Regarding the black spots and other minor imperfections that have been reported regarding the metal cups to the PS1000, this is what I just learned from the Grado rep:
"Here’s the response from John Grado:
According to John the black dots are normal and is a characteristic of the alloy that is used for the housing in the PS1000’s.
As far as the scratches …I can’t say. Every Grado headphone is hand inspected and the PS1000’s undergo even more rigorous inspection before they are packed.
John assures me they do would never let a pair of scratched PS1000’s leave the building.
I would let the customer know that it is the Nature of the finish and is not defective. These are hand crafted products.
Hope this helps"
Mine have several black "dots" (for want of a better term) and what appear to be very minor (two or so) black smudge/scratch/dots (hard to say). Interestingly, the writing on the two cups is a bit different - one is white, the other a bit more faded/silvery looking.
That said, as for the sound, after 40 or so hours, it is just getting better and better....
The lows are very defined/resolving, the mids are just there, and no problem with the highs. The soundstage isn't as large as the HD800, but this is not an issue at all - they really sound great off of
Paradiseradio.com - paradise radio Resources and Information. as well as off of CDs, and classical and jazz music high bitstream websites. The PS1000s do exceptionally well with vocals too.
They still are very comfortable for extended listening periods; while they have weight, you really don't feel it (except in a very good way) on your head. Excellent headphones, and though expensive as all get-go, they are really great, if you can afford them.