[musiclvr]

I really liked the Grado GS1000i's until I heard the Beyerdynamic T1. The T1's had tighter bass and was just as extended. The mids on both could be a bit strident with poorly recorded vocals but were glorious with most all else. The GS2KE has everything that the prior mentioned HP's have but with more refinement. Gone is the stridency in the treble with the GS2KE....to an extent. The bass is definitely lacking in sub-bass region but I love the speed and attack that can be had with these Grado's. They make the RS1i's sound slow hahaha To be honest though being an "audiophile bass head" my reference for all things bass are my LCD-X's. In closing, my love for Grado's is constant because when it comes to the tonality rendering of anything acoustic or simply organic the the maple and mahogany pairing tone woods is just so right to my ears.

 

[starstern]

I like my ESP-950 quite a bit but the GS2000e is more dynamic (no pun intended) and spatial in it's presentation.

which of the two has more details and clarity ?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I've been reveling in my GS2000e with balanced input that I just bought new from Grado. I use the Lotoo PAW 5000 as my source, with its 2.5mm balanced output.

When I had a chance to try the GS2000e for a week as part of the TTVJ GS2000e Loaner Tour, I found it surpassed all but one of my other Grados, and when I tried it balanced (those tests were single ended), it got even better. Now that I have a proper balanced source, it has become my go-to portable headphone rig, and I wear it at least twice a day for walking the dogs. I feel as if I am accompanied by a spacious concert venue around my head as I walk!

 

[tlainhart]

When I had a chance to try the GS2000e for a week as part of the TTVJ GS2000e Loaner Tour, I found it surpassed all but one of my other Grados, and when I tried it balanced (those tests were single ended), it got even better.

What does balanced do for you? I considered balanced when I bought my GS2000e, but ended up with single-ended, as I wanted the opportunity to use the supplied extension cable.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I found a slight improvement in soundstage with the balanced for both the HDVD800 and the EF-6 balanced amps driving the GS2000e. In a pleasant way, it was as if the room suddenly became just a bit larger, more spherical, and a bit more reverberant with balanced as compared with single mode. I also found that the treble detail was a bit better for the balanced, especially on the Sennheiser.

 

[treebug]

I found a slight improvement in soundstage with the balanced for both the HDVD800 and the EF-6 balanced amps driving the GS2000e. In a pleasant way, it was as if the room suddenly became just a bit larger, more spherical, and a bit more reverberant with balanced as compared with single mode. I also found that the treble detail was a bit better for the balanced, especially on the Sennheiser.

I've been considering the GS2000e but have been worried that my HDVA600 balanced might be too much for the Grado. You didn't find this with your HDVD800?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

The Sennheiser HDVA600, like the HDVD800, has a 43 ohm output, which is really too high for the 32 ohm input impedance of the GS2000e (should be 4 ohms or less amp output impedance). I don’t have any desktop amp with impedance that low, yet. I have ordered the Schiit Mjolnir, recommended by Grado as the balanced amp for the GS2000e, but it has not arrived yet. The Grados still sounded great with the Sennheiser, just not as good as I think they could.

 

[JTori]

Haven't posted in a long time -- since I had my Cary CAD-300 sei and RS1/HD650 rig. Recently, my interest in headphone listening was rekindled by a pair of SR60s I acquired NIB for $25. I was blown away by what I heard listening to these phones through my iPhone/Oppo HA-2. In short, best money I've spent in my 45+ years in the audio hobby.

On to the GS2000e, I picked up a pair and played with a couple amp pairings. I tried the Lyr 2 and just couldn't find any magic in the combo, even with some tube rolling. My HA-2, on the other hand, sounded nice. To ruthieandjohn's point of low output impedance, I have found the Cary HH-1 (5 ohms output impedance) to sound incredible! There's magic in this combo. Everything just sounds right. Highs are extended, with not the slightest bit of bite. Mids are glorious: Vocals are palpably real, horns and other instruments are as if you are there. And the bass is there when it should be, rich and full; it's present, sonorous and authentic-sounding. I was contemplating picking up a pair of Focal Clears or Sennheiser 800s, but this desire has waned to near zero.

My go-to rigs right now:
-- GS2000e or RS2e, Cary HH-1 with NOS Telefunken ECC88s
-- iPhone 7+, uncompressed (AIFF) files, Oppo HA-2, Oppo PM-3 (for the office)
-- Same as above with SR60s, lying in bed before sleep
-- iPhone 7+, Sony MDR-1000x, when traveling

Best,

Joe.

 

[ray830305]

I personally think these gs2000 are better engineered than the gs1000. They seem to have more natural soundstage. when you listen to something like orchestra, one end won't be "cut-off" instantly and switched to the other end