[Focker]

Quote:

Well... I'm definitely in the "B" group!
 
To me... the PS1000's, and especially the PS500's, are better than all others I've had, or demoed - they just sound much more like "real live music," than the others.  For whatever reasons, I just don't hear any of the "artifacts" a few others reference.  
 
But... I listen primarily to acoustical music, jazz, country, blues rock, chamber music, etc., not so much large, complex classical / orchestra works.  
 
Though, as most phones >$1,000, I do agree they are way overpriced at their MSRP.  Fortunately, I got mine at about 20-40% less than those lofty prices... and... consider them very reasonably priced at the prices I paid.

 
I agree....I find the PS500s to be a fantastic value just based on my own comparisons. I didn't pay full retail for the T1s since I got them in a package, but the 500s are around half the price and they have become my top choice for phones. I love how the T1s give me a neutral, more technically accurate reference to enjoy, and then I have the 500s to offer more immersion and a more organic experience with my music. I was just telling a lady friend of mine the other day how amazing it is to me that i've nearly abandoned my home audio rig for anything except home theater, and I even sold off my 2-channel preamp, which was one of the best on the market at its price point. I've just totally been overcome with love for my headphone sessions and they will take precedence over my speakers for music. I truly would have never guessed in a million years I'd be saying that, but that's just how I roll these days

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie_X /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
All Grado's, to me at least, only work best with Rock or Metal. They don't have enough air or soundstage to work well with anything else. The midrange colorations sound excellent with guitars but can screw up other vocals. I do agree that Violins do sound great on the PS1000 and they do on mostly every other Grado I've heard. The sound itself is not spacious enough to work well with orchestral music as those types can sound confined. 
 
It is in my opinion that these are vastly overpriced for how they perform. I would rate them on par with the GS1000, which to me should be in the $800 range. I love Grado headphone but I believe that after the RS2i that they all start to become very overpriced.
 
 

 
+1 
 
they work good with jazz too and a few other genres. 
 
my T1 and the LCD-2 have completely replaced my RS1i though for rock music. the RS1i are fun and have a unique sound, but they aren't as resolving or detail as the T1 or LCD-2, nor do i think they are worth their full 700 dollars
 
im saving up for PS1000 though (but might just settle with GS1000 as well since i liked their sound too), or just try something else altogether

 

[Focker]

Quote:

 
 
 
im saving up for PS1000

 
+1  

 

[Gwarmi]

 Just one more rant on the issue of value for money concerning Head-Gear...

 
 I managed to finally catch-up with a pair of AKG K3003's the other day and
 see them in the flesh - crikey - these things get my vote for crummiest
 build quality for an item retailing well above $1000 here.
 
 Had I not known what they were, I would say they look like a $300 IEM
 not a $1300 one. Spindly cable, cheap looking remote, non removable
 cable - only the milled and machined bud end looks like the goods.
 
 Does this look like $1000+ to you? let's hope they sound fantastic!
 
 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

the case looks nice though 

 

[Blackmore]

All they have released, after K1000, looks and sounds like a joke and these are probably the best they ever made up, joke I mean.
 
On the serious note, they must sounds like 7th heaven, if not like 1300s

 
Any updates?
 
Quote:

 Just one more rant on the issue of value for money concerning Head-Gear...

 
 I managed to finally catch-up with a pair of AKG K3003's the other day and
 see them in the flesh - crikey - these things get my vote for crummiest
 build quality for an item retailing well above $1000 here.
 
 Had I not known what they were, I would say they look like a $300 IEM
 not a $1300 one. Spindly cable, cheap looking remote, non removable
 cable - only the milled and machined bud end looks like the goods.
 
 Does this look like $1000+ to you? let's hope they sound fantastic!
 
 

 

[majkel]

Quote:

... [size=medium]THX[/size]

Hey, man, it looks like the new PS1000 are something different and much worse than mine #202 or another older pair I know. It is also possible that these were deffective or improperly burnt-in. I don't know. Mine have got matte finish with stain-like shades so they were produced in 2009. Some albums cause total seduction when I take these headphones on so there is no problem with growing, either. Treble was twice as more nasty on my friend's GS1000 if you call it so. Piano? I've always thought the PS1000 were among the best headphones for piano and vocals, mainly due to timbre fidelity and no colorations which are present on the GS1000 for example. You can hear the wooden instrument body and metal strings giving proper tonal complexity of decays. You can try the HiFiMan HE-6 when you have equipment for the K1000. The HE-6 are slightly more efficient from the same amp. These were headphones that I found comparable to my PS1000, with some added charm but a bit slower on attack and decay. Bass kind of softer but probably more meatty.

 

[Blackmore]

The only way to find out is compare earlier model to present, but seems that nobody are interesed in it, so nvm.
 
 
Quote:

Hey, man, it looks like the new PS1000 are something different and much worse than mine #202 or another older pair I know. It is also possible that these were deffective or improperly burnt-in. I don't know. Mine have got matte finish with stain-like shades so they were produced in 2009. Some albums cause total seduction when I take these headphones on so there is no problem with growing, either. Treble was twice as more nasty on my friend's GS1000 if you call it so. Piano? I've always thought the PS1000 were among the best headphones for piano and vocals, mainly due to timbre fidelity and no colorations which are present on the GS1000 for example. You can hear the wooden instrument body and metal strings giving proper tonal complexity of decays. You can try the HiFiMan HE-6 when you have equipment for the K1000. The HE-6 are slightly more efficient from the same amp. These were headphones that I found comparable to my PS1000, with some added charm but a bit slower on attack and decay. Bass kind of softer but probably more meatty.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

The only way to find out is compare earlier model to present, but seems that nobody are interesed in it, so nvm.
 
 

 
 Don't worry it will happen eventually 

 
 Cannot speak for the state of the Head-Fi world but I can say that for us Aussies - the PS1000 is marching out of the pits of hell
 with a vengeance, now that it can actually be demoed (in the one venue that is) among the other usual suspects eg, LCD2/LCD3
 HD800, T1 - many are finding a certain discrepancy between what they read online and what they are truly hearing in a real
 life audition.
 
 Back on topic ~ the bottom line is that as numbers grow, we will see more of an insightful view on how and *if* there are
 differences between the early, current and even future production units,.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

 
many are finding a certain discrepancy between what they read online and what they are truly hearing in a real
 life audition.
 
 

 
So true...if I hadn't taken a chance to listen for myself several months ago, I may never have discovered my love for Grados. 

 

[majkel]

Maybe let's get back to the beginning? It took weeks for the PS1000 to win with the GS1000i.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/433913/grado-ps-1000-initial-impressions

 

[lovleylady]

At first post:
 
Wow, it's interesting that we hear so different, I don't recognize any of your issues with the PS-1000, except the problem with comfort. I have sewed on a small cushion under the headband, super comfy now. (Kind of pathetic I think, the design.)
 
I don't really understand what you mean by ''[size=10pt]their shortcoming by growing with music''[/size][size=10pt].[/size]
 
For how long have you had them?
I ask because for me, after owning them for a year now, they still impresses me more and more for every day. Not implying you need long time with them to like them or that your opinion isn't valid if you haven't had them for a long time, just curious.
 
Thanks for sharing, cheers!

 

[Blackmore]

Thanks for your replay and taking your time to read.
 
Just wonder if you listen to any Trance, Electronica or Classical? If yes, you will understand what I mean growing with the music, because trance can demand  a lot from the drivers, I would say excessive performing with frequency response and thats where they failed for me, they just cant take it and stay at the level that make them sound like compressed. Talking about low end, I must say that their resonance is killing for the rest of the spectrum, which made them not balanced enough for me with some tracks that perform brilliant through K1000. I am willing to share more of my thoughts, but first I would like to read more of earlier and present production model imrpessions first.
 
I am not trying to convince anyone ot anything, all I say is that their performance was not at the level others claim and this is the million dollar question WHY? Why some of users are totally crazy about them, while others are not. Tell me why Grado changed the material for 3rd time from the first run? Maybe because many of first run models have had driver failure problem? Or, you just belive in cosmetics issues only? All I know is what I have heard and while they were great with some music, which I mentioned, their general performance were not to die for it, sorry.  
 
To be honest, this is not much fun for me to write this again and again, but when folks dont hear what I am trying to say, well, lets be it then.
Quote:

At first post:
 
Wow, it's interesting that we hear so different, I don't recognize any of your issues with the PS-1000, except the problem with comfort. I have sewed on a small cushion under the headband, super comfy now. (Kind of pathetic I think, the design.)
 
I don't really understand what you mean by ''[size=10pt]their shortcoming by growing with music''[/size][size=10pt].[/size]
 
For how long have you had them?
I ask because for me, after owning them for a year now, they still impresses me more and more for every day. Not implying you need long time with them to like them or that your opinion isn't valid if you haven't had them for a long time, just curious.
 
Thanks for sharing, cheers!

 

[Gwarmi]

 Trance, Electronica, Classical? I don't know Blackmore but I fail to see a coherent pattern here.
 
 To my ears they perform just beautifully with large (especially live) classical reproductions.
 
 Trance and Electronica? Wrong headphone - they are woeful with any modern electronic production - glassy, brittle, full
 of the resonances and pingy-ness that you mention. On that front I agree with you 100% - you need a complimentary
 headphone on that front if you listen to a fairly wide berth of genres - eg, my pick would be a Senn HD650 with a rip snorting
 cable upgrade.

 

[Gwarmi]

 Just a tangent thought here - I have noticed of late this issue of Head-Fi folk trying to reach nirvana across all these diverse genres
 and yet remaining dedicated to the pursuit of achieving these ends with just the 'one headphone'.
 
 It's just my two cents - but - this is the most futile thing anyone could do. The reality is that any resolving headphone
 like the PS1000 is going to do justice to quality reference recordings. Ok, it's not that simple since their presentation
 can change from recording to recording but in the general sense - they work. However, using them with crappy, compressed
 modern recordings that make any bonafide audio engineers weep and then wonder why they sound foul is pretty
 obvious and blatant in my mind.
 
 How can you have both presentations in the one headphone? Resolving, surgically precise on reference
 recordings and then forgiving, sub-dued, not too analytical with most recordings from the last 15 years because
 they stink in the first place. It does not add up in my head.