[geremy]

So is it 1 report from QQQ or 'numerous' reports you site in your original post?

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by geremy /img/forum/go_quote.gif So is it 1 report from QQQ or 'numerous' reports you site in your original post?

numerous reports by QQQ?

 

[Bullseye]

cactus, stop listening to your headphones and LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC

I bet you will enjoy it much more.

Oh, and do not read this forums too much, you might want to buy the rs1, gs100 or ps1000 soon...

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullseye /img/forum/go_quote.gif stop listening to your headphones and LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC

QFT

 

[cactus_farmer]

Well, on headwize.com a user said that the diaphragm wrinkles developed after listening to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells which had a lot of low frequency energy which stretched the diaphragm membrane out of shape.

Can anyone report similar findings?

And does this mean that one should try not to listen to bass-heavy music on Grado headphones because they will be damaged by it?

 

[m0ofassa]

No they arent. Not to mention they are high quality, but they also output relatively low amounts of bass compared to the rest of the spectrum so the driver will move less per average loudness across the spectrum and are typically listenned to at lower bass volumes (main cause of driver movement/blowout). Thanks for playing.

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by m0ofassa /img/forum/go_quote.gif No they arent. Not to mention they are high quality, but they also output relatively low amounts of bass compared to the rest of the spectrum so the driver will move less per average loudness across the spectrum and are typically listenned to at lower bass volumes (main cause of driver movement/blowout). Thanks for playing.

but if you have some basshead user trying to get DT770 style output, you can blow them up

still, thats a pretty extreme usage scenario

honestly, stop reading a bunch of hysteria, and accept that they aren't gonna break

 

[MaZa]

To cause driver damage you have to blast your headphones on deafening volume and preferably underamplified so that clipping occurs. And this applies to EVERY headphone, not just Grados.

Honestly, Grattle we speak about is never caused by blasting volume, its caused by hair that has made its way to driver and rattles against it. And this is quite common with Grados because the drivers are so close to your head. Gently putting your mouth against the grill and sucking carefully fixes it until it happens again, end of the story.

 

[cactus_farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif To cause driver damage you have to blast your headphones on deafening volume and preferably underamplified so that clipping occurs. And this applies to EVERY headphone, not just Grados

But, would an iPod be considered 'underamplified' relative to Grado headphones in this scenario? I know Grado's have high sensitivity and low impedance, but would the iPod still underamplify them?

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cactus_farmer /img/forum/go_quote.gif But, would an iPod be considered 'underamplified' relative to Grado headphones in this scenario? I know Grado's have high sensitivity and low impedance, but would the iPod still underamplify them?

If the sound starts to distort on high levels, the amplifier is running out of juice and starts to clip.

 

[Canman]

There are instances of grattle other than debris on the driver. From what I remember there was a blown voice coil in two different HP-1000 headphones that I owned. I think this was what Grado told me but I'm no expert in the mechanics. It also happened to a K-1000. These all required new drivers. This is why I'm hesitant to pay big bucks for old headphones like the HP-1000.

As obobskivich pointed out, from what I understand continuous DC current can melt a voice coil and cause a short. I think this is more common than indicated. Loud volumes would not generate DC current- rather it could be a problem with an amplifer.

 

[sunseeker888]

Well, I'm not sure but my sr-80's are in headphone-heaven. I was running them off of a 1970s Akai integrated amp and I left them in the headphone port whilst blasting speakers.

One side was totally blown.

 

[mbd2884]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cactus_farmer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've read numerous reports of the 'grattle' (Grado rattle) that happens when Grado cans have one (or both) of the membranes of their drivers creased and wrinkled in places - causing rattling on low bass notes and channel imbalance. Does this creasing and wrinkling occur only when the cans are blasted at monstrous levels, or does it happen even at just higher-than-average listening volumes? How loud do you have to drive your cans in order to actually damage them, and is it likely that anyone with normal hearing would listen at that level normally without knowing he/she was damaging their headphones?

Aside from the Grado humpers, you can find innumerable number of posts on Head-Fi of Grado drivers dying. I wouldn't call it a common occurance, but enough to have plenty of fun posts to read. Like Grado GS1000 just arriving back from repairs to fix a dead right driver, one week of burn in with moderate levels, not loud. Left driver dead, roflmao, and John Grado claimed both drivers replaced at repairs for driver matching.

My AD900s, yeah blast the crap out of it, sweet sweet sound still. My HD650s are arriving this weekend, Yay! I expect the same level of quality, high above Grado.

 

[cactus_farmer]

Can I just clarify here: the volumes I'm talking about aren't brain shatteringly loud but just like if you hear a song you really like and you turn it up a bit just to 'feel' it more. That sort of volume - if you listened to that sort of volume for an album you'd feel fine afterward (no ear ringing) but if you listened at that volume day after day, year after year every time you listened to music you'd feel it might eventually start to impact on your hearing - that's the sort of volume I'm talking about.

Do you think that sort of volume would cause an iPod driving low impedance, high sensitivity 'phones like Grado's to clip, and cause the Grado's to develop crinkles on their driver membranes?

 

[EF88]

Hi, I'm new and here's my experience.  I have an SR 80i and a cosmetically modded but still largely stock SR 225i. I use a Fiio E3 and a Fiio E5 straight out of my Nokia and HTC.  I have played these two headphones loud using the E3 without any problems for months.  Loud means maxed out volume-wise and EQ-wise with bass boost on my players.  When I started using the E5, everything was much better for a short while and I started using the E5 with bass boost at max exclusively because the output was so much better. 
 
I noticed that the right driver would in both phones would have more bass/distortion than the left one.  On hot days, the right drivers started to go dead.  Now both right side drivers have some distortion after about 15 minutes of playing and then they go dead. Sometimes they come back on. Now they go dead even at low volumes or unamped.  It isn't the grattle I've read about.  My players aren't powerful but the E5 is twice the power  of an E3.  It isn't the cables because I recabled the 225 recently.
 
Could my E5 have damaged my headphones?