I’ve gotta say, the more I look into the Statement series, the more confused I am by it.
It’s Grado’s most expensive line of headphones (besides the PS2000e), and yet no one seems to really recommend them.
The 60e, 80e, RS2e, and Hemp seem to be Grado’s most beloved headphones by far, with almost universal recommendations.
The 225e, 325e, and PS500e are polarizing, with some recommending them and some disliking their sound signatures.
The PS2000e is also polarizing, with some loving and some disliking them, but these aren’t often recommended due to their huge price tag.
The 125e and RS1e are considered fairly good, but not really recommended because people prefer their less expensive little brothers, thus making these overpriced.
Then there’s the GS1000e, 2000e, and 3000e. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who’s actually passionate about these three models. They’re just kind of there. It’s not even that they’re merely overpriced; it’s that many of the reviews outright say that they don’t really sound any better than the much cheaper models. So it seems like this line exists purely for aesthetic reasons. As a physical object, they’re beautiful with the wood styling. But if this line exists for their physical beauty, I’d say they deserve something more unique in terms of the headband and adjustment mechanism. When you have $1800 headphones with beautiful wooden housings, I’d say they deserve something better than Grado’s standard cheap L/R plastic sliders.
Basically, the Statement series doesn’t seem to exist for its sound, as they’re not really recommended in that department. They seem to exist as pretty wooden objects. But if that’s their reason for being, I’d say Grado should go all in on that and fully embrace the artisanal styling.
Just a few observations I’ve had regarding Grado’s main lineup.
