Grado PS-1000: An Evolving Review - Page 10

Originally Posted by TheJudge 

Thanks Bilavideo for your response re. comfort. Did I see you referring to the payment method for the LCD-2 in another thread?

That was me.  I should never have even looked at the LCD-2.  Somebody mentioned them.  While perusing Headfi, I glanced at some articles and got the sense that there was some excitement afoot.  I then made the fatal mistake of going to Aude'eze's website.  My, if those aren't some attractive-looking headphones.

@##$@#$#@$@#%%$%@%#%#%#@%

That month-long wait for a product being assembled in a garage somewhere is probably what's keeping me from going through the sofa looking for loose change.

I don't see anything worrisome in these photos.  I've worked in a few factories.  I'd have killed for painted walls, curtains, carpet and a stool to sit on.  If you're arguing that Grado is running a cottage industry, I think we knew that.  In fact, it's part of the mystique of this boutique operation.  The difference, however, is that Grado has been selling headphones for decades, has a variety of third-party vendors, all of whom have supplies in stock, none of whom are PayPal only and none of whom make you wait a month to process your order.  Grado may be run out of a hole in the wall, but it's not a start-up.  Even if Aude'ze has been making speakers since the age of the dinosaur, it's acting like a startup.  When you show up to Canjam with a demo and an order form, you might as well wear a shirt that says, "Apple I."  I'm not casting aspersions on build quality or the future of headphones that have generated a lot of buzz.  I'm just saying the start-up distributional model is one that may generate some hesitation.

But in saying that, I'm ignoring the power of hype.  It's a major part of the headphone industry.  Once you get a stampede going, there's no stopping it till the herd runs out of steam.  If I could buy stock in Aude'ze, and sell it before it becomes fashionable to trash it, I'd do so.  There's nothing quite like a good run.

Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent 

Sure, I was just pointing out the obvious similarity to a garage.... it wasn't so funny maybe.

(Maybe that wood is more robust than I think it is. It looks a bit worrisome to me to store those cups like that. But it's all on the Grado site for everyone to see, so there is nothing new as you point out.)

I have to admit i was really tempted to buy one of the head-fi special Grados last year. Fantastic that a small big player like Grado does a thing like that.

Dude, I'm just messing with ya.  I didn't mean to come across as argumentative.  The points you made were valid and I thought the picture was perfect.  They say that politics and sausage are two things you don't want to see made.  I think we can safely add Grados to that list.  While Grado was probably thinking he'd done a good thing, in showing his cans are "made in America," a couple of glaring bits of reality seem to be leaking out of this photo op.  

WHAT TO DO WHEN UNAMPED

Despite its spectacular performance when properly amped, the PS1000 loses a bit of oomph when running naked off my iPod.  Initially, I was willing to accept this as a trade-off, especially since none of the other big players I have (the HD800 and T1) are any better when cut off of "life support."  The problem, as I've looked into it, is a tonal imbalance.  Without the benefit of an amp to push more air, the bass gets overwhelmed by the wider HF dispersion of the jumbo pads.  The result is adequate but after enjoying all the thump of these cans amped, it's a little underwhelming.

So, I tried changing out the pads.  For portable purposes, I dropped down to the bowls.

Wow!

Bowls cut back on the HF and trap the bass better.  As a result, the bass is so strong, it's like plugging these suckers into an amp.  In my heart of hearts, I know I could amp them to bigger bass.  I also know I could have a wider soundstage.  But in the rough and tumble world of portable head-fi, it's just AWESOME!

Now, in fairness to anybody who remembers back to the beginning of this thread, I tried - when I first got these - to do what I'm doing now.  They sounded terrible.  Pre-burn-in, the sound was just too thick.  The bass was excessive.  The mids sounded crowded.  The resolution just wasn't there.  I didn't like it.  In fact, I didn't like these cans until I went back to the jumbos.  That's when I'd realized how tuned they were to the jumbo sound.

And they still are.  But they're also supposed to be amped.

Without amping, with the bass relying solely on what my iPod puts out, it's an amazing return to the center.  I'm getting a baby version of what my cans do when they're properly amped, minus a little of that HF extension.  The thing is, without amping to also bring up the bass, that HF extension makes these cans an anemic version of what they were meant to be.  So, I'll take a little less on the high side - especially since Grados are known for being "bright."  The little extra extension is something other headphone lovers hate about Grados.

These slightly "darker" Grados are what other folks call "light" and "bright."  So, for portable purposes, the bowls make a tremendous difference - as long as these cans are properly burned in.  I'm getting plenty of midrange, plenty of sparkle but an even punch that just rocks my socks off.

I'll be the guy at the Y burning 2,000 calories on the elliptical cross trainer while listening to his oldies.