[Mercuttio]

And, of course, my offer still stands to anyone in the NYC area. Since they're not in stores yet, just shoot me a PM if you want to drop by for a listen. Better to make an educated decision on them before buying, etc.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shang-Ti Chen Sorry for the correction. The frequency response is 8-35 rather than 12-30.

My mistake, I had copied the RS-1 by accident thinking it was the GS-1k. It;s fixed now.

What would I do without the anal retentives?

 

[Jap]

[size=small]A delicious appetiser from one of our resident Grado Gurus! This member's appetite is sufficiently whetted as I await the comparison/contrast of the GS1K and the HP1000 with respect to transparency/neutrality and naturalness.

Also please explore the Headroom idea that these GS1K phones are only great for low volume enjoyment---it would be a crying shame if that were really true.

[/size]

 

[Zanth]

Thanks for the kind words folks. I separated it out like this because I wanted to focus on the GS-1k on is own first, detailing what I thought about it with little comparisons with the other Grados, since it deserves to be showcased as it is. Then part two, I rip them apart

Well, no not really, but I throw them up against my staples and see how they do!

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jap [size=small] Also please explore the Headroom idea that these GS1K phones are only great for low volume enjoyment---it would be a crying shame if that were really true. [/size]

I am not really going to spend time on something I find ridiculously absurd. Do they sound awesome at low levels? Oh yes. Do they sound awesome at medium levels? Oh yes. At loud levels? I cranked them up, yes, for brief periods, something I do on occassion, particularly when evaluating a headphone, and they sound great at loud levels too.

I will say this, at low levels they sound pretty distant, at medium levels they start presenting the sound in quite a familiar "Grado" way (I'll deal with this in Part II) and at loud levels they sound, well loud. I don't listen loudly on my on accord ever, at least not compared to what many around here consider loud

 

[Jap]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth I am not really going to spend time on something I find ridiculously absurd. Do they sound awesome at low levels? Oh yes. Do they sound awesome at medium levels? Oh yes. At loud levels? I cranked them up, yes, for brief periods, something I do on occassion, particularly when evaluating a headphone, and they sound great at loud levels too. I will say this, at low levels they sound pretty distant, at medium levels they start presenting the sound in quite a familiar "Grado" way (I'll do with this in Part II) and at loud levels they sound, well loud. I don't listen loudly on my on accord ever, at least not compared to what many around here consider loud

[size=small]Thanks for clearing that up! I often listen to phones at low volume, particularly in office settings, where I need to hear ringing phones or coworkers needing my attention. However, there are special times when enjoying great music passages when, for very brief time intervals, ya just gotta let 'em rip!

I never understood the HR position on these phones being great for only low level volume listening. If it were truly so, what an incredible waste of $1K!

[/size]

 

[apostate]

Nice write up Zanth and congrats on the new child as well. Eagerly looking forward to the comparisons. Have been strongly thinking about pursuing HP-1/2/3s now that I have C-Pads and can really appreciate Grados* but given the availability and recent costs I've been hoping the GS1K might fit the bill (or come close).

Ant

[size=xx-small]*my ears aren't symmetrical so supra-aural headphones sound off-center/odd and drive me nuts, at least for critical listening. [/size]

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Thanks for the review. I pretty much disagree with most of what you said about the gs1k though. I'll leave it at that.

Biggie.

 

[iamdone]

Great review. Thanks for renewing their interest.

What I found interesting is that you say the RA-1 is supposed to be very neutral. I was lead to believe the GS-1 was the neutral one and not the RA-1. But when I tried the HR-2 (w/ad797) I found it sounds close to the RA-1 but with better control. If that's the case, I'd say a neutral amp provides the best sound.

Anyway, I am still amazed at what these can do. Listening to my early R.E.M. and U2 albums is almost like hearing them for the first time. The RS-1 also gave me this experience because of the energy. These also have the energy but it's the layering that's really drawing me in. It's also that the dynamics are so powerful even when the sounds seem far away.

I recommend trying the new Thom Yorke with these headphones. This album is very unassuming and seems simple but with the GS1000, it's quite an experience. There are some very low frequencies that almost vibrate your body and that way the simple electronics float around draw you in. A very relaxing listen.

I look forward to PART II.

 

[Jahn]

Very nice review, good job and I look forward to your comparo notes!

Personally I'd love to have one of each Grado, please

As it is, I'm happy with the Darth Grado representing the crew, but I have heard the GS1K and it indeed drops the Bass like no tomorrow, on par with the PS-1 from a Melos. You know, I did a tuberoll in the Melos and the result is the HP2 now gets down there a bit more than before (went to amperex instead of mullards) and I find the new basement level to be right where I like it. Honestly, I'm a little scared of the PS-1's bass

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamdone Great review. Thanks for renewing their interest. What I found interesting is that you say the RA-1 is supposed to be very neutral. I was lead to believe the GS-1 was the neutral one and not the RA-1. But when I tried the HR-2 (w/ad797) I found it sounds close to the RA-1 but with better control. If that's the case, I'd say a neutral amp provides the best sound. Anyway, I am still amazed at what these can do. Listening to my early R.E.M. and U2 albums is almost like hearing them for the first time. The RS-1 also gave me this experience because of the energy. These also have the energy but it's the layering that's really drawing me in. It's also that the dynamics are so powerful even when the sounds seem far away. I recommend trying the new Thom Yorke with these headphones. This album is very unassuming and seems simple but with the GS1000, it's quite an experience. There are some very low frequencies that almost vibrate your body and that way the simple electronics float around draw you in. A very relaxing listen. I look forward to PART II.

I won't say the RA-1 is the most neutral, just that it has been said to be quite neutral and transparent, which I agree with. There really isn't much in there to colour the sound as we all know

I would say that the older Headamps were the most neutral I've heard (V1, V2) then the GS-1 was a bit warmer, a bit lusher, but the RA-1 is certainly not ridiculously coloured when compared with other ss amps let alone hybrids and/or tubes.

I have not tried the new Yorke album on my main rig yet, just on my iPod but I will give it a go tonight.

 

[wakeride74]

Great review Zanth... damn you, you are making me want a pair! This may be a question answered in part two but do you find that the PS-1 and GS1 have enough differences to compliment each other in a way that makes it worth the cost to have both... say one for the in your face sound (i.e. PS-1/flats) and one for the large ensemble sound... (movie scores, symphonies, etc.)?

Also I know Grado's are renowned for their presentation of woodwinds but how do the GS1's fair with strings (violin concertos and the likes)?

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio Good stuff! Though, I must say that sibilance is present in mine at times. I'm very sensitive to it (Qualia is far too much sibilance). The sibilance on mine seems to be fairly dependant on what it's plugged into though... more source than amp.

This is quite interesting and perhaps I should have spent more time with these phones attached to my iPod vs. my other sources. I won't deny I've spent a good amount of time and money eliminating undue sibilance from my sources. If the recording has it, then my system will relay that sibilance, with if the recording doesn't have it, my system won't introduce any either. The elimination of sibilance was one of the driving forces behind my numerous Shanling upgrades and the Koestu is known to be a detailed and accurate cartridge, not necessariy neutral, but not rolled off either. It is also very able to control sibilance despite it being a low MC cartridge. The fact that I use an Ear 834p does help, though to make the amp quicker I use Telefunkens, though I am usually opposed to their sound.

If people are experiencing sibilance with GS-1000's (to be fair, I have not been spending a lot of time online lately, so I have not been following the various GS-1000 threads) then one might want to look at their source and/or the recordings used.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakeride74 Great review Zanth... damn you, you are making me want a pair! This may be a question answered in part two but do you find that the PS-1 and GS1 have enough differences to compliment each other in a way that makes it worth the cost to have both... say one for the in your face sound (i.e. PS-1/flats) and one for the large ensemble sound... (movie scores, symphonies, etc.)? Also I know Grado's are renowned for their presentation of woodwinds but how do the GS1's fair with strings (violin concertos and the likes)?

Briefly, I would say that there are enough differences to warrant someone with the funds to own both. The PS-1's have a midrange that is so lush, velvety smooth, like I've never heard from any other headphone. This one single trait would always keep me wanting to retain a pair. The highs of the PS-1's are also the most forgiving of any Grado I've heard. They are not rolled off, but they are also never strident and never really forward in comparison to the other Grados. The highs simply maintain some of the velvet smoothness of the mids. I began my PS-1 journey with flats but moved to the bowls as my main pad mainly because I wanted more control in the bass line and better, more detailed highs. The PS-1's really rock for electronic music and hard hitting rock n' roll, which the GS-1000's do well too, just not in your face thumping as the PS-1's, so if that is your thing, then maybe keeping a PS-1 would be the way to go. As for strings, I've never felt the Grado line to be deficient here and have actually always enjoyed the tone of the strings, perhaps not as fast as R10's (a main reason for me wanting R10's, I have a good deal of chamber music and would love to own R10's for these works) but the GS-1000's remedie much of this, certainly as detailed as the R10's but not as fast I would imagine, though I would need them side by side to verify. GS-1's are by far the best Grado for large ensemble works.

 

[Voodoochile]

Excellent reading, Zanth... once again.

It's not easy to write a review with such extensive detail and still keep the reader fully engaged, but you do have a knack for it.

Now, what's the holdup with part two?