Stocking Stuffer Alert

[wkhanna]

The Needle Dr has the iGrado headphones on sale for $25.
I just picked up two for X-mas gifts.

[Chris D]

Huh... I can't find it. Link?

[David Meek]

Here it is Chris.

LINK

Thanks Bill. I just got 2 myself.

[Isaac]

Nice! Looks like my kid will be getting some Grado's for Christmas! :T

[Chris D]

Hmmmm... these are good headphones? I haven't heard of them.

[wkhanna]

Thanks for posting the link David, however it seems the iGrado's are no longer available. :M

Still, there may be a few goodies someone may be intrested in here sale page link :W

[Chris D]

I bought a couple--thanks for the link! got them a couple days ago. The sound is pretty good, although I think the fit could be better. The band is hard, and non-adjustable. there's a part of it that presses a bit into my head, which makes it less than comfortable. I'll keep using them for a while to see.

How are you other guys liking them?

[David Meek]

I'll have to wait 'til Christmas as I did purchase them for stocking stuffers.

[wkhanna]

The iGrado uses the same driver as the SR60 which is highly regarded. Others have mentioned that initially the nonadjustable headband can be a bit uncomfortable, but after some use seems to miraculously conform to each person’s individual contours.

I hope I didn’t steer you wrong, Chris. I would feel V bad if you ended up not liking them, but at their regular $ I don’t know anything that even comes close to their sound quality. At 1/2 off, I thought they were an absolute honest steal.

[Chris D]

No worries, Bill. I've put a whole bunch of hours on them now, in the last several days. I definitely do like their sound, and I like the basic construct of the band going behind the head. I should mention, too, that I have a larger head than anybody I know. (7 3/4 Long Oval) The bend in the band, right at the base where it turns into the ring that goes around the ear, presses a bit into my skull just behind my ear. At first it's noticeable, but like you say, after a few minutes to wearing them, I don't notice so much. Extended hours of wearing them can bring some fatigue--I don't think the bands themselves bend over time, but they're just less noticeable.

All in all, Im' generally liking them, and will be bringing them on my big upcoming trip. Will be spending dozens of hours in airplanes and airports.

[Hdale85]

I wish I had picked some of these up before they sold out, they look very very nice for 25 bucks.

[Burke Strickland]

Even the expensive Grado headphone models have typically had great sound and lousy ergonomics compared to the competition (e.g., harder to fit; uncomfortable to wear for extended listening). For $25, I would have been very surprised if the latter part had changed. Glad they sound good!

[Chris D]

I took these with me on my recent trip halfway around the world, and really enjoyed them. They worked great on the airplane, and even though they don't give as good of a sound as my in-ear Etymotic earphones, they're much more comfortable for extended use. Two thumbs up from me.

However, the one set I opened isn't working for me now. Something about the plug. They died, and I fiddled with the plug, and sound has returned in the left ear, but the right is still dead. I don't know if it's worth sending back in for $25 to fix the plug, so I might just open the other set I bought.

[Hdale85]

I'd just look for a new plug from somewhere out there and replace it the plug on the set.

[Chris D]

Huh... not sure how I'd do that. Strip open the insulation, and re-wire to the new plug? I might have to wait till I get home, then, so I could use some solder and such.

[Chris D]

Well here's something that's interesting... (weird how much I/we are ending up talking about this little unit) I dug out the other set of iGrados I bought to use while I figure out whether to fix the first one. The second set is quite different, even though they're both iGrado models. The 2nd one has bronze-colored rubberized wires, including a single fat wire from the junction to the plug, whereas the 1st set has thin black plastic wires, including two thin wires from the junction to the plug that are stuck together. The 2nd set has a thick rubber/plastic part at the junction and a matching clip there you can slide up the single wires towards the head if you want to move the junction closer. (although I've never quite understood why this is useful to people) The 1st set only has a very small rubber bit at the junction, and no sliding clip. The 2nd set has a 90 degree plug, whereas the 1st set's plug is straight. Both feel to be about the same category of quality. The headphones and headbands seem to be identical on both sets, although on the 1st set, the "iGrado" label on the back of the headband is missing.

Odd that I'd get two different versions of the same model, bought at the same time. So far, I'm really preferring the 2nd set I just pulled out.

When I pulled out the 2nd set, the packaging said it has a 4 month warranty, FWIW.

[madmac]

@ Chris....Re-wiring a new plug should be an easy operation. I have Grado SR80's and they are amazing. They bring out the worst in MP3 sound though because they are TOO detailed!!. . Kinda' like what a Hi-Def tv does with vhs tapes !!. They clearly display EVERYTHING that is wrong with the signal !!. :-). I'm not a big fan of headphones as a rule but there is a time and place for them I suppose. I have a pair of Motorola "Motoroker" Bluetooth enabled Hi definition headphones for my MP3 listening. They contain SRS WOW processing of the sound which makes crappy MP3 sound much better.....and without wires because the signal is sent via Bluetooth from my PDA. Can also stream internet radio to them via the PDA as well. I love them!.