Grado PS1000, very mixed and not review like impressions. - Page 5

 I wonder when someone will chime in with impressions concerning the ECP Audio L-2 unit - 

 We really should be considering power and cable connections also ~ don't mean

 to start another cable war here but having gone through numerous pairs of RCA's - loaned, sold and

 bought - these do impact the final picture in my opinion.

 I'm enjoying blacker backgrounds at the moment with the sole aftermarket cord in my

 repertoire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackmore 

Here we go:

...

Very intresting to listen to and compare to your thoughts on these songs, Blackmore.

Didn't have the Trance/Electronic track, but I think I might get some of your points on the other ones. I'm not used to analyze the sound in that way when I listen though. Thanks for your efforts both in making the thread and in your replys, very much apprecieated.

-----

I tend to agree with this, to some extent atleast:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 
 I really do think it is recording dependent Blackmore - as you stated above, every now and then you hit the pinnacle with these cans - nothing else will do.
 ...

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradofan2 

 

Well... the sound of the PS1000's varies greatly with the set up and the tubes used... as well as... their position on your ears.  With some... their bass can be boomy, and treble can be strident... but... with others their bass is perfect as is their treble.  You have to experiment to find their "sweet spot" - but, if you do... find it you will - and, then "nothing else will do."  

I think you have a very good point Gradofan2, there's no obvious way to put these on your head. Took me quite a while to figure out how to get it right, both for comfort and sound.

You have to adjust both the clamping force of the headband, the height of the cups and also the positioning of the cups around your ears.

Cheers!

LL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 I wonder when someone will chime in with impressions concerning the ECP Audio L-2 unit

I'm very intrigued about the ECP Audio DSHA-1 already, a solid state amplifier made expressly for Grado headphones; by an a DIY guru (dsavitsk) and long time Grado user.

Tyll Hertsens will measure one of the two (L-2 or DSHA-1) in his first batch of headphone amplifiers measurements.

There are a few Japanese amplification companies I am CURIOUS (and know nothing) about; but since I only own and use Grado headphones and considering "Doug" reputation, I'm pretty sure that for me, the DSHA-1 will remain an obligatorily winning choice, no matter the contenders.

He has to be the only one left in the world still making products for Grado headphones, lol

If I am to sell some Grados and diversify my brands of and impedance in headphones, then I'd probably wiser to go with this one:

Phase Tech Digital -- EPA-007

It has the adjustments switches and knobs on the front to match any headphones between 16 and 600 ohms

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCfiner 

well, you made me edit my post :)

 

sure, there is something really great about the PS1000 and I think it's midrange energy it brings. that’s the main reason to buy that headphone, imo. It’s smooth and has no glare or harshness and it has an energy to it that is very exciting. the bass kicks hard (that’s a bit exaggerated but it’s not boomy as the D5000 is) but what kills me about the PS1000 is the treble peak and the imaging/soundstage. 

 

The treble is just too harsh and sibilant for my taste. It might work with a lot of music but I find it detracts from songs when crashing cymbals lack detail and nuance. I suppose some synergistic rig with some components designed to take the edge off is possible but I don’t like the idea of colouring sound via source or amp. 

 

And, because they have that more forward midrange, the imaging felt less precise and the soundstage smaller and with less noticeable 3D depth than the LCD3. (The HD800 soundstage is really, really large. maybe a little too much for some genres)

 

There were some songs where the PS1000 worked beautifully. But there were too many times when it didn’t just sound right to me.

i'm not so sure we hear this headphone as similarly as you might think (i'm referring to your post in the grado fan club thread). i heard the mid-range as recessed but not in a bad way. yes, the treble is "tipped-up" but it is superbly detailed and smooth as butter. the ps1000 has astonishing clarity and is the most dynamic, vivid headphone i've heard. and i really can't relate to your comment regarding the imaging and soundstaging of the ps1000 compared to the lcd-3 - i'm with gwarmi there. i was most disappointed with the lcd-3 to be honest. it was stodgy and the treble sounded so shelved down that i thought there was something wrong with it. now the ps1000 is no feather weight, but the lcd-3 is the biggest and heaviest headphone i've tried. the overall effect both physically and sonically was claustrophobic, and it was a relief to free myself of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by devouringone3 

 

I'm very intrigued about the ECP Audio DSHA-1 already, a solid state amplifier made expressly for Grado headphones; by an a DIY guru (dsavitsk) and long time Grado user.

 

Sonic Pearl has been tuned with the Grado PS1000 so you can consider it dedicated but also use high impedance headphones or most orthos with very good results. The key to obtain good sound form the big Grado's is low output impedance, not exceeding 6 ohms, and power reserve about 1W @ 32 ohms. So it's clear they prefer solid state and ears say the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

 

i'm not so sure we hear this headphone as similarly as you might think (i'm referring to your post in the grado fan club thread). i heard the mid-range as recessed. yes, the treble is "tipped-up" but it is superbly detailed and smooth as butter. and i can't relate to your comment regarding the imaging and soundstaging of the ps1000 compared to the lcd-3 - i'm with gwarmi there. i was disappointed with the lcd-3 to be honest. the treble sounded so shelved down that i thought there was something wrong with it. now the ps1000 is no feather weight but the lcd-3 is the biggest and heaviest headphone i've tried. the overall effect both physically and sonically was claustrophobic, and it was a relief to free myself of it. 

OK, fair enough. we're hearing things differently. I obviously disagree about the LCD3 treble vs the PS1000 but there's no point expounding on that any further. I suppose my brain or ears are just more sensitive to any tipped up treble in the 8kHz range. It bothers me more than other people in the Grado threads.

I was speaking mainly on comparing the PS1000 against a more traditional Grado sound. In your case, the RS1. In my case the Magnum. In both cases, it was the more familiar, traditional Grado sound that we preferred (I think I read that correctly in your post). that's why I made the comparison, regardless of how much you liked the PS1000 more than I did.

not exactly. i didn't say that i preferred the rs1i to the ps1000. i like them both for different reasons. however, i thought that the rs1i compared very well to the ps1000 given their pricepoints.

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel 

Sonic Pearl has been tuned with the Grado PS1000 so you can consider it dedicated but also use high impedance headphones or most orthos with very good results. The key to obtain good sound form the big Grado's is low output impedance, not exceeding 6 ohms, and power reserve about 1W @ 32 ohms. So it's clear they prefer solid state and ears say the same.

Yeah well both those amps I mentioned do this minimum and maybe much more. Until I have the 1500-2500 dollars for me I'll just stick to my Grado HPA-1 though, which I already like a lot for both types of Grado headphones (John's&Joe's). I don't have any of those "big Grados" though :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

not exactly. i didn't say that i preferred the rs1i to the ps1000. i like them both for different reasons. however, i thought that the rs1i compared very well to the ps1000 given their pricepoints.

 RS1i versus PS1000 comparisons are futile in my opinion - their differences span far beyond just their sonic presentation.

 Here's one for those who have loaned or owned some of the higher end offerings out there eg, LCD2/LCD3, HD800, W5000

 Ed8/10, PS1000 etc and who now find themselves owning the RS1i. Think of the most detailed, holistic criteria you can

 possibly imagine for assessing a headphone. I'll give it a shot here.

 Portability

 Weight

 General Fit & Comfort

 Drivability (can it be used out of a simple DAP and how does it perform without any further ancillaries?)

 General Suitability to Genres

 Soundstage

 Realistic Imaging

 Bass reproduction

 Present Mids

 Extended Highs

 Overall Aesthetic  

 We could go on and on. Think about it for a second though - start grading the the RS1i out of '100' for each and everyone of those

 categories and then do the same for those other headphones including the big chromed tank PS1000.

 Conclusions? Nothing wrong with the view and opinion that the RS1i *overall* is perhaps the best headphone in current production today.

 The others will find themselves scoring few if any marks in certain categories - LCD2/LCD3/PS1000 for portable use? I'd give them

 20 out of 100 if that for example. Drivability out of an iPod for the HD800? Surely you jest, but the RS1i still steps up to the plate.

 The PS1000 given the right rig remains sonically superior to the RS1i in every way, but when you think about the whole picture

 it is nowhere near as useful or versatile.

well if we adopt your logic then it is futile to compare different headphones at all. that won't leave much for us to talk about at this forum. i think that a comparison between the rs1i and ps1000 is valid and relevant, especially if you are considering buying one of them. and i don't agree that the ps1000 is sonically superior to the rs1i in every way. that's very much a matter of opinion.

I ended up with Grados because of this logic, hahaha. RS1 was my favorite headphone until I discovered Joe's Grados. Though my RS1 is a close second.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

well if we adopt your logic then it is futile to compare different headphones at all. that won't leave much for us to talk about at this forum. i think that a comparison between the rs1i and ps1000 is valid and relevant, especially if you are considering buying one of them. and i don't agree that the ps1000 is sonically superior to the rs1i in every way. that's very much a matter of opinion.

 I find them to be perfectly complimentary - I cannot recall the last time my DT990-600ohm or even the K601 saw much head time.

 Complimentary in the sense that where one shines the other tends fall short concerning the same material at hand. Faced with the

 dilemma of having to choose just either one - RS1i or PS1000 - either ownership is going to be rather different and it will require

 a different mentality towards the music.

 The RS1i laps up most the material put in front of it - assuming of course the mastering is of reasonable quality.

 It performs just as any Grado fan would expect - mids are forward, instruments bristle, separation is adequate

 and depending on the recording - they can sound rather airy.

 The PS1000 by contrast really excels with large works, in particular live recordings where it tends to just draw a larger sonic

 picture. Having said that - it is never always the case - that seminal work by Clapton - Unplugged - still sounds better on

 the RS1i - for many complicated reasons relating to the PS1000's voicing and the actual recording techniques used at

 the time it was recorded 'live' - Clapton's voice is recessed with the flagship yet it is much more present on the RS1i.

 Generalizing that the RS1i will always have more present mids than the PS1000 is again too much of a simplistic

 conclusion - on some other recordings with both units plugged into the V200 - there is hardly anything in it in

 terms of mids presentation, however the PS1000 runs away with it in terms of separation, sound stage and

 detail. The frequency figures may not say much, particularly for those empirically minded to suggest any

 headphone measuring outside of 20hz-20Khz is pointless since it lies outside the range of the human

 ear, nonetheless the respective figures of 12hz to 30Khz for the RS1i versus the PS1000's 5hz to 50Khz

 speaks volumes for the differences between their driver design.

 The RS1i remains versatile and very much a great headphone at the price point of $695 - the PS1000

 on the other hand is a 'feast or famine' headphone that I would suggest does not really suit the

 mentality of our times - it reeks of compromise from head-fit to how it will perform across a

 record collection - at this price point - most folks expect perfection and the utmost versatility,

 nobody wishes to say goodbye to a cherished album or twelve simply because their headphone

 does not suit.

 Few are prepared to take this compromise and live with it happily on a daily basis.

 I own a pair of Ps-1000's and I love their sound as compared to other cans (Beyer dt990 and Denon ah-d5000). The latter 2 are not yet broken in. I enjoy those as well but I prefer the more forward sound of my Grados. My problem with the PS-1000's is build quality. The plastic tabs which connect the drivers to the headset came loose. I had to superglue it back on. Should I have to do that with a 1600.00 pair of cans? The build quality and comfort of the Denons and the Beyers seems better to me. All three pairs have very different sound signatures. That being said, I enjoy them all. I usually listen to 70's and 80's prog rock such as Tull, Floyd, ELP, older Elton John albums, Cat Stevens, R.E.M. and Gabriel era Genesis. I have SACD's and DVD-a's of some of these bands and I'm listening from an Oppo 93 connected to a Beyer A1 Amp. I just yesterday ordered a pair of Sennheiser HD-800's. It'll be interesting to compare their sound to that of the Grado's. Maybe next year I'll try the Beyer T-1's. I hear they are a perfect match with their A-1 amp.

 So, all in all, I love my Grado PS-1000's for much of the music I listen to but not impressed with build quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parula 

 I own a pair of Ps-1000's and I love their sound as compared to other cans (Beyer dt990 and Denon ah-d5000). The latter 2 are not yet broken in. I enjoy those as well but I prefer the more forward sound of my Grados. My problem with the PS-1000's is build quality. The plastic tabs which connect the drivers to the headset came loose. I had to superglue it back on. Should I have to do that with a 1600.00 pair of cans? The build quality and comfort of the Denons and the Beyers seems better to me. All three pairs have very different sound signatures. That being said, I enjoy them all. I usually listen to 70's and 80's prog rock such as Tull, Floyd, ELP, older Elton John albums, Cat Stevens, R.E.M. and Gabriel era Genesis. I have SACD's and DVD-a's of some of these bands and I'm listening from an Oppo 93 connected to a Beyer A1 Amp. I just yesterday ordered a pair of Sennheiser HD-800's. It'll be interesting to compare their sound to that of the Grado's. Maybe next year I'll try the Beyer T-1's. I hear they are a perfect match with their A-1 amp.

 So, all in all, I love my Grado PS-1000's for much of the music I listen to but not impressed with build quality.

 They're pretty rudimentary at the price point that's for sure ~ but then again so were all vintage classic Ferrari's - build quality?

 Typically classic period Italiano - take with a grain of salt.

 Back to the headphones though - the D5000 and DT990 may appear intitially to be of much better build quality on the surface level

 - until you do a bit of research.

 The D5000 can suffer from the dreaded stripped thread issue, repair is very difficult and in the case of the owner having bought them

 online from an illegitimate source - no warranty either. As for the DT990 - check out the 'bass rattle' thread - mine suffer from the

 same issue. Last but not least - call me lucky or unlucky - but I've personally witnessed 4 separate DT990 driver failures in my

 time.

I had a driver failure with my Grados. Soon after purchasing. My own fault though for unpausing during a loud music passage. Grado's customer service was excellent. I had my cans back to me in 5 days! I'm hoping I have better luck with the Beyers and the Denons. Thanks for your relpy Gwarmi!