Grado has managed to sqeeuze their signature rythmic sound into two tiny earbuds, that seal from the outside world in a great way and feel like true quality. When unpacking the box, although the packaging is ok, the first impression is one of mixed feelings. Grado’s competitors like Shure or Jays provide lots of accesories and make you feel like you’ve made the right choice. Grado, on the other hand, continues their traditional packaging ethos and has chosen the easy way out. Nothing new and nothing fancy, just a box with the GR8 earphones and 3 sizes of silicon sleeves.Burning in took a few hours (they took around 20 hours to loosen up a bit) but then they started to sing. Voices and instruments are separated nicely, with lots of texture and air around them. I have to say, I’m impressed. Although I have to say the GR8 will probably will be a lot better using a dedicated amplifier, which I do not have at my disposal right now. They tend to sound a little “grainy” without some power behind them.
Have listened to many headphones and earphones, these are among my favorites for now. I really love my long-time buddies, the Etymotice ER4′s, because they simply are addictive. The Grado GR8′s are probably better at a lot of things, they do not lack in the bass-department and have a lot more texture overall, now it’s just waiting if the prove to be as addictive as my ER4′s.
If you love the Grado sound I think these are the earphones for you. They really have managed to retain the specific Grado sound in these earphones. Everything is balanced in a way that reminds me of the high-end Grado headphones, maybe not as polished and laidback, but definitly the same sound signature.
Please stay tuned for our full in-depth review of these earphones!
Grado GR8 In-Earphones at Hifi to Go. Images (c) Maxguy via Flickr
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