Grado PS 1000 and the SULDE

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   As a new member I have recently been looking at some of the old threads, and note that there were some people who were talking about Grado headphone and amplifier combinations. I thought that it might be useful if I were to add my pennies worth.

Perhaps some details of my musical background is in order. I used to play folk musicIn a group or as a solo performer in clubs both abroad and in this country. I also had quite a lot of  first hand experience with jazz because my sister used to be married to the son of a very well-known jazz musician. I have always enjoyed a wide range of music that includes classical, folk, jazz, blues and pop/rock.

Since starting work in 1971 I have tried to buy the best hi-fi that I could afford. This eventually included a Linn LP 12 and a Nakamichi tape deck together with a Cyrus amp and a pair of Second-generation kef 104 speakers. My latest system was acquired some years ago when I did some corporate design work for a guy who was a hi-fi distributor. I got a good discount because his brother was hi-fi designer for Mission/Cyrus. My system includes a Cyrus preamp, power amp, CD player, tuner, 3 PSXs and a top of the range pair of Mission floorstanding speakers. I also until recently used my LP 12 (which had been upgraded) and the Nakamichi tape deck. A few years ago I also purchased a Squeezebox Classic 3 to stream music from the computer.

I had never seriously considered using headphones for listening to music until I became more disabled (because of my MS) and often had to go to bed early to rest up. At these times I used an iPod classic with a cheap pair of Sennheiser headphones to listen to music in bed. I eventually decided that the sound wasn't very good so I bought a pair of Grado 325i. After looking on the Internet I also purchased a Graham Slee Voyager headphone amp which I wired to the iPod using the 30 pin charging socket to avoid using the internal iPod amplifier. I connected the Classic to the Voyager using Blue Tack. For the last 2 to 3 years I have been really happy with this setup and I found that the combination was detailed and for the price very good when compared with the cost of a reasonable quality speaker system.

A few weeks back I noticed that a dealer had a pair of 'B grade ' Grado PS 1000 at £600 cheaper than the going price. They were supposed to be slightly scratched though I haven't seen any signs of this.  I happen to have a little bit of money and I was very tempted. I did a lot of research to see whether they might be worth trying. I noted that many write-ups were uniformly good and were said to be the best Grado headphones that they had ever made; and a step up from the GS 1000. 'What hi-fi Sound and Vision' summed up the PS 1000 up as being 'undoubtedly one of the finest headphones money can buy'. After a short trial I was so impressed that I bought them.

After listening to the PS 1000s using the Voyager I was immensely impressed and I realised that they were streets ahead of the 325is having a much more refined, spacious and detailed sound. The cheaper Grados (that I had been happy with) seemed annoyingly bright and unrefined by comparison. I immediately realised that an improved sound source and a really good amplifier would be necessary to do them full justice. To this end I purchased a squeezebox touch on eBay. This was an immediate improvement over the iPod classic. I looked on the Internet  for a headphone amplifier and wasn't sure whether to go for the Graham's Solo ULDE or another well-regarded headphone amp. Eventually I read the following review. This showed the PS 1000 with the GS SULDE and it helped convince me that Graham's amp would be the best combination for me:
http://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/zardon/grado-ps1000-headphones-graham-slee-solo-super-ultra-linear-amp-review/

I have had the amplifier now for 13 days. In order to burn it in the power has not been turned off, in addition, I have played music through the headphones for approximately 10 hours every day. I can't believe how much the sound has improved in that time. From the beginning I was very impressed, but over time I have realised that initially the sound was a little tight and lacked the warmth and musicality that has developed since. The quality of sound is difficult to describe but it has a presence and vibration that I recognise from my days playing live music. It is possible to follow each instrument in the recording without it being dominant. A good example of this can be seen in the award-winning Norma Waterson CD or the Annie Lennox collection. The system is quite revealing when you play poorer recordings, however, it even makes these (including vintage recordings from the 1930s and 40s) sound a lot better.

Some people have stated on this forum, and in other places on the Internet, that the Grado PS 1000 are far too expensive. I can understand this, but they are an absolutely brilliant pair of headphones. When properly played in you can't really compare them to any other Grado headphone. As for cost my present system of headphone, amplifier and squeezebox cost me just over £2000! I can't imagine how much I would have to pay if I were to buy a speaker based system of anything like the same quality! The speakers alone would set you back at least £10,000 or more. It is also worth remembering that the system hasn't yet been fully burnt in and I don't yet have a decent external DAC or the Cusat50 cables.

I hope you'll forgive my ramblings, but I thought that some of you might find some of this interesting. If you wish I will try and update my impressions as the system matures, or if and when I am able to borrow the Cusat50 interconnects, or eventually the big DAC on the loan scheme.

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msphil Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2013 Location: Derbyshire UK Status: Offline Points: 386	Post Options Post Reply Quote msphil Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Grado PS 1000 and the SULDE Posted: 21 Jul 2013 at 9:13pm
	As a new member I have recently been looking at some of the old threads, and note that there were some people who were talking about Grado headphone and amplifier combinations. I thought that it might be useful if I were to add my pennies worth. Perhaps some details of my musical background is in order. I used to play folk musicIn a group or as a solo performer in clubs both abroad and in this country. I also had quite a lot of first hand experience with jazz because my sister used to be married to the son of a very well-known jazz musician. I have always enjoyed a wide range of music that includes classical, folk, jazz, blues and pop/rock. Since starting work in 1971 I have tried to buy the best hi-fi that I could afford. This eventually included a Linn LP 12 and a Nakamichi tape deck together with a Cyrus amp and a pair of Second-generation kef 104 speakers. My latest system was acquired some years ago when I did some corporate design work for a guy who was a hi-fi distributor. I got a good discount because his brother was hi-fi designer for Mission/Cyrus. My system includes a Cyrus preamp, power amp, CD player, tuner, 3 PSXs and a top of the range pair of Mission floorstanding speakers. I also until recently used my LP 12 (which had been upgraded) and the Nakamichi tape deck. A few years ago I also purchased a Squeezebox Classic 3 to stream music from the computer. I had never seriously considered using headphones for listening to music until I became more disabled (because of my MS) and often had to go to bed early to rest up. At these times I used an iPod classic with a cheap pair of Sennheiser headphones to listen to music in bed. I eventually decided that the sound wasn't very good so I bought a pair of Grado 325i. After looking on the Internet I also purchased a Graham Slee Voyager headphone amp which I wired to the iPod using the 30 pin charging socket to avoid using the internal iPod amplifier. I connected the Classic to the Voyager using Blue Tack. For the last 2 to 3 years I have been really happy with this setup and I found that the combination was detailed and for the price very good when compared with the cost of a reasonable quality speaker system. A few weeks back I noticed that a dealer had a pair of 'B grade ' Grado PS 1000 at £600 cheaper than the going price. They were supposed to be slightly scratched though I haven't seen any signs of this. I happen to have a little bit of money and I was very tempted. I did a lot of research to see whether they might be worth trying. I noted that many write-ups were uniformly good and were said to be the best Grado headphones that they had ever made; and a step up from the GS 1000. 'What hi-fi Sound and Vision' summed up the PS 1000 up as being 'undoubtedly one of the finest headphones money can buy'. After a short trial I was so impressed that I bought them. After listening to the PS 1000s using the Voyager I was immensely impressed and I realised that they were streets ahead of the 325is having a much more refined, spacious and detailed sound. The cheaper Grados (that I had been happy with) seemed annoyingly bright and unrefined by comparison. I immediately realised that an improved sound source and a really good amplifier would be necessary to do them full justice. To this end I purchased a squeezebox touch on eBay. This was an immediate improvement over the iPod classic. I looked on the Internet for a headphone amplifier and wasn't sure whether to go for the Graham's Solo ULDE or another well-regarded headphone amp. Eventually I read the following review. This showed the PS 1000 with the GS SULDE and it helped convince me that Graham's amp would be the best combination for me: http://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/zardon/grado-ps1000-headphones-graham-slee-solo-super-ultra-linear-amp-review/ I have had the amplifier now for 13 days. In order to burn it in the power has not been turned off, in addition, I have played music through the headphones for approximately 10 hours every day. I can't believe how much the sound has improved in that time. From the beginning I was very impressed, but over time I have realised that initially the sound was a little tight and lacked the warmth and musicality that has developed since. The quality of sound is difficult to describe but it has a presence and vibration that I recognise from my days playing live music. It is possible to follow each instrument in the recording without it being dominant. A good example of this can be seen in the award-winning Norma Waterson CD or the Annie Lennox collection. The system is quite revealing when you play poorer recordings, however, it even makes these (including vintage recordings from the 1930s and 40s) sound a lot better. Some people have stated on this forum, and in other places on the Internet, that the Grado PS 1000 are far too expensive. I can understand this, but they are an absolutely brilliant pair of headphones. When properly played in you can't really compare them to any other Grado headphone. As for cost my present system of headphone, amplifier and squeezebox cost me just over £2000! I can't imagine how much I would have to pay if I were to buy a speaker based system of anything like the same quality! The speakers alone would set you back at least £10,000 or more. It is also worth remembering that the system hasn't yet been fully burnt in and I don't yet have a decent external DAC or the Cusat50 cables. I hope you'll forgive my ramblings, but I thought that some of you might find some of this interesting. If you wish I will try and update my impressions as the system matures, or if and when I am able to borrow the Cusat50 interconnects, or eventually the big DAC on the loan scheme.

morris_minor Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 27 Mar 2012 Location: Surrey Status: Offline Points: 6197	Post Options Post Reply Quote morris_minor Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2013 at 12:21am
	Great write up! I think all of us with a Solo have decent cans and find the combination with a decent source hard to resist, not only on outright quality, but on a bang- for-your-buck basis. The Solo seems to thrive whatever it's driving. Adding CuSat or Lautus cabling will be the icing on the cake, too!
	Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50 2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links

Graham Slee Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Retired Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Location: South Yorkshire Status: Offline Points: 16314	Post Options Post Reply Quote Graham Slee Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2013 at 6:28am
	Thanks msphil. Please update us with your findings. It's useful feedback for me and it's very helpful for the large number of visitors we get looking for honest appraisals of our own and related equipment. Graham
	That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps

msphil Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2013 Location: Derbyshire UK Status: Offline Points: 386	Post Options Post Reply Quote msphil Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2013 at 3:57pm
	Thanks Graham and Bob! I am hoping that the new 'big DAC 'will appear soon because from what has been said on the forum it might be just what I'm looking for! So from one member near the Peak District (well, the Chesterfield area isn't too far away!) to another I hope that the move hasn't slowed down its development too much! Any idea yet when it might appear? I'm hoping that I will be able to use it without using the preamp because with the Squeezebox and the Grado PS1000 headphones I can only turn the Solo ULDE amplifier up to just over 9 o'clock for comfortable listening. Something I didn't mention was that the bass has developed nicely. It is superb; tight and natural without being dominant or coloured. At first I found that classical orchestral music was impressive but, as is common with most hi-fi systems, slightly lacking in some of the full vibrancy that one gets from a live concert hall experience. In the last few days this has started to change! Now You can almost feel the sound. This is especially noticeable in the lower register where you can hear and feel the vibration of the rosin and bow as they scrape across the strings of the bass and cellos. On a good recording the quality of the overall sound and individual instruments can be amazing.

Ash Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2013 Location: Dorset Status: Offline Points: 4360	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ash Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2013 at 10:07pm
	I'm glad to read that you are enjoying your Graham Slee equipment. Graham, with his experience, has selected electronic components for his circuit designs which are intended to last a long time before they deviate from specification. The performance of some electronic components degrade soon after purchase and/or impart a sound signature (colouration) to the presentation. Graham has enough experience with resistors, capacitors, diodes etc to know which types will provide high quality, long lasting results in audio reproduction and which ones don't. His products are designed for the long haul, not to be briefly impressive before drooping into mediocrity. As a consequence, Graham's component selections require plenty of use before they reach their optimum performance. Initially, they will sound very good but not "great". All this will change as the components move away from their brand new state.
	We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.

Grado PS 1000 and the SULDE

Cadman Enterprises Limited
7 Kirkstall Close
South Anston
Sheffield S25 5BA
England

+44 (0) 1909 568739
+44 (0) 7947 107188

john at gspaudio.co.uk

Grado PS 1000 and the SULDE

Cadman Enterprises Limited7 Kirkstall CloseSouth AnstonSheffield S25 5BAEngland

+44 (0) 1909 568739+44 (0) 7947 107188

john at gspaudio.co.uk

Cadman Enterprises Limited
7 Kirkstall Close
South Anston
Sheffield S25 5BA
England

+44 (0) 1909 568739
+44 (0) 7947 107188