Thanks guys for coming out - I just sent Mike the pics so with a little patience they should be up soon.
I'm dead tired, got in at 9:30am today so I'm just going to give a couple quick impressions of some gear:
K701s - I liked these a good deal with a variety of music, very clean sounding to me with very good treble and still a reasonable, if not slamming, amount of bass.
HD650 - Hrm, they sounded good but they had a muddy/warm sound to them that I really didn't like. They had a forgettable sound to me and after listening to them a few times I didn't bother again. I don't think they are bad cans, just they didn't do it for me.
GRADOs - I got to listen to 2 HF1-s, SR-60, HP-1000, SR-325i, and the PS-1. First off the SR-60 is a pretty decent budget can, very bright though so not sure if it is my cup of tea. The construction is also pretty cheap looking/feeling as well. Stepping up to the HF1-s I had a harder time, I listened to two sets both of which were woodied and my opinion varied during the day - as I listened to more Grados I began to like them a bit more.
Ok, so now I decided I needed to be wowed (I hoped) and hooked up my Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique vinyl and proceded to listen to the "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn" track which has some of the craziest bass I've ever potentially heard. I've listened to that song on so many systems and in the end was always dissappointed with the impact of the bass - this ended when I pulled the PS-1s on my head. WOW. Ultra clean treble with tremendously deep and clear bass - this was the headphone I've been looking for! I listened to them many times over the day and of all the cans, including the HE90s, these were the ones that everytime I put them on I was blown away. Even out my DAP with no amp! Sure, it wasn't 100% of the full effect but even so I could instantly tell how nice they are.
Next I tried the HP-1000s and... well I'm wondering why but what I heard didn't jive with others views, but I guess we all hear differently
They sounded muddy to me without the treble clarity/brightness I'd heard from the other Grados at this point. I didn't give them a long listen admittedly as the PS-1s were calling me! The other issue was that Wayne has a pretty big noggin and the headband had been stretched so it was a bit hard for me to really listen to them properly. They also had flats - all other Grados had the bowls on in the normal direction. I did give them a second listen later and the day and they did sound a bit better but I still heard that "muddy" sound. I thought that was interesting as both Wayne and Mike said they would call the HP a pretty flat/neutral can, guess that shows how hearing (and preferences) are different for everyone. Perhaps it was that I listened to some fairly bright cans before trying the HPs?
On to the last Grado, the 325i. A friend (non forum member) and me sat for a good 30mins with the 325i and K701 with the PS-1 coming into the mix as well at the end. We both felt the 325i and K701 had a similar sound with the 325i being a bit more musical or warm and the K701 a bit more analytical. Comfort of the 701s was a heck of a lot better than the 325i for me, in fact most of the Grados were a bit uncomfortable for my left ear - I guess it sticks out! In the end my friend and I both leaned towards the sound signature of the 325i, of all the Grados I heard they leaned the most towards the PS-1 sound.
Towards the end of the day I compared the 325i and HF-1 back to back for a while and personally I preferred the 325i by a small, but decent, margin. I thought they had a fairly similar sound with the HF-1 perhaps a bit warmer.
I also briefly auditioned the last gen DT880 and DT990, not bad cans at the old pricing of <$200 but in all honesty I was not super impressed. The DT880 reminded me of the K701 but just not quite as good, maybe 85%. The 990 was worse and really sounded muddy to me in the low end out of both source/amps I tried. Bummer, I thought I was going to get a DT990 next... nope!
What else? Hrm, I tried the K1000s briefly but a meet is just not the place to try what are essentialy head speakers. They definitely looked cool if a bit goofy
Electrostats - got to be honest, I really didn't spend a lot of time with any of them although I thought they all had a nice sound. The Stax seem like a great value though for an electrostat, the brief listen I gave them was quite enjoyable. I did notice if you moved that the plastic housing would squeak though which was a little weird.
I gave a quick listen to the SA5000s, R10, and AT's AD2000 and W5000 (?) and felt they all had a similar flavor - very sweet highs with very little bass, although what was there sounded OK. For me I found them very music specific - if I listened to music like jazz I would probably enjoy them but since I listen to rock, electronica, etc I really just felt like they weren't the cans for me.
So here is my synopsis - I listend to a good range of gear and honestly only one can wowed me - the PS-1, and it did it every time I put them on. Now for $1400 they just are too much for me, I'd go $600 or maybe even to $800 since I really do think the sound (for me) was amazing but my budget just won't allow for a can with a pricetag so high.
So what am I going to do, I need a new can. It's going to be a 325i
Thanks a million to all the Head-fiers who came out and generously shared their equipment and experience!