starblue said:

Hi all,

Thanks for our advice in advance.

I am looking to buy the GS2000e but am not sure if I should get the Balanced 4pin XLR option. I have balanced amps and portable DAC so the option of switching to balance appeals to me, however the balanced cable is not that cheap. Questions
- highly unlikely but anybody here has listened the G2K with balanced and standard cable? how about G1K? is the upgrade worth it?
- is it possible to buy the standard cable option and then retermitate the end to 4 pin balanced XLR myself? in other words, is the stock cable itself balanced? I have done this with my HD800 and TH900 earlier and the cost will be much cheaper than the $170 balanced XLR option from Grado,

Please can you comment?

PS: must say - these headphone loo awesome!

ThX!

Click to expand...

Here is what I am finding from comparing single ended vs balanced mode of the GS2000e:

I just increased my comparison of single-ended vs. balanced driving of the GS2000e from the CEntrance HiFiM8 to also include the Sennheiser HDVD800 DAC/amp, optimized for the Sennheiser HD 800 headphones, and the HiFiMAN EF-6 amp, optimized for the HFiMAN HE-6 headphones.

Unlike the CEntrance, where I heard NO difference between the single-ended and balanced outputs, I DID hear a difference between single-ended and balanced with both the HDVD800 and the EF-6.

The most immediate observation with either amp is that the balanced was louder. This is consistent with my understanding of a balanced amp, which includes two amp chains one for positive and one for equal and opposite negative excursions of the signal. -- twice as many amps, more sound. On the CEntrance, the loudness of the GS2000e was the same in single-ended or in balanced.

Listening more carefully, I found a slight improvement in soundstage with the balanced for both the HDVD800 and the EF-6. In a pleasant way, it was as if the room suddenly became just a bit larger, more spherical, and a bit more reverberant with balanced as compared with single mode. I also found that the treble detail was a bit better for the balanced, especially on the Sennheiser.

This suggests that:

There is a (small but noticable) advantage to the GS2000e running in balanced mode from a true balanced amp;
The CEntrance HiFiM8 provides a balanced impedance output, but seems not to provide two separate amp paths internally as do the Sennheiser HDVD800 and HiFiMAN EF-6.

1.5 months into GS2000e ownership and I've settled on this EQ, optimized for 80-85dB listening. (The GS2000e, like all Grados, are terrible at 100dB and the InnerFidelity graphs support this with mega distortion numbers.) I'm happy to share it. The 16khz+ rolloff EQ sliders are to minimize listening fatigue. If you don't experience it, you don't need them.

Weakest part of the headphone is the bass. It's less than the GS1000i/GS1000e. I've heard people say it's "neutral". No way. The GS2000e sounds completely cold. My vented SR225i had more bass. But the GS2000e has superior bass once EQed. It's tight and accurate, but it just needs to be louder. Mids aren't as scooped as the GS1000i/GS1000e but they still need a boost.

With this EQ this is my everyday endgame headphone and I don't regret choosing the GS2000e over the HD800S one bit. It's the first Grado I've spent extended time with that doesn't have uneven, piercing treble. But I wouldn't recommend this headphone at all if you don't want to EQ or tube roll to deal with its anemic bass.

EDIT (2017/Jun 12): I've changed the EQ so that the pre-amp is set to 0. I've also boosted the mids and treble more so it doesn't sound as muffled. This "M EQ" has been stable since February. New EQ below:

EDIT (2017/Jun 18): Simplified the EQ and removed sub-bass roll-off.

Hey,
 
Was wondering what owners of the PS1000e thought of these. I have the old GS1000i and have to say I slightly prefer the sound of that to the PS1000e (seems more rich?). Do people compare the GS2000e favorably over the PS1000e? Worth having both? I run a Peachtree Nova 220 amp.
 
Thanks,
-Chris

prayingmantis said:

Hey,

Was wondering what owners of the PS1000e thought of these. I have the old GS1000i and have to say I slightly prefer the sound of that to the PS1000e (seems more rich?). Do people compare the GS2000e favorably over the PS1000e? Worth having both? I run a Peachtree Nova 220 amp.

Thanks,
-Chris

Click to expand...

I too prefer the GS1000i to the PS1000e. When I compared the GS2000e, I preferred it to the GS1000i.

More details here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/809914/grado-gs2000e-loaner-program/180#post_13061167

I brought my X3II dap and my old pair of GS1000i yesterday for some comparative listening with a GS2000e at a local audio store.

Briefly, here are my impressions after about 90 minutes with some classical and jazz music: the GS2000e are a bit more sensitive, i.e. louder at any given volume level; they also sound clearer (less warm) across the frequency range; the bass has less presence and the midrange has a bit more; imaging seems about the same.

Overall, from that first listening, I thought they were a bit too bright for my taste, but I intend to do a second listening later this month (there's an inventory sale in May). I didn't ask if they were burned in or not, but it was the demo pair.

A remark about the cable: the specs mention that the GS2000e has a 12-wire cable as compared to an 8-wire cable for the GS1000i, but that seems to stop at the Y-splitter - When I look inside the GS2000e cups through the opening, I see four wires in each cup as in the GS1000i, not six.

There should be 3 wires going to each solder pad behind the driver. The "i" version has 2 wires to each pad

wormsdriver said:

There should be 3 wires going to each solder pad behind the driver. The "i" version has 2 wires to each pad

Click to expand...

Probably right - It was difficult to see clearly inside, a flashlight would have help. I'll look more closely the next time I try them.

Nitreb said:

Probably right - It was difficult to see clearly inside, a flashlight would have help. I'll look more closely the next time I try them.

Click to expand...

Ha, even with a flashlight it's hard to see what the heck is going on in there.

Porteroso said:

What I really hope is that a ton of people buy them, and then due to a solar flare, the sonic capabilities of maple wood are affected as soon as they get them, and they immediately try to sell them, preferrably to me, for about a hundred bucks, then the solar flare ends and I have a pair of them for a hundred bucks.

Stranger things have happened.

Click to expand...

Not really

Anyone compare the 325e to the 2000e, particularly in terms of bass impact, tonal balance, smoothness of upper frequencies etc.? I know it's probably not a fair comparison given the price difference and different ear pad design, but just wanted general comments on whether it is a significant upgrade.

I have a Schiit Lyr 2 and a Violectric V1000 as desktop amps.

I am planning to compare to some of my other Grados but I do not have a SR325 of any vintage. Check my profile to see if anything else would be helpful to you.

Best regards

PS. I have a Lyr and a Violectric V200 among my group of amps......

I can compare the 325e to the PS2000e, when I get it.

ESL-1 said:

I am planning to compare to some of my other Grados but I do not have a SR325 of any vintage. Check my profile to see if anything else would be helpful to you.

Best regards

PS. I have a Lyr and a Violectric V200 among my group of amps......

Click to expand...

Great to hear from you....I am back in Grado land after detours with many other headphones. I am actually honing in on getting the GH2. Read your very fine review on them. Looking for something very light weight and with a bit more heft in the bass. They would seem to be a good contrast to the 325e.

Grab a set of the GH2 while you can, they are a great value. Very comfortable, good bass, air and detail. They sound wonderful on my MAD Ear tube amp. Their sound is somewhat similar to the approach that the PS2000e takes. In the meantime start saving for the PS2000e.

That's great...your endorsement of it means a lot given your Grado knowledge.