Grado's top of the line professional headphone is so good, it deserves a detailed review from a veteran Head-Fi contributor.
Jason Morin aka Zanth on head-fi.org
Never
one to stop innovating, Grado has set out to create a new flagship and
it is these new headphones, the PS1000's, as I hear it, are the very
best headphone Grado Labs has ever produced. What would so excite me as
to claim such a thing? How about a hybrid metal/wooden headphone that
incorporates the tone and timbre of the RS1's, maintaining the superior
Grado mid-range, the hallmark of their sound and a resonance reduced
decay which brings the sound closer to that of the PS1's and HP-1000's?
How about all of that, dear listeners? Well here it is, the evolution
of the metal series and the wooden series, the PS1000 is the answer to
all those who have for years hoped for a broad release of the PS1's or
for those who wanted something even better than the GS1000's. The
PS1000's are the very best Grado headphone ever made.
Sticking
with the new developments of the GS1000, the PS1000 uses the same large
cushions providing a very comfortable fit on the head, excellent for
very long listening sessions. These cushions also push the driver
further from the ear providing a large sound and headstage. The same
shaped enclosure as that of the GS1000's is used but instead of the
wooden outer housing, the housing is a metal alloy like that of the
PS1's headphones. What makes this particularly interesting however is
the inner housing, which is made of the same wood used in the RS series
and for the GS1000. The driver has been changed, has been improved,
refining the sound even more than previous generation of headphones.
The cable has also been changed and seems to be quite a bit thicker
than the previous versions. All these changes and improvements make for
a listening experience like none that I have ever had the pleasure of
hearing.
Besides
their appearance, which is that of a metal GS1000, one might well first
recognize the weight of these headphones. Those who are familiar with
my systems know that I own the PS1's and have owned over the years
about a dozen HP-1000 series, the older Joseph Grado studio monitor
headphones. These models are quite heavy, with the PS1's being heavier
than the HP-1000's but the overall experience of that weight seemed to
be reduced because of the thicker headband the PS1's used over the
HP-1000's. Still, using the flat pads or the larger bowl pads, the
headphones sat firmly on the head and were very noticeable. I don't
know many that forgot they were wearing them, this as opposed to
wearing the RS1's or even better, the GS1000's, which are so very light
in comparison. The GS1000's in particular are such a pleasure to wear
for long periods of time because they are made from a light wood and
the large pads are at once comfortable on the ear (now being
circumaural headphones as opposed to the supra-aural fit of the older
pads) and also divert the downward force of the headphones outward
reducing the apparent weight at the top of the head. Since the PS1000's
are made to the same dimensions as the GS1000's, with their larger
housings, would one expect them to feel even heavier than the PS1's or
HP-1000's? While in the hand, yes. While on the head? A surprising no!
I equate this phenomenon to the large pads used which again, divert the
downward force perpendicularly outward, so that the overall experience
is more pleasing than the older metal headphone models. No doubt they
are much heavier than the GS1000's, but they are not unpleasant to use
and I found myself listening for 8 hours straight with no complaints at
all. I rather much liked the weight because although I was aware of
their presence, it was a positive awareness, where I wouldn't be
inclined to just swing my head aggressively and perhaps launch the
headphones into orbit. Hey, when headphones sound this good, some
head-banging is to be expected!
As
with any transducer it is the sound that matters and as I've already
stated, to my ears, these are not just the best Grado ever made, they
are the best headphones I've ever heard.
On first
listening one will probably note two things sonically: an incredibly
dynamic sound and a very smooth sound. The sound seems to literally
jump off the drivers with an astounding attack without overemphasizing
or exaggerating any part of the spectrum as if the headphones are
somehow working hard to reproduce this type of sound (or working harder
than another set of headphones on the same system). There is no denying
that the sound is more alive than anything I've ever listened to and
yet the headphones are merely providing what is on the recording. A
good analogy would be going from listening to the SR60's to the RS1's
but think better, more dynamic and pure.
The
attack is solid and fast and the transients are nimble with the
transition to the decay sounding dead on, never lagging and the decay,
oh that wonderful decay, notes trailing off into a black background,
never sounding slow but never sounding overly quick either. The key I
believe is in combining the wood and the metal. The wood provides a
fine immediate resonance, getting a nice tone and timbre but as the
sound leaves the inner chamber, the metal's rigidity forces the waves
to stay tight, reducing reverberation and permitting a very accurate
decay and highly coherent sound throughout the note. I suppose the
really clever trait here is that despite a seductive velvety smooth
sound, one isn't missing out on any details. Not at all. This is how
the PS1's are consistently reviewed and here too we find the same
thing. We get the glorious subtleties of the sound, all the inner
nuances, micro and macro details while enjoying a smooth sound that is
closest to a live open aired event. For those who have lusted for the
liquid sound of the PS1's but want the better tone and timbre of the
wooden Grados, the PS1000's deliver.
One
other immediately noticeable aspect that I note in comparison to the
GS1000's is that the mids sound more forward. If people felt that the
mids were too far back in comparison with the RS1's or PS1's, then
these headphones will fall closer in line with that sound vs. the
GS1000's. There doesn't seem to be any disparity in any of the
spectrums and this is not amp dependent, which I know first hand, many
will praise.
The
highs are never strident but smooth and extended, with wonderful
sparkle and air. They are articulate without over emphasis. The bass is
solid, palpable and authoritative without being overblown. The notes
are deep and audible and work perfectly to provide the well-known Grado
dynamics and that ever-elusive PRaT that Grados are naturally gifted at
reproducing. I have always enjoyed the wonderful deep resonating bass
of the PS1's but sometimes missed the extremely hard-hitting nature of
the bass notes from the HP-1000's. No more! These phones do both better
than their older siblings. I have never heard better bass than when
listening to Grados. Yet, I've always had to choose aspects of the
bottom end and then equate the best with this model or that model. Now
I can just go for one phone and one phone only and maintain a
perma-smile as I listen to some drum n' bass.
Over
the years, I've bought and sold a number of headphones, not just
Grados. The three headphones I have chosen to keep on hand have been
the Grado GS1000's, PS1's and RS1's. As sad as I have been in letting
the HP-1000's go time and time again, there has always been something
about the above models that kept me listening more often for longer
periods of time. Yet, if one were to ask me, Jason, which headphone
would you keep if you could only have one? I could never answer
perfectly. I enjoyed each model for specific reasons, feeling that each
model had the edge in some dimension over the others. My default answer
then would be: "I'd choose the RS1's because my wife bought them for me
as a gift during our first year of marriage." Only sentimentality
pushed one model over another. The PS1000's are the first set of
headphones that I've heard that would actually have me choose a "best"
headphone among the headphones I have on hand and have ever heard.
The
PS1000's are finally, (and for those that upgrade often or think the
grass is always greener, they know what I mean by finally), finally,
the first set of headphones that would motivate me to sell all the
rest, because these PS1000s do it all and do it as flawlessly as I've
yet experienced. They give me everything that I've been searching for
in headphones and do it in such a way that I can honestly say I'm not
hoping for anything more. If more can ever be given, GREAT! But I've
stopped looking. I've stopped thinking that a single phone can't do it
all. Hyperbole be damned, this phone had me at hello.
Note: made to order by Grado, allow 2-3 weeks for production.
For more information, please visit this product's webpage.
