rajeevrn
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2014
- Posts
- 197
- Likes
- 46
Pros: Vocal close to being intimate. Adapts to the song easily. Balanced and bass happy though not too happy to overwhelm in any way. EQ helps.
Cons: Not very open, not such a big soundstage, highs could have been a bit better. Not for treble lovers. Departure from Grado sound.
Intro: I got my Grado PS500s from a fellow headfier (btw why is there even a spell check on headfier in the Editor, really there shouldn’t be!) in excellent condition. Have used them for quite a while(over 50 hours) before writing this review. So here goes!(And still listening). The beats are positively addictive! I like to move it move it
>
Packaging: Can’t say cause I got them used.
Design: Love the design, they are unique and eye catching and I don’t mind wearing them in public because they make me seem like a serious headfier(there goes the spell check again!).
Build Quality and comfort: They stretch quite a bit and even if your noggin’s a big one should be very comfortable. They weigh very little and quite easy to carry around, though yes because of the nature of the headband and design, they can’t be folded, which trust me sometimes can be a good thing.
Setup: Windows Media Player and Foobar 2000---->Matrix M-stage HPA 2---->Grado PS500
Sound Quality:
Now to what matters most when you make a decision.
Openness, well these are quite open, perhaps a bit more, does better than open sounding closed cans, its open after all, but not really open, guess they could be a bit more open. I have heard good things about the PS500e, perhaps they are more open can’t say.
The midrange is what I would call just right, it is not exactly laid back, it is definitely not upfront like the RS1i either. But it is just as emotional.It is in a way close to being intimate. It really sets the mood. When the vocals are relatively forward, you can make out that difference.
I am listening to some Spanish guitar music. The guitar twangs are pronounced, you can really hear the pulling of the strings and feel the vibrations sort of like a flutter.
These are quite fast when they need to be especially with the guitar solo. I was listening to Walking in Memphis and they can be just as slow. When he says ‘But boy you’ve got a prayer’, theres a bit of detail to the way it’s said that isn’t to be missed.
I am listening to Avril Lavigne’s and here again, it’s a very good recording, with vocals a little forward in the mix. At around 1:50, when she says, So put your hands up!, there’s a soft spit on the mic. Cool! Here Avril’s vocals are generally a little raspy but they don’t seem so on the Grado PS500. There are some times with some female vocals when I hope they are piercingly high, but that doesn’t happen with the Grado PS500.
You are going to hear sounds as they are very raw. To begin with they are very raw but then it gets less raw over time.And the best test of that, Grunge. Well you smelt right. It smells like teen spirit. Kurt Cobain in all his glory. Guitars and vocals sound raw. Hopefully it weren't this raw.The drums sound big and make quite a thud. The pacing makes the song wild. Yeah!
When it comes to soundstage, cant quite place them properly in a vertical soundstage unless you try quite hard. But I never had a problem with instrument separation. I am talking Metallica and the San Francisco Music Orchestra. That’s one hell of an album if you are looking to find how good the guitars separate from the rest of the orchestra. Soundstage isn’t that big. Sure wish it was bigger though.
Bass can positively go really low, giving you that good thump. I am listening to Enter Sandman now, and if you even stray away from the music for a while, the bass catches you, so ts pretty darn good.
I am listening to Bobby Darin’s Beautiful Thing and say what the bass is nice and tight. There is no unnaturalness to the vocals that may be present in some other headphones.
The Grados PS500s are quite clear. Wish they were clearer though.
Decay, I noticed a fair amount of decay initially but it waned away over time to sound more normal so as to say.
So heres my observation. The RS1i’s are like an old school rocker with long hair and aggressive, trebly. the Grado PS500 is the new gen one, just as aggressive in a different way but with trimmed hair! It’s a balanced signature that’s slightly happy with bass. Don’t forbid yourself the EQ. These headphones respond well to equalization. You can increase the highs quite a bit and will still not sound unnatural.
5 Stars for Grado's PS500. Keep rocking guys!
Cons: Not very open, not such a big soundstage, highs could have been a bit better. Not for treble lovers. Departure from Grado sound.
Intro: I got my Grado PS500s from a fellow headfier (btw why is there even a spell check on headfier in the Editor, really there shouldn’t be!) in excellent condition. Have used them for quite a while(over 50 hours) before writing this review. So here goes!(And still listening). The beats are positively addictive! I like to move it move it
>Packaging: Can’t say cause I got them used.
Design: Love the design, they are unique and eye catching and I don’t mind wearing them in public because they make me seem like a serious headfier(there goes the spell check again!).
Build Quality and comfort: They stretch quite a bit and even if your noggin’s a big one should be very comfortable. They weigh very little and quite easy to carry around, though yes because of the nature of the headband and design, they can’t be folded, which trust me sometimes can be a good thing.
Setup: Windows Media Player and Foobar 2000---->Matrix M-stage HPA 2---->Grado PS500
Sound Quality:
Now to what matters most when you make a decision.
Openness, well these are quite open, perhaps a bit more, does better than open sounding closed cans, its open after all, but not really open, guess they could be a bit more open. I have heard good things about the PS500e, perhaps they are more open can’t say.
The midrange is what I would call just right, it is not exactly laid back, it is definitely not upfront like the RS1i either. But it is just as emotional.It is in a way close to being intimate. It really sets the mood. When the vocals are relatively forward, you can make out that difference.
I am listening to some Spanish guitar music. The guitar twangs are pronounced, you can really hear the pulling of the strings and feel the vibrations sort of like a flutter.
These are quite fast when they need to be especially with the guitar solo. I was listening to Walking in Memphis and they can be just as slow. When he says ‘But boy you’ve got a prayer’, theres a bit of detail to the way it’s said that isn’t to be missed.
I am listening to Avril Lavigne’s and here again, it’s a very good recording, with vocals a little forward in the mix. At around 1:50, when she says, So put your hands up!, there’s a soft spit on the mic. Cool! Here Avril’s vocals are generally a little raspy but they don’t seem so on the Grado PS500. There are some times with some female vocals when I hope they are piercingly high, but that doesn’t happen with the Grado PS500.
You are going to hear sounds as they are very raw. To begin with they are very raw but then it gets less raw over time.And the best test of that, Grunge. Well you smelt right. It smells like teen spirit. Kurt Cobain in all his glory. Guitars and vocals sound raw. Hopefully it weren't this raw.The drums sound big and make quite a thud. The pacing makes the song wild. Yeah!
When it comes to soundstage, cant quite place them properly in a vertical soundstage unless you try quite hard. But I never had a problem with instrument separation. I am talking Metallica and the San Francisco Music Orchestra. That’s one hell of an album if you are looking to find how good the guitars separate from the rest of the orchestra. Soundstage isn’t that big. Sure wish it was bigger though.
Bass can positively go really low, giving you that good thump. I am listening to Enter Sandman now, and if you even stray away from the music for a while, the bass catches you, so ts pretty darn good.
I am listening to Bobby Darin’s Beautiful Thing and say what the bass is nice and tight. There is no unnaturalness to the vocals that may be present in some other headphones.
The Grados PS500s are quite clear. Wish they were clearer though.
Decay, I noticed a fair amount of decay initially but it waned away over time to sound more normal so as to say.
So heres my observation. The RS1i’s are like an old school rocker with long hair and aggressive, trebly. the Grado PS500 is the new gen one, just as aggressive in a different way but with trimmed hair! It’s a balanced signature that’s slightly happy with bass. Don’t forbid yourself the EQ. These headphones respond well to equalization. You can increase the highs quite a bit and will still not sound unnatural.
5 Stars for Grado's PS500. Keep rocking guys!
