[andrzejpw]

Quote:

Originally posted by M Rael I had such a gas driving around today with my HP1000s (HP1000's) ..my HP1000, that I had to change my avatar.

psst, I think he's drunk.

JK

 

[erix]

M Rael:

Glad you had the nuts to remove the transducer and take a pic so I didn't have to on mine...

You are absolutely right about them not being candy glass - they're more or less indestructable!

Here's some hot rod ideas to cause some more light-headedness among the HP1000 fetishists

1. Polish every aluminum piece or, if you like color,

2. Anodize every aluminum piece. How 'bout purple? They are already anodized (clear), why not have some fun?

3. Cut down the ridiculously long rods - I'd hate to meet the guy who uses these with the rods all the way down. You could wear a full-face helmet under 'em!

4. Replace the adjusting thumbscrews with nylon-tipped thumbscrews so you can torque 'em down with out scrathing the rods and still get movement. www.berg.com has 'em

5. Turn down the pivot pins a few thou so the cups swivel more easily to fit your head.

6. Laser etch the 'R' and 'L' marks to eliminate paint chipping.

7. Replace the little aluminum top on the rods with something a little more unique. Colored glass or a marble. A teardrop shaped chunk of metal. Flags. Foxtails. Jack-In-The-Box antenna clowns....

8. Replace the leather headband with black and white cowhide, leaopard skin, snakeskin...

None of these ideas would affect the sound which is as it should be because they are SOOOO good.

The build quality IS incredible but isn't the way they sound more important?

If we loved our cans soley based on how they look, well, who would have bought all those W2002's?

ok,
erix

 

[M Rael]

I had a 71' Corvette convertible about 5 years ago that I sold because it was in totally original condition, and I didnt want to
F-up a true original- but I wanted a car to play with, so I sold it and got a rough Charger R/T. Man I turned that car inside out!
I wouldnt spit on the HP1000 by dicking around with it too too much, but you know, the cord change is nothing. The poor 325 I used to have didnt register the same scale of respect though, and I did all kinds of experiments on it. The 325 is nice, but its a world apart from what the HP1000 is. Was. Is? Is!

 

[M Rael]

Quote:

Originally posted by andrzejpw psst, I think he's drunk.

Actually I used to be famous at internet racing; I was 'World Online Champion' at TOCA2.. I won a $650 computer steering wheel (TSW) and also about $700 in cash prizes in the Codemasters hot lap competition for the same game. I ruled!
..I dont drive drunk, but other drivers always seem drunk to me. I can smell what other drivers are going to do before even they know what they're going to do.

 

[kelly]

Is it just me or did M Rael totally dodge the request for a W2002 vs HP1000 comparrison?

 

[Tomcat]

I remember Mark from an earlier thread about the ATH-W2002. He's extreme in his dislikes.

 

[Flasken]

... But your new Avatar is way cooler than the old product foto of the w2002.. Take a pic of yourself wearing those in that way and you'll satisfy everyone!!

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by Flasken Take a pic of yourself wearing those in that way and you'll satisfy everyone!!

I think I will decline being satisfied by M Rael in that position regardless of the headphone.

 

[M Rael]

Kelly: comparison at end of post

Tomcat: when you finally DO talk to me its always a riot. you got me there..

Flasken: I might try that, but:

Kelly: what position WOULD satisfy you?! wait a minute.. dont answer that!


HP1000 + W2002 Quickie:
Both headphones are to me, right there as the best dynamic cans I've ever owned. Some of the perceptions come from the simple differences in construction and the way the HP1000 couples to the ear while the W2002 couples to the head. The HP1k seems seamless and all of a piece in its sound, which is built around its midrange. Its much airier and clear than the Grado 325, for example. Its not much airier and clear than the W2002 though. The HP1k sounds clear but a hair compressed compared to the W2002. That sense of compression might be a result of the ear coupling and little else. I'm not sure. The W2002 sounds every bit as open and clear as the HP, but it has something in the bass that the HP doesnt. Its probably as a result of the W2002 enclosure design, but its bass has more of a 'room' feel to it than the HP. It might be interpreted as a warmer sound.. less dry. The HP has a more dominant midrange by far, in that its much more forward in the presentation. The W2002 midrange is more recessed in comparision.

Sometimes I think people get confused by slightly negative comments made about the more expensive headphones. My experience so far is that top of the line models outclass the lower variety by a clear margin, and that proves to be true no matter if the high end headphones have certain traits that are less than perfect or are less in an area where a different one is better. They are all pretty damn amazing if you ask me. But I notice that sometimes people see a little weakness to mean that something is wrong. Thats not been my experience at all. The HP1000 is a treasure! So is the W2002. Both of these headphones can kick the asses of nearly everything out there with one driver tied behind its back. So please keep that in mind. They might have relative shortcomings, but the overall level is also really high.

p.s. the cheapie old Stax I have is scary good at certain things.. better than even the W2002 and the HP1000.

 

[Osaire]

I think we need a Grado petition to bring back better materials in their headphone line.

 

[kelly]

Thanks for the post, M Rael. The HP1000 is one of the headphones I'd very much like to audition some day, despite my disinterest in the rest of Grado's line. You hit exactly the points I was hoping to hear about.

As for your problem with people misinterpretting negative comments, the problem is in relativism. Though you might bruise some egos doing so, it might be better to say that a headphone is "less harsh than the 325" or "more open than the HD600" so that people have a common point of reference. Now that I've heard the W2002, your comments make perfect sense to me, but if I hadn't, it would be easy to interpret them differently.

When you use an absolute scale or only compare products someone hasn't heard, "more compressed" quickly converts to "more compressed than <whatever headphone the reader happens to own>" because that is the only point of reference we have.

 

[M Rael]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Now that I've heard the W2002..

Looking at your headphone inventory, you will be a good one to supply info in how the W2002 relates to the Beyer, Senn, and Sony you have.
Relativism plays a strong part in this for me. I consider all the Grado's as being potential portable candidates, based on their size and semi-open (vented) design. But when I say portable I dont mean I would wear them the way some people wear an earbud. I mean portable in the way I define portable, which is pretty limited.. its not like I wear the HP while I'm in the supermarket. Relativism also comes into play for me because in a home use headphone I'm willing to put on any design if it sounds good (which is why it surprised me that Ross found the K1000 so repulsive looking he said he would not even wear them in the privacy of his own home!) So in a home headphone I dont as easily forgive lack of comfort issues, and size is also a non-issue. Home use is no holds barred, and so relatively speaking, I favor the HP1000 a little less on that account. I dont find them relaxing to wear.
A super comfortable electrostatic might be the ultimate home use headphone. I'm driving my old Stax with a pair of VTL's and the electrostatics seem to respond easier to minute signals than the dynamics. They seem more impressionable to registering 'air'. I dont enjoy the tone of the SRX Mk.3 better than the W2002, but electrostatics have some neat tricks up their sleeves. And I only have a really basic one.

 

[dhwilkin]

Quote:

M Rael said... I was trying to get a 'multiple faint' post out of dhwilkin, but I failed.

I thought as much. You people get entirely too much pleasure out of my suffering. Besides, I couldn't spare the time to constantly faint last night, I had a big test I had to study for.
Quote:

Vertigo-1 said... *Clutches chest* *Heart attack* *Dies*

Showoff.