[LCfiner]

I have a few test tracks that I use to see how the glare sounds or how sibilant a setup will be. Note that it is not one frequency but a range. I'm actually not very susceptible to glare or sibilance in most songs. It has to be really loud in the song and really on ions for me to notice it.

Also note that it wasn't bad on the stock hp1. They were always smoother than the PS500 for example. But the mod made them even better in this regard.

Joni Mitchell - California from Blue. Particularly at 0:33

Blind Boys of Alabama - The Last Time. 0:45

Lorena McKennitt - Blacksmith from Elemental. From 0:10 to 0:20

Those three bits would be wince inducing on the GS1000, PS500 and even the magnums.

They were less painful on the stock HP1. After the mod, they still have great energy but there's no more ice pick in my ear at all. I can turn the volume up and there's no harmful resonances or ringing during those troublesome sections.

 

[shimmer n roar]

Quote:

You will get many different opinions on this one so don't take anyone's word for it( including mine). 
Mind you, I am very often wrong but at least you know I don't defend headphones just because I own them or paid a fortune for them. 

 
it's a well worn cliche but "we all hear differently" to some degree. i pay more attention to opinions from people who don't come off as rampant fanboys.

 

[Magick Man]

Joni Mitchell - California from Blue. Particularly at 0:33

Lorena McKennitt - Blacksmith from Elemental. From 0:10 to 0:20

Didn't make me wince with my PS500s. Well, the song California makes me wince, but not because of the acoustical properties of the song.

 

[shimmer n roar]

Quote:

I have to admit that since i got my PS-1000 a couple of months ago,my HP-1000 aven't seen much action,but after reading a few posts where peoples were saying that they sometime have an annoying ''glare'' in the mids that's especially noticable with female vocals,i tought i'd get them out and try and look for it myself.
 
I did my listening on my very humble 2nd system,wich consists of a restored vintage Yamaha CA-610II from 1978 and a Yamaha DVD-S1800,my HP-1000 are stock of course and for now i'm using the L-cush,the headphones where plugged directly in the integrated amp.
 
I used,'Best audiophile voices VOL VII' cd,wich are,for those not familiar,a series of compilations cd's of mostly female vocals.
 
I listen as hard as i could for that glare,but couldn't find it,all i got was a very natural sounding midrange,the sound never got steely or agressive,even on Eva Cassidy's version of 'Tennesee Waltz',i guess it's one of two things,either my hearing's going bad,or,the synergy between my old geaser of an amp and the HP-1000 is very good,i'm glad i used the HP tonight,because i was starting to forget how good they sound,especially with female voices recordings.

 
would you mind describing how the ps1000 compares to the hp1000? i'm obsessing over the ps1000 at the moment.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

HP-1000's treble is SO GENTLE, I agree with you on that one too. It's fully there but it never grows out of proportion when leveling up the volume.

 
You know, that's a good descriptor of what I've been hearing with the HP1000. In fact, I'd say it manages to sound startlingly gentle across most of the audioband while still being exceptionally detailed. It has a level of finesse and delicacy I rarely hear with full-sized headphones and am more accustomed to in IEMs. It's exquisite.

 

[pcf]

Some thoughts:
HP1000 were never made for us to enjoy the music. They were produced for sound recording and professional use. Accuracy would have been the first priority. These headphones are not meant to thrill us, they are supposed to  be monitors. Being an open design, they are not ideal for location and field recording ( to put it mildly). Joe's solution is to crank up the volume to drown out the unwanted noise. While it is not the most sophisticated way to solve the problem, at least he made sure that the headphones would work in higher volume. 

 

[shimmer n roar]

indeed. it's a happy coincidence that audiophiles appreciate it too.

 

[ProjectDenz]

Is it a coincidence that I like the MS2i better than the MS Pro?

 

[shimmer n roar]

possibly.

 

[MuppetFace]

The DT48 is another example of a headphone that wasn't made for "musical enjoyment" but is still prized by audiophiles, and rightly so as I think it has some of the best midrange of anything made since despite being a bit uneven overall. The HP1000 measures very "well" in terms of flatness, and for some audiophiles I know that is conducive to musical enjoyment rather than more overt colorations.
 
Myself, I like both approaches. Also there are other factors to a headphone beyond FR and detail that are just as important to me, specifically in how it presents music. The PS1000 for instance just has this sense of "there-ness" that I love. In that same sense, the HP1000 has a very distinct quality to it in terms of its finesse and ability to convey dynamic inner workings of a given track. Its studio application is apparent here I think. I find I can more readily discern the layerings of track without things getting too overtly analytical, as is the tendency of some "audiophile headphones."

 

[ProjectDenz]

Quote:

possibly.

 
Ok ok, the MS Pro is technically better than the MS2i, on very slightly to me and at more than twice the cost of the MS2i ($329 new vs $749 new). I found the jump from MS2i to MS Pro in technical sound quality to be quite a lot smaller than the jump from MS Pro to JH 13 Pro, which is surprising since diminishing returns should be a much bigger factor going from $749-$1200 than from $329 to $749..
 
The MS2i has a bit of an airy sound signature, while remaining with very forward mids. I think that's pretty uncommon in a headphone. The MS Pro sounds a bit more thicker and lush with it's rolled off treble, very forward mids and very slight mid-bass hump. Sibilance is an issue with the MS2i on poorly mastered songs, but is curbed with the quarter modded HD414 pads.

 

[LCfiner]

Quote:

Quote:

Joni Mitchell - California from Blue. Particularly at 0:33
Lorena McKennitt - Blacksmith from Elemental. From 0:10 to 0:20

Didn't make me wince with my PS500s. Well, the song California makes me wince, but not because of the acoustical properties of the song.

 
I’m glad I posted the examples. It makes it so much easier for someone to check and go “yes” or “no” and note how we hear differently and how our systems may be affecting the sound.

 

[Octavio]

Hello people,
 
Just adding my voice to the Grado fan club...
 
The story began as a teenager, several years ago, with a SR225. They made me discover a whole new dimension of music. 
 
I spent another few years with a RS1, such a lovely headphone that I still own, and recently purchased a pair of PS1000.
 
I had tried them a few months ago and found they were the perfect compromise between the in-your-face-feeling of RS1 and the soundstage and details of GS1000...So I emptied my wallet.
 
I'm still powering them with the RA-1 which does not do them justice but should receive a MAD Ear+ in the upcoming weeks.
 
A few photos of the lovely toys:

 

 

 
I am enjoying the PS1000 so much, seriously. It's so detailed, soundstage is unbelievable...Can listen to it for hours whereas I would get tired after about an hour with the RS1.
Currently listening to Sufjan Stevens' The Age of Adz. Amazing experience.
 
Will keep an eye around !
 
Cheers

 

[Focker]

Very nice, Octavio!

 

[Magick Man]

I’m glad I posted the examples. It makes it so much easier for someone to check and go “yes” or “no” and note how we hear differently and how our systems may be affecting the sound.

That's out of my SLI-80 in triode mode, with bagels. I checked again from the Benchmark and there was a small bit of wincing going on. The Cary does tend to soften things a little unless I switch to ultra-linear.