[Soundinista]

Dear Mr. Grado,
 
I'll make it brief. I won't try to claim much of your time. So, I'll spare you the long autobiographical opening paragraph where I'd try to impress upon you that there is important feedback on your work in this post. (The long opening paragraph that I will not write would let you know about my experience as an audiophile, about the years and the substantial cash I've put into the hobby, about the class-A equipment I've sampled and owned, about my perfect auditory health, about the audiophile-approved recordings I've owned, etc.) Instead, I'll just cut to the chase and hope you'll read and think about every word in this short post.
 
Your GS1000i (that's an "i") is one of four headphone models I call my favorites. The others are the Senn HD800, the JVC DX1000, and the Denon D7000. (I confess that I've also had quite a bit of fun listening to a balanced Senn HD650, and I think the AKG Q701 is nothing to laugh about either.) Your GS1ki is the one that has had most of my listening time for five years now. I treat it to some of the very best head-fi equipment money can buy, and I wouldn't sell it for an obscene amount of cash. That's how much I like it -- its flaws notwithstanding. (I could use deeper bass, the low highs could be a little less forward, and the soundstaging could be a little wider -- all relatively minor complaints in view of what's there: that "airiness", and that to-die-for midrange, and that "resolution", and that 3-dimensionality, and the depth of that soundstaging, and the light weight on the head, and the roomy, comfortable earpads.)
 
I've been reading what little I can find on your just-released "e" revision of the magnificent GS1ki. And, on the basis of these early reports, I wonder if you have made a tragic mistake. This open letter is about the hypothetical tragic mistake. What mistake? The mistake of paying too much attention to those who say that they love their (lower-model) Grado's for their "intimate" sound. You know how this is passed around by the "intimate" crowd: there are those for whom the adjective "intimate" is high praise when it comes to describing imaging/soundstaging.
 
Don't get me wrong. I respect the "intimate" crowd. I really do. It's a legitimate preference, of course. In fact, I deeply envy the "intimate" head-fier. S/he is easy to please, isn't she? Headphones are all about "intimacy". 99.99% of the headphone models out there specialize in "intimacy". The sound they put out is so "intimate" that you'd never mistake it for anything that goes on outside your head. It's all in there! You can count on getting a very "intimate", claustrophobic experience from the vast majority of headphone models out there (including some that get high praise from people who call themselves "audiophiles"). There is, as a rule, no air to be found in that kind of sound. You'd never mistake it for what goes on out there, in space, in the concert hall, in the immersive home theater experience, or even in the ordinary, smallish room where a pair of modest speakers makes sound traverse a couple of yards into your ears.
 
Are you addressing the new "e" versions of the GS1ki and the PS1ki to the "intimate" crowd? I hope you're not. And, if you have made that mistake with the first batches of these new "e" models, I hope you'll reconsider what you're doing. I won't speculate on the business wisdom of surrendering these models to the "intimate" crowd. This open letter is just to express my hope that you won't do so. Some of us crave the out-of-head, 3-dimensional experience that some of the very best models give us, when properly set up. Your GS1ki and PS1ki were two of these sanctuaries where we used to find refuge from "intimate", in-your-face, claustrophobic, artificial headphone sound.
 
I haven't posted here in years, but I just couldn't resist the urge to come back and make a plea for those of us who prefer 3-dimensional, holographic sound -- before it's too late, before we see manufacturers like you succumb to the "intimate" ideology.
 
With best wishes,
S
 

 

[justaname]

You can post this on their facebook if you want to get a direct response.

 

[Gagarin]

I absolutely agree! One of the most important factors- and one that I would drop serious cash on, is a soundstage that goes on for miles. I hate the "intimate" sound of most portable and closed headphones. 

 

[XLR8]

The evolution of a series can sometimes lead to unforeseen hurdles and complacency.
 
Fortunately, the community is very good at identifying these.
One would say that best business practice is moving forward and re-inventing the wheel. But, at what cost?
 
I wouldn't say the e-series is an antithesis of the original Grado sound but am curious where John Grado is going with this new sound and what audience he is targeting so concur with OP post.

 

[stacker45]

Count me in Soundinista, if that's indeed the direction Grado is taking, with the GS/PS1ke,, than I just saved myself a lot of money. As I have said many times before, when you get to a certain price point, compromises are not a factor anymore, wich means than newer doesn't automatically means better, it just means, different.
 
That lack of air and decay, is exactly why I did not care for the RS1i, it was as if the room was pitch black, and each performer had a spotlight shining on them. And when I switched to my first gen, non ''i'' GS1000, it felt as though, the room was lit up and I could get a sence of space, it was like the music was breathing again.
 
That being said, the RS1i have nice qualitys too, they have thight bass, a lush midrange, and good treble extension. I just thought it lacks bass extension, it's soundstage isn't very big, and last but not least, that lack of air.

 

[KlarkKentThe3rd]

Also, removable cables. I won't mind the extra cost, just make it happen.

 

[ebann]

  Also, removable cables. I won't mind the extra cost, just make it happen.

Seems more like a "wish list" item than something that pertained to the original post

 

[up late]

i might see the point of this if the op heard the gs1000e and ps1000e before he wrote it. and as someone has already pointed out, the op could contact grado through facebook and email.

 

[Soundinista]

Thank you all who have replied!
 
This is ultimately not just about the fate of the lovely GS1k, or about the Grado brand. I've posted in the hope that people who care as much as I do about the kind of airy, spacious, 3-dimensional sound that the GS1k has exemplified in past incarnations (and I hope will continue to exemplify) will speak louder about their preference. This is ultimately about letting manufacturers know that, for some of us, good engineering will take us closer to a perfect out-of-head, realistic experience in headphone sound. Will we get what we want if we don't speak up? I don't think so. There are pages upon pages of postings at Head-Fi showing that, with a little verbal dexterity, you can get hordes of enthusiasts to mistake ordinary, in-your-face sound for something special. One of the most impressive weapons in the verbal arsenal of the clever marketer is the charming adjective "intimate".
 
But then we chime in and cry foul, don't we, "airiness" people? 

 
PS: To those who genuinely, truly, ultimately, thoughtfully prefer the "intimate" sound: I trust you've understood that I totally respect your preference. I hope you'll come to your senses someday, but I totally respect preferences that differ from mine.

 

 

[Saoshyant]

I would strongly recommend you look into finding an opportunity to hear the "e" version. I'm not saying this in disagreement to your letter, especially considering I have yet to hear any version of the GSK. I am just saying it so if it turns out your view matches the early reports, it gives your letter weight. If your view doesn't match the reports, you leave a happier person with nary a stain on Grado's name.