Piotr Ryka
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2005
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Grado PS-1000 initial impression
Yesterday I have great for every headphone-man pleasure to be able directly compared three great headphones: my own AKG K1000 and Ultrasone E9 with new big creature in the headphone jungle – Grado PS-1000.
First of all I must say, that this new Grado “king lion” was straight from the box and I have used them only about four hours, so that is only some impression, not a definite review. Thus I strongly insist to everybody, not to take out any definite conclusions from this text. That could be a big mistake.
The system
- sources: Cary 306 SACD Pro and Gamut CD3
- amplifier: strongly modified preamp/headphone amp. ASL Twin-Head Mark III with following tubes - 45 “mesh” Emission Labs, E188CC Mullard, 350B Valve Art, GZ-34 Mullard and 12AX7 Brimar
- power amplifier for K1000: Croft Polestar 1 with Mullard ECC83 “Long anode”
- IC’s Tara Labs ISM The One and Air1
- PS Audio Power Plant Premier
Writing in English is very difficult to me, so please, forgive language incapability.
To the matter. I very like and respect Grado GS-1000, so after many enthusiastic reports about PS-1000 I’ve been expected gorgeous things. On the other hand I remember that Grado headphones – GS-1000 particularly – needs a long period of playing to show up like they really are able to do they job. Straight from the box they are just annoying. PS-1000 are not, so that is unquestionable superiority.
First impression – sound is more natural, toward AKG K1000 style. Overall tonality is good, transparency fair. Bass is powerful and without sound condensations; sopranos are not noisy and not fatiguing. Generally clear and prominent sound, but…
But not better than the Edition9 one. Different, but not better. Soundstage is bigger, bass and sopranos are not so exposed. Quantum of details is comparable, but with E9 they are better visible. E9 sopranos are brighter and this is probably the reason. Also E9 impact was stronger and sound slightly much fuller. Only a bit, but fuller.
Was I disappointed? A little. But not due to Ultrasone’s. Due to K1000. I must say, that this completely fresh PS-1000 piece were definitely one level below old AKG flagship. The main reason is slightly difficult to me to describe in English, although otherwise obvious. But this is the thing which you can’t describe in one word. It goes like this: all space – not soundstage, space – just all air with K1000 is vibrate. This is not that standard way of playing: one sound here, another there, etc. That is living space. And this is one from the most important determinants of high-end kind of playing. I can even say more: Living space is the most sought-after thing in all audiophile affair.
But also K1000 precision, naturalness, transparency and refinement of highs were definitely better. I know, K1000 sings like this only with very good and powerful amplification, but I had superb amplification for all three headphones, so there is no excuse. Only excuse for PS-1000 was its freshness. I am quite sure, they will be do his job better in future, after few days of playing. But do they achieve K1000 level? I hope they do, but I have considerable doubts.
But honestly I didn’t expected that PS-1000 will be sings like K1000 and also didn’t wanted to. I need some headphones in GS-1000 style, with extremely huge soundstage and mild but very elegant sound. (In my system GS-1000 are much more mild than K1000.) Just something more easy to listen, because amount of details and crispness of AKG’s is after long period of listening slightly fatiguing. Beautiful but fatiguing, as live music is. (I can very easy do AKG K1000 sound more relaxed – switch over Twin-Head from OTL to non-OTL tribe and here we are – but I don’t want to do that, because of terrible, unacceptable sound degradation.)
Unfortunately I had no GS-1000 to direct comparison, but I know them very well and can responsibly say, that GS-1000 are more in artistic way, with some kind of magic and “flaying”, whereas PS-1000 are more in studio way, with realistic and direct manner of playing. I also can say that good heating GS-1000, particularly with Black Dragon cable, are more interesting to me than not heating PS-1000. However I had observed, that PS-1000 even within this yesterday’s four hours of playing clearly increased sound temperature, so theirs definitive sound is to me unknown. I hope it will be tremendous, but can’t say it yet. As my friend who also have listened them told: that is as yet PS-325, not PS-1000.
On the end some recordings impressions
“Song of White” from Vangelis “Antarctica”
Huge soundstage, but there is no clouds above horizon, which I know from GS-1000. And I feel lack of them.
“Farrucas” from Pepe Romero “Flamenco”
Very good PS-1000 presentation, but K1000 are more precise and natural, whereas E9 are more powerful and involving.
“Hungarian Rhapsody No.2” from “Liszt 10 Hungarian Rhapsodies, Georges Cziffra”
Also good presentation, but far behind AKG K1000 3-dimentional sound. E9 are more prominent too.
“Quintettino In Do Magiore” from “Luigi Boccerini Fandango, Simphonie & La Musica Notturna di Madrid”
PS-1000 in its best repertoire. Beautiful space, not fatiguing sound on very high level. Not as detailed and sophisticate as this by K1000, but simply beautiful.
“Sweet Jane” by Cowboy Junkies from “The Tarantino Collection”
All three headphones perform sibilates, but sibilation is on the record so that is obvious. With PS-1000 this sibilation is less fatiguing, but with K1000 song is far more interesting.
“Moby Dick” from “Led Zeppelin II”
Good but not grandiosely. In comparison to K1000 you lost many details and grace of presentation. Also heating GS-1000, as I remember, are definitely better.
“Amazing Grace” from “The Space Sound CD” by Stax (Sampler)
Oh, my God, why only Stax’es and K1000 can play this dummy head recordings in beautiful way? Why no other headphones? I don’t know, but PS-1000 unfortunately is not an exception. Beautiful soundstage from GS-1000 and PS-1000 don’t help. Pity.
Yesterday I have great for every headphone-man pleasure to be able directly compared three great headphones: my own AKG K1000 and Ultrasone E9 with new big creature in the headphone jungle – Grado PS-1000.
First of all I must say, that this new Grado “king lion” was straight from the box and I have used them only about four hours, so that is only some impression, not a definite review. Thus I strongly insist to everybody, not to take out any definite conclusions from this text. That could be a big mistake.
The system
- sources: Cary 306 SACD Pro and Gamut CD3
- amplifier: strongly modified preamp/headphone amp. ASL Twin-Head Mark III with following tubes - 45 “mesh” Emission Labs, E188CC Mullard, 350B Valve Art, GZ-34 Mullard and 12AX7 Brimar
- power amplifier for K1000: Croft Polestar 1 with Mullard ECC83 “Long anode”
- IC’s Tara Labs ISM The One and Air1
- PS Audio Power Plant Premier
Writing in English is very difficult to me, so please, forgive language incapability.
To the matter. I very like and respect Grado GS-1000, so after many enthusiastic reports about PS-1000 I’ve been expected gorgeous things. On the other hand I remember that Grado headphones – GS-1000 particularly – needs a long period of playing to show up like they really are able to do they job. Straight from the box they are just annoying. PS-1000 are not, so that is unquestionable superiority.
First impression – sound is more natural, toward AKG K1000 style. Overall tonality is good, transparency fair. Bass is powerful and without sound condensations; sopranos are not noisy and not fatiguing. Generally clear and prominent sound, but…
But not better than the Edition9 one. Different, but not better. Soundstage is bigger, bass and sopranos are not so exposed. Quantum of details is comparable, but with E9 they are better visible. E9 sopranos are brighter and this is probably the reason. Also E9 impact was stronger and sound slightly much fuller. Only a bit, but fuller.
Was I disappointed? A little. But not due to Ultrasone’s. Due to K1000. I must say, that this completely fresh PS-1000 piece were definitely one level below old AKG flagship. The main reason is slightly difficult to me to describe in English, although otherwise obvious. But this is the thing which you can’t describe in one word. It goes like this: all space – not soundstage, space – just all air with K1000 is vibrate. This is not that standard way of playing: one sound here, another there, etc. That is living space. And this is one from the most important determinants of high-end kind of playing. I can even say more: Living space is the most sought-after thing in all audiophile affair.
But also K1000 precision, naturalness, transparency and refinement of highs were definitely better. I know, K1000 sings like this only with very good and powerful amplification, but I had superb amplification for all three headphones, so there is no excuse. Only excuse for PS-1000 was its freshness. I am quite sure, they will be do his job better in future, after few days of playing. But do they achieve K1000 level? I hope they do, but I have considerable doubts.
But honestly I didn’t expected that PS-1000 will be sings like K1000 and also didn’t wanted to. I need some headphones in GS-1000 style, with extremely huge soundstage and mild but very elegant sound. (In my system GS-1000 are much more mild than K1000.) Just something more easy to listen, because amount of details and crispness of AKG’s is after long period of listening slightly fatiguing. Beautiful but fatiguing, as live music is. (I can very easy do AKG K1000 sound more relaxed – switch over Twin-Head from OTL to non-OTL tribe and here we are – but I don’t want to do that, because of terrible, unacceptable sound degradation.)
Unfortunately I had no GS-1000 to direct comparison, but I know them very well and can responsibly say, that GS-1000 are more in artistic way, with some kind of magic and “flaying”, whereas PS-1000 are more in studio way, with realistic and direct manner of playing. I also can say that good heating GS-1000, particularly with Black Dragon cable, are more interesting to me than not heating PS-1000. However I had observed, that PS-1000 even within this yesterday’s four hours of playing clearly increased sound temperature, so theirs definitive sound is to me unknown. I hope it will be tremendous, but can’t say it yet. As my friend who also have listened them told: that is as yet PS-325, not PS-1000.
On the end some recordings impressions
“Song of White” from Vangelis “Antarctica”
Huge soundstage, but there is no clouds above horizon, which I know from GS-1000. And I feel lack of them.
“Farrucas” from Pepe Romero “Flamenco”
Very good PS-1000 presentation, but K1000 are more precise and natural, whereas E9 are more powerful and involving.
“Hungarian Rhapsody No.2” from “Liszt 10 Hungarian Rhapsodies, Georges Cziffra”
Also good presentation, but far behind AKG K1000 3-dimentional sound. E9 are more prominent too.
“Quintettino In Do Magiore” from “Luigi Boccerini Fandango, Simphonie & La Musica Notturna di Madrid”
PS-1000 in its best repertoire. Beautiful space, not fatiguing sound on very high level. Not as detailed and sophisticate as this by K1000, but simply beautiful.
“Sweet Jane” by Cowboy Junkies from “The Tarantino Collection”
All three headphones perform sibilates, but sibilation is on the record so that is obvious. With PS-1000 this sibilation is less fatiguing, but with K1000 song is far more interesting.
“Moby Dick” from “Led Zeppelin II”
Good but not grandiosely. In comparison to K1000 you lost many details and grace of presentation. Also heating GS-1000, as I remember, are definitely better.
“Amazing Grace” from “The Space Sound CD” by Stax (Sampler)
Oh, my God, why only Stax’es and K1000 can play this dummy head recordings in beautiful way? Why no other headphones? I don’t know, but PS-1000 unfortunately is not an exception. Beautiful soundstage from GS-1000 and PS-1000 don’t help. Pity.
