZ-0047-01ās, Iāll leave my 2cents after Iāve tried them. They wonāt get in for another weak though. Thanks for the info!
Iāve finalized my thoughts on the Geekria G-cush pads. TL:DR they are great and worth a try, especially if you canāt get the Earzonk L-cush pads. They have some more bass and a bit less treble with slightly less forward vocals. Comfort is also a great plus for those who donāt like the feel of the L style pads.
Now for my full thoughts. The Geekria G-cush pads (from now on refered to as Geekria G) are the same make and material as the Earzonk L-cush pads (from now on refered to as Earzonk L) which is why I think they both sound so good with such similar performance.
The Geekria G are more bassy, but not too much. It fills out the lower end if things and and even manages some sub-bass (only a little though). Overall the mids are about the same, just a bit less forward than the Earzonk L. The treble is still bright, but a bit less so. This make them a bit less obviously detailed but they are still on par with the Earzonk L. The only downside i could find to these pads was the soundstage and imaging are slightly lesser than the Earzonk L, but are still great overall. I suspect this is due to the drivers facing the ears more directly while the Earzonk L face the ears at a bit more of an angle. The Geekria G are better for comfort since they are almost over ear and spread any pressure over a larger area. They do seem to get fairly warm though.
The Earzonk L are less bassy and brighter with more forward mids. They are better at staging and imaging and are very clear. Their biggest downside is the comfort since they are definitely on ear but sit in a thin edge of the pad bowl as apposed to a full flat face.
Iām going to stick with the Earzonk L for the same reason Iāve picked them over every other pad Iāve tried previously, they are clear and bright and I have the Hemps for they lusher warmer Grado sound.
Like I said, the Geekria G are great and you should get them. I just like that bright Grado sound for the SR80e. Now itās time to see how these pads work on the Hemps.
Accidently ordered these instead of the 01ās from Geekria. In terms of comfort Iād say they are roughly between the stock pads and the 03ās from Geekria. Iāll try wearing them at least this week until the G variant from Geekria come in and then go back to the stock pads a bit to see just how much difference there is. In terms of sound, to be honest I donāt hear much difference between all the pads Iāve tried so far. I havenāt really tested them side by side though, but so far I can o my say I think the stock ones are slightly more veiled, though that could be confirmation bias due to knowing there is no foam between my ears and the drivers with the other earpads.
Stock S-cush are definitely more veiled. If those are actually the same pads just under a different brand, they should sound similar to the stock pads and other L style pads, just clearer. I found that when I did A/B testing with all of my Grado pads, the earzonk came out on top. The only real competitor imo are the geekria G-cush.
I feel about like Iāve somehow personally failed you, but Iāve put mine up for sale. With my other headphones I just never felt the urge to pick these up so itās a bit of a waste to just let them hang there. None of the pads were comfortable enough on my head with my glasses to actually wear them unfortunately.
While I love them, I am more than willing to admit that Grados are not for everyone, whether it be the comfort or sound. But at least tried them. That is all I ask. Hope you get your money back on the sale.
Thankfully I donāt really need to say much about the official Grado L-cush pads. They sound just as good as the Earzonk L-cush pads (read: same detail, imaging, etc) but with a bit less bass and a bit more treble. I still prefer the Earzonk pads since the SR80e are just a touch too bright imo with the Grado pads, but still not harsh.
Comfort wise, I think most people will prefer the Earzonk pads since they are a slightly softer foam, but the Grado pads havenāt had any time to break in like my Earzonks, so thus might change in the future. Otherwise they both have the same up sides and down sided as any L-cush style pads.
Since these are currently $30 (usually $20 but there seem to be stock problems with Grado lately) they arenāt really worth it for the cheaper models imo.
Finally got my sr80e, it took me a long time because I thought maybe it wasnāt worth it cause I have āhigher endā headphones, but trust me these are special, even more so than ksc75 and thatās saying a lot because I love those.
Thereās something natural about grados, I donāt know the right word to put it but, itās like music sounds familiar, organic, Iām listening to a song that I liked in elementary school with cheap sonys, and Iām reviving that level of excitement, It has nothing to do with technicalities, thereās something about grados that sounds ālike the real worldā to me.
And the frequency response is excellent for a great part of my music library, itās a very lively sound that vibes āhighā. The frequency response accentuates the most impactful parts of each instrument (and voices).
I think its because they sound like some of the good speakers that people used to have when I was a child, I remember being hooked to music since then and even these sr80 make me feel that energy, also tested the sr325e and thought they were awesome, the 3 grados Iāve heard are just real special and different from other brands.
I have had the SR80e for a couple of weeks now and I have similar feelings. It sounds open, but in a more ānatural wayā than other headphones Iāve heard. The AKG K712 I love for its soundstage size, it has some kind of reverb that in some songs makes it sound off. Canāt really describe it well, but the Grados are very organic. They do, however, lack the good low-end punch some songs need, but this is something I was expecting so no big deal.
Also, I completely agree with Zeos when he says they look like itās gonna break. It does not sit well in my head, and I always think it going to fall and split itself in half on the floor. Everything Iām liking it for the sound quality, I hate it for build quality and fit. If this stays, they gonna need some mods ASAP.
Already using the Geekeria pads, I will say the difference in comfort is not big for me, but it is for sound. They get a little bit more forward, but everything I described was my feelings with the Geekeria pads.
I have not swapped the headband, rather this no brand very soft cushion was included with my sr80e, Its glued on.
The geekria pads kinda didnt improve comfort for me either, but now I use the big grado pads in combination with the glued cushion, nice snug fit, extremely comfortable. (And similar sound to geekria l-cush)
Comfort on my sr80e and alessandro ms2i sucks without that cushion, even though alessandroās are more paded.
If this works for you depends on your head shape, I have XL head and ears. Iāve also seen (geekria) hd650 cushions glued/moded in give similar results.
Iām using that on my Alessandro MS1ās and itās really nice.
You just have to be careful when disassembling the headband (replaces the original thin leather pad) so You donāt break the little plastic blocks (theyāre glued together but I was able to take them apart easily).
I would also recommend the second headband you linked.
If you really like your SR80e so much, it might be worth it to upgrade to the RS2e (or maybe the seemingly imminent RS2x). Iāve never really seen anyone who likes Grados dislike the RS2e and if they are anything like my GH-2 they are basically the SR80e but better in literally every way.
