Gah, Consumer Reports knows nothing about electronics
I'm not sure what castrated Consumer Reports, but their rating system is absolutely horrible when it comes to electronics.
Maybe I'm just irritated that Bose rates so highly on their headphone tests. I had the chance to listen to some Bose Triports via my ipod/amp combo (which is normally used with my Sony MDR-V6 or Modified Shure e2c iems) and couldn't stand the sound. Listening to a muffled dog being mutilated by a rusty chainsaw would have been preferable. It does however accurately portray the sound signature. Of course, this is a definite step up from the stock iPod earbuds, but the same could be said by some Koss KSC75 headphones (15 bucks from your local radio place, and the Koss' are actually good.)
I do have a theory. Consumer Reports hates bass. They hate it with a passion. I agree with their winners in some of the categories, but I also feel that the Grado sound isn't right for me. They're too bright. The highs sparkle in those little cans but they don't sound as transparent as my MDR-V6s (which I think are the most neutral headphone except for slightly recessed mids you can get for under 100 bucks).
My biggest problem isn't the general review, but the inability to tell true crap from colored sound.
Here's a test of your headphones. Can you hear the pre-echo in the beginning of The Pot on Tool's 10,000 days album, and still enjoy the sound quality through the rest of the song? Can you hear the quiet spoken word portion on Vicarious at about 5 minutes - 5:30 in (there are lines from a movie in there)? My modified e2c and V6s pass the test. Grados pass the test, but I don't like their sound signature. The triports, iPod earbuds, Skull candys etc distort before you can hear the pre-echo, and don't have enough detail to hear and understand the whisper. That's the difference between crap and decent. I'm sure I'll have more revelations in the future, but for now I'm happy.
Oh and the e2c mod. I noticed there was a little donut like surface that you put your waxguards on. I also noticed that the sound signature of the e2 was very dark and seemed to muffle the highs. So in a fit of experiementation, I dremelled the leading 1/16th of an inch or so of the tips off. This took the little donut hole looking thing out. The result is very nice highs, while it retains its wonderful low low bass reproduction.
Maybe I'm just venting cause I'm a basshead.
Maybe I'm just irritated that Bose rates so highly on their headphone tests. I had the chance to listen to some Bose Triports via my ipod/amp combo (which is normally used with my Sony MDR-V6 or Modified Shure e2c iems) and couldn't stand the sound. Listening to a muffled dog being mutilated by a rusty chainsaw would have been preferable. It does however accurately portray the sound signature. Of course, this is a definite step up from the stock iPod earbuds, but the same could be said by some Koss KSC75 headphones (15 bucks from your local radio place, and the Koss' are actually good.)
I do have a theory. Consumer Reports hates bass. They hate it with a passion. I agree with their winners in some of the categories, but I also feel that the Grado sound isn't right for me. They're too bright. The highs sparkle in those little cans but they don't sound as transparent as my MDR-V6s (which I think are the most neutral headphone except for slightly recessed mids you can get for under 100 bucks).
My biggest problem isn't the general review, but the inability to tell true crap from colored sound.
Here's a test of your headphones. Can you hear the pre-echo in the beginning of The Pot on Tool's 10,000 days album, and still enjoy the sound quality through the rest of the song? Can you hear the quiet spoken word portion on Vicarious at about 5 minutes - 5:30 in (there are lines from a movie in there)? My modified e2c and V6s pass the test. Grados pass the test, but I don't like their sound signature. The triports, iPod earbuds, Skull candys etc distort before you can hear the pre-echo, and don't have enough detail to hear and understand the whisper. That's the difference between crap and decent. I'm sure I'll have more revelations in the future, but for now I'm happy.
Oh and the e2c mod. I noticed there was a little donut like surface that you put your waxguards on. I also noticed that the sound signature of the e2 was very dark and seemed to muffle the highs. So in a fit of experiementation, I dremelled the leading 1/16th of an inch or so of the tips off. This took the little donut hole looking thing out. The result is very nice highs, while it retains its wonderful low low bass reproduction.
Maybe I'm just venting cause I'm a basshead.
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