I have the Grado 1000s and I don't think they're really made to play very loudly. I mean, they'll play louder than I want to listen, but they're not for headbangers. I've never heard mine distort like you're saying, so maybe you need to try them through another source to see if the same thing happens. I use that little Audioengine USB DAC with my computer and they sound great.
Headphone Distortion?
Having long ago sold my great playback system, I decided to again dip my toe into the audiophile pool, & purchased a nice used set of Grado gs1000i headphones and a Marantz SA8004 cd player, with the hope that I'd be OK without a headphone amp or a better cd player. Usually I hear beautiful music, but often on bright instrumental passages or loud brass or high pitched instruments, it can sound distorted and smeared...not at all musical. I wonder if it is the recordings or characteristic of my equipment. Certainly not playing loud enough to distort. Any thoughts or suggestions to tell if my equipment is damaged or if the CD player is not up to the task will be appreciated.
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