Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Save it for the next life. We've said enough.
I'm theistic though non religious, for all the people out there, read who put the bible together before reading it (augustus)
Grado has new cans. They're a substantial break from the dominance of the woodies, though they hearken back to Grado's metallic wunderkin: the PS1 and the HP1000. They're also $750 more than the GS-1000, which had previously been the most expensive item on Grado's in-production menu. Zanth weighed in on the cans, saying they're the best he's ever heard. I shared my skepticisms. This drew stinging shots from at least one not-so-subtle poster. Others rallied my point. What survived of this postal moment was a floating nuclear option called, "You've never heard the PS-1!!!!!" Before I had a chance to address the point, a few other pitched in with, "Yeah, he's never even heard the PS-1!!!!!"
Torches were lit. Pitchforks were borrowed. A dedicated few went over their zombie lines, "Argghhhh!!! Argghhhh!!!" Others laughed back. We all had some fun at each other's expense.
No fun at my part...
I think I got credit for using the word, "Phallus." A good time was had by all. And in the end, what remains is the enduring mystery, "Has he or has he not heard the PS-1?" After all, with current prices, I might not have the coin to make such a purchase, but I might know somebody who has. I might have been at his or her home. With doors locked and shades drawn, I might have donned the holy vessels of the Lord and listened to Barry Manilow and Judas Priest: Judas Manilow. I might have formed an opinion of the PS-1, even if somebody else had the box under their bed.
Or I could be making all this up. You never know.
If you say that you have heard the PS1 I believe you.
What remains a mystery, at least to me, is how the "PS-1 virgin" accusation became relevant in the first place. As far as I can tell, it's just an un-subtle bit of misdirection. We're talking about whether the PS-1 - which almost everybody hasn't yet heard - represents a serious innovation, compelling the purchase of a new headphone, and at a price almost double the GS-1000. Zanth says so, and he at least has heard one. My comments were nothing more than the concerns, shared by many, hoping that - in this time of financial hardship - we weren't getting sold a headphone we didn't need.
Which is a very good point indeed, however you did put grado's creditibility on the line, which isn't that nice imo.
Most people get my point. That doesn't mean they're never going to buy a PS-1000. It simply means that I'm echoing concerns held by a lot of people for whom two grand is still a useful wad of cash, a sum whose disappearance would be noticed in a lot of homes. I took the "Do we need this?" argument; you argued that the PS-1000 isn't just a cosmetic offering, that it represents some important upgrades. While I question how big a difference it'll make if the inner cup is mahogany and the outer cup is aluminum, or the real cost of a few feet of "8 conductor" wire, Zanth says this set of cans is clearly the pick of the litter.
Offcourse in this high-end audio, paying a grand is getting a 5% upgrade. My income does allow me to buy headphones like these for fun, but I will write reviews about them so that everyone will know if they are worth it or not. Especially with the current economical situation that is effecting almost all of us, this question is more important than ever.
And still this raises the inevitable cry, "Yes, but have you ever heard the PS-1?" Honestly, I'm at a loss for how it matters. We're not talking about the PS-1, except that the GS-1000's initial enthusiasm later gave way to complaints that it was too refined, and that it strayed too far from the Grado sound. It saw a strong interest in the HP-1 and the PS-1. Not surprisingly, John Grado thought it was the perfect time to roll out a new line of products culminating in a can that looks like a metallic version of the GS-1000, but hearkens back to the PS-1 and HP-1000.
Forget the fact that Zanth, himself, said as much:
"Never one to stop innovating, Grado has set out to create a new flagship and it is these new headphones, the PS1000's, as I hear it, are the very best headphone Grado Labs has ever produced. What would so excite me as to claim such a thing? How about a hybrid metal/wooden headphone that incorporates the tone and timbre of the RS1's, maintaining the superior Grado mid-range, the hallmark of their sound and a resonance reduced decay which brings the sound closer to that of the PS1's and HP-1000's?"
But the argument ended up stuck on whether I, personally, had ever heard the PS-1, followed by the unsubtle attack that I hadn't and if I hadn't then my point didn't count.
Just to be clear (and again no offense whatsoever), could you just state if you have heard the PS1 or not?
But even Zanth, in his generous praise of the product, reflected the frustration and skepticism multiple product upgrades and replacements might generate:
"The PS1000's are finally, (and for those that upgrade often or think the grass is always greener, they know what I mean by finally)."
But the argument is becoming a one-note wonder, with snits about fancy language and the finger-in-the-chest question, "Yes, but have you heard the PS-1? Admit it. You have not. If you haven't listened to the PS-1, you have no business having an opinion about the GS-1000, let alone the PS-1000.
And yet, for the life of me, I can't see the connection between our argument about the PS-1000 and whether or not I've listened to the PS-1. I think we both can find better uses for our time.
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