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Sennheiser HD 800 VS Grado PS 1000
Aug 31, 2011 at 8:09 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 202
blade007

blade007

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I'm thinking to buy one of these headphones. I have compared the technical specs, and they are pretty close, but still not sure which one to buy. Personally, Sennheiser
is my favorite.
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 10:13 AM Post #3 of 202
Indeed, I don't like either of them at all.
 
If you are seriously considering any headphone more than $100 in value then I highly reccomend that you audition it somehow before hand.
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 3:45 PM Post #4 of 202
Quote:
blade007 said:
I'm thinking to buy one of these headphones. I have compared the technical specs, and they are pretty close, but still not sure which one to buy. Personally, Sennheiser
is my favorite.
Click to expand...


I don't see how you came to that "pretty close" conclusion. The HD800 is a high-impedance inefficient headphone and the PS1000 is a low-impedance, more efficient one. Each has very different amping requirements and the amp needs to be considered just as much as the headphone (along with the source, but that's another subject).
 
Opinions on each headphone are polarized too so I wouldn't really recommend just buying one unless you have plenty of spare time & money. Try to audition if possible. One way to do that is by attending a meet.
 
I've heard both, not at the same time though, and I'd call both of these headphones "bright" as far as that meaning relatively spiked treble. But that's about where the similarities end IMO, as the rest of their sound is very different. Grados are known for small-ish soundstages and the PS1000 is no different, while the HD800 has a distractingly large one IMO. Grados are also known for "forward" presentations which essentially means the upper mid-range is boosted for an in-your-face type quality, while the HD800 is very passive. I'd sum up the PS1000 as bright, forward/aggressive, & bassy, probably best for rock & metal music (especially with the default bowl pads) and the HD800 as bright, passive, and very open-sounding (as in the soundstage). Neither would be my recommendation for any kind of classical or jazz, as they both lack the mid-range qualities to accurately reproduce most acoustic instruments and their treble emphasis can cause a lot of other instruments to unnaturally screech, like violins.
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 8:20 PM Post #5 of 202
@Asr - Other then impedance, I meant in terms of THD, frequency response etc. All the forums I have been to, mostly everyone leans towards HD 800 for some reason. I don't listen to classical/ jazz, only rap/hip hop and Rnb/ pop.
 
You've heard both of them, so what do you reckon? I just need 1 answer and I'll buy it, don't have enough time for audition and all that. Just wanna buy straight out. And, AMP is not a problem.
 
I was gonna buy HD 800 but I m waiting because PS 1000 is holding me back.
 
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 9:14 PM Post #6 of 202
If you define Hifi as true fidelity to the source, then between these two, the HD800s take it no contest.
 

 
The PS1000s (like all Grados) lack any sub-bass and have uber extended treble that can be fatiguing over time. Of all Grados in production. The PS1000s are better than the GS1000s (far from my favourites). The HD800s are amongst the best headphones I've ever heard....while the PS1000s are even my favourite Grados (RS1s).
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 9:57 PM Post #8 of 202


Quote:
blade007 said:
You've heard both of them, so what do you reckon? I just need 1 answer and I'll buy it, don't have enough time for audition and all that. Just wanna buy straight out. And, AMP is not a problem.
 
Click to expand...


That's a very strange attitude. You're just going to drop $1500, blind, and hope for the best? Have you even considered anything else on the market besides the HD800 and the PS1000? Are you just looking at these two because you've heard of these brands and they are the most expensive ones they make? Honestly for your musical tastes, I don't think either the Sennheiser or the Grado is particularly well suited.
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 10:19 PM Post #9 of 202
The LCD-2 is probably the best high-end headphone for your preferred genres. It has the most extended and powerful bass. While its lack of mid-bass hump can lead to missing bass thump in some loud rock songs, your genres tend to have more extended bass lines and I've never found the LCD-2 weak for them.
 
While there is some well-mastered hip-hop, most of it suffers from the same loudness issues that are plaguing modern rock. You should take a look at the quality of your music. If it's all mastered loud and trebly, you might find hi-fi headphones sound worse than colored cheap gear. I love even poorly recorded stuff on the LCD-2, but I'm weird and like to hear flaws 
biggrin.gif

 
Aug 31, 2011 at 11:10 PM Post #12 of 202


Quote:
davebsc said:
That's a very strange attitude. You're just going to drop $1500, blind, and hope for the best? Have you even considered anything else on the market besides the HD800 and the PS1000? Are you just looking at these two because you've heard of these brands and they are the most expensive ones they make? Honestly for your musical tastes, I don't think either the Sennheiser or the Grado is particularly well suited.
Click to expand...

 
Not a strange attitude, it's just that I don't like dramas. I was gonna buy HD 800 but when I heard about PS 1000 i was stuck. To be honest, I don't know much about technical specs of headphones like you guys do, never really had interest in it. But one day when i bought SR60i, I was blown away. That headphone is just amazing. Period. After that I started doing some research. I knew grado and sennheiser ages ago, and have been using them. Now, I just want a really high end headphone, so that's why I came to this forum for some suggestions. Money doesn't matter when it comes to quality. :D
 

 
Quote:
head injury said:
The LCD-2 is probably the best high-end headphone for your preferred genres. It has the most extended and powerful bass. While its lack of mid-bass hump can lead to missing bass thump in some loud rock songs, your genres tend to have more extended bass lines and I've never found the LCD-2 weak for them.
 
While there is some well-mastered hip-hop, most of it suffers from the same loudness issues that are plaguing modern rock. You should take a look at the quality of your music. If it's all mastered loud and trebly, you might find hi-fi headphones sound worse than colored cheap gear. I love even poorly recorded stuff on the LCD-2, but I'm weird and like to hear flaws 
biggrin.gif
Click to expand...

 
Thanks bruv, really appreciate your advice but I just want either sennheiser or grado. By the way I heard denon headphones are really good.
 
Quote:
wink said:
 
If that's all you listen to, forget Hifi and go buy yourself the Beats by Dr. Dre...
 
You're wasting your time here...   seriously.
Click to expand...


You missed my point, or perhaps I should have explained in detail rather than being direct. I mostly listen to Rap, Rnb and pop but that doesn't mean I don't listen to metal or rock. I have metallica, linkin park, iron maiden etc, i can name you many in my collection list, hell my ipod has more than 2000 songs. I definitely don't listen to "jazz and classical", though won't mind listening from now onwards. And, yea don't worry about me. I have plenty of time.
 
Dr. Dre headphones are crap, I want the best ones which are specialized in this stuff.
 
 
So, I just need 1 answer - HD 800 or PS 1000?
 
2 things I definitely need is - Bass and Comfort.
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 11:40 PM Post #13 of 202


Quote:
blade007 said:
So, I just need 1 answer - HD 800 or PS 1000?
 
2 things I definitely need is - Bass and Comfort.
Click to expand...


I would still say neither. My suggestion would be this: buy the LA2000 Lite from Lawton Audio. $769 plus shipping, and I think you'll be much happier with them then either the Sennheiser or Grado, even at twice the cash. More money does not automatically equal better.
 
Aug 31, 2011 at 11:50 PM Post #14 of 202
If possible, find a hi fi shop in your area who have both, go there and have a good 2-3 hours session from the same source and amp, take your music with you, make your mind after.
 
It is a very personal thing and to me, Grado PS1000 were the winner.
 
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