[Norway]

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I would bring your own PS1000s and your m903 so you can compare both phones and amps... this does sound like they need a stronger amp. Like any Grado preferably tube.

I'm not sure if they'd serivce me if I brought my own equipement, but in Norway we have 14 days money back guarantee by consumer law when we purchase online, so I can purchase a tube amp and test it against the grace m903.
 
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 They can sound a little sibilant and nasty out of an iShuffle, that's been my experience, but you'd think the Grace M903 would be more than capable of driving
 them.

Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing experience from other people with the same combo. It might be that the m903 is a little siblant, metallic, light sounding and that it's a bad combo (for my liking). I have a somewhat similar result with a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-770 (80 Ohm).
 
I listen to a wide variety of music; some dubstep, drum and bass, techno, electronica and the occational oldie. Maybe the sound signature of the Grados doesn't mesh well with those genres (as many of the recordings are not the best of this world in those genres).
 
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If you bought them off ebay do they look genuine? Were they sold at a large discount? I would think it would be relatively easy to mill a housing that looks like the PS1000, stick a crappy driver in there, and solder on some cables. What a huge margin on fake headphones. I hope that's not the case, but the question has to be asked.
 
If you were used to something with a thick, compressed sound, the expansive soundstage of the PS1000 might strike you as very different and perhaps not even to you liking, but probably not defective as it seems to be striking you. Of course, that is also a possibility. Are the Beats and the PortaPro your only other headphones? If so, that's a pretty unusual trio.

Yeah, this has also striked my mind. However, they look genuine, detailed with Grado logos on the plastic around the jacks etc. They were also sold by a very reputable seller. He has over 2k feedback, 99.8% positive and he sells a ton of head-fi. I can't imagine he is ripping people off. He even has a pair of Grado PS1000 up for sale right now. They're priced at $1,600, which is what I paid.
 
Haha, that's a hypothesis worth testing. Don't flame me people, but this is what happened: I used to sink a lot of money into AV equipment, but my situation changed and I could no longer have loudspeakers so I sold everything off as I moved into an extremely small apartment. At first, not knowing anything about head-fi, I just jumped on the bandwagon and got a pair of Beats by Dr Dre Pro and Xonar Essence STX sound card. They were so tight on my head I wanted to cut my ears off after 15 minutes of use. After complaining about this and helping my brother out with some stuff he bought me a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-770 (80 Ohm) as a thank you gift. I came here and started reading the forums and a new hobby was born.
 
Since I had used to spend a lot of money on AV equipment in the past and knew how much money it costs to climb the ladder, I decided to buy expensive gear (PS1000 and m903) and work my way through the second hand market to find a suitable match for me.
 
The Beats are sold, I now own Koss Porta Pro, the PS1000s and Beyerdynamic DT-770 (80 Ohm). As I stated in my response to Gwarmi the latter yields somewhat similar results when I run it on both the Xonar Essence STX and m903.
 
Maybe I'm just a hillbilly throwing down the finer French wine, lol.


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This scenario did cross my mind, perhaps not a full blown clone - but perhaps a damaged and repaired PS1000 auctioned off eBay that now finds itself with a twin
 pair of cheapo generic drivers in the housings :-/
 

In that case he has ripped me off, because the auction stated they were new. Is there any way I can check this?
 
 

 

[stv014]

Maybe the Grado sound simply does not match your preferences ? Especially since all your previous headphones (PortaPro, Beats Pro, DT770-80) are bass heavy, and, with the exception of the DT770, dark as well (lacking treble). So, you may want to try some of the higher end headphones that have a darker sound with more/better extended bass, like the LCD-2.
 

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
Still think until you hear that second pair at your disposal at the nearby dealer - all of this is just speculation.
 
Bring your pair along and see if their source/amp yields a difference across both pairs.
 
If they both sound the same and they still suck more than a pair of Dr Dre Beats then you'll have
your answer - they're not for you and being in Europe - you'll find a buyer no doubt.
 
If there is a huge difference and you love the dealer's pair - then it's time for a bit of air express
over to Johnny G if the price is right.
 
If it comes to that, I'd level with Grado - you more or less paid retail - $1600 - how much is actual
retail in Norway? $2000+?

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
As for checking the drivers - perhaps some Grado modder from the Head-Fi wilderness wants to chime in but
these look to be one of the toughest chestnuts in the Grado range to actually open.
 
Looks like a press fit between the hard alloy housing and the wooden inner liner. Only the brave need apply.
 
 

 

[Norway]

Thank you all for helping me with prossible solutions.

Quote:

Still think until you hear that second pair at your disposal at the nearby dealer - all of this is just speculation.
 
Bring your pair along and see if their source/amp yields a difference across both pairs.
 
If they both sound the same and they still suck more than a pair of Dr Dre Beats then you'll have your answer - they're not for you and being in Europe - you'll find a buyer no doubt.
 
If there is a huge difference and you love the dealer's pair - then it's time for a bit of air express over to Johnny G if the price is right.
 
If it comes to that, I'd level with Grado - you more or less paid retail - $1600 - how much is actual retail in Norway? $2000+?

 
Yes, this sounds like a good summary and a rational plan. I didn't get to visit the store today, but will update the thread once I've been there.
 
Well, Grados are extremely overpriced in Norway and the (small niche) market knows it. Hold your breath; they retail at $3,850 including 25 % sales tax. I believe the high price is a result of many factors; like high buying power, small niche market without competition and extremely strict consumer laws. If I had purchased the Grados in Norway, the company would have been liable by law to fix them if they broke within five years. Norway is not in the European Union, so people who would buy them in member states would have to pay their state's import duties and taxes on second hand purchases from Norway.
 
So basically I'm lucky if I get what I paid if they're ship-shape.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
 I will never, ever lament the inflated official Grado pricing here in Australia ever again

 
 That's nuts - nearly 4 grand, and here some people fortunate enough to snag them in the US for $1695 reckon they're pricey!
 
 I thought $2200-$2500AUD (yes the only retailer here in Oz likes to change his pricing like the weather) was steep.

 

[ProjectDenz]

Quote:

 
 
 I will never, ever lament the inflated official Grado pricing here in Australia ever again

 
 That's nuts - nearly 4 grand, and here some people fortunate enough to snag them in the US for $1695 reckon they're pricey!
 
 I thought $2200-$2500AUD (yes the only retailer here in Oz likes to change his pricing like the weather) was steep.

Grado can go to hell in Australia. Alessandro on the other hand....
 

 

[MD1032]

These are unique headphones that do not really sound like any other Grado (besides the GS-1000). Compared to the PortaPros, the mids are going to sound sucked out and the highs will be airy. Compared to the DT770's, they're going to sound extremely bright. Honestly, with that kind of music, these probably aren't the ones for you. In fact, it may be that Grados as a whole just aren't for you. Try a pair of Audio Technica AD700's and see if they're a step in the right direction. If they aren't, well, you need to take a completely different approach.
 
By the way, out of those three headphones, I would take the PortaPros any day... (puts on flame retardant suit)

 

[Gradofan2]

Though somewhat late... it sounds like the drivers are "out of phase" - the positive / negative terminations of the cables are reversed, which would have this effect.  
 
I'd return them to Grado Labs, sending a note describing the problem.  They'll repair them and return them to you - most likely without charge.  
 
The PS500's are, very possibly, the best phones made (which are similar to the PS1000's) - they have a rich, warm, dynamic, clear, detailed, spacious sound, which few phones can match, when mated with the right amp and source.  Making sure the they're properly matched to the right amp and source is as critical as with any other phones.  That means a high current output, low impedance, amp - similar to the specs of the Grado HA-1 AC.  
 
Though, I've never heard the PS1000's, most of the comments suggest they sound very similar to the PS500's.  However, it is possible they're bass and mids are a bit lesser than the PS500's, because of the stadium pads, which distance the drivers further from your ears.  The stadium pads ruined the GS1000's for me (reduced the bass and mids)... so... they might have a similar effect on the PS1000's - though I've not seen any comments indicating that.

 

[devouringone3]

It's weird because people complain about the big sized Grados, like if the discrepencies in their sound was due to them being fullsized instead of supra-aural.
 
When you buy a PS500 not only you get the flagship and best materials, metal and wood hybrid (Grado's elected it as their best), but you also get the size of headphone Grado has been known for being best at, the HP-1-2-3 midsize (or RS1 it's the sane size)... 40 mm driver size.
 
I want a PS-1000 but the people on Head-Fi got me interested in the PS500, which in return got me interested in the HF-1 and HF-2. Now I don't know which one I want next...
 
Like you Gradofan2, I think it will be a shoot out between the PS1000 and the PS500.