[ParaLoganGrado]

As curious as I am to try them, $50-60 is a lot for some foam!

Of course, same could be said for $600 headphones....

 

[ruhenheiM]

Haha I know what you mean. I want to get another pair of Grados just to have them, but I know that the GH-2s are pretty highly regarded, esp. for their price class and I don't want to buy a "lesser" one to be dissapointed. I already have the GW100s, which are good in their own right but I don't know if anything between is different enough to justify dropping a couple hundred just for a different sound.

The one purchase I have been giving some serious thought to is trying to find a closed back can with a similar sound signature to the Grado sound, but I've yet to hear a pair of closed backs that don't have that echo-ish resonance that's pretty much unavoidable. And I imagine find a closed back pair that sounds as good as my current cans without the closed back resonance would cost a good chunk of change... (PS, just considering closed back so I can wear them at work without bothering my coworkers)

if you don't mind semi open, to my ears denon sh-90 sound pretty close to ps1000e

Hi guys.
Can anyone explain the sound characteristics of GRADO PS1 and HP1000 headphones?
I really interested in and curious about these discontinued headphone but It's difficult to find a sale with appropriate conditions.
I have heard GS3000e, PS2000e, and other all kind of current e series grado headphones.
Thanks.

from my understanding read on the forums
hp1000 is the most neutral headphone grado could offer
ps1 was the bassiest grado in that era
but finding ps1 is going to be difficult since its rarer than hp1000 and usually more expensive

I always wondered what the difference between the "OG" flat pads and the "Deluxe" was -- the pic and description on his page doesn't explain much.

• Are they different materials?
• Are they thicker / thinner, or wider / skinnier?
• I tried "S" pads (comfies) on my GH2s and it just killed everything about them except upper-bass and lower-mids. Would these do better than the comfies due to the hole in the middle?

this post perhaps could help you
https://www.head-case.org/forums/to...eadphones/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-811065

 

[ruhenheiM]

I never been one to like the sound of my 325is or RS1i w/cushions other then genuine Grados, but @ESL-1 (Joe) had left me with a pair of Beautiful Audio Merino/Leather Hybrid (L) Pads to try, and I must say that I'm very impressed with their comfort & sound.

Ive tried TTVJ Flats 3x and still own a brand new pair that I've try to get used too (again) but still find they're just not for me.
I was very skeptical of the BA pads, but right from my initial listen I found that they took away nothing away from the Grado magic that I love, but added just the right amount of imaging, depth, warmth & relaxation to the sound.

When I spoke with Joe about how I was impressed with their sound, he kindly gifted them to me which was very nice of him to do, so thank you very much, Joe, I appreciate it! Thanks goes out to @bozebuttons as well, nice find, and definitely a great recommendation.

NICE! have you try their g-pad equivalent?

 

[joseph69]

NICE! have you try their g-pad equivalent?

Unfortunately, no, but if I do I'll be sure to report back.

 

[zazex]

Which one would you pick, GH3 or Rs1e?

I cant find much information related to the GH3, so detail comparision would be helpful.

Since I don't know what you're looking for in a headphone,
it's kind of hard to choose between those two.

Also, they're really different from each other and Grado offers
several other choices in between.

I'd like to say the RS1e, but those have had sort of a "cloud"
over them since some rough reviews directly following their
release. (You can search here on Head-Fi for some of those
reviews and ensuing discussion.)

Moreover, I was recently becoming interested in them again,
hoping that Grado had resolved the issues. I spoke with a
dealer, a Grado dealer (of course), and he gently advised
against buying them, instead recommending the PS500,
the GH4, and the RS2e.

Which was a good thing, because I already have those three.

I like them all very much. There are slight but meaningful
differences among them, especially with the PS500 since
the mahogany earcups are clad in metal (which I think is
aluminum).

 

[bach98]

Since I don't know what you're looking for in a headphone,
it's kind of hard to choose between those two.

Also, they're really different from each other and Grado offers
several other choices in between.

I'd like to say the RS1e, but those have had sort of a "cloud"
over them since some rough reviews directly following their
release. (You can search here on Head-Fi for some of those
reviews and ensuing discussion.)

Moreover, I was recently becoming interested in them again,
hoping that Grado had resolved the issues. I spoke with a
dealer, a Grado dealer (of course), and he gently advised
against buying them, instead recommending the PS500,
the GH4, and the RS2e.

Which was a good thing, because I already have those three.

I like them all very much. There are slight but meaningful
differences among them, especially with the PS500 since
the mahogany earcups are clad in metal (which I think is
aluminum).

I ended up buying the rs1e and I love the sound.

However, I dont feel that the price gap is worth the sound. Mayb I need an amp to truly feel its sound.

Any idea?

 

[blackgreen15]

Anyone here heard the Grado Whites? Only Grado's I've heard are RS1e's, which were not really for me, and GS2000e, which I loved. Can anyone make a comparison?

 

[zazex]

I ended up buying the rs1e and I love the sound.

However, I dont feel that the price gap is worth the sound. Mayb I need an amp to truly feel its sound.

Any idea?

Well, good to find out that you bought and like the RS1e's.
Not a lot of info on those recently since they became
kind of tainted somehow, probably unfairly.
.
It was about 5 years ago that I put on the RS1i's and was
knocked out. The sense of dynamic realism meshed with
great detail was outstanding. (I still have them, BTW.)

So, to your point, what amp are you using now?
An amp that's actually better will improve the sound
you're hearing.
And these days, it doesn't take a fortune to get a good
sounding amp.
For $100.00 you can get a JDS Labs Atom which IMO
is a very good sounding amp. (Alas, all is relative..)
And I know I'm not alone in having that opinion.

It runs on AC, so it's not portable.
For comparison, I do think it sounds better than the O2,
which I also think is a solid value at about the same price.
Of course the O2 is untethered as I'm sure you know.
Monoprice has some good amps as well, and they
sell direct off their own website. I guess the
THX 789 is particularly notable.

Actually, I think the Atom is amazing and I don't
hesitate to recommend it, especially at the price.
Schitt has the Magni and a few others that consistently
get high marks.

And, also to your point, what is your source material?
Are you playing lossless tracks downloaded from
Tidal and similar music sites? And perhaps FLAC,
ALAC, or other lossless files taken directly from
CD's or similar high grade sources?

If not, you won't be getting all the Grado's have to offer.

If you're listening directly from your computer, you've
got to have a good sound card, one that's on the same
level as the headphones, amp, and source.

Anyway, since I've not heard the 1e's I'm not in a
position to comment on their sound.
I'll assume you bought from a dealer which
accepts returns. Just take note that the next
Grado up costs $995. Enjoy!

 

[Shane D]

I ended up buying the rs1e and I love the sound.

However, I dont feel that the price gap is worth the sound. Mayb I need an amp to truly feel its sound.

Any idea?

A really nice amp that I like with my Grado's, and everything else, is the Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Spark. It is normally about $109.00, but I got an open box for $80.00 in the fall. I really enjoy the Cavalli sound.
I also enjoy my Burson Fun-Classic with them.

 

[bach98]

Well, good to find out that you bought and like the RS1e's.
Not a lot of info on those recently since they became
kind of tainted somehow, probably unfairly.
.
It was about 5 years ago that I put on the RS1i's and was
knocked out. The sense of dynamic realism meshed with
great detail was outstanding. (I still have them, BTW.)

So, to your point, what amp are you using now?
An amp that's actually better will improve the sound
you're hearing.
And these days, it doesn't take a fortune to get a good
sounding amp.
For $100.00 you can get a JDS Labs Atom which IMO
is a very good sounding amp. (Alas, all is relative..)
And I know I'm not alone in having that opinion.

It runs on AC, so it's not portable.
For comparison, I do think it sounds better than the O2,
which I also think is a solid value at about the same price.
Of course the O2 is untethered as I'm sure you know.
Monoprice has some good amps as well, and they
sell direct off their own website. I guess the
THX 789 is particularly notable.

Actually, I think the Atom is amazing and I don't
hesitate to recommend it, especially at the price.
Schitt has the Magni and a few others that consistently
get high marks.

And, also to your point, what is your source material?
Are you playing lossless tracks downloaded from
Tidal and similar music sites? And perhaps FLAC,
ALAC, or other lossless files taken directly from
CD's or similar high grade sources?

If not, you won't be getting all the Grado's have to offer.

If you're listening directly from your computer, you've
got to have a good sound card, one that's on the same
level as the headphones, amp, and source.

Anyway, since I've not heard the 1e's I'm not in a
position to comment on their sound.
I'll assume you bought from a dealer which
accepts returns. Just take note that the next
Grado up costs $995. Enjoy!

I got the used rs 1e for about 300 usd. My old 125e was also used and costed me 70 bucks.

The rs1e is deffo warmer, has more details, better soundstage but the improvements, imo, are pretty minor. (When i switch the pads, the 125e did improve a lot).

So i thought the problem might be my source. Currently I am using just the iphone Xr and no external dac or amp.

Im considering some other amps or dac/amp but havent decided yet because in my area we have plenty of used options (ifi, Fiio,etc) and I havent gotten the time to try.

Also, i dont know if the dac, amp would make a huge improvement in SQ. Have read several articles saying that they wont do much

 

[Oddiofyl]

Just want to let any Grado owners that are interested in a tube amp to check out the Quicksilver Headphone amp. It can easily drive low impedance phones like Grado and the Klipsch HP 3. It's an EL84 SET and it sounds great with any phone I've plugged into it

 

[Roasty]

I went to audition the GS2000e.
The mids and highs are nice. Very engaging headphones. But somewhat lacking in low bass/sub bass..

The shop did not have the GS3000e in stock. If I want it, I have to bite the bullet and pre order.

Does the GS3000e have better bass than the 2k?

The price for the GS3k they offered is pretty attractive, but I am pondering if I should get it from Moon with a black dragon cable upgrade.

Hi guys could anyone with experience with the GS2K and GS3k offer their thoughts on this? Thanks!!

 

[AndyBurns]

I ended up buying the rs1e and I love the sound.

However, I dont feel that the price gap is worth the sound. Mayb I need an amp to truly feel its sound.

Any idea?

Sounds to me that you think something is missing. I had the same reaction after upgrading from SR325. Excellent lows and mids. But really noticed cymbals were muddy and hard to hear. Just no clarity on the high end for me. Sent them back and bought the RS2e. Noticed an immediate difference in sound. Very happy with them. Played thru a MAD Ear+>>>Oppp 103.

 

[ParaLoganGrado]

Sounds to me that you think something is missing. I had the same reaction after upgrading from SR325. Excellent lows and mids. But really noticed cymbals were muddy and hard to hear. Just no clarity on the high end for me. Sent them back and bought the RS2e. Noticed an immediate difference in sound. Very happy with them. Played thru a MAD Ear+>>>Oppp 103.

I think you're the first person to say the 325's have muddy highs lol. I always thought the 325s were the harshest in the treble region!

 

[eeagle]

Just want to let any Grado owners that are interested in a tube amp to check out the Quicksilver Headphone amp. It can easily drive low impedance phones like Grado and the Klipsch HP 3. It's an EL84 SET and it sounds great with any phone I've plugged into it

Nice thought; here is the Link