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Grado prestige Blue...

C

crackerbuzz

Active Member
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Hey there, I have just compared a V15 III with a new Grado blue and am seriously liking the powerful mids of the Grado.

The grado tracks beautifully also at 1.3 grams.

I feel the grado also hides the clicks and pops a bit better than the V15 although the V15 is probably a bit warmer...

What is the break in period for the Grado and what should I expect to hear when she is broken in? Will it be better?

Cheers

Craig
 
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Grado Blue doesn`t have so much detail, it has good midrange, bass, but lack of something I called magic. Vocals sounds dull compared to for ex. Denon dl-160, or even at-120E
Personally Grado isn`t my favorite cart
 
I used an old Grado ZC+ with Green1 stylus primarily for playing my noisier records. The subdued top end does a nice job of suppressing the noise.

With some records the Grado sounds very dull, but on others it definitely gets my attention. It really likes 'woody'-sounding vintage recordings, ie: '50s jazz.
 
I am in the Grado camp , for all their faults they are my most used cart's on 2 different tables .My V15 IV just sits idle . I am trying to find a Grado that has a bit more detail , now that would make me a happy man .
As for break in , I really don't remember what my Green did , but I guess 50 hr's would be a good estimate ?
 
I also find a Grado to reveal less surface noise than some other cartridges; Hakaplan posted here that Grado's stylus dimensions are .3 X .6 mil, so maybe it rides a little lower in the groove and misses some wear that a larger cross-section stylus (such as the more common .2 X .7 mil) might be picking up.

I don't hear a subdued high end or lack of detail. In fact, I find Grado's to be particularly good at revealing the sometimes subtle changes in pitch and dynamics of each note played, even by softer background instruments. Spatial depth and stable instrument placement are also Grado strengths. I agree with their own description of their products, "warm, smooth, full bodied, non-fatiguing and rich."
 
I have a Grado Blue on my Technics SL-7 linear tracker and it's a real winner.

Lush, warm, rich etc. The only thing is that it is rolled off a bit in the top end and the soundstage is narrower than the other carts I have.

I tried a Gold but I think there was something wrong with it as it was what I call strident with not much bass, would like to try a new one to compare.
 
HypnoToad said:
I have a Grado Blue on my Technics SL-7 linear tracker and it's a real winner.

Lush, warm, rich etc. The only thing is that it is rolled off a bit in the top end and the soundstage is narrower than the other carts I have.

I tried a Gold but I think there was something wrong with it as it was what I call strident with not much bass, would like to try a new one to compare.
Click to expand...

Funny , I have an old XT+ in the living room and it has a bigger soundstage than the AT155LC and the V15 , but sounds a bit muffled compared to the AT . Picked up an 8MZ last week , stylus seems to be wore out but I like what I heard so will have to spring for a new stylus I guess. :scratch2:
 
Waluch said:
Grado Blue doesn`t have so much detail, it has good midrange, bass, but lack of something I called magic. Vocals sounds dull compared to for ex. Denon dl-160, or even at-120E
Personally Grado isn`t my favorite cart
Click to expand...

Not a fair comparison with Denon, taking in consideration the Denon DL-160 is an HO MC design with a price of around $180.00, more into MM Grado Silver territory.

AT-120E is an $80.00 cartridge, while the Grado Blue is $110.00. IMO, the Grado has better dynamics, and when compared head to head depends what music you are hearing, they are very close. So, the best thing is to compare them, and see if the Grado Blue sound is worth the extra $30.00.

I like Grado's, and I have a Grado Gold in my setup, but if you can find a new Denon DL-110 ($139.00) for around the same price as the Grado Blue, it would be a great compromise between the Grado Blue and Denon DL-160. If you shop around you can find the Denon DL-110 for around $115.00.
 
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jrtrent said:
I agree with their own description of their products, "warm, smooth, full bodied, non-fatiguing and rich."
Click to expand...

HypnoToad said:
I tried a Gold but I think there was something wrong with it as it was what I call strident with not much bass, would like to try a new one to compare.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with JR that Grado marketing description is what you get, and for the Gold I'll add detailed.

Hypno - With the Gold you get a more balanced sound with lots of detail, especially in the highs, than with other Grados of the same series. That might be what you are referring to "strident with not much bass". Before any break-in I must admit that it was sort of harsh in the highs, after some 20 hrs of use it settled down, and the highs became more detailed, rather than strident, and very enjoyable.
 
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Glad to hear you're liking the Blue, Grados have that special magic in the lower midrange that really grabs you, a lot of induced magnet or moving iron designs have it too to one degree or another. I'd give it at least 50 hours breakin before it sounds best. Tracking light at 1.3 Grams probably makes the Blue sound more lively but watch out for signs of mistracking.
 
My experience with Grado Blue is that is does have a really long break in time.
I've found that the best is obtained at 1.5 - 1.7 vtf. Seems to fill in the gaps at the heavier tracking force.

Also one of the best tips is to pull the stylus carefully and add just a dab of damping material before returning to body. I used some mortite cause it stays flexible.
This tip was given by someone on AK and it seemed to liven the cart right up.
 
PR Audio said:
Hypno - With the Gold you get a more balanced sound with lots of detail, especially in the highs, than with other Grados of the same series. That might be what you are referring to "strident with not much bass". Before any break-in I must admit that it was sort of harsh in the highs, after some 20 hrs of use it settled down, and the highs became more detailed, rather than strident, and very enjoyable.
Click to expand...

It was a used one and I tried it with different settings but it was all top end and no bass. I really think it had a problem as none of my other carts were that way. I have a Goldring 1012GX that's renowned for having some brightness in the top end but it sounded mellow compared to the Gold.
 
I have decided to keep the V15 III running a musonic stylus from the UK.

It it really does have a warm sound and a deliciously tight bass response especially to kick drums such as "another one bites the dust".

It also is fuller bodied than the Grado, but The Grado did remind me of a slightly brighter CD type sound with a little less soundstage...

If I hadn't of managed to score the V15 III, I would have definitely chosen the Blue over the other similar priced carts. It is still a lovely cart IMO.

I am running a stock Philips GA 212 in immaculate condition and I am very impressed with its performance.

Tracking is completely solid even on the scratchier records.

I am tracking at 1.3 also.
 
crackerbuzz said:
.

Hey there, I have just compared a V15 III with a new Grado blue and am seriously liking the powerful mids of the Grado.

The grado tracks beautifully also at 1.3 grams.

I feel the grado also hides the clicks and pops a bit better than the V15 although the V15 is probably a bit warmer...

What is the break in period for the Grado and what should I expect to hear when she is broken in? Will it be better?

Cheers

Craig
Click to expand...

The grado blue used to be on the bottom of my preferred list until I got a great CNC phono stage equipped with very well balanced & detailed opamps. The bias of the grado blue in the mids did level more and also helped with recovering the highs when equipped the CNC phono stage with pair of LME49990's. The overall performance is still biased in the mids, but to a less degree with much lush, warm, & detailed playback. This bumped the ATE120 to the bottom of my list.
 
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