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This is the fourth in a series of reviews dedicated to the concept of 32Ohm Audio as embodied by the store of that name in downtown Portland/Oregon and described here - Ed.

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial Interests: click here
Source: Esoteric UX-1, Yamamoto YDA-01, iPod Classic 160GB, Wadia 170iTransport [on review], Meier Audio Corda StageDAC [on review]
Headphone amplifier: Yamamoto HA-02, Woo Audio Model 5 with EML 5U4G and EAT 300B, KingRex Headquarters, Trafomatic Audio Experience Head One [on review], Red Wine Audio Isabellina HPA w. Wadia battery power socket [on review]
Headphones: audioTechnica ATH-W1000, AKG K-1000 with Stefan AudioArt wire harness to the voice coils, Sennheiser HD800 with ALO Audio custom cable, audio-technica W-5000, Grado PS1000
Headphone stands:: Sieveking Sound Omega
Cables: ASI LiveLine power cords and interconnects
Powerline conditioning: Walker Audio Velocitor S
Review Component Retail: $1,695


With their SR60 now in i iteration, Grado Labs in New York City has been the patron saint to the music-starved but cash-strapped. To this day, Grado's SR60 is considered the cheapest top quality headphone to plug into portable audio devices. It's far from fashionable however. The emphasis is ear, not eye candy.

For many long years, Grado's Mahogany-bodied RS-1 from the Reference Series ruled the roost as the best Grado on the high end of the line. Eventually that spot was ceded to the Statement Series GS-1i. That sported similar wood bodies but was scaled up in size and performance.


Eventually the heavy aluminum-alloy bodies from the lower-priced SR 325 model found themselves grafted atop the RS/GS-1's wooden housings. This hybrid solution of metal outers enclosing wooden inners became the platform whence the PS1000 launched as the new king of Grados. This naturally also included the across-the-board i-grade cable refinements.

Cosmetics remain pure Grado however. This means a leather-shrouded metal headband; simple metal posts for slide 'n' rotate adjustments to your head; and jumbo but raw foam cushions without any leather or velour pretensions whatsoever. Those foamies are fittingly dubbed salad bowls by the cognoscenti. Despite their crass no-nonsense appearance, they're very comfortable. They also increase driver spacing off the ears to widen the soundstage.


Compared to Sennheiser's and audio-technica's finest in their HD800 and W5000 flagships respectively; and considering the PS1000 sticker which trumps the HD800s and nearly doubles the current street price on the Japanese, I'm sorry to say that Grado's cosmetics and trim level are nearly inexcusably bare-boned - criminally pedestrian. The captive 1-meter Y cable in fact is dressed exactly like a freebie power cord and feels that cheap too. It's a far cry from the slinky fabric cover and wooden plug housing of my ATH-W1000s. Grado does however include a 15' non-coiled extension cord and a short mini-to-regular adaptor tail. Like all Grados, the PS1000 uses neodymium-powered low-mass polymer diaphragms which have been 'destressed'. Those drivers are vented into large air chambers to lower their resonant frequency and increase bass response. The voice coils are wound from slow-drawn long-crystal oxygen-free copper. The machined metal alloy on the PS1000 and SR325 has been processed to increase porosity. This is said to undermine ringing of the metal. Specifications for the PS1000 includes a frequency response of 8 to 35,000Hz, sensitivity of 98dB, nominal impedance of 32 ohms and driver matching to 0.05%.
After the necessary break-in of these top Grados plus new audio-technica W5000s and AKG 702s and Sennheiser HD800s, expect a grand 'Cannery Row' mosh to learn what separates these various top efforts in the specialized world of upscale consumer cans. Price wise, these are the most expensive of the bunch. In terms of perceived value based on fit 'n' finish, they aren't at all competitive with Sennheiser and audio-technica. While fancy display cases, leather cushions and such do nothing for sound, the competition does arrive in rather more style and with more tactile grace. In terms of weight, these PS1000s are heavy though not objectionably so. They simply remind you of their presence so air-guitar antics don't end in spastic head twitching that might send 'em flying. Will their top price equal top performance? Stay tuned.

Grado Labs website