[joseph69]

i'd like to see your comparisons of the ps1000(e) and utopia having heard both myself. they have contrasting presentations. in a nutshell, the former is extreme (but in a good way to my ears) with its accentuated treble and mid-bass hump, while the latter epitomises balance. i haven't compared them directly tho.

Will do with the PS1K, not the (e).

 

[up late]

and what about you stacker45? just don your flame-proof suit and you should be fine.

 

[AWS Soul]

Happy Days .  my TTVJ parcel has arrived with 2 more pairs of deluxe flat pads ,  now all my grado's are clothed with TTVJ deluxe flats.  This weekend belongs to my RS-2e.
Let the weekend of music begin.

Happy weekend y'all

 

[whirlwind]

  really surprised that others feel totally the opposite about Grados.
 
..i have been searching other threads, etc.
but that group is not cozy on the sound....interesting the contrast vs the passions felt here.
in the end despite any reviews (good or bad) it's all about different strokes for different folks, ymmv, one's gold is another's bronze etc.
 
i'm going to listen to some grados on the weekend against my senns...will make my own mind up.

 So true, what one person likes, there is always someone who does not like...different strokes for different folks indeed...I do not feel anyone is right or wrong, ones just likes what one likes.
 
There are some people who like a neutral headphone all the way across the spectrum, some like bright, some like dark.
 
From what most people have always told me why the do not like the Grado house sound is that they are too bright and fatiguing.
 
I can kind of agree with this to an extent, they are the most fatiguing of all of my headphones, but if this happens to me, I just turn the sound down and all is solved...Grados are  low volume listening cans IMHO and this is where they excel for me at least. at times I need to remind myself to turn these down, they do not need much volume.....best low volume headphone that i have heard.
 
Tubes help tremendously if you like a bit more volume.
 
My other headphones need more volume to sound their best and they are not fatiguing when the volume is much higher.
 
If someones likes a headphone because the graphs say it is more neutral, then fine...do not choose a Grado...that is understandable....I have come to realize that for a tube roller a neutral headphone may be best...much easier to tell the difference between you gear and the tubes.
 
The bottom line for me is...if the sound makes your feet tap and your head bob...then all is good.
 
The Grado house sound has always delivered this for me, and I am pretty much addicted to the sound...which I believe most people that own them are.
 
I do believe that for the most part people either love them or hate them...but if you love the sound and that gets in your blood...you are addicted forever 

 
It is easy to get caught up listening to gear and not listening to music....once one realizes it is about the music...things become much clearer.
 
Enough of my rumbling.....listening to the RS1 now.....very low volume...no fatigue and wonderful sound with a nice "head bob" going on.
 

 

[headfry]

I have stated this several times before....that IMHO many or most Grado's sound best at lower volumes -
and that criticism of their brightness/harshness/aggressivness is in many cases due
to amping the volume to habitual high levels that are fine with other brands but
not optimum with Grados - I suspect that Grados are voiced for safe, fairly low volume listening.

The genius of Grados is that they convey the weight, fullness and artist/instrumental intent/full musical
impact even at low and lower volumes!


Also, I feel Grado's especially excel with jazz and classic rock, pop and singer/songwriter recordings!

 

[whirlwind]

I have stated this several times before....that IMHO many or most Grado's sound best at lower volumes -
and that criticism of their brightness/harshness/aggressivness is in many cases due
to amping the volume to habitual high levels that are fine with other brands but
not optimum with Grados - I suspect that Grados are voiced for safe, fairly low volume listening
- both my 325e's and 1000i's excel at low-ish volumes!

The genius of Grados is that they convey the weight, fullness and artist/instrumental intent/full musical
impact even at low volumes!


Also, Grado's really excel with jazz and classic rock recordings!

Yeah, absolutely...I bought other headphones for higher volume listening...ones that more so like a higher volume compared to a lower volume, and even though they sound much better than my grado at higher volume...none of them match my Grado at lower listening levels.

 

[ruhenheiM]

@whirlwind
preach baby preach!  it's all about the music
i mostly listen to rock,metal,blues.sometimes jazz. i haven't tried every headphones in the world let alone in history.but as far as i know, grado is the only headphone that could deliver some kind of energy to those music yet 
 
 
@joseph69 @stacker45
it'll be much appreciated if both of you could give some comparison between utopia and grado(ps1000/hp2). and does utopia heavier than grado ps1000? 

 

[joseph69]

  @joseph69 @stacker45
it'll be much appreciated if both of you could give some comparison between utopia and grado(ps1000/hp2). and does utopia heavier than grado ps1000? 

I definitely will.
I have them on right now listening to some Fleetwood Mac.

 

[jaywillin]

  really surprised that others feel totally the opposite about Grados.
 
..i have been searching other threads, etc.
but that group is not cozy on the sound....interesting the contrast vs the passions felt here.
in the end despite any reviews (good or bad) it's all about different strokes for different folks, ymmv, one's gold is another's bronze etc.
 
i'm going to listen to some grados on the weekend against my senns...will make my own mind up.

i got my start here on head-fi with grado, and even though i don't have one right now, i think my next headphone will be a grado.
i've been up and down the ladder, not a huge variety as far as brands, but i've heard pretty expensive cans, nothing has "soul" 
like a grado to me. pace, texture, detail.
BUT i also enjoy other headphones, different signatures, right now i'm listening to my massdrop 6xx, and i love it, and it's pretty 
different from a grado. 

 

[jaywillin]

I have stated this several times before....that IMHO many or most Grado's sound best at lower volumes -
and that criticism of their brightness/harshness/aggressivness is in many cases due
to amping the volume to habitual high levels that are fine with other brands but
not optimum with Grados - I suspect that Grados are voiced for safe, fairly low volume listening.

The genius of Grados is that they convey the weight, fullness and artist/instrumental intent/full musical
impact even at low and lower volumes!


Also, I feel Grado's especially excel with jazz and classic rock, pop and singer/songwriter recordings!

 
 

  Yeah, absolutely...I bought other headphones for higher volume listening...ones that more so like a higher volume compared to a lower volume, and even though they sound much better than my grado at higher volume...none of them match my Grado at lower listening levels.

i second that emotion

 

[stacker45]

and what about you stacker45? just don your flame-proof suit and you should be fine.

 
I knew that was risky, I'm just glad I've decided to start with the Elear vs PS1k, because they didn't fare nearly as well against the Utopia!

 
 

   So true, what one person likes, there is always someone who does not like...different strokes for different folks indeed...I do not feel anyone is right or wrong, ones just likes what one likes.
 
There are some people who like a neutral headphone all the way across the spectrum, some like bright, some like dark.
 
From what most people have always told me why the do not like the Grado house sound is that they are too bright and fatiguing.
 
I can kind of agree with this to an extent, they are the most fatiguing of all of my headphones, but if this happens to me, I just turn the sound down and all is solved...Grados are  low volume listening cans IMHO and this is where they excel for me at least. at times I need to remind myself to turn these down, they do not need much volume.....best low volume headphone that i have heard.
 
Tubes help tremendously if you like a bit more volume.
 
My other headphones need more volume to sound their best and they are not fatiguing when the volume is much higher.
 
If someones likes a headphone because the graphs say it is more neutral, then fine...do not choose a Grado...that is understandable....I have come to realize that for a tube roller a neutral headphone may be best...much easier to tell the difference between you gear and the tubes.
 
The bottom line for me is...if the sound makes your feet tap and your head bob...then all is good.
 
The Grado house sound has always delivered this for me, and I am pretty much addicted to the sound...which I believe most people that own them are.
 
I do believe that for the most part people either love them or hate them...but if you love the sound and that gets in your blood...you are addicted forever 

 
It is easy to get caught up listening to gear and not listening to music....once one realizes it is about the music...things become much clearer.
 
Enough of my rumbling.....listening to the RS1 now.....very low volume...no fatigue and wonderful sound with a nice "head bob" going on.
 

 
Well said, I coudn't agree more.

 
Oh!, and I could swear I was hearing seagulls while I was listening to ''The Messiah Will Come Again''.

 

[stacker45]

  @whirlwind
preach baby preach!  it's all about the music
i mostly listen to rock,metal,blues.sometimes jazz. i haven't tried every headphones in the world let alone in history.but as far as i know, grado is the only headphone that could deliver some kind of energy to those music yet 
 
 
@joseph69 @stacker45
it'll be much appreciated if both of you could give some comparison between utopia and grado(ps1000/hp2). and does utopia heavier than grado ps1000? 

 
If you don't mind, I'll let Joseph go to bat first regarding the PS1k vs Utopia, Having lost 30 pounds, I had to have my flame suit altered, and it's not back yet!

 
Oh! and the PS1000 weights .500 grams and the Utopia .490 grams.
 
 

  I definitely will.
I have them on right now listening to some Fleetwood Mac.

 
My favorite song of theirs is, I'm ''So Afraid'', the heft of Mick Fleetwood's drum strokes, and the particular sound of Lindsay Buckingham's Rick Turner guitar, make this an amazing listening experience.

 

[joseph69]

  If you don't mind, I'll let Joseph go to bat first regarding the PS1k vs Utopia, Having lost 30 pounds, I had to have my flame suit altered, and it's not back yet!

 
My favorite song of theirs is, I'm ''So Afraid'', the heft of Mick Fleetwood's drum strokes, and the particular sound of Lindsay Buckingham's Rick Turner guitar, make this an amazing listening experience.

I just started listening to the Utopia again, so I'll need more time, but I'll definitely give my impressions and also let you know which I prefer between the two.
 
Unfortunately I don't have that song, but I have others that I enjoy very much.

 

[basman]

@whirlwind

preach baby preach!  it's all about the music
i mostly listen to rock,metal,blues.sometimes jazz. i haven't tried every headphones in the world let alone in history.but as far as i know, grado is the only headphone that could deliver some kind of energy to those music yet 

Whenever I'm about to rock I always find my Grado headphone on my head and my head start to bang coz I intend to crank the dB knob way pass 10 o'clock. Guitar riffs thru Grado headphones is second to none

 

[438555]

Whenever I'm about to rock I always find my Grado headphone on my head and my head start to bang coz I intend to crank the dB knob way pass 10 o'clock. Guitar riffs thru Grado headphones is second to none

Been rocking out to Tool on my 2 week old GS2000e, using either my Schiit stack, or my Sony NWZ-A17 with or without PHA-1A amp.  I like these so much better for rock than my HD600s.  Of course my Sennheiser buddies say it's not fair to compare, and I should get the HD800, but I'm not spending any more right now.