[LCfiner]

I’m really looking forward to the HF2 v PS500 head to head. same materials, now let’s see how they tuned the drivers.

 

[TwoTrack]

I'm looking forward to the shootouts as well.
 
Quote:

I’m really looking forward to the HF2 v PS500 head to head. same materials, now let’s see how they tuned the drivers.

 

 

[kenshin27]

All I can say after an hour or so of A/B'ing is that it's gonna take finer ears than mine to pick out any differences. The HF2 sounds a bit more forward by a couple of steps but besides that there's currently nothing that jumps out at me as being noticeably different. And even the difference in forwardness might be due to burn in. The HF2 has been in use for quite awhile compared to a couple of hours for the PS500.
 
I've always felt that my used B-stock HF2 was very forward and part of that is due to its L cush pads which came to me pre-flattened it seemed. But I have a pair of new L cushes lying around from a pair of MS2s that are currently being Magnumized so I put those on for this comparison.
 
Quote:

I’m really looking forward to the HF2 v PS500 head to head. same materials, now let’s see how they tuned the drivers.

 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

All I can say after an hour or so of A/B'ing is that it's gonna take finer ears than mine to pick out any differences. The HF2 sounds a bit more forward by a couple of steps but besides that there's currently nothing that jumps out at me as being noticeably different. And even the difference in forwardness might be due to burn in. The HF2 has been in use for quite awhile compared to a couple of hours for the PS500.
 
I've always felt that my used B-stock HF2 was very forward and part of that is due to its L cush pads which came to me pre-flattened it seemed. But I have a pair of new L cushes lying around from a pair of new MS2s that are currently being Magnumized so I put those on for this comparison.
 

How does it perform with the uDAC2?
 

 

[kenshin27]

Don't have it with me at home as I've been keeping it at work. Been running these headphones through a Sound Devices HX-3.
 
Quote:

How does it perform with the uDAC2?
 

 

 

[563]

i'm sure this has been answered already, but i'll ask anyway.  i have the "original" ps1000, that is, the non-chrome version.  I think that's what you all mean by matte.  Is that what the PS500 is as well?  Somehow, I recall someone mentioning that there is yet another type of finish on the ps500s, but i may be wrong.  i'd love to see a picture of all three versions, side by side, if that were at all possible.
 
by the way, i hope the ps500 does well for john grado, but i'm not tempted at all - my ps1000 is just great ...

 

[Nick01]

Quote:

i'm sure this has been answered already, but i'll ask anyway.  i have the "original" ps1000, that is, the non-chrome version.  I think that's what you all mean by matte.  Is that what the PS500 is as well?  Somehow, I recall someone mentioning that there is yet another type of finish on the ps500s, but i may be wrong.  i'd love to see a picture of all three versions, side by side, if that were at all possible.
 
by the way, i hope the ps500 does well for john grado, but i'm not tempted at all - my ps1000 is just great ...

I have the original PS1000, and I would say it's just plain brushed aluminum, but the PS500 seems graphite looking wih lots of metallic specks.
 

 

[sling5s]

Well, it's sounds like the PS500 is really the HF-2.  The HF-2 was called the baby PS1000 and so is the PS500.  It only makes sense to release the HF-2 to consumers under a different name. 
 
Quote:

All I can say after an hour or so of A/B'ing is that it's gonna take finer ears than mine to pick out any differences. The HF2 sounds a bit more forward by a couple of steps but besides that there's currently nothing that jumps out at me as being noticeably different. And even the difference in forwardness might be due to burn in. The HF2 has been in use for quite awhile compared to a couple of hours for the PS500.
 
I've always felt that my used B-stock HF2 was very forward and part of that is due to its L cush pads which came to me pre-flattened it seemed. But I have a pair of new L cushes lying around from a pair of new MS2s that are currently being Magnumized so I put those on for this comparison.
 


 

 

 

[Grado77]

-----------------

 

[Nick01]

Quote:

I received my PS500's today (box #450). Extremely happy with them, a big improvement over my SR-225i. The sound stage has seemed to spread out, the bottom end is much more present with detail, sound across the spectrum is much fuller, the clarity is retained. They sound absolutely beautiful now, and the best part is that they are only going to get better.
 
My gear is a Pioneer DV-58AV used as dedicated audio player with Burr-Brown PCM1796 stereo DAC (123bB dynamic range, 0.0005 THD+N) connected by analog L/R to a Little Dot I+ hybrid tube amplifier. Setup with tubes and op-amps to be as transparent and flat as possible. Resolution of the PS500 is simply incredible.
 
I love Grado's, they are perfectly matched for my ears. I've tried alot of different can's and IEM's and the Grado's always top my list. I always thought Grado appearance to be minimalistic (which I prefer), but in all honesty, I don't look in the mirror while listening. I'm going to be happy for quite a while with the PS500.

Welcome to head-fi and please join this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/530965/grado-fan-club/1185#post_7852984
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Chant> One of us! One of us! One of us! 

 

[fatcat28037]

There are an awful lot of opinions here being paraded as fact. It makes this thread less useful than it could be.

 

[Fantasysage]

Quote:

There are an awful lot of opinions here being paraded as fact. It makes this thread less useful than it could be.

There is no such thing as fact when it comes to who likes what headphones. If you don't like to hear what people think about the headphones then buzz off.

 

[baka1969]

There are an awful lot of opinions here being paraded as fact. It makes this thread less useful than it could be.

If Tyll does measurements then that's objective. All other reviews and impressions are subjective. You've been around long enough, read enough threads and posted enough to know that the vast majority of Head-Fi posts are opinion-based subjectivity. It's your choice to take them with the grain of salt they deserve.

 

[Gwarmi]

Ok so the earlybird reviews are now flowing in,
 
Without jumping the gun too much, anyone also think that it is now a very interesting price point at the
higher end of the Grado line between the PS500 and the RS1i?
 
Both very much embodying the refinement of a high tier model and yet going about it in two different
ways, they both seem to share that common smooth trait of the refined range (Prestige+ and beyond)
but perhaps, without being too simplistic here, there's a little more coloration with the RS1 which
comes down to personal preference.
 
Also interesting to note, sorry if I missed this, whether the current RS1i or PS500 is the more
forward in terms of presentation.
 
Faced with both tomorrow and knowing my knack for buying Grados without much of an audition
~ I'd have to flip a coin.