[lawrywild]

I never liked taped bowls with MS-1s or SR60s but with Magnum V5s... dayum

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

Thanks I will check the TH600/900 cans. So are you saying that the D5000 &D7000 are not as good as the new Denon D600's/ D7100 ...??? .
When you said.... Re PS500's v Mag V5's  " They offer a performance that is comparable to the Magnums yes, but still a very different sound signature." did you mean ....re bass../Treble ?? is there more or less ... bass /treble etc than stock PS500 ...It is almost impossible to get apair to demo in England ...pian in the ass really ..lol

 
I'm confident that the TH600/900 are the best of the bunch ; D5000-7000 vs. D600-7100 is a controversial story. The later is more comfortable, but doesn't look as classic, and doesn't measures as good either. The announcement of the D600 and -7100 has been received pretty negatively on this forum, I don't know what is their current public opinion, but I know people like MuppetFace and Purrin recommend it not.
 
I haven't read that much into it --I knew that I wanted one already-- but Magnum V4 was described as a RS-1 on steroid in terms of sound quality, and with a similar sound signature. RS-1 is a bright headphone, and PS500 is a dark headphone, they are pretty different and you can easily read about them being compared is you go back a little (last few months) in the Grado fan club thread, that very comparison often come up as a conversation topic.
 
Now about the V5, I don't know where it falls exactly between these two poles (Dark/PS500 -|-|-|-|-|-|- RS-1/Bright), but they have more of the low end according to what everyone has been saying.
 
Magnums in general measures better than Grados, Rhydon the maker is aiming (or was aiming until the advent of the V5 according to thelostMIDrange, I have no idea) for better neutrality, clarity and driver matching than Grados. If you like raw performance and numbers, you might pick which one you ultimately want judging by looking at the graphs that were made for each schools.
 
Magnum is a more flexible solution, it's a driver. Grados might have taken steps to catch up with the Magnums reading reviews about their newfound bass.
 
Best measuring Grado (ironically, I think it's a SR60i yeah, but probably more because it's the most recently produced Grado on this site): http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR60i.pdf
Best measuring Magnum (V4, no measurements for V5 yet): http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/Gradheiser650DIYModifiedthelostMIDrange.pdf
PS500: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoPS500.pdf
 
You want the lowest distortion, squarest wave response, and if you're like me flattest impedance (better if you don't have an amp) and relatively linear frequency response (smooth curves, no gaps and no sharp peaks).
 
Frequency response can give you an overall image of how they might sound like, but measurements are sometimes misleading and do not correlate that well with the perceived sound of a headphone, so don't let them dictate your preferences / opinions, you need to listen to them . Keep in mind that while 99% of the people here prefer the Magnums to Grados, but if you go in the Grado Fan Club thread you will find hundreds of people who love their Grados and don't care one bit for the Magnums, with some not being impressed by them.
 
My own preferences are quite complicated, I like the HP 1000 and the full metal Magnums (both discontinued) the most, for weird reasons too (I like medieval swords and armors and the HP 1000 makes me think of that; I also like that you can control the quality of a metal recipe but but you can't do that for wood, though lately I've been captivated by thelostMIDrange's work) (sound-wise the HP 1000 driver takes the cake with Grados and Magnums being really close together, but I'm leaning towards the Magnums; all the three are getting equal love ).
 
Have you considered MCA woody V5 will be lighter, have one-piece unique sculpted cups and metal gimbals more than the PS500 and be 1/3 less costly? Sound is not everything. The PS500 on the other end is a Grado (you pay for the name, owning a Grado is something to be proud of in my opinion [but so is owning a MCA custom ! actually, lol]), has the body style of a PS-1000 Grado flagship but in the form factor of a RS-1. And it's not clear-cut which sounds better, people like me make it  sound like it's strictly a preference thing.
 
Which thread has gave you the warmest welcome, this one or the Grado fan club? lol, just kidding. If you have the mean buy the two and do extensive A/Bing and sell the one you like less, Grados and Magnums usually sells very well on here.

 

[Vin musicman]

Quote:

 
I'm confident that the TH600/900 are the best of the bunch ; D5000-7000 vs. D600-7100 is a controversial story. The later is more comfortable, but doesn't look as classic, and doesn't measures as good either. The announcement of the D600 and -7100 has been received pretty negatively on this forum, I don't know what is their current public opinion, but I know people like MuppetFace and Purrin recommend it not.
 
I haven't read that much into it --I knew that I wanted one already-- but Magnum V4 was described as a RS-1 on steroid in terms of sound quality, and with a similar sound signature. RS-1 is a bright headphone, and PS500 is a dark headphone, they are pretty different and you can easily read about them being compared is you go back a little (last few months) in the Grado fan club thread, that very comparison often come up as a conversation topic.
 
Now about the V5, I don't know where it falls exactly between these two poles (Dark/PS500 -|-|-|-|-|-|- RS-1/Bright), but they have more of the low end according to what everyone has been saying.
 
Magnums in general measures better than Grados, Rhydon the maker is aiming (or was aiming until the advent of the V5 according to thelostMIDrange, I have no idea) for better neutrality, clarity and driver matching than Grados. If you like raw performance and numbers, you might pick which one you ultimately want judging by looking at the graphs that were made for each schools.
 
Magnum is a more flexible solution, it's a driver. Grados might have taken steps to catch up with the Magnums reading reviews about their newfound bass.
 
Best measuring Grado (ironically, I think it's a SR60i yeah, but probably more because it's the most recently produced Grado on this site): http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR60i.pdf
Best measuring Magnum (V4, no measurements for V5 yet): http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/Gradheiser650DIYModifiedthelostMIDrange.pdf
PS500: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoPS500.pdf
 
You want the lowest distortion, squarest wave response, and if you're like me flattest impedance (better if you don't have an amp) and relatively linear frequency response (smooth curves, no gaps and no sharp peaks).
 
Frequency response can give you an overall image of how they might sound like, but measurements are sometimes misleading and do not correlate that well with the perceived sound of a headphone, so don't let them dictate your preferences / opinions, you need to listen to them . Keep in mind that while 99% of the people here prefer the Magnums to Grados, but if you go in the Grado Fan Club thread you will find hundreds of people who love their Grados and don't care one bit for the Magnums, with some not being impressed by them.
 
My own preferences are quite complicated, I like the HP 1000 and the full metal Magnums (both discontinued) the most, for weird reasons too (I like medieval swords and armors and the HP 1000 makes me think of that; I also like that you can control the quality of a metal recipe but but you can't do that for wood, though lately I've been captivated by thelostMIDrange's work) (sound-wise the HP 1000 driver takes the cake with Grados and Magnums being really close together, but I'm leaning towards the Magnums; all the three are getting equal love ).
 
Have you considered MCA woody V5 will be lighter, have one-piece unique sculpted cups and metal gimbals more than the PS500 and be 1/3 less costly? Sound is not everything. The PS500 on the other end is a Grado (you pay for the name, owning a Grado is something to be proud of in my opinion [but so is owning a MCA custom ! actually, lol]), has the body style of a PS-1000 Grado flagship but in the form factor of a RS-1. And it's not clear-cut which sounds better, people like me make it  sound like it's strictly a preference thing.
 
Which thread has gave you the warmest welcome, this one or the Grado fan club? lol, just kidding. If you have the mean buy the two and do extensive A/Bing and sell the one you like less, Grados and Magnums usually sells very well on here.

OMG......  you know your stuff..and yes thanks for the WARM  welcome  lol  ..I am a novice as you can tell ..ha ha   . I was thinking V5 from MCA with .. Nicke plated Gimbals and rodblocks... prob some Burmese rosewood (high shined), upgraded comfy headband and some nice cable...maybe have the cable that is detachable from each cup and with a connection half way with 1/8" jp going into connection.. with 1/4 jp at other end if ya follow..lol .. Are you saying that if i go with V5/wood ..the sound will not be as good as stock PS500.?? MCA said that it would be around $850 to $1000 for his V5 wood modders and around $1000 if he bought Ps500's for me in states and modded them same as above but with stock pads..drivers..headband..  It would also be cool to work with some polished aluminium and add that into the cups so you get the warm high shine wood look ..with the high shine metal look ...  what ya think ???? 

 

[32y0]

Anyone have a spare stock grado cable, that he's willing to sell to me?
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/651004/wtb-stock-grado-cable

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

OMG......  you know your stuff..and yes thanks for the WARM  welcome  lol  ..I am a novice as you can tell ..ha ha   . I was thinking V5 from MCA with .. Nicke plated Gimbals and rodblocks... prob some Burmese rosewood (high shined), upgraded comfy headband and some nice cable...maybe have the cable that is detachable from each cup and with a connection half way with 1/8" jp going into connection.. with 1/4 jp at other end if ya follow..lol .. Are you saying that if i go with V5/wood ..the sound will not be as good as stock PS500.?? MCA said that it would be around $850 to $1000 for his V5 wood modders and around $1000 if he bought Ps500's for me in states and modded them same as above but with stock pads..drivers..headband..  It would also be cool to work with some polished aluminium and add that into the cups so you get the warm high shine wood look ..with the high shine metal look ...  what ya think ???? 

 
Whoa, a MartinCustomAudio V5 Magnum woody costs a lot more than I thought.
 
Well that's my point, you're in the Magnum thread and I'm not aware if anyone here as tried the Grado PS500. And the V5 has just been released and all of those who received theirs have already commented: it's a magnum with more refined and prominent low end, and supposedly better high end too.
 
I'm using all that I know about Grados trying to give you an image of what to expect. First the MCA cups and wood choice for them will influence the sound only microscopically; macroscopically you would still be able to blindly pick your drivers if they were put in PS500 cups, HP 1000 cups, many wood with different shapes of cups by MCA. The driver is really what makes the sound what it is and though cups are undeniably important, they do not alter the sound that much (and if you really want to optimize and tune your cups you can refer to thelostMIDrange's work, he's has been the leading light in that domain with the Magnum V4). This means that if the PS500's drivers are "better" than the Magnum V5 to begin with, it's not putting Magnum V5 in MCA's Burmese rosewood, Grado's Brooklyn mahogany or Rhydon's metal air chambers that will reverse the situation. I'm not saying the PS500 drivers are better than the V5, frankly if you want to speak purely about performance and specs I pretty sure the Magnum V5 are better (measuring, on paper) than the drivers of the PS500, though only a small bit of this "better" is an audible factor in everyday listening. If you end up preferring the sound signature of the PS500 it's not this "better" that will make you prefer the Magnums over it. Both headphones, because of their drivers, offer a very different sound signature.
 
You can read the impressions of the PS500 owners on Head-Fi in relation to the other Grados and tell yourself the V5 are somewhere in between (the PS500 and the SR-s / RS-s) (I'm fairly confident that's how their are positioned on the sound balance). The Magnum should be more neutral (not bright and not dark), have less 100 Hz bass hump and smoother highs (meaning they have a relatively more linear frequency response). The fact that the Magnums are cleaner on cumulative spectral decays graphs increases their "sweet spot"; you should be able to listen to them louder longer with slightly less discomfort.
 
The PS500 has been ear-tuned at Grado Labs, an activity they have a lot of experience in doing. It's surely the most well received Grado on the Head-Fi community since the HF-2 (GS-1000 and PS-1000 were not received as unanimously positively, far from it) and from what I recall reviews praised it's overall tone when it comes to acoustic music. And it's a Grado, you get to be on the stage with the rock band, like everyone says.
 
It's a tough decision, personally to keep my sanity I would have to buy both, absolutely.
 
 
(oh and I just finished reading your post):

he bought Ps500's for me in states and modded them same as above but with stock pads..drivers..headband.. 

 
If I were you metal gimbals is all I would ask Martin to change; if it was my PS500 I would leave it stock completely. The metal, the wood and the leather of the PS500 are already cut, "finished" and matched aesthetically and assembled; modding it to the point of keeping just the drivers would be too much undoing things / top-down approach for me. I would start from the ground with Magnum drivers and go up, of course that is if a MCA-custom headphone is what I want to own and be seen wearing.
 
Which one you want to own can be about only their sound (for that you have to read reviews or better, demo them), or you can choose based only on the looks too (I don't want to get thrown rocks at, but personally it's what stroke me and got me interested in Grados and high-end headphones in the first place). Keep in mind that these are two very good and fine sounding headphones to live with too.
 
If you want to buy a PS500 in the states (as it's a lot cheaper, I heard prices for Grados were ridiculously high in the UK) I would ask for someone to forward it to you, or ask a company specialized in doing that; or just buy it used on this forum

 

[Vin musicman]

Quote:

 
Whoa, a MartinCustomAudio V5 Magnum woody costs a lot more than I thought.
 
Well that's my point, you're in the Magnum thread and I'm not aware if anyone here as tried the Grado PS500. And the V5 has just been released and all of those who received theirs have already commented: it's a magnum with more refined and prominent low end, and supposedly better high end too.
 
I'm using all that I know about Grados trying to give you an image of what to expect. First the MCA cups and wood choice for them will influence the sound only microscopically; macroscopically you would still be able to blindly pick your drivers if they were put in PS500 cups, HP 1000 cups, many wood with different shapes of cups by MCA. The driver is really what makes the sound what it is and though cups are undeniably important, they do not alter the sound that much (and if you really want to optimize and tune your cups you can refer to thelostMIDrange's work, he's has been the leading light in that domain with the Magnum V4). This means that if the PS500's drivers are "better" than the Magnum V5 to begin with, it's not putting Magnum V5 in MCA's Burmese rosewood, Grado's Brooklyn mahogany or Rhydon's metal air chambers that will reverse the situation. I'm not saying the PS500 drivers are better than the V5, frankly if you want to speak purely about performance and specs I pretty sure the Magnum V5 are better (measuring, on paper) than the drivers of the PS500, though only a small bit of this "better" is an audible factor in everyday listening. If you end up preferring the sound signature of the PS500 it's not this "better" that will make you prefer the Magnums over it. Both headphones, because of their drivers, offer a very different sound signature.
 
You can read the impressions of the PS500 owners on Head-Fi in relation to the other Grados and tell yourself the V5 are somewhere in between (I'm fairly certain that's how things happen to be balanced out). They should be more neutral (not bright, not dark), have less 100 Hz bass hump and smoother highs (relatively more linear frequency response). The fact that the Magnums are cleaner on cumulative spectral decays graphs increases their "sweet spot": you can listen louder or longer with slightly less discomfort.
 
The PS500 has been ear-tuned at Grado Labs, an activity they have a lot of experience in doing. It's surely the most well received Grado on the Head-Fi community since the HF-2 (GS-1000 and PS-1000 were not received as unanimously positively) and from what I recall reviews praised it's overall tone when it comes to acoustic music. And it's a Grado, you get to be on the stage with the rock band, like everyone says.
 
It's a tough decision, personally to keep my sanity I would have to buy both, absolutely.
 
 
(oh and I just finished reading your post)
 
 
 
If I were you metal gimbals is all I would ask Martin to change; if it was my PS500 I would leave it stock completely. The metal, the wood and the leather of the PS500 are already cut, finished, matched aesthetically and assembled; modding it to the point of keeping just the drivers is would be too much undoing things / top-down approach for me. I would start from the ground with Magnum drivers and go up, if a MCA custom headphone is what I want to own and be seen with. Which one you want to own can be about how they sound if you read reviews or try to have a listen, of you can choose based only on the looks too (personally it's what got me interested in Grados in the first place), because these are two very good and fine sounding headphones to live with.
 
If you want to buy a PS500 in the states (as it's a lot cheaper, I heard prices for Grados were crazy in the UK) I would ask for someone to forward it to you, or ask a company specialized in doing that; or better buy it used on this forum.

Wow .... I am very very greatful for your advice and your time ... Thank you.... you are a gentleman...I agree with everything you have said...... I will have to buy both... its ageing me ...lol  and too stressful ..... I just feel that i would love both the PS500 and MCA cans ...  I can tell you hear in little old England they are £600 to £700  wow  stupid prices. I will defo buy from USA...
I would not attempt to change the PS500 stock .. well only the gimbals&rodblocks ... i like the metal look as well as wood.  I have fallen in love with these headphones and not even heard them yet...ha ha ... am i mad or what ..lol .....  Thank you for educating me on a wonderful subject...  Paul.

 

[parbaked]

Another option is to ask Martin if you can purchase PS500 in US and have the headphones sent directly to Martin to install gimbals/rod blocks and then send to you in the UK. 

 

[wormsdriver]

Quote:

 
Whoa, a MartinCustomAudio V5 Magnum woody costs a lot more than I thought.
 
Well that's my point, you're in the Magnum thread and I'm not aware if anyone here as tried the Grado PS500. And the V5 has just been released and all of those who received theirs have already commented: it's a magnum with more refined and prominent low end, and supposedly better high end too.
 
I'm using all that I know about Grados trying to give you an image of what to expect. First the MCA cups and wood choice for them will influence the sound only microscopically; macroscopically you would still be able to blindly pick your drivers if they were put in PS500 cups, HP 1000 cups, many wood with different shapes of cups by MCA. The driver is really what makes the sound what it is and though cups are undeniably important, they do not alter the sound that much (and if you really want to optimize and tune your cups you can refer to thelostMIDrange's work, he's has been the leading light in that domain with the Magnum V4). This means that if the PS500's drivers are "better" than the Magnum V5 to begin with, it's not putting Magnum V5 in MCA's Burmese rosewood, Grado's Brooklyn mahogany or Rhydon's metal air chambers that will reverse the situation. I'm not saying the PS500 drivers are better than the V5, frankly if you want to speak purely about performance and specs I pretty sure the Magnum V5 are better (measuring, on paper) than the drivers of the PS500, though only a small bit of this "better" is an audible factor in everyday listening. If you end up preferring the sound signature of the PS500 it's not this "better" that will make you prefer the Magnums over it. Both headphones, because of their drivers, offer a very different sound signature.
 

Very well said, and something that people interested in modding Grados and Magnums should know.
@ [size=18.399999618530273px]Vin musicman[/size], good choice, I would think most of us reading this would persuade you to go the same route given you're budget. 

 

[pcf]

This is just a wild guess (since I don't own a PS500 and haven't heard a Magnum V5 )- I bet the V5 will sound different from a Grado PS500. It wouldn't be a matter of which one is better.
Considering the prices of Grado in UK, modding their third most expensive models seems crazy. You will be paying over the odds for a pair of headphones and killing their resale value on the spot.
Okay, I did have a full Magnum mod done on a black 325 and put V5 on a RS1i so maybe I should be the last person to talk. But those phones were purchased 2nd hand in US and cost less than half of what you would pay for the PS500. I also have backups for those phones.
If you're thinking about buying from the US, you need to take into consideration the small matter of import tax. I have been stung before. 

 

[Vin musicman]

Quote:

Another option is to ask Martin if you can purchase PS500 in US and have the headphones sent directly to Martin to install gimbals/rod blocks and then send to you in the UK. 

Yes ... i was thinking the same ... I just didn't want to seem as if i was being cheeky ...  I will in the future ask Martin to build me a pair of PS500 wood cans with the V5's etc... But i am using logic and not running before i can walk...  so to say.It would seem that i should live with the stock 500's before i go Modding anthing audio wise. Thank you to all you guys for being very helpful. )) 
Ps  I  have a 2 1/2" by 12" square  block of what i suspect is brazilian mahogany wonder if Martin would like that sent to him .. ???  might cost though  ...  he could make some cool cups with that . ))

 

[Vin musicman]

Quote:

This is just a wild guess (since I don't own a PS500 and haven't heard a Magnum V5 )- I bet the V5 will sound different from a Grado PS500. It wouldn't be a matter of which one is better.
Considering the prices of Grado in UK, modding their third most expensive models seems crazy. You will be paying over the odds for a pair of headphones and killing their resale value on the spot.
Okay, I did have a full Magnum mod done on a black 325 and put V5 on a RS1i so maybe I should be the last person to talk. But those phones were purchased 2nd hand in US and cost less than half of what you would pay for the PS500. I also have backups for those phones.
If you're thinking about buying from the US, you need to take into consideration the small matter of import tax. I have been stung before. 

You are also bang on with what you are saying my friend. I will not mod the stock Ps500.... only change the gimbals & rodblocks to aluminium.... cause i not like the stock ones. I suspect the shipping is around $45 to $70 .. I had no idea about import tax... thanks ... How much do you think it would be please???

 

[pcf]

Quote:

You are also bang on with what you are saying my friend. I will not mod the stock Ps500.... only change the gimbals & rodblocks to aluminium.... cause i not like the stock ones. I suspect the shipping is around $45 to $70 .. I had no idea about import tax... thanks ... How much do you think it would be please???

The import tax will be between 100 to 150 GDP ( based on my own experience!).

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

Wow .... I am very very greatful for your advice and your time ... Thank you.... you are a gentleman...I agree with everything you have said...... I will have to buy both... its ageing me ...lol  and too stressful ..... I just feel that i would love both the PS500 and MCA cans ...  I can tell you hear in little old England they are £600 to £700  wow  stupid prices. I will defo buy from USA...
I would not attempt to change the PS500 stock .. well only the gimbals&rodblocks ... i like the metal look as well as wood.  I have fallen in love with these headphones and not even heard them yet...ha ha ... am i mad or what ..lol .....  Thank you for educating me on a wonderful subject...  Paul.

 
I love (to try) to educate interested people on this subject , I'm happy if all that helped you. What is special about the PS500 (and the HF-2) is that it has all the materials Grado ever used in their headphones in moderate amounts: black ABS plastic (gimbals, rodblocks and drivers), stainless steel (the gimbal rods and headband's arc), aluminum (cups), mahogany (inserts), foam (pads), leather (headband) and a bit of glue. Mash it in a bowl and eat good Grado salad! lol

 

[orangecr]

Is this cable good (not bad at less) for magnums on a budget?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321068722500?redirect=mobile
I am having second toughts about taking apart my MS1i just for the cable (not trying to make controversy, sorry).

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

Is this cable good (not bad at less) for magnums on a budget?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321068722500?redirect=mobile
I am having second toughts about taking apart my MS1i just for the cable (not trying to make controversy, sorry).

 
Yeah I don't see why not? He's sure offering a cool service selling those!
 
If you need help doing the install, feel free to PM me. Those solder pads are really tricky because if you lift one, the driver is super dead.