I was the last one to receive Todd's PS2000e headphones on the recent loaner program.
I don't feel as qualified to provide an analytical review (which have already been well documented in earlier reviews). However, I do have very strong opinions about this latest Grado "flagship."
A little background info...I've been a headphone enthusiast for 20 + years. I currently own the HD 800,
Grado gs1000, and several mid priced models from AKG, ATH, and Beyerdynamic.
My audio gear consists of good quality mid range gear, both tube and solid state.
I enjoy a wide range of genres (cd's and vinyl). I never listen to music on portable gear.
I'm in my mid 70's and have some mild hearing loss, primarily in the upper frequencies.
Living in a relatively rural area in N.C. I don't have many opportunities to audition high end headphones.
At this point, I haven't heard anything "above" my HD 800s in price or overall sound quality.
My impressions of the PS2000e.
As I previously stated, I'm not going to "dissect" and analyze their frequency range. What's most important to me
is the total sound (sum of all its parts) and its overall impact.
Without any doubt, definitely the best phones I've ever heard. To my ears, everything sounded exceptional,
regardless of genre or equipment. In my mind, the sound was very full and large...seemed to occupy a larger space in my head/brain (if that makes any sense) and was very detailed without any harshness.
Again, I always find it to be difficult to explain SQ in specific audio terms. For me, the bottom line is simply how
a set of phones sound compared to any others I have previously heard. I was totally engaged with this Grado
and I've never experienced any other hp that was able to approach its overall sound quality.
It was a sad day when I had to ship them back to Todd!
Unfortunately, there were several issues that I had with the PS2000e.
As mentioned in previous reviews, these are some hefty cans. I wasn't able to weigh them, but i did read somewhere that they came in at about one and a half pounds.
Even though I like the comfort and fit of my GS1000s, the 2000s didn't seem to fit me well, the headband seemed to big (esp. in width) resulting in an annoying sliding around loose fit (being a loaner from Todd, I didn't attempt to do any bending to tighten them up).
IMO, the Grado "retro" appearance doesn't work well with the shiny metal exterior cups. In comparison to most other high end phones the "WW2 fighter pilot look" has become too dated for a totl 21st century headphone.
I'm sure most of you share my opinion about non-detachable cables (not good) - especially a cable that looks and
feels like the black cables used on most power tools.
The price point, like the weight, is also on the hefty side. Whether they (or any other can) are worth the $$$ has
already been covered by previous reviewers.
Nevertheless, if one is looking for a totl headphone in this upper price range, you definitely should consider the Grado PS2000e...their sound is definitely TOTL.
