Grado PS1000 Headphone

The Grado PS1000 is the alleged “best headphone Grado has ever produced." That’s a hefty statement from Grado, and it’s no surprise – these puppies aren’t cheap. However, if we didn’t deem them to be worth the cost, they wouldn’t be on our website. Always a fan of the GS1000’s, I was ecstatic to try the PS1000’s hot off the belt. I must admit I was a bit skeptical about their claims that the PS1000’s are better than the GS model, because I’m a major fan of those, but wow – the Grado PS1000 phones emit a sound that is absolutely seductive in its quality. Music, even music of the punk or hard rock variety, sounds velvety smooth. You’ll pick up on musical notes you’ve never heard before, even in the most familiar tunes.

Consistent with Grado’s trademark space age appearance, the PS1000’s have the familiar gigantic cushy ear pads. Audiophiles generally enjoy this feature; style slaves typically do not. Then again, people more concerned with style than sound probably run for the hills after one glance at the steep price tag. These comfortable ear pieces actually play a role in performance. They hold the speakers further away from your ears, creating a sound stage that allows for actual surround sound. They have a combination metal alloy outer housing and wood inner housing for low resonance and vibration – in human speak this means they eliminate factors that could destroy the sound. I get chills every time I slip them on. The spouse is starting to get a little jealous. It’s ok though, our couch is comfortable...yeah...

The bad? Must I? I suppose I have to find something negative about them. They are a bit bulky, a somewhat obtrusive characteristic for people with smaller heads. However, when you’re entering musical Nirvana (perhaps listening to Nirvana?) this feature ceases to be a nuisance. These headphones were designed with the true, blue audiophile in mind, and every last detail caters to those needs. Are they for everyone? Not necessarily - this is a lot of money to pay for headphones if you don't appreciate and understand all the features. However, for the audiophile in search of the perfect pair of headphones, the Grado PS1000 headphones are the Holy Grail of audio equipment.