Why the hate for Grado?

[InfiniteJester]

The SR80e graphs pretty bad compared to other, cheaper options.

Normalized at A4 you can see how insanely bright they are:

9.7 dB over target at 2KHz.

 

[Miser_Audioman]

Thank you! Yes that is why they seem detailed i suppose.

 

[drewdawg999]

Started with the SR60 more than 20 years ago. They had a crinkle in a driver that introduced a rattling sound, or "Grattle". Then I had the SR80 which were good but I sold them when the earpads disintegrated after sitting in a drawer for a while. Then I had the SR225 and actually loved them, but they blew a driver and that was that. Now I have the new SR80x, which I run with EQ. There are peaks at 2K and 5K which need correction, plus a large bass boost is needed for Harman target. I also got the big bowl G pads, which is much better for comfort. Now it's useable but way on the back burner as far as my attention is concerned, and I have no desire to go further up their product line. But they are nice for guitar driven rock, making it sound live and alive to get the head nodding.

 

[MbphotoX]

I really love my Grado RS2e, fantastic headphones for singer/songwriter stuff and classic rock music, imho.

There appears to be some issues with measurements, though.. or the channel balance?!
That's left and right channel separately.

Listenin to a sine sweep going from 20-20'000 Hz, I can safely say that they really are fairly bright from 2kHz onwards.
Not an issue for me, since my main headphones for the past decade has been the Beyer DT990 (and I just got the DT1990 Pro to replace them/join them by their side)

 

[S G]

For me Grado serves a very particular niche, which I don't think is served by any other brands.

Their over-ears, open-back blue tooth headphones (https://gradolabs.com/products/gw100x), upgraded with their largest cushions (https://gradolabs.com/products/grado-headphone-replacement-cushion-g), create the most comfortable over-ears wireless headphones I ever had the pleasure of using.

They are one of the most lightweight over-ears, and the extra support provided by large cushion makes them sit so securely that I can move around my home without any worry that the headphones may shift or fall off. The retro design of the cushion results in significant gaps between the cushion and your head, so they also end up being well ventilated and you can wear them for a long time without feeling your ears are getting cooked.

And, of course, them being open-back allows you to hear external sounds well, and that adds to the comfort of walking around in them. The last point may be addressed by some closed-back noise cancelling headphones that have an option to replay outside sounds instead of cancelling them, but I am not aware of any of those headphones being as light weight and comfortable as Grado.