zeinharis
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Grado Fan Club!
- Thread starter Vikingatheart
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- 1000hours burn-in minimum 1000hours hearing damage minimum dynamat grado grado hf3 grado-gs1000 grado-head-fi-series-hf-2-headphones grado-igrado-black grado-professional-series-ps500-headphones grado-rs1i-reference-series-headphones grado-sr-80 grado-sr125i-headphones grado-sr225i-headphones grado-sr325is-headphones grado-sr80i-headphones grado-statement-series-gs1000i-headphones nhoord nhoord red v2
obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
Personally I would pass on a lot of the Audio-Technica headphones - the only ones I've ever really liked are the ESW9.
If you're happy with Grado, stick with it. There's nothing else quite like them.
Sorry, I was listening to some music...
mmmm, listening to music.
Indeed you will. If you know what's good for you. :tongue_smile:
+1.
Awgd8
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I auditioned The PS1000 before together with the PS500. I find the PS1000 is huge in comparison to the PS500. Soundstage is better , but it looks weird on my medium size head.
This is basically a home headphone.
PS500 is great enough and for $500 diference in price against the PS1000, I am pretty sure it is a steal!
This is basically a home headphone.
PS500 is great enough and for $500 diference in price against the PS1000, I am pretty sure it is a steal!
Focker
Headphoneus Supremus
Quote:
LOL....there's a rumor going around that I got them today
Indeed you will. If you know what's good for you.
LOL....there's a rumor going around that I got them today
asmoday
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LOL....there's a rumor going around that I got them today
Any truth to this vicious rumor?
obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
I auditioned The PS1000 before together with the PS500. I find the PS1000 is huge in comparison to the PS500. Soundstage is better , but it looks weird on my medium size head.
This is basically a home headphone.
PS500 is great enough and for $500 diference in price against the PS1000, I am pretty sure it is a steal!
$500? Try $1100.
I wonder...
parbaked
Headphoneus Supremus
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Quote:
They are liberated 225i drivers mounted in Martin Custom Audio redwood cups and recabled with nucleotide wide bandwidth cable. Nice thing about the MCA cups is they are one piece as opposed to two cups glued together. They sound much better (more full, larger soundstage, more detail, tighter bass) than the 225i or MS2 that I own. I think them close to the RS1i and RS2i. Martin will build with either Magnums or Grados and he says good things about the Magnums.
I was more interested in the Magnums when he was mounting them in those lovely metal inner cups almost like HP1/2/3, especially if you got the full mod with metal gimbals.
Nice:
I can't comment on buying just Magnum drivers compared to modding a pair of Grados.
Though YOU should probably mod 60 or 125, not 225, lol...
They are liberated 225i drivers mounted in Martin Custom Audio redwood cups and recabled with nucleotide wide bandwidth cable. Nice thing about the MCA cups is they are one piece as opposed to two cups glued together. They sound much better (more full, larger soundstage, more detail, tighter bass) than the 225i or MS2 that I own. I think them close to the RS1i and RS2i. Martin will build with either Magnums or Grados and he says good things about the Magnums.
I was more interested in the Magnums when he was mounting them in those lovely metal inner cups almost like HP1/2/3, especially if you got the full mod with metal gimbals.
Nice:
I can't comment on buying just Magnum drivers compared to modding a pair of Grados.
Though YOU should probably mod 60 or 125, not 225, lol...
Focker
Headphoneus Supremus
Quote:
As a matter of fact there is!
So I had a pretty good time today out at the ol' B&M shop. It was far more involved visit than I expected and a total blast. I was really happy to see that the official Grado dealer here in Atlanta (north of Atlanta, actually) is the same as the new Magnepan dealer. I had a really good relationship with the former Maggie dealer and when they closed up shop I was truly bummed. The new place, Audio Alternative (Lilburn, GA) is a great location for Grado fans to visit. I usually buy most of my headphones from Amazon, but with Grados I'm only going to buy them locally from now on. So anyway, I had actually worked out a trade-in of an amp I didn't have much use for anymore. It was very, very tough to part with it since it's been 1/2 of the backbone of my Magnepan system for several years, but I figured I'd get more use out of the Grado upgrade than I would the amp sitting around. The owner is very flexible and down to earth, and as long as the deal makes sense to him he's willing to work something out. I'm not used to that, so it was a really nice experience.
Anyway, the Grados did come home with me, but before I left there I was treated to some tunes on both their main analog rig, as well as their wireless iPad/mini-Mac system, which was truly amazing. This was the first time I had handled an iPad and I was thoroughly impressed with the build of the thing, in addition to how well they had the "remote" app working. I use the remote app at home, but theirs was much more involved. I got to listen to the top of the line Vandersteen speakers, which were very nice. I didn't have a lot of time to hang out, unfortunately, but I got a nice little listening session in and truly enjoyed it. I can't wait to go back and give the new Maggie 3.7s a listen.
Okay, so the Grados...the big question...are they even more amazing and awesome than my current king of the hill headphone, my beloved PS500s? So far I'm sorry to report that they have not overtaken the top spot. As of right now, after only a few hours of break-in, I'd rank them as a tie for #2 with my T1s, with the 500s still the king. So why did I bring them home? Cause they're awesome! lol I like the larger sound stage and I think they are different enough from the 500s that both will be able to co-exist in my little headphone collection. Now, that being said, I haven't listened on my main rig yet....so this is just how I feel as of today. I need to stream some lossless files to my DAC and use both my LD amp and also my Meier, both with and without the tube buffer fired up. So I guess you could say it's not 100% fair evaluation yet. The only reason I say they haven't overtaken the 500s is because I'm pretty familiar with how the 500s sound on just my iPhone and Kindle Fire, which is how Im listening to the GS1ks. I HAVE heard people say that the GS1ks really need a nicer amp, so there's still plenty of room for them to kick the 500s off the mountain, but as of now they fall a little short.
The first thing you notice is the weight. These things are feather light, just like the RS-1s. You'd just never guess how light they are from just looking at pics...it's really something to feel how little weight they have. The next thing I noticed was the pads. I think I'm in the minority here, but my favorite pads are the L-cush. I guess Im just more of an on-ear guy than I am an around ear. I'm not really sure why Im like this, but even though these are lighter I almost prefer the feel of the 500s on my head. The low end so far is quite nice....it doesn't really sound all that different from the PS500s to me. I expected it to be different, but it's pretty close. The sound stage is certainly larger. I've always felt that Grados have an airy presentation, which I love, but the GS1ks are a bit more distant, if that makes any sense. Imaging is on par with the 500s, which is good cause I've always liked Grado imaging...but the size of the sound stage is definitely wider and a tad deeper. They are brighter than the 500s, which is good cause I do like the brightness I had with the 325s. They dont approach that level of brightness, but they are brighter than the 500s.
I'm neither a believer nor a non-believer in burn in, so I'll let these things get some heavy use over the next several days so when I have a chance to fire up the main system when I'm back at my apartment this weekend, I'll be able to give a more critical listen. So far if someone asked me if these were worth nearly twice the price of the PS500s, I'd say probably no. Are they really enjoyable headphones that are a great addition to the Grado line? Yep, absolutely. But in terms of value, the 500s are it for me. I'll write a follow-up to this post this weekend and see if they respond to better quality amplification.
As a matter of fact there is!
So I had a pretty good time today out at the ol' B&M shop. It was far more involved visit than I expected and a total blast. I was really happy to see that the official Grado dealer here in Atlanta (north of Atlanta, actually) is the same as the new Magnepan dealer. I had a really good relationship with the former Maggie dealer and when they closed up shop I was truly bummed. The new place, Audio Alternative (Lilburn, GA) is a great location for Grado fans to visit. I usually buy most of my headphones from Amazon, but with Grados I'm only going to buy them locally from now on. So anyway, I had actually worked out a trade-in of an amp I didn't have much use for anymore. It was very, very tough to part with it since it's been 1/2 of the backbone of my Magnepan system for several years, but I figured I'd get more use out of the Grado upgrade than I would the amp sitting around. The owner is very flexible and down to earth, and as long as the deal makes sense to him he's willing to work something out. I'm not used to that, so it was a really nice experience.
Anyway, the Grados did come home with me, but before I left there I was treated to some tunes on both their main analog rig, as well as their wireless iPad/mini-Mac system, which was truly amazing. This was the first time I had handled an iPad and I was thoroughly impressed with the build of the thing, in addition to how well they had the "remote" app working. I use the remote app at home, but theirs was much more involved. I got to listen to the top of the line Vandersteen speakers, which were very nice. I didn't have a lot of time to hang out, unfortunately, but I got a nice little listening session in and truly enjoyed it. I can't wait to go back and give the new Maggie 3.7s a listen.
Okay, so the Grados...the big question...are they even more amazing and awesome than my current king of the hill headphone, my beloved PS500s? So far I'm sorry to report that they have not overtaken the top spot. As of right now, after only a few hours of break-in, I'd rank them as a tie for #2 with my T1s, with the 500s still the king. So why did I bring them home? Cause they're awesome! lol I like the larger sound stage and I think they are different enough from the 500s that both will be able to co-exist in my little headphone collection. Now, that being said, I haven't listened on my main rig yet....so this is just how I feel as of today. I need to stream some lossless files to my DAC and use both my LD amp and also my Meier, both with and without the tube buffer fired up. So I guess you could say it's not 100% fair evaluation yet. The only reason I say they haven't overtaken the 500s is because I'm pretty familiar with how the 500s sound on just my iPhone and Kindle Fire, which is how Im listening to the GS1ks. I HAVE heard people say that the GS1ks really need a nicer amp, so there's still plenty of room for them to kick the 500s off the mountain, but as of now they fall a little short.
The first thing you notice is the weight. These things are feather light, just like the RS-1s. You'd just never guess how light they are from just looking at pics...it's really something to feel how little weight they have. The next thing I noticed was the pads. I think I'm in the minority here, but my favorite pads are the L-cush. I guess Im just more of an on-ear guy than I am an around ear. I'm not really sure why Im like this, but even though these are lighter I almost prefer the feel of the 500s on my head. The low end so far is quite nice....it doesn't really sound all that different from the PS500s to me. I expected it to be different, but it's pretty close. The sound stage is certainly larger. I've always felt that Grados have an airy presentation, which I love, but the GS1ks are a bit more distant, if that makes any sense. Imaging is on par with the 500s, which is good cause I've always liked Grado imaging...but the size of the sound stage is definitely wider and a tad deeper. They are brighter than the 500s, which is good cause I do like the brightness I had with the 325s. They dont approach that level of brightness, but they are brighter than the 500s.
I'm neither a believer nor a non-believer in burn in, so I'll let these things get some heavy use over the next several days so when I have a chance to fire up the main system when I'm back at my apartment this weekend, I'll be able to give a more critical listen. So far if someone asked me if these were worth nearly twice the price of the PS500s, I'd say probably no. Are they really enjoyable headphones that are a great addition to the Grado line? Yep, absolutely. But in terms of value, the 500s are it for me. I'll write a follow-up to this post this weekend and see if they respond to better quality amplification.
obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
Awesome!
I kind of oddly agree about the fit thing, in that I really like the bowl fit with the RS-1 or similar. The bagels are nice, but they feel...I don't know, less true to being Grado? :blink: *shrug*
I kind of oddly agree about the fit thing, in that I really like the bowl fit with the RS-1 or similar. The bagels are nice, but they feel...I don't know, less true to being Grado? :blink: *shrug*
asmoday
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Thanks for the thorough initial impression. They sure sound like a nice headphone and its nice to know the PS500 stand up so well to them.
Looking forward to the follow up.
Looking forward to the follow up.
Focker
Headphoneus Supremus
I agree, Obob...it does feel less "Grado-y"...lol
asmoday: I figured before I even heard these that they would have their work cut out for them...I've never been the sort of person who allows the newness aspect to confound my evaluation. I keep gear for a long, long time once I find what I'm looking for, so if something new - even a new Grado - is going to attempt regicide, they better bring it!
Something interesting just happened....I forgot that I had my Meier amp here at my friend's apartment. I just hooked them up via my mini-to-RCA cable (I dont like this cable, but all I have here) and the sound has already taken a step up. The Meier seems to actually be a very good match for these so far. I can't say that surprises me cause whatever Jan does to his amps just seems to work really, really well. Just listening to a 320kbps station on TuneIn sound damn good with the Meier....more thoughts to come later.
asmoday: I figured before I even heard these that they would have their work cut out for them...I've never been the sort of person who allows the newness aspect to confound my evaluation. I keep gear for a long, long time once I find what I'm looking for, so if something new - even a new Grado - is going to attempt regicide, they better bring it!
Something interesting just happened....I forgot that I had my Meier amp here at my friend's apartment. I just hooked them up via my mini-to-RCA cable (I dont like this cable, but all I have here) and the sound has already taken a step up. The Meier seems to actually be a very good match for these so far. I can't say that surprises me cause whatever Jan does to his amps just seems to work really, really well. Just listening to a 320kbps station on TuneIn sound damn good with the Meier....more thoughts to come later.
zeinharis
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Hahahahaha.. Thanks I really love my avatar, anyway awesome review
So I guess the GS1k is back in the line of highend grado headphone series
I wonder.. can the GS1k hold up against the PS1k?
So I guess the GS1k is back in the line of highend grado headphone series
I wonder.. can the GS1k hold up against the PS1k?
parbaked
Headphoneus Supremus
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Quote:
+1 SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GRADO DEALER (note i say "dealer" not retailer. It is a drug, no?)
ps - have fun with your comparison and keep us informed. I''m still stuck in the SR/RS phase and haven't gotten to the PS/GS. Maybe when I grow up...
+1 SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GRADO DEALER (note i say "dealer" not retailer. It is a drug, no?)
ps - have fun with your comparison and keep us informed. I''m still stuck in the SR/RS phase and haven't gotten to the PS/GS. Maybe when I grow up...
PinoyPogiman
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Quote:
i had great business dealing with Headphone.com(Headroom) as with many other people.
my first non-retail headphone purchase of my Grado SR80i's
they are a trusted site, as Grado's policy on online orders, warranty is not entitled if you buy from auction sites and various other sites, ebay, craigslist, Amazon is now on the list probably but email grado to check.
Because the only closest local Dealer in my area (Virginia Beach) which is Digital Sound VA decided to move out of their former site and to a farther place -_-.
__________________________
speaking of GS, PS, RS, PS, and SR..
i wonder about the MS series.
the MS1 and Sr80i are both evenly priced matched, as one gives a chiller less fatiguing sound than the other(ms1)
the other more upfront and coloured(SR80i)
i just started to find out about the Alessandro series that some gradofans have been talking about.
one thing i can say about the MS1 that i like the buttonless look.
i had great business dealing with Headphone.com(Headroom) as with many other people.
my first non-retail headphone purchase of my Grado SR80i's
they are a trusted site, as Grado's policy on online orders, warranty is not entitled if you buy from auction sites and various other sites, ebay, craigslist, Amazon is now on the list probably but email grado to check.
Because the only closest local Dealer in my area (Virginia Beach) which is Digital Sound VA decided to move out of their former site and to a farther place -_-.
__________________________
speaking of GS, PS, RS, PS, and SR..
i wonder about the MS series.
the MS1 and Sr80i are both evenly priced matched, as one gives a chiller less fatiguing sound than the other(ms1)
the other more upfront and coloured(SR80i)
i just started to find out about the Alessandro series that some gradofans have been talking about.
one thing i can say about the MS1 that i like the buttonless look.
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