[ToothyCow]

 

  I got my PS500's about two weeks ago, and I agree 100 percent with your review. The PS500's seem to add  a bit more colour  to my music which seems to make everything sound tad  bit better then my Grado RS2's ever did.. That being said, I do get a kick out of the looks I get from the people I work with when ever they see me wearing them and I am always being asked if they are antiques. I like to tell people that they really Soviet Military Headphones from the 1960's imported by Grado and sold in the US as their professional series.

 
Curious - what is your dac / amp setup with these? Have you found any differences with different amps?

 

[nw130d]

Anyone like the MS2i over the PS500?

 

[JUSTINDTH]

I spent about 30mins in a busy audioshop in town with the ps500. They sounded good, but I had to listen to them at louder volumes than I normally would. Too much going on in the store to focus. Other people are playing speakers and talking over them too.
 
I have some questions for the owners or people who have spent several hour listening sessions with them.
 
1. Are they a bright or a warm headphone?
2. Is the treble clear, but smooth? Is there any fatigue associated with the treble after longer listening sessions?
3. I see on headphone.com they have a scoop in the upper midrange then a sharp treble spike. Is this noticeable? Does the midrange sound forward? Do they electric guitars feel powerful?
 
I am coming from an HD600 which I find I can listen to all day at moderate volumes with no fatigue. Treble is present and clear, yet smooth and laid back. Just the right amount it seems. Looking for something similar in sound and wondering if the PS500 will fit the bill.
 
Thanks!

 

[kvtaco17]

  I spent about 30mins in a busy audioshop in town with the ps500. They sounded good, but I had to listen to them at louder volumes than I normally would. Too much going on in the store to focus. Other people are playing speakers and talking over them too.
 
I have some questions for the owners or people who have spent several hour listening sessions with them.
 
1. Are they a bright or a warm headphone?
2. Is the treble clear, but smooth? Is there any fatigue associated with the treble after longer listening sessions?
3. I see on headphone.com they have a scoop in the upper midrange then a sharp treble spike. Is this noticeable? Does the midrange sound forward? Do they electric guitars feel powerful?
 
I am coming from an HD600 which I find I can listen to all day at moderate volumes with no fatigue. Treble is present and clear, yet smooth and laid back. Just the right amount it seems. Looking for something similar in sound and wondering if the PS500 will fit the bill.
 
Thanks!

1. Warm
2. Yes, the treble is smooth vs other Grado's... They do present a pretty good amount of detail
3 I find the upper mids and treble pretty plesesant with these cans... The mids are still fairly forward. Guitars still sound great.
 
The PS500 is the darkest of the Grado line, but compared to the rest of the world they are not really not dark at all... They have a laid back presentation that retains the rich, aggressive Grado sound. Coming from something as laid back as a HD600 they will seem more forward and probably more fun/engaging.

 

[JUSTINDTH]

  1. Warm
2. Yes, the treble is smooth vs other Grado's... They do present a pretty good amount of detail
3 I find the upper mids and treble pretty plesesant with these cans... The mids are still fairly forward. Guitars still sound great.
 
The PS500 is the darkest of the Grado line, but compared to the rest of the world they are not really not dark at all... They have a laid back presentation that retains the rich, aggressive Grado sound. Coming from something as laid back as a HD600 they will seem more forward and probably more fun/engaging.

 
You say that they are smooth vs other Grados which everyone seems to agree on. However, are they smooth like my HD600? What frequencies tend to be the ones that can make some people's ears feel like they are bleeding after a few tracks? I remember I had this problem with the SR60i and sold it after two weeks. I had the RS1i for about 2 months but didn't listen to it much. I don't remember if I found it to be too trebly or not. I do remember that it did not sound good with my type of music LOUD. It sounded best at moderate or low volumes. It could also have been that my Pimeta V1 amp was not good for 32ohm... It is a DIY amp and I did not build it and I do not know what the output impedance is...

 

[UNIFi]

They won't be smooth in the same kind of way that HD600's are as they are laid back sounding headphones. The Grado is going to be a bit more fun and lively than that, but I don't think I've heard of many having trouble with the treble on these. Treble is usually what is refered to as a earbleeder - ice picks and all.

 

[Aizura]

  They won't be smooth in the same kind of way that HD600's are as they are laid back sounding headphones.

That version has not been made anymore for almost 10 years now. Kinda confusing for readers if people keep talking about old versions.
 
The current HD600 is not laid back at all IMO. It is laid back in the sense that it has a big-ish soundstage, but it has a very neutral sound with absolutely no subdued highs. I find the RS1i and to a lesser extent the K701 more smooth and laid back sounding than the latest HD600.

 

[UNIFi]

The current HD600 is neutral, but it is laid back as it has a slower decay and is not a forward headphone. I never meant it as being a dark headphone, for me its a laid back headphone as in it doesn't have a fun signature or any kind aggression/grunt to it. Compared to almost any Grado its more laid back and compared to a lot of ortho and closed headphones its laid back.
 
Even the Beyerdynamic T1 and HD800 is what I consider laid back in sound, I guess we have different understanding or meaning when we both term something laid back.
 
The RS2, PS500 when I listened were more involving, forward and energetic sounding.

 

[JUSTINDTH]

Thank you for the comments guys. I have the current HD600 (bought approx. 1 year ago). Perhaps laid back was the wrong word to describe them? I apologize I just meant to say that I find the treble present, but smooth on the ears. Not at the forefront and painful like my DT880 for example. I understand this is all relative or subjective to the user. I apparently am more sensitive to something in the upper frequency range than some other people out there.
 
I'm trying to determine amplifier requirements. Does anyone know how many amps or mAh the PS500 needs to sound good? Not looking for amp recommendations, just how much current the PS500 draws if anyone knows... Done some Google searching but can't find an answer.

 

[bbophead]

IMHO, you would be desperately unhappy with the PS500.  Stick to the Senns and be satisfied.

 

[UNIFi]

Grados are usually easier to amp power wise than the HD600 and HD650.

 

[nw130d]

Just to be devil's advocate... Grados lack the ability to find tune sound signature by amp like the HD600/650 

 

[bbophead]

  Just to be devil's advocate... Grados lack the ability to find tune sound signature by amp like the HD600/650 

It's just one of their advantages.  
 
OTH, you will hear differences if you should roll tubes in the amp.

 

[Merlyn1955]

So far I've discovered that my PS 500 does not seem to be
as forgiving to bad recordings as my RS 2's are.
As far as amps, I find that I prefer Listening to my Grado RS2's with my Grado RA 1's.. However Oddly enough I seem to prefer pairing of my PS 500 with my Schitt Modi amp

 

[stacker45]

I bought my HD600 in 1995 and I thought that they sounded fine, a few years later, I had te chance to compare the 600 to a pair of Grado RS1, and I remember being stunned by how much more detail I was hearing out of the RS1. That day I joined the dark side, and never looked back.