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Easy driveable high-end full-can
Posted by Agostino from Szeged, HUN on 2011-09-27Posted on Grado PS1000
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: silky sound, nice design, safely relayable on horizontal surfaces, superb adapter & extension cord
Cons: twisting cable, ground noise on cheap source (PC), stiff foam for ears after 30min, peak at 6,5khz
SQ: except for the higher ground noise floor on cheap sources and the peak it's absolutely magnificent. I never ever heard something like that from an other manufacture. Grado gives SOUL to music, even without an amp. And that's a major factor here from the financial point. You don't have to buy expensive setup to enjoy 90% of it's potential (it is a very low impedance headphone - only 32 Ohm). All genre sounds fantastic. The instruments come alive with very sophisticated interpretation. My advice is to save up your money and buy this professional can, and don't bother for the other models. Later on you can buy a matching tube amp (for example: Woo or MAD Ear) if you want to squeeze out the last 10% (which is indeed MIRACLE). Try to pick an amp with low inner noise and you will be astonised by the results. I use it with a musical fidelty m1hpa headphone-amplifier (solid state) which is not bad either. Don't forget source is very important, but source-material too. There are huge differences between recording qualities.
COMFORT: for half an hour it is really nice, but after 30 minutes it starts to bother my skin around my ears and I have to take a brake. Maybe this comes from the heavyweight contruction (500 grams ~1.1 pound) or the cheap foam material (probably both involved). If you want better comfort, you can buy Jmoney headband which is thicker and more comfy for long sessions but the foam is hard to recommend. It's a shame that there are no alternatives to the Grado foam (they call it: "G" cushions).
LOOK: that's subjective, but for me 5/5 stars (take in account that it is huge on an average head - so not designed for the street's)
FEEL: nice materials (metal frame, leather headband) but the headband overall and the sponge (foam) around the driver is a bit flimsy for this price range. The cable is nonetheless very nice (no microphonic, and very high quality) but can twist easily (...I don't care about that). The metal frame (aluminium) looks and feels exceptional.
DURABILITY: only time will tell. I think the only thing to worry about is the sponge (foam), but this part is easy changeable if weared down.
WHAT ELSE?:
1. very open design - so you will hear EVERY noise around you ! (not so good)
2. clamping force is so minimal that it used to fall off your head EASILY if you lean back or forth (no headbanging possible) ! But in my opinion clamping force is not always grateful regards to comfort. So I like it that way. I like lower clamping force (which in the end has less stability) with higher overall comfort level MORE than high clamping force (and therefore high stability) with higher head-pressure.
CAUTION: seriously audiophil-grade sound. Don't try it if you can't afford it! I warned you. If the Denon, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic flagships deserve 5 stars this is also a perfect 5/5-headphone (or even better). Just consider that you have the ability to drive this baby's ampless exceptionally well and that way you can save a lot of cash for the start. All-in-all this is a stunning FLAGSHIP from GRADO Labs Brooklyn, New York. Well done Grado, I love it !
16 out of 20 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Pricey - Yes, but these ARE THE Best Sounding Headphones I've ever listened to
Posted by DrMemory from Shaker Heights, OH on 2011-05-05Posted on Grado PS1000
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Silky-Smooth, transparent sound while retaining Grado's eye-blinking punchiness
Cons: Very Heavy, headphone cord prone to twisting, very pricey
If you're looking for a reference quality headphones and are willing to pay the price, then it's hard not to recommend giving the PS1000 a shot. I've personally spent many hours listening to Sennheiser HD650 and Grado GS1000 cans, and no doubt those are great cans, but the PS1000 takes that smooth, silky but still punchy Grado sound to a whole differnt level. The balance and soundstage are amazing on the PS1000, from rock to folk to bach, the detail brought forth by the PS1000's will make your eyes water.
Alas, that superb sound comes at a price though, and it's not just the money sucked out of your checking account to buy them. Grado's exclusive melding of metal and wood make these phones very heavy and I do feel a bit of irritation on the tip of my head after wearing the PS1000 for a couple of hours. Grado built the super-structure of the GS1000 using the same meterials as their other products, including the headband. My biggest complaint with Grado is that for the price and considering the weight they really should have included a better headband.
I also found that the headphone cord, coming directly out of the phones, has a tendency to twist a little bit if you're not careful. However I haven't noticed any problems in sound because of it.
20 out of 24 people found this review helpful. Did you?
