I had an hp-1 to play with for a little over two months along side my gs-1000.
The hp-1 is definitely a very special headphone. When I first got it, and plugged it in, I thought it sounded a bit strange, nothing phenominal. After about a month of listening, I kind of hit an enlightenment so to speak, and it dawned on me that this was just an incredible headphone. Its midrange is absolutely wonderful, so liquid and smooth, and just...wow. Its bass is incredibly tight, powerful, not bloated, not quite impactful, just enough, and though its a little veiled compared to some of the other grado's, it has just the right highs as well. Its balanced, its neutral, its the way that things are meant to be heard so to speak.
The gs-1000 had a whole lot more soundstage, more bass, not quite as tight, but definitely the best i've heard considering how much there is and how impactful it is. The mids are smooth and gorgeous, but its definitely not the highlight of the phone as compared to the hp-1's, and the treble is just oh so sweet. Its not fatigueing, and theres just so much separation and air, its marvelous.
But ultimately, as my time with this headphone was coming to an end, I still preferred the gs-1000 by quite a bit. The presentation, the feel, the balance, the body, everything was just so...right. Theres good reason for me to have sold all of my previous stuff just to get the gs-1000. After listening to k701's, hd650's, dt800's, sa5000's, rs-1's, nothing puts me at the level of enjoyment that the gs-1000 does.
If I ever have the money to buy another high end open phone, the hp1000 is definitely going at the top of the list.
hope this helps.
pics?
