[nikongod]

so i searched, and i was saddened to see that there was no hp1000 appreciation thread. this is quite a bummer. there are grado sr-60, akg-k240, koss ksc75, bose triport, and even senheisser appreciation threads, but the hp1000 gets no love. naturally, the other variants should get love too, so speak up if you like your hp1000!

i am prompted to start this thread while listening to my hp2's and my melos sha-gold-reference-eargasmatron.

after a week or so with the melos out of comission, and myself forced again to listen to my lowely stax rig the change back is fantastic. the impact is simply amazing. i missed it so. i found a little impact hidding in the higest third of the volume knob with the 02, and it was still weak and wrong. the hp2's get the impact spot on: bass hits HARD almost enough to rattle your gourd, and as the frequency goes up the impact goes down! just like real music! the clarity is in no way lacking, and the swivel locks are simply wonderful.

 

[Duggeh]

Best value for money purchase you ever got then eh? Glad you love them so much, I'd love to hear a pair one day, see if they cure me of my Grado apathy.

 

[bozebuttons]

I have had a long time affair with the HP1000s,Having bought a hp2 new & sold it,I moved to the hd600(sold twice) then back to a Grado sr60,then Rs1 which I still own.
But I always missed the Hp2s.After joining Head-fi I reaquired the HP1000,starting with the HP1s,then the Hp3,last but not least the HP2(Still own them all).
I will never make the same mistake of selling the HP1000s again,I even bought a New spare set of HP1 drivers & standard cable & flat pads from Joe Grado before he moved to NC(sitting in the box he shipped them in).

 

[seasterl]

In all the years Grado has been making headphones, I don't understand why so many folk prefer the older Joseph Grado line instead of the new John Grado line (e.g., GS1000, RS1, etc.). Sure the technology has improved over the years and John learned from Joseph. Or, is it more of fetish of appreciating something that was great (at the time) but really only "good" now, and the fact that they are a novelty item.

 

[Duggeh]

People still like the AKG K340 and K1000 and btoh of those are over 15 years old. People still gobble up old Stax models too. Age does not negate great sound. In my experience theres actually more competition and enthusiam in the vintage audio market. Just look at the dedicated fanbases there are for things like the Quad ESL57 or old Marantz recievers.

The Grado HP-x has a very unique sound, one which appeals very greatly to the many people who love them. And thats what this hobby is all about for some people, not being the owner of the shiniest most expensive gear, but finding that one piece of equipent which just meshes perfectly with how you like to hear sound. I get my greatest euphonic experiences with the oldest pair of headphones in my collection, even though they are obsolete technologically compared to modern headphones.

 

[phergus_25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seasterl /img/forum/go_quote.gif In all the years Grado has been making headphones, I don't understand why so many folk prefer the older Joseph Grado line instead of the new John Grado line (e.g., GS1000, RS1, etc.). Sure the technology has improved over the years and John learned from Joseph. Or, is it more of fetish of appreciating something that was great (at the time) but really only "good" now, and the fact that they are a novelty item.

have you heard any Joseph Grados?

 

[Zanth]

I love them and will own another pair. The most recent pair I owned went because I really needed a phono stage and couldn't fund one otherwise. Yet, it was a very hard decision for me. The HP-1000's offer a solid real bass like no other phone. The linear signature is to be admired and the overall realistic resolution, clarity and detail is unreal.

 

[cantsleep]

can anyone compare hp-1,2,3, and ps-1 in terms of sound difference?

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantsleep /img/forum/go_quote.gif can anyone compare hp-1,2,3, and ps-1 in terms of sound difference?

linky to thread

 

[seasterl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phergus_25 /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you heard any Joseph Grados?

No, I have not heard any of Joseph Grado's headphones. I've owned RS1 and SR325 (but sold them). I'd love to own a set of GS1000, though. I cannot think of any stereo component that has not improved over time. (Not comparing CD & SS vs. older technology vinyl & tubes, but comparing a single companies product line's maturing over time,... like Grado's).

So for the record, having never heard the older Joseph Grado's headphones, are they better than the new (John Grado) GS1000? Don't say "well, uh, they're different." John Grado claims to have maintained the same Grado flavor (or sound), so I'd guess the GS1000 are the best (if not, then the RS1). Are you guys saying "not so, but the older ones?" I don't have $1k+ to try and experiment for myself, but trust the general consensus on this forum. If the older HP2/3/4 is best, I won't buy a new GS1000 from Grado but seek out the older set.

 

[humanflyz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seasterl /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, I have not heard any of Joseph Grado's headphones. I've owned RS1 and SR325 (but sold them). I'd love to own a set of GS1000, though. I cannot think of any stereo component that has not improved over time. (Not comparing CD & SS vs. older technology vinyl & tubes, but comparing a single companies product line's maturing over time,... like Grado's). So for the record, having never heard the older Joseph Grado's headphones, are they better than the new (John Grado) GS1000? Do say "well, uh, they're different." John Grado claims to have maintained the same Grado flavor (or sound), so I'd guess the GS1000 are the best (if not, then the RS1). Are you guys saying "not so, but the older ones?" I don't have $1k+ to try and experiment for myself, but trust the general consensus on this forum. If the older HP2/3/4 is best, I won't buy a new GS1000 from Grado but seek out the older set.

Hate to tell you this, but there is no general consensus on whether the John Grado or the Joe Grado models are better.

 

[Zanth]

Though there is a house sound attributed to Grado Labs, there is also a sub-house sound attributed to Joe or John. Joseph Grados were meant to be studio monitors, John Grados were meant to be home listening tools. It is like buying the ES2 or ES3 from Westone. The ES2 is said by Westone themselves to be better for home listening and the ES3 for monitoring sound. Same with the older vs. newer Grados. The clincher is that some loves the "monitoring" sound so would take ES3 over ES2 anyway, or...take HP-1000's vs. RS-1, PS-1, or GS-1000. Conversely there are those that prefer the opposite. To each their own. From my time with all the phones, I tend to enjoy John Grados more than Joseph Grados hence me having sold 4 pairs of HP-1's/2's over the years and having kept all my John Grados I've ever owned.

 

[nikongod]

something to note: for the joe grado 'phones, they don't really go down in price much. if you snatch a set and decide you don't like them someone else is probably right there waiting to buy em for what you paid.

gs1000's 15miniutes out of the box sell here for 20%less than what new costs.

 

[tom hankins]

The only great Grado moments I have had, have been while using my HP2s. I really enjoyed them alot with my Gilmore V1, and SP SDS amps. To bad they hated my ears.....15-20 minutes was pushing the pain limits to torture levels for me. Sound wise one of the best I have owned.

 

[seasterl]

I recall reading in the John Grado interview (or somewhere here) the differences between the Joe & John phones are clinical versus, well, pleasurable, describing the original intent was for studio monitoring and the other for home entertainment and enjoyment (not to say that the Joe models aren't pleasurable). I'm starting to get it now. Thanks for pointing it out. Since I like it more laid back, I think the GS1000 would fit in my camp more so than the other Grado models (using "laid back" lightly), so it's time for me to appropriately bail out on this Joseph Grado thread before I get it off track too much.