[Albedo]

R&D takes some time, but at least one scenario seems to be right around the corner... Symphones Magnum325 - $595 same as PS-500. One can wonder if a Symphones Magnum1K would appear in the future, costing the same as GS-1000 ($995) but competing with PS-1000 ($1695).
 
Edit:  Order went through, so I'll join the exclusive Magnum club soon. Crazy.. when I joined this site all I wanted was a soundcard with swappable opamp and a HP for about $99.

 

[scootsit]

PCF,
You seem to be the authority on all things Grado. I know you have Joseph Grado headphones (HPs), and have said they sound similar to the Magnums. Have you heard the PS500, is it that close to the Joseph Grados?

 

[pcf]

Quote:

PCF,
You seem to be the authority on all things Grado. I know you have Joseph Grado headphones (HPs), and have said they sound similar to the Magnums. Have you heard the PS500, is it that close to the Joseph Grados?

 
There are many people who know more about these headphones than I do. I just collect them really.
One thing I would like to clarify-  I never said that the Magnum sounded similar to the Joseph Grado headphones. Maybe someone else did.
I also never heard the PS500. 

 

[pcf]

To me the Magnum is not a poor man's HP1000 and I am sure that is not Rhydon's intention. 
Do you know what Joe's headphones and Rhydon's headphones have in common? Anyone?

 

[scootsit]

Sorry, I misunderstood a previous post.
If I'm not mistaken, the only thing in common is aluminum, right?

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Sorry, I misunderstood a previous post.
If I'm not mistaken, the only thing in common is aluminum, right?

 
Every single pair of HP1000 was finished and tested by Joe Grado. Just like if you send your SR325 to Rhydon for an upgrade, you know he is the one who is doing it. That is what their headphones have in common- hand finished by the makers. Can't say that about John's phones.
Of course this is probably not the ideal way to run a business. Especially in Joe's case. He wouldn't tell a soul about how things were done and he invented many things (including Ping putter; Stereo moving coil phono cartridge etc...). Nothing was documented. When he goes everything goes with him. No one knows how his microphones are made (and he has made a few). I have no doubt that all Joe's creations will increase in value big time when he leaves us.

 

[pcf]

Quote:

 
 
Pcf do amplifiers does "much more" good to the HP-1000 than the HPA-1 and -2? I'm wondering if it'd be worth it to upgrade.
 
 

Not sure about your question- can you clarify?

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

Not sure about your question- can you clarify?

 
Sure. Basically, I'm listening to my HP-1000 with the HPA amplifier all the time, and I am wondering how much better can this headphone becomes when using a more recent, better and more powerful headphone amplifier. Have you compared the Grado HPA against bigger solid state amplifiers like the popular models often spoken about on Head-Fi? Very little has been said about the HPA-1-2 on Head-Fi.
 
And I'm not so concerned about synergy nor I'm looking for "the best amp" for one headphone in particular, but I'm very curious to know if the HP-1000 benefits a lot from amplification. I'm wondering how close to HP-1000's maximum potential I am, with a HPA-1, and how much better would a beefier, costlier solid state amplifier would make it.

 

[scootsit]

Is the HPA similar to the current Grado amp?
 
I had a Cmoy that used the same chip as the RA-1, I switched to a Millet, and the difference was pretty substantial. There are a lot of amps between the RA-1 and the $1k threshold.

 

[scootsit]

Quote:

 
Every single pair of HP1000 was finished and tested by Joe Grado. Just like if you send your SR325 to Rhydon for an upgrade, you know he is the one who is doing it. That is what their headphones have in common- hand finished by the makers. Can't say that about John's phones.
Of course this is probably not the ideal way to run a business. Especially in Joe's case. He wouldn't tell a soul about how things were done and he invented many things (including Pink's putter; Stereo moving coil phono cartridge etc...). Nothing was documented. When he goes everything goes with him. No one knows how his microphones are made (and he has made a few). I have no doubt that all Joe's creations will increase in value big time when he leaves us.

I find it interesting that Grado invented the moving coil cartridge and all Grado cartridges are now moving magnet or moving iron (as far as I know). Also, what is a Pink Putter?

 

[pcf]

Quote:

I find it interesting that Grado invented the moving coil cartridge and all Grado cartridges are now moving magnet or moving iron (as far as I know). Also, what is a Pink Putter?

Sorry, I meant Ping. 

 

[scootsit]

What's a ping putter?

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

That is very cool stuff. I have never seen a headphone with a polarity switch. Cool stuff.
You mentioned that material has little to do with it, I am curious though. The RS1 and Magnum in wood have similar signatures, I wonder if you put one of those drivers in metal (either or both) how much it would change. The consistency there makes me wonder if some of it isn't the wood.

 
It's true that this is a wooden jacket Magnum, and the RS1 is also wood, but I don't believe that, metal or wood, would change the sound signature itself. Those materials will add certain attributes to the sound, a new vibe on their own, but not alter the sound signature of a driver. They have results akin to when you tune a T50RP mod. Balance of a driver will also remain roughly the same, if all you do is change the material. This is more true for open headphones at least.
 
Metal >> Plastic though... I have a SR100 (ABS plastic), a SR325 (ABS plastic metal hybrid), and a HP2 (full metal), all with the HP-1000 drivers in them, and the difference is very real, SR100 < SR325 < HP2. It's hard to describe but metal, or aluminum alloy in this case, is harder, less resonant, and gives better output, somehow. The driver will sound louder and seems more detailed to me (because less "low-level" energy is lost, I imagine. Sorry if I'm not precise at all, lol).
 
The consistency in the graphs I've posted are not due to the wood, far from it . They are due to the Grado driver,s which all have the same morphology (but sometimes with a reflex dot on the back of the magnet plate), but only a different grade and a different fine-tuning/doping. I shown you the www.headphone.com graph, SR60 vs SR325 vs RS1 vs PS500 to show you how similar they were together.
 

SR60, SR325, RS1, PS500
 (www.headphone.com)
 
Those are all similar curves

 
But definitely the PS500 is the first ambassador of Grado's new sound... less shrill highs and darker, and it's popular because of that. The frequency response curve has been skewed by 5-10 degrees anti-clockwise, but the arrangement of the peaks and their relative height is still very much the same. I think that the PS500 is like this because of a new driver formula, and not so much the enclosure... but I could be wrong. Also I don't understand what makes the GS1000i and PS-1000 big mushroom cups sounding so different than the medium turbines.
 
 
Btw, Rhythmdevils is one to think the HP-1000 is better than the Magnum: http://www.head-fi.org/t/596028/joe-grado-hp1000-modifications/30#post_8214831

 

[pcf]

Quote:

 
Sure. Basically, I'm listening to my HP-1000 with the HPA amplifier all the time, and I am wondering how much better can this headphone becomes when using a more recent, better and more powerful headphone amplifier. Have you compared the Grado HPA against bigger solid state amplifiers like the popular models often spoken about on Head-Fi? Very little has been said about the HPA-1-2 on Head-Fi.
 
And I'm not so concerned about synergy nor I'm looking for "the best amp" for one headphone in particular, but I'm very curious to know if the HP-1000 benefits a lot from amplification. I'm wondering how close to HP-1000's maximum potential I am, with a HPA-1, and how much better would a beefier, costlier solid state amplifier would make it.

These have been covered in a different thread recently (too lazy to look for it now).
I only use the HPA-1/2 and upgraded Melos Sha- Gold for my HP1000- the two amps that were made for this specific headphone. How do you like your HP2 with the HPA-1?

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

These have been covered in a different thread recently (too lazy to look for it now).
I only use the HPA-1/2 and upgraded Melo Sha- Gold for my HP1000- the two amps that were made for this specific headphone. How do you like your HP2 with the HPA-1?

 
What about the difference between Melos and HPA? That would enlighten me thank you , and very much answer my question.
 
Melos, although not a solid state, is that kind of "beefier and more powerful" amp I'm wondering about. I didn't know it had been made to match the HP-1000 though, but I'm aware there's one that John Grado use in his listening room at Grado Labs.
 
 
"Recently"? I will look it up... but I think I've read everything Head-Fi ever said about the HPA-1 and -2 twice. Including the recent thread "Best amplifier for the HP-1000" by ChefGuru.
 
I've not read anything about the RA-1 though, this is such a mess, lol.
 
 
I'm glad to hear you're still using that old amplifier! Me too.
 
I'm a bit surprised though, I really thought that with the time you would have found a better amplifier. But it reassures me to know this product with which Grado lost money with, is still getting some love. Zardon seems to like it very much, he uses it transportably.
 
I think my HPA-1 is better for my HP-1000 than the headphone amplifier in my ADL GT40 DAC combo, even though I would have preferred the HPA-1 to be completely silent. Mine has some background hiss (but not much), and I wonder if the AC Adapter will improve this aspect.