PS1000 vs. LCD-2

[pbandstefanwich]

I have finally scrounged up enough funds to buy one of the aforementioned headphones, I just can't decide which! I have searched and could not find any direct in-depth comparisons between the PS1000 and the LCD-2, just a couple tidbits here and there in the massive LCD-2 thread. Does anyone own both or has owned both in the past care to point out the key differences between them? From what I gather, the LCD-2 is technically the better headphone, but there is just something magical about the Grados that gives off life and musicality (call it colored or whatever it may be, it just sounds awesome and is something special that the other top-tiers can't bring to the market?). I love transparency, musicality, and emotion in a headphone; this is why I am leaning towards one of these two instead of something like the HD800. I don't get as much enjoyment out of analyzing the music and faults in my system as I do just sitting back, relaxing, and getting lost in the music.
 
I love a good jazz piece (i.e. Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, etc.) and also listen to rock a lot. Dave Matthews Band is one of my favorites too. I'd say about 90% Jazz and rock, the other 10% being a mix of classical, hip hop, and pop.
 
FYI, I don't currently have a super high end amp, but I intend on building one in the near future. I currently only have a uDAC2 to a Little Dot 1+ Hybrid running GE 5 star tubes, but I am planning on building either a Beta22 or a M^3 amp in early to mid 2011. In the meantime, I would like the headphones to play nice with my current amp selection, although I'm not expecting them to reach full potential until I get the better amp built.
 
I know I really should try out these headphones before spending so much money, but I don't think any shops around the Boston area have PS1000s to demo, and I highly doubt anyone would have an LCD-2 out on display. Due to this, I have to go base my purchase based on what I read here.
 
Based on my listening preferences and current amp, I think the Grados would suit me best, but I have been reading such good things about the LCD-2 that I can't decide anymore! Anyone care to donate their opinion?
 
Also, for this thread I would like to consider price a moot point, as I can get the Grados at a 15% discount with some extra cables/power supply thrown in. Once I take that into account, I consider it in the same price bracket at the LCD-2, and I likely wouldn't have to wait as long for them to arrive.
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[MrSpenkelink]

I'll watch this thread with great interest.

 

[vvanrij]

Euhm. Isn't the LCD-2 seen as one of the best dynamic headphones ever made, and the PS-1000 as a huge let down? That were my 'reading' impressions so far.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

"Euhm", the LCD-2 is not a dynamic driver headphone. More 'reading' seems to be required.

 

[Stormbringer]

Quote:

I'll watch this thread with great interest.

Me too!

 

[fhuang]

ooh?  didn't know maybe because i didn't think i like the sound and lcd2 is kind of heavy
 
Quote:

"Euhm", the LCD-2 is not a dynamic driver headphone. More 'reading' seems to be required.

 

[SP Wild]

I had the opportunity to audition and borrow a pair of PS1000s for a few months if I liked them, well after auditioning them I found that they were a just a bit too "magical" for me and had no desire to borrow them for any length of time.  This is coming from one bona fide contentious owner of the less "magical" LCD2s. 

 

[ktsai1283]

From what I've read, the LCD-2 & any Grado would complement each other well, so why not have both?  I you like the "magical", musical, and emotional sound of Grados, I recommend the RS1i (which many consider to be the best Grado, still) instead of the PS1000.  With the extra money you save going that route, you can pick up the LCD-2 as well.

 

[vvanrij]

Quote:

"Euhm", the LCD-2 is not a dynamic driver headphone. More 'reading' seems to be required.

Besides being an ass, you should also check your facts. Small suggestion, start by reading my post again.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Quote:

I had the opportunity to audition and borrow a pair of PS1000s for a few months if I liked them, well after auditioning them I found that they were a just a bit too "magical" for me and had no desire to borrow them for any length of time.  This is coming from one bona fide contentious owner of the less "magical" LCD2s. 

Well it's all about personal preference in the end don't you think? I've been corresponding with a Head-Fi'er whom has owned both and doesn't find the LCD-2 "magical" enough. I don't think that I'd be misrepresenting him to suggest that he prefers both the PS1000 and the HD800 to the LCD-2.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Quote:

Quote:

"Euhm", the LCD-2 is not a dynamic driver headphone. More 'reading' seems to be required.

Besides being an ass, you should also check your facts. Small suggestion, start by reading my post again.

 
The LCD-2 is not a dynamic headphone, it is a planar headphone. If you are attempting to convey something else in your post then I suggest that you redraft it, and lose the attitude.
 

 

[Bilavideo]

The PS1000 has been the victim of a lot of dubious drubbings, not because there's anything wrong with its sound but because (a) everybody is an expert after five minutes and (b) Grado generated a lot of bad blood when it priced the PS1000 at $1,700.  As someone who once owned the HD800, the PS1000 and the T1 simultaneously, I can tell you that there's nothing wrong with the PS1000 except the price.  In certain areas, like speed and soundstage, I'd have given the nod to the HD800, but when it came to dissolving the frame between listener and music, the PS1000 was the winner hands-down.  
 
I wouldn't pick it for classical, at least not symphonic material, because its intimate soundstage doesn't work for a genre where you're supposed to feel like you're in nosebleed hearing everything - including the air - but for most genres, its sound was second-to-none.  I didn't like having to worry about scratching up the shiny aluminum housing, nor did I think the headband had evolved with the shells.  I didn't like worrying that the cups would roll off my head if I "rocked out" too much.  I also think there are times when the 100 Hz slam doesn't work, such as when you need that area to be even, rather than emphasized.  But think about it: If those are the downsides, wearing these headphones is a lot like Dudley Moore's character of Arthur in his discussion about what it's like to own a yacht: "It doesn't suck."
 
I think Grado priced the PS1000 at $1,700 because the PS1000 is a combination of the GS1000 ($1,000) and the RS-1 ($700), which is absurd.  Personally, I think all of these post-$1,000 prices are absurd.  They're just reflections of a market that has gotten increasingly surreal.  Be that as it may, Grado would have sold more of these  - and have received a lot more praise - if it had priced them at $1,200.  But when I read of negative reviews, or some Grand Poobah's Top 20 - and he leaves out the PS1000 because it's not trendy enough for him - I have to laugh.  As ridiculous as it was for Grado to charge $1,700 for these headphones, it is equally ridiculous for folks to run them down, simply because they cost too much.  Having worn mine well past burn-in, I can tell you that these 30-minute experts are just idiots running around in a Superman cape.
 
I've never heard the LCD-2, so I can't comment on how it sounds, though it's certainly the belle of the ball right now - and priced at under a grand - it has entered the dance floor wearing glass slippers.  I'm not here to dispute the LCD-2's favored position as the current darling of the headphone market, just the knee-jerk dismissal tossed at the PS1000.  Considering the number of people who love the RS-1-sized HF2 (which is a "baby PS1000") it's stupid to knock the PS1000, which gives you an RS1 sound with all of the comfort of a GS1000.  Grado wants an awful lot of money for these cans, but anybody who thinks it's slumming to wear them needs to check to see if they're actually listening to their sound or just listening to the crowd.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Actually, planar magnetic headphones have been called omni-dynamic, linear drive dynamic, ortho-dynamic...  as you see, with the word "dynamic" in them.
 
Quote:

The LCD-2 is not a dynamic headphone, it is a planar headphone. If you are attempting to convey something else in your post then I suggest that you redraft it, and lose the attitude.
 

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Quote:

Actually, planar magnetic headphones have been called omni-dynamic, linear drive dynamic, ortho-dynamic...  as you see, with the word "dynamic" in them.
 
Quote:

The LCD-2 is not a dynamic headphone, it is a planar headphone. If you are attempting to convey something else in your post then I suggest that you redraft it, and lose the attitude.
 

 

I take your point, but in general usage within these forum threads, the term "dynamic" or "dynamic driver" is referring to headphones with moving coil drivers, rather than Planar magnetic headphones. Ortho-dynamic is more commonly used to describe Planar magnetic headphones than the other terms that you have mentioned. Audez'e actually refer to the LCD-2 as Planar magnetic rather than ortho-dynamic.

 

[winzzz]

nice post bilavideo..