Zanth
SHAman who knew of Head-Fi ten years prior to its existence
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2001
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As I sit and write this review I dawn the PS-1’s. I relax and listen to some Hipnosis Jazz (a great jazz quintet from Europe, Germany I believe). The reason I write this is because this would not be possible if it were not for the incredible generosity of Emelius. Emelius offered to send me his BRAND NEW PS-1’s while his amp is being built. I had the luxury and honour of burning the phones in, listening to the changes, having them settle and then spending lots of time with them as I evaluated their sound. I am indebted to you Emelius. I can’t say I would have heard them otherwise, at least not for a significantly long time and certainly not for this length of time. As a diehard Grado fan, this was a treat beyond treats. Thank you again.
As with all reviews and impressions, these are my opinions. Read them, take them for what they are and hopefully enjoy a few minutes reading through my remarks.
A list of gear used:
HEADPHONES:
Grado HP-1’s with JGSUWBSRC
Grado RS-1’s
Grado PS-1’s
AMPLIFIERS:
Grado RA-1
Melos Sha-x modified by carlo, using CBS/HYTRON 7318’s and Amperex PQ 7316’s
SOURCES:
Panasonic SLSW870 Shockwave (Darth Maul colours)
Shanling CD-T100, heavily modified, using Bendix Redbank 6385’s
CABLES:
W Enterprises NW Music Timbre 24K Gold Plated Tri-Alloy IC’s and PC’s
POWER RELATED ITEMS:
OneAC 1120 Line Conditioner
Furutech Gold Plated Recepticle
MUSIC:
A sampling from my extensive collection including much Jazz, Classical, Eletronica, and Rock.
Opening up the UPS box, I was presented with the typical white box of Grado phones. No warranty or technical information was provided, which didn’t impress me but since these phones are special order, I’m not entirely surprised either. Not a big deal though for headphones in the +$1k category I would have liked to see a more durable and appropriate carrying case. The cardboard box is rather insulting. After forking over $1400 USD I’d pay the extra $5 for a Rubber-Made case of some sort even. Something…anything other than paper!
[size=small]Build Quality and Design[/size]
The PS-1’s have been called the penultimate of the John Grado sound but what about their design? They sure look the same as their siblings. Especially the John flavours. The exterior looks pretty well identical to an RS-1 save for the cup material. The headband leather is the same, with the same amount of padding as my RS-1’s. The cup mounts and poles are the same material as the RS-1’s and we even have the same plastic sleeve for the poles as the RS-1’s. The major differences to the eye are the absence of the model number discs on the metal mesh of the cup and the material of the chambers themselves which are aluminum and not mahogany.
The extra weight of the aluminum is substantial compared to the RS-1’s which are some of the lightest phones I have ever used. The PS-1’s feel SOLID when I wear them. Perhaps a bit heavy but then I’m used to using the HP-1’s as well which are not as heavy but nearly so. I like the weight though. It makes me feel secure in the product I own. They at least give me the impression that if I drop them they won’t shatter. RS-1’s could chip if dropped, the PS-1’s would leave a dent in a wooden floor or a foot! For those that do not enjoy heavy phones, these should be scratched from the lists of possible phones. The material chosen though, makes sense. The PS-1’s were a special order from a German firm wanting headphones for monitoring in recording studios. They need to be durable not unlike the HP-1000’s before them. And they are. Though many feel the Grados are outdated in looks and design, these new babies could well take a direct hit from a Tomahawk missile. When one is busy at work, it doesn’t matter what the phones look like. Personally I love the retro design of Grado phones and the comfort and fit work well with my head and ears. I love the supra-aural design and flats of course!
Do these compare with the construction of the HP-1000’s? Not in a million years. We all know that the HP-1000’s could withstand a direct hit from the vaunted Wormwood
I’ll quickly refer to my previous review and mention that HP-1000’s are likely the best and most over built headphones ever and a build of such quality which we will likely never see again. Screws, metal, metal, metal and more metal. There is no plastic to be seen, just a bit of rubber sheathing the cable and some foam for the pads. For $1400 I would have liked to see this quality of build construction. Especially since if by my calculations, the $595 HP-1000’s which were sold in 1990 through 95 would only hit around $1k with inflation.
Inside we are told that there are screws holding the drivers in place instead of glue, just like the HP-1’s, and that the drivers though an “entirely different beast” than those of the RS-1’s (John’s words) they may in fact be RS-1 drivers with extra destressing. I’m still waiting on an official reply from Grado regarding this. I will not open up these phones to peak at them. If I owned them that would be a different story.
The cable looks identical to that of the RS-1’s and I’d be surprised if it was different.
So in essence we have RS-1’s with a tweaked driver and some new cup material dampened with screws. Could the dampening be the key to the sound? We’ll see…
[size=small]Sound[/size]
What first struck me and what seems to strike many, taking from the various meet impressions, is that the PS-1’s have some serious bass going on. This bass is deep, very controlled in terms of restricting bloat which many are more than familiar with, typical of that all famous one bass punch which accompanies riced up cars tearing down the main streets. PS-1’s are the Grado champion of bass and may rival the Beyerdynamic DT770’s. Lots of bass, perhaps even too much depending on the recording. Though I find the DT 770’s to be completely unnatural in their bass presentation and completely bumped, the PS-1’s, which still retain that mid-bass hump of the RS-1’s, do much better at controlling it and reducing bass resonance which spoils the leading edges of proceeding notes. This I will attribute to the dampening of the drivers and the aluminum of the chambers. With metal we simply do get better bass from Grados. At least this is my experience when listening to the 325’s, PS-1’s and the HP-1000’s. I needed to swap tubes in my Melos to tone the bass down, and would need to keep them in there if I were to own these phones. Seriously, the bass was that crazy. I use the Amperex PQ’s which are known to be a tad bass shy though liquid and smooth from top to bottom with incredible mids and highs. This tube really suited the PS-1’s and made them more than enjoyable to me for long long periods of time. I proceeded to listen to many trance tracks with solid bass lines and the PS-1’s kept a wide smile on my face. With the 7318’s in the amp, my ears had so much air pushing down the canals they hurt. The pain was VERY similar to the pain I feel when using the bowl pads on my RS-1’s. I put the bowls on for an instant with the PS-1’s and then placed NOS flats on. Honestly, I’m a flats lover. I won’t use any other pads now so all my impressions from here on down are regarding flats. With bowls the sound was not my thing and this was more attributed to even more air rushing down to pulverize my drums. I will admit though that the highs were not as noticeably changed going from bowls to flats, very similar to HP-1000’s in this regard.
As for frequency range, I can’t say the PS-1’s go any lower than the RS-1’s or HP-1’s with my system. My system has been completely built around the Grado sound and I have used test tones to discern the bass proficiency of the Grado line. The PS-1’s offer more control than RS-1’s which makes it easier to hear those really low notes, but the HP-1’s do it even better, with more control which could be a simple perception because the bass is more balanced, leaner if you will but with more impact. I feel the HP-1000’s have the most solid and tangible bass, palpable if one will. The PS-1’s bass is softer and the RS-1’s bass is softer still. My personal goal in any musical reproduction system, speakers or headphones, is to have as close to perfect attack as possible with incredible leading edges and palpability. I want to feel the weight of the drum stick when it hits the skin, I want to hear the weight of the mallet when it hits the metal of a xylophone. This is indeed very hard to recreate in my experience and only three phones are fast enough and proficient enough to do it well – Etymotic 4 series, Sony R10’s and the HP-1000’s. I have not heard the latest and greatest from other canal phones nor have I heard Omega II’s or the HE90’s so don’t flame me folks. But among the Grado lines, only Joe’s old metal beasts can do it in my system. That said, I’m not saying the PS-1 bass is not a lot of fun, in fact I love it a lot! It’s just overwhelming at times and one may need to attenuate it in some form or another. I was lucky enough to have the Amperex tubes on hand. I didn’t bother with the Telefunkens which I also have here, since they are not as good as the PQ’s, though I’m sure the bass attenuation would have had similar results.
The level of detail and resolution was comparable to rs1 and hp1 and in fact, I would say rs1 still gives off the appearance of more upper range detail because of a more forward sound. This is where I prefer the PS1 to RS1. I will sacrifice detail for a more balanced sound. The PS1s are lets say…the tip of the stage or right there licking the sweat that flies from the performer. With RS1’s you are licking the sweat off their face and HP-1’s give you that safety zone, close enough to see it all coming at you, but far enough away to know its gonna hit that big guy a few feet in front of you. Close enough to see it fly but far enough back to avoid being taken out. Thank goodness for HP-1’s!
The highs of the PS-1’s are really nice to listen to and are very extended. I don’t think they are any more extended than the HP-1’s but I don’t think they are less than either. Though there is more bass which could mask the highs a bit, the PS-1’s don’t falter here and it’s easy to follow notes in the upper echelons of human hearing. This is the second best aspect of the PS-1’s and I applaud John here. If the secret is driver dampening, then I want my RS-1’s to get some screws immediately. At times the RS-1 sound is just a bit too forward for me (bad recordings mainly) but the PS-1’s never make me feel like ripping the phones from my head.
The mids, oh the mids! Grados are known for having some of the best mids in the biz and the PS-1’s do not disappoint. Fast, controlled and so enjoyable and realistic. MMmm mmm, this is why I own Grados folks. These mids. In fact, from my experience, no other headphone company matches Grado here. As for singular phones from various lines, only the R10’s for me…compare to the RS-1/PS-1/HP-1 here. Again I have yet to hear Stax Omega II’s and Sennheiser HE90’s.
PS-1’s are not nearly as neutral as HP-1’s. Many will likely prefer this to the “cool” sound of the HP-1’s since the sound is more neutral than any other Grado, but the HP-1’s are far and away the most neutral listening device I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. No hype anywhere in the signal, no peaks or valleys. It’s as flat as I can imagine sound being coming from transducers. Some do dislike this and when paired with an equally neutral amp, may find the combo a bit boring. I fall in this category and this is why I chose to go with a Melos over a Gilmore for my HP-1000’s. With the PS-1’s, the bass is overly dramatic to the point of warming up the sound a bit too much for my liking. At least as far as my intent on the most neutral sound out there. But then if I was so militant about this, I would have a Gilmore amp and not a Melos. That said, the CBS/Hytron 7318s are the bestest of the best 12au7s out there and frankly provide the most neutral and real life sound possible for my Melos yet I use the Amperex with best results. So perhaps if I were to compare the PS-1/Gilmore to the HP-1/Melos I would come closer to similar sound? Who knows, but it would be lots of fun to try. For classical I still prefer the HP-1’s because of their neutrality.
The PS-1’s have greater instrument separation than the RS-1’s which may give the portrayal of better this or that since RS-1’s are so forward and have a more collapsed headstage, but when listening intently it shows that the hyped bass in the PS-1 actually causes a muffled sound at times. The HP-1’s have superior instrumental separation of the three contenders and this translates to the better bass of the three, more balanced I should say, so better for me for most music. RS-1’s have a more balanced bass than the PS-1’s but the bass one gets with PS-1 is WOW and more accurate. For the bass lovers, this phone is a dream without being a Beyer psycho Sony crazy bass womping phone.
The headstaging is interesting with these phones. The left to right or longitudinal axis is nearly as compressed as the RS-1’s, HP-1’s crushing them in perceived distance between left and right temples. What PS-1’s do provide is a very DEEP headstage, on the Z axis. I don’t hear it going deeper than HP-1’s, but it goes nearly as deep, and deeper than RS-1’s and by a substantial enough margin. I always enjoyed the HP-1’s for this fact, the ability to project further than the current line-up of Grados, the PS-1’s have come close enough that I wouldn’t overly care if I missed out.
Grados are not known for having a wide headstage but they do get sound out of the head or “soundstage” as Darth Nut put it. Grados are able to throw those sounds far out of the head when necessary and the PS-1’s really do a great job here as well. Nothing dramatically different than the HP-1’s or RS-1’s in this respect but they don’t falter either.
It seems thus far that I feel the PS-1’s beat the RS-1’s or match them everywhere and are neck and neck with HP-1’s or just falling shy of them for my preferences. Where I feel the RS-1’s excel and will likely always excel over any phone with a metal body is tonal accuracy and sound decay of woodwinds and string instruments. Though the RS-1 wood body contributes to this entirely, the wonderful resonance gives these instruments such an incredibly REALISTIC sound that it’s striking most times, staggering at others. I have extensive experience with these types of instruments and am a nationally qualified piano and clarinet instructor. The RS-1’s provide this magic realism that to these ears is unmatched by any but the R10’s. Wood, folks, it’s the real deal. I can’t say why exactly a neutral phone like the HP-1 or a fairly neutral phone like the PS-1 would not sound as real than the RS-1’s for these instruments, less colouration should be good right? Not when it comes to string quartets it doesn’t! Not to me, and not to my old music teacher either. This will fall into preferences etc., but well, this alone warrants me keeping the RS-1’s around. Much of my classical collection is string and woodwind based and a lot of my jazz is clarinet or bass clarinet based.
The crowning jewel of John’s engineering and design though comes with the PS-1’s. I have never ever ever heard anything as smooth and liquid as sound coming from PS-1’s. If I am at all put off by the PS-1 price, this one attribute could sway my vote in the direction of “it’s worth it.” I fall into the music and I just never want it to stop. It is non-fatiguing, velvety, plush, wonderful, magical. Yes, hyperbole and meaningless adjectives but I don’t care. One has to listen to experience this phenomenon. It’s something that is entirely overwhelming. I don’t want to give these phones back to Emelius!!!
This liquid sound does not come at a cost to detail, resolution, extension on either end. No this is a work of art, a work of solid engineering and design and if it’s a result of the extra destressing of the drivers, then I want my RS-1 drivers destressed too!!
[size=small]Conlusions[/size]
I look at the PS-1’s and I think to myself, RS-1’s with aluminum cups. Are the drivers dramatically different? Different rumours are flying around. As I’ve said I’ll get to the bottom of this, hopefully soon. I’ve been told they are the same as the RS-1’s but have undergone more destressing. If so, then frankly, the PS-1’s should not cost 800 MORE than RS-1’s as the R&D was at a minimum. I understand the traveling between continents 2x+ and that saddens me as this phone is now out of reach of more than a few folks. When my wife saw me listening to them she told me I had to give them back to Emelius. I told her yes dear I know…but I didn’t want to, and I still don’t want to. I want a pair, I want them if only for their liquidity. Soooo smooth and I love that about them. They are the most liquid phone I have heard to date. Where they lose out in resolution to the R10’s they destroy them in liquidity. So then at this level of the game it again is a decision based entirely upon preferences. Do you want the ultimate in resolution? Or do you want something entirely different but equally gratifying? Perhaps the Omega II’s offer both. I will find out one day!
Are they the perfect Grado? For some yes, for some no. For me…not quite. What I want, what I would LOVE is a Grado with the axis lengths of the HP1000’s, the neutrality of the HP-1000’s with the liquid sound of the PS-1’s, and the HP-1000 headstage. Oh, how about a wider longitudinal axis as well, just a bit wider…and the build of an HP-1000’s is mandatory now.
For those looking for a high-end phone, something 1337! Then this could be it! It’s in production, it is less than any other top phone (unless Omega II’s are ordered direct from Japan) and frankly I think it sounds better than any dynamic phone currently in production that I have heard. I have not heard the Leatherhead or that crazy Ultrazone phone. But from what folks say, they don’t hold a candle to the R10 and I don’t think the R10’s are all that. Not for 3.5k anyway.
Will I sell my HP-1’s for these phones? No. Will I sell my RS-1’s for them? No. Will I save up for them? Time will tell. I still need to hear Omega II’s but since I love the Grado sound and was not all that impressed with 404’s there is a good chance Zanth will have a pair by Christmas
RS-1’s still provide the best sound reproduction for woodwinds and strings I have heard to date. It’s just how it goes and I doubt any metal phone will be able to match it. R10’s are the only phone that comes close to the RS-1’s and could perhaps take it down if they were not closed and having that odd reverb thing going on. I love the mids of the R10 though and they are very fast and they sparkle. Grados have everything but that R10 sparkle.
What I am drawn more and more to with the PS-1’s is their coherency which is matched with the liquid sound. They are simply a joy to listen. If the RS1’s are ever bright, the PS1’s correct this. Perhaps not so ironically, I found the the PS1’s sound incredible out of the RA-1. No surprise to this fan though, since the RA-1 is also a very nice liquid sounding amp. In fact, I think the RA-1 is a very nice partner and the PS-1’s are able to retain most of their strengths with the RA-1. The RA-1 really is an incredible little amp. Go ahead you naysayers! Bash away, but my RA-1 stays.
What would my perfect headphones be? Likely they would have that high impact, palpable sound of the HP-1’s with their balanced and tight bass, the liquid sound of the PS-1’s with the chambers of the RS-1’s. Screws, extra dampening, more driver destressing and more padding on the top of the head band. Lastly widen the X Y and Z axis headstage and I’m all for it. Charge me $2k even and I’ll bite, because in the end I would have all that I would want out of a Grado and no need to keep the other top drawer players, at least none other than for reasons of nostaligia.
Thanks again Emelius for this exciting and gratifying opportunity.
PS-1's are exclusively availble in the US and I assume North America via our very own Todd the Vinyl Junkie, a sponser of this site and a great all around guy. Thanks Todd for working your butt off in order to get us these great phones and the flats too!
As with all reviews and impressions, these are my opinions. Read them, take them for what they are and hopefully enjoy a few minutes reading through my remarks.
A list of gear used:
HEADPHONES:
Grado HP-1’s with JGSUWBSRC
Grado RS-1’s
Grado PS-1’s
AMPLIFIERS:
Grado RA-1
Melos Sha-x modified by carlo, using CBS/HYTRON 7318’s and Amperex PQ 7316’s
SOURCES:
Panasonic SLSW870 Shockwave (Darth Maul colours)
Shanling CD-T100, heavily modified, using Bendix Redbank 6385’s
CABLES:
W Enterprises NW Music Timbre 24K Gold Plated Tri-Alloy IC’s and PC’s
POWER RELATED ITEMS:
OneAC 1120 Line Conditioner
Furutech Gold Plated Recepticle
MUSIC:
A sampling from my extensive collection including much Jazz, Classical, Eletronica, and Rock.
Opening up the UPS box, I was presented with the typical white box of Grado phones. No warranty or technical information was provided, which didn’t impress me but since these phones are special order, I’m not entirely surprised either. Not a big deal though for headphones in the +$1k category I would have liked to see a more durable and appropriate carrying case. The cardboard box is rather insulting. After forking over $1400 USD I’d pay the extra $5 for a Rubber-Made case of some sort even. Something…anything other than paper!
[size=small]Build Quality and Design[/size]
The PS-1’s have been called the penultimate of the John Grado sound but what about their design? They sure look the same as their siblings. Especially the John flavours. The exterior looks pretty well identical to an RS-1 save for the cup material. The headband leather is the same, with the same amount of padding as my RS-1’s. The cup mounts and poles are the same material as the RS-1’s and we even have the same plastic sleeve for the poles as the RS-1’s. The major differences to the eye are the absence of the model number discs on the metal mesh of the cup and the material of the chambers themselves which are aluminum and not mahogany.
The extra weight of the aluminum is substantial compared to the RS-1’s which are some of the lightest phones I have ever used. The PS-1’s feel SOLID when I wear them. Perhaps a bit heavy but then I’m used to using the HP-1’s as well which are not as heavy but nearly so. I like the weight though. It makes me feel secure in the product I own. They at least give me the impression that if I drop them they won’t shatter. RS-1’s could chip if dropped, the PS-1’s would leave a dent in a wooden floor or a foot! For those that do not enjoy heavy phones, these should be scratched from the lists of possible phones. The material chosen though, makes sense. The PS-1’s were a special order from a German firm wanting headphones for monitoring in recording studios. They need to be durable not unlike the HP-1000’s before them. And they are. Though many feel the Grados are outdated in looks and design, these new babies could well take a direct hit from a Tomahawk missile. When one is busy at work, it doesn’t matter what the phones look like. Personally I love the retro design of Grado phones and the comfort and fit work well with my head and ears. I love the supra-aural design and flats of course!
Do these compare with the construction of the HP-1000’s? Not in a million years. We all know that the HP-1000’s could withstand a direct hit from the vaunted Wormwood
Inside we are told that there are screws holding the drivers in place instead of glue, just like the HP-1’s, and that the drivers though an “entirely different beast” than those of the RS-1’s (John’s words) they may in fact be RS-1 drivers with extra destressing. I’m still waiting on an official reply from Grado regarding this. I will not open up these phones to peak at them. If I owned them that would be a different story.
The cable looks identical to that of the RS-1’s and I’d be surprised if it was different.
So in essence we have RS-1’s with a tweaked driver and some new cup material dampened with screws. Could the dampening be the key to the sound? We’ll see…
[size=small]Sound[/size]
What first struck me and what seems to strike many, taking from the various meet impressions, is that the PS-1’s have some serious bass going on. This bass is deep, very controlled in terms of restricting bloat which many are more than familiar with, typical of that all famous one bass punch which accompanies riced up cars tearing down the main streets. PS-1’s are the Grado champion of bass and may rival the Beyerdynamic DT770’s. Lots of bass, perhaps even too much depending on the recording. Though I find the DT 770’s to be completely unnatural in their bass presentation and completely bumped, the PS-1’s, which still retain that mid-bass hump of the RS-1’s, do much better at controlling it and reducing bass resonance which spoils the leading edges of proceeding notes. This I will attribute to the dampening of the drivers and the aluminum of the chambers. With metal we simply do get better bass from Grados. At least this is my experience when listening to the 325’s, PS-1’s and the HP-1000’s. I needed to swap tubes in my Melos to tone the bass down, and would need to keep them in there if I were to own these phones. Seriously, the bass was that crazy. I use the Amperex PQ’s which are known to be a tad bass shy though liquid and smooth from top to bottom with incredible mids and highs. This tube really suited the PS-1’s and made them more than enjoyable to me for long long periods of time. I proceeded to listen to many trance tracks with solid bass lines and the PS-1’s kept a wide smile on my face. With the 7318’s in the amp, my ears had so much air pushing down the canals they hurt. The pain was VERY similar to the pain I feel when using the bowl pads on my RS-1’s. I put the bowls on for an instant with the PS-1’s and then placed NOS flats on. Honestly, I’m a flats lover. I won’t use any other pads now so all my impressions from here on down are regarding flats. With bowls the sound was not my thing and this was more attributed to even more air rushing down to pulverize my drums. I will admit though that the highs were not as noticeably changed going from bowls to flats, very similar to HP-1000’s in this regard.
As for frequency range, I can’t say the PS-1’s go any lower than the RS-1’s or HP-1’s with my system. My system has been completely built around the Grado sound and I have used test tones to discern the bass proficiency of the Grado line. The PS-1’s offer more control than RS-1’s which makes it easier to hear those really low notes, but the HP-1’s do it even better, with more control which could be a simple perception because the bass is more balanced, leaner if you will but with more impact. I feel the HP-1000’s have the most solid and tangible bass, palpable if one will. The PS-1’s bass is softer and the RS-1’s bass is softer still. My personal goal in any musical reproduction system, speakers or headphones, is to have as close to perfect attack as possible with incredible leading edges and palpability. I want to feel the weight of the drum stick when it hits the skin, I want to hear the weight of the mallet when it hits the metal of a xylophone. This is indeed very hard to recreate in my experience and only three phones are fast enough and proficient enough to do it well – Etymotic 4 series, Sony R10’s and the HP-1000’s. I have not heard the latest and greatest from other canal phones nor have I heard Omega II’s or the HE90’s so don’t flame me folks. But among the Grado lines, only Joe’s old metal beasts can do it in my system. That said, I’m not saying the PS-1 bass is not a lot of fun, in fact I love it a lot! It’s just overwhelming at times and one may need to attenuate it in some form or another. I was lucky enough to have the Amperex tubes on hand. I didn’t bother with the Telefunkens which I also have here, since they are not as good as the PQ’s, though I’m sure the bass attenuation would have had similar results.
The level of detail and resolution was comparable to rs1 and hp1 and in fact, I would say rs1 still gives off the appearance of more upper range detail because of a more forward sound. This is where I prefer the PS1 to RS1. I will sacrifice detail for a more balanced sound. The PS1s are lets say…the tip of the stage or right there licking the sweat that flies from the performer. With RS1’s you are licking the sweat off their face and HP-1’s give you that safety zone, close enough to see it all coming at you, but far enough away to know its gonna hit that big guy a few feet in front of you. Close enough to see it fly but far enough back to avoid being taken out. Thank goodness for HP-1’s!
The highs of the PS-1’s are really nice to listen to and are very extended. I don’t think they are any more extended than the HP-1’s but I don’t think they are less than either. Though there is more bass which could mask the highs a bit, the PS-1’s don’t falter here and it’s easy to follow notes in the upper echelons of human hearing. This is the second best aspect of the PS-1’s and I applaud John here. If the secret is driver dampening, then I want my RS-1’s to get some screws immediately. At times the RS-1 sound is just a bit too forward for me (bad recordings mainly) but the PS-1’s never make me feel like ripping the phones from my head.
The mids, oh the mids! Grados are known for having some of the best mids in the biz and the PS-1’s do not disappoint. Fast, controlled and so enjoyable and realistic. MMmm mmm, this is why I own Grados folks. These mids. In fact, from my experience, no other headphone company matches Grado here. As for singular phones from various lines, only the R10’s for me…compare to the RS-1/PS-1/HP-1 here. Again I have yet to hear Stax Omega II’s and Sennheiser HE90’s.
PS-1’s are not nearly as neutral as HP-1’s. Many will likely prefer this to the “cool” sound of the HP-1’s since the sound is more neutral than any other Grado, but the HP-1’s are far and away the most neutral listening device I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. No hype anywhere in the signal, no peaks or valleys. It’s as flat as I can imagine sound being coming from transducers. Some do dislike this and when paired with an equally neutral amp, may find the combo a bit boring. I fall in this category and this is why I chose to go with a Melos over a Gilmore for my HP-1000’s. With the PS-1’s, the bass is overly dramatic to the point of warming up the sound a bit too much for my liking. At least as far as my intent on the most neutral sound out there. But then if I was so militant about this, I would have a Gilmore amp and not a Melos. That said, the CBS/Hytron 7318s are the bestest of the best 12au7s out there and frankly provide the most neutral and real life sound possible for my Melos yet I use the Amperex with best results. So perhaps if I were to compare the PS-1/Gilmore to the HP-1/Melos I would come closer to similar sound? Who knows, but it would be lots of fun to try. For classical I still prefer the HP-1’s because of their neutrality.
The PS-1’s have greater instrument separation than the RS-1’s which may give the portrayal of better this or that since RS-1’s are so forward and have a more collapsed headstage, but when listening intently it shows that the hyped bass in the PS-1 actually causes a muffled sound at times. The HP-1’s have superior instrumental separation of the three contenders and this translates to the better bass of the three, more balanced I should say, so better for me for most music. RS-1’s have a more balanced bass than the PS-1’s but the bass one gets with PS-1 is WOW and more accurate. For the bass lovers, this phone is a dream without being a Beyer psycho Sony crazy bass womping phone.
The headstaging is interesting with these phones. The left to right or longitudinal axis is nearly as compressed as the RS-1’s, HP-1’s crushing them in perceived distance between left and right temples. What PS-1’s do provide is a very DEEP headstage, on the Z axis. I don’t hear it going deeper than HP-1’s, but it goes nearly as deep, and deeper than RS-1’s and by a substantial enough margin. I always enjoyed the HP-1’s for this fact, the ability to project further than the current line-up of Grados, the PS-1’s have come close enough that I wouldn’t overly care if I missed out.
Grados are not known for having a wide headstage but they do get sound out of the head or “soundstage” as Darth Nut put it. Grados are able to throw those sounds far out of the head when necessary and the PS-1’s really do a great job here as well. Nothing dramatically different than the HP-1’s or RS-1’s in this respect but they don’t falter either.
It seems thus far that I feel the PS-1’s beat the RS-1’s or match them everywhere and are neck and neck with HP-1’s or just falling shy of them for my preferences. Where I feel the RS-1’s excel and will likely always excel over any phone with a metal body is tonal accuracy and sound decay of woodwinds and string instruments. Though the RS-1 wood body contributes to this entirely, the wonderful resonance gives these instruments such an incredibly REALISTIC sound that it’s striking most times, staggering at others. I have extensive experience with these types of instruments and am a nationally qualified piano and clarinet instructor. The RS-1’s provide this magic realism that to these ears is unmatched by any but the R10’s. Wood, folks, it’s the real deal. I can’t say why exactly a neutral phone like the HP-1 or a fairly neutral phone like the PS-1 would not sound as real than the RS-1’s for these instruments, less colouration should be good right? Not when it comes to string quartets it doesn’t! Not to me, and not to my old music teacher either. This will fall into preferences etc., but well, this alone warrants me keeping the RS-1’s around. Much of my classical collection is string and woodwind based and a lot of my jazz is clarinet or bass clarinet based.
The crowning jewel of John’s engineering and design though comes with the PS-1’s. I have never ever ever heard anything as smooth and liquid as sound coming from PS-1’s. If I am at all put off by the PS-1 price, this one attribute could sway my vote in the direction of “it’s worth it.” I fall into the music and I just never want it to stop. It is non-fatiguing, velvety, plush, wonderful, magical. Yes, hyperbole and meaningless adjectives but I don’t care. One has to listen to experience this phenomenon. It’s something that is entirely overwhelming. I don’t want to give these phones back to Emelius!!!
This liquid sound does not come at a cost to detail, resolution, extension on either end. No this is a work of art, a work of solid engineering and design and if it’s a result of the extra destressing of the drivers, then I want my RS-1 drivers destressed too!!
[size=small]Conlusions[/size]
I look at the PS-1’s and I think to myself, RS-1’s with aluminum cups. Are the drivers dramatically different? Different rumours are flying around. As I’ve said I’ll get to the bottom of this, hopefully soon. I’ve been told they are the same as the RS-1’s but have undergone more destressing. If so, then frankly, the PS-1’s should not cost 800 MORE than RS-1’s as the R&D was at a minimum. I understand the traveling between continents 2x+ and that saddens me as this phone is now out of reach of more than a few folks. When my wife saw me listening to them she told me I had to give them back to Emelius. I told her yes dear I know…but I didn’t want to, and I still don’t want to. I want a pair, I want them if only for their liquidity. Soooo smooth and I love that about them. They are the most liquid phone I have heard to date. Where they lose out in resolution to the R10’s they destroy them in liquidity. So then at this level of the game it again is a decision based entirely upon preferences. Do you want the ultimate in resolution? Or do you want something entirely different but equally gratifying? Perhaps the Omega II’s offer both. I will find out one day!
Are they the perfect Grado? For some yes, for some no. For me…not quite. What I want, what I would LOVE is a Grado with the axis lengths of the HP1000’s, the neutrality of the HP-1000’s with the liquid sound of the PS-1’s, and the HP-1000 headstage. Oh, how about a wider longitudinal axis as well, just a bit wider…and the build of an HP-1000’s is mandatory now.
For those looking for a high-end phone, something 1337! Then this could be it! It’s in production, it is less than any other top phone (unless Omega II’s are ordered direct from Japan) and frankly I think it sounds better than any dynamic phone currently in production that I have heard. I have not heard the Leatherhead or that crazy Ultrazone phone. But from what folks say, they don’t hold a candle to the R10 and I don’t think the R10’s are all that. Not for 3.5k anyway.
Will I sell my HP-1’s for these phones? No. Will I sell my RS-1’s for them? No. Will I save up for them? Time will tell. I still need to hear Omega II’s but since I love the Grado sound and was not all that impressed with 404’s there is a good chance Zanth will have a pair by Christmas
RS-1’s still provide the best sound reproduction for woodwinds and strings I have heard to date. It’s just how it goes and I doubt any metal phone will be able to match it. R10’s are the only phone that comes close to the RS-1’s and could perhaps take it down if they were not closed and having that odd reverb thing going on. I love the mids of the R10 though and they are very fast and they sparkle. Grados have everything but that R10 sparkle.
What I am drawn more and more to with the PS-1’s is their coherency which is matched with the liquid sound. They are simply a joy to listen. If the RS1’s are ever bright, the PS1’s correct this. Perhaps not so ironically, I found the the PS1’s sound incredible out of the RA-1. No surprise to this fan though, since the RA-1 is also a very nice liquid sounding amp. In fact, I think the RA-1 is a very nice partner and the PS-1’s are able to retain most of their strengths with the RA-1. The RA-1 really is an incredible little amp. Go ahead you naysayers! Bash away, but my RA-1 stays.
What would my perfect headphones be? Likely they would have that high impact, palpable sound of the HP-1’s with their balanced and tight bass, the liquid sound of the PS-1’s with the chambers of the RS-1’s. Screws, extra dampening, more driver destressing and more padding on the top of the head band. Lastly widen the X Y and Z axis headstage and I’m all for it. Charge me $2k even and I’ll bite, because in the end I would have all that I would want out of a Grado and no need to keep the other top drawer players, at least none other than for reasons of nostaligia.
Thanks again Emelius for this exciting and gratifying opportunity.
PS-1's are exclusively availble in the US and I assume North America via our very own Todd the Vinyl Junkie, a sponser of this site and a great all around guy. Thanks Todd for working your butt off in order to get us these great phones and the flats too!
