Grado upgrade journey: Meze, Hifiman and maybe Grado
I wrote this ramble because I’ve been browsing all the very helpful posts here and wanted to give back by sharing my experience in the hopes that it helps others on a similar path!
The Old Faithful
I’ve got a pair of Grado 325e that I’ve had for eight years or so, and the G Cush pads (I never used the stock ones) are deteriorating. My first thought was to buy some new pads. To say that the sound changed significantly is an understatement. My Grados were now much more closed and somewhat muffled - not overly so, but enough to notice. I was told the material had changed since I bought them. Fair enough.
The helpful folk at my local hi-fi store refunded me and let me try three different Dekoni replacement pads. All three created a very different sound signature to what I was used to; nothing like my old OEM G Cush pads.
So now I’m on the hunt for a new pair of open-back headphones. Budget around AUD$1200.
Meandering through Meze
I was curious about the Meze range: 105 AER, 105 Silva, and 109 Pro and spent a lot of time auditioning these, including with my own tube amp both in store and at home.
The main shootout for me was between the 105 AER and the 109s. I didn’t quite get the 105 Silvas.
The 109s had a more energetic treble, some may say brighter. They were more resolving, and this made jazz and acoustic stuff sound better than the others in the range. They also had the bigger sound stage of the range. That said, the stage is quite a bit smaller and feels more enclosed compared to my old Grados. The 109s felt like the sound was confined to an oval shape, not a wide/deep stage. It was more “in my head”, rather than out in front of me.
I was able to take the 109s for the weekend to test comfort over a long period (I had some discomfort on my right ear during store auditions) and to test it with my vinyl chain.
I noticed immediately that my vinyl chain sounded much warmer and rolled off compared to my Grados. Honestly, this sucked the joy out of the jazz records that I listen to. A lot of the jazz I listen to is 60s and 70s small group jazz. This feeling was confirmed when I listened to my Grados last night with one of my favourite jazz records and immediately began to smile again (and breathed a sigh of relief I didn’t get too caught up in the Mezes).
Testing some Beatles on vinyl, I noticed that McCartney’s voice didn’t really sound like him. A quick A/B with the Grados confirmed I was not dreaming. I’m not even a big Beatles fan, but it was noticeable and it troubled me. What else would sound weird?
Do I have anything good to say? Absolutely.
The 109s for EDM, trip-hop and hip hop sound great. Lots of slam and organic thwack! A great choice for this kind of music. Some guitar-based folk from the late 60s also had the edge on the 109s!
Interestingly, it also made all those crackles and clicks in the upper frequencies that come with vinyl either muted or disappear completely. This surprised me in a good way. Definitely a forgiving headphone for average recordings, which is something my dealer had mentioned.
After many hours of listening, though, I concluded that the sound just wasn’t for me. Most music came across as veiled and affected by what I came to describe as a warm afternoon glow. I decided to pass since they weren’t going to gel with my jazz collection that makes up 80% of my listening time with headphones.
What about HiFi, man?
Between Meze auditions, I had also tried the Hifiman Arya Organic and HE 600 at a different store. I didn’t have my tube amp with me on that occasion but will be doing that soon.
By comparison, I noticed both headphones (planar magnetic instead of dynamic drivers) had a lot more air, separation, sparkle and better imaging than the Meze, especially the Arya.
The comfort of the Arya was second to none. The headband as well as the large ear cups really suited me, and I found the HE 600 to be much less comfortable. I did, however, enjoy the sound of the HE600 more than the Arya, which I felt was slightly brighter in relation to some instruments in some songs. For example, the saxophone in certain jazz recordings sounded a bit more raspy and gritty and less natural in its timbre compared to the HE600 and my old Grado.
What I really wanted at the end of that auditioning session was the Arya Organic comfort with the HE600 sound. I tried the Edition XV which has the same ear cups as the Arya, but I didn’t quite like the
sound compared to the HE 600. It was just OK. Nothing to highlight or write home about. Admittedly, I did spend more time with the other two models.
What have I learned?
• I thought I wanted “warm” (because I love the analogue vinyl sound), but that’s absolutely not what I wanted in my next pair of headphones. I realised I am primarily seeking air, sparkle and detail, with a natural reproduction of sound. The compromise for wanting all that air and sparkle is higher frequencies with the potential for brightness. That explains why I still like my Grados.
• I thought I wanted to try something new. Turns out I might be a Grado guy (more on this below)
• Long-term comfort tests are extremely important.
• Don’t buy anything without testing for 30+ minutes if possible
• It’s helpful to do some research beforehand or after any audition, but always trust your ears. Everyone’s hearing is different.
• Where possible, try and take headphones home to test them or bring in your headphone amp to the store if they allow it.
Notable mentions
In my travels, I also tried:
Fiio FT7 - quite bulky and with a very wide soundstage. Almost too wide! It felt artificial. Some jazz instruments exhibited an unnatural timbre, and female vocals came off a bit glassy. For these reasons, I lost interest pretty quickly.
Dan Clark Audio - I can’t remember the models, but they were within my budget. The sound stage was too distant, so they were a quick no for me.
Austrian Audio Composer - holy heck! These addressed all the niggles I had with the Meze, and the comfort was supreme. Subject to a bit more testing, I think I would probably buy these if they were not way out of my budget!
Audeze LCD-2c - the warmest phones I tried. Soundstage and separation are good, but cymbals, vocals, and other instruments sound way too rolled off. Definitely not my flavour.
Where to next?
I’ll be giving my amp a go with the Arya Organic to see if it tames some of the upper end a little. I’ll also test the HE600 for longer-term comfort as I experienced some ear pain due to the on-ear shape/size of the round cups and the clamp force.
I also need to test the proposition: am I a Grado guy? Am I so locked into the house sound that I can never leave? I’ll be trying some Grados on my next trip. RS1x and GS1000 I think.
More to come!