Grado PS2000e Headphones review – the 2017 £2,700 flagship

1. Introduction2. Grado PS2000e Headphones3. Test System4. Testing the Grado PS2000e Headphones5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

I have reviewed many Grado headphones over the years, and today I look at the companies 2017 flagship model – their first in over a decade with two years of development behind it. They claim the PS2000e headphone incorporates a brand new proprietary driver design to enhance the overall experience – so it is an exciting time for Grado.

Unfortunately headphone prices seem to be rising in recent years and the PS2000e are no exception – they hit the UK market at a staggering £2,700 retail. Interestingly, the previous Grado PS1000e flagship is £1,700 —  or £1000 less.

For a relatively small Brooklyn based family company Grado have a huge global following, Over the years they have released some simply wonderful, thoroughly enjoyable to listen to headphones. I recently reviewed the limited edition GH2 Heritage Edition headphones and I loved the refined sound signature. I can't honestly say I have always been a big fan of John's designs when he took over the company in 1990 – certainly not in the same way I enjoyed his uncle Joe's creations before. That said, the GH2 made me re-evaluate their current direction, particularly their use of different wood types around the drivers. It really does make a difference.

The PS1000 flagship was a great headphone, but I noticed a bizarre variance between 3 or 4 headphones I listened to over the years at various meets- none of them sounded exactly the same. The PS1000e was a better built headphone – slightly less treble accentuated and much more suited to my own personal hearing. When the PS2000e landed with me a few weeks ago, I felt rather fortunate to be one of the first people in the UK to get my hands on them. What exactly have they changed? Well before I get into that, a little background history first.

Eight or so years ago I was involved in a rather serious motorbike accident and one of the many tests they made me take was to check my hearing wasn’t badly affected by the considerable impact against a car – they do this test on a fairly regular basis, even today. My audio response rates basically at the upper end of the spectrum – a reassuring fact to know, especially as many other parts of my body weren’t quite so lucky.

I only mention this – not to boast that my hearing is great, but to give a little perspective to audio reviews you may read online. When KitGuru tests much of the hardware we get to review – there are quantifiable benchmark figures we can present. Frames per second, the watts demand under load, temperature curves and clock speeds. Its not quite so scientific when we test audio gear.

Much of the enjoyment taken with listening to music is based on many (non scientific) factors –  do you like very pronounced high frequencies to extract every little bit of micro detail? Do you prefer a sweet mid range to enjoy those sultry female vocals? It is worth pointing out that the quality of your hearing also plays a significant factor.

If your hearing has lost a little of the frequency range response (and its likely to happen the older you get) then a headphone deemed as ‘bright‘ could actually work out better for you. One of my friends is firmly what I would call a ‘bass head’ – so any headphone he wants to wear has to rock his teeth out, otherwise he would simply say ‘Total crap’. That is about as unscientific as you can get.

Personally, I tend to favour a fairly neutral curve without any specific frequency range dominating the experience. I do love the Stax 009 headphones, but not for specific genres. They extract great detail from many of my classical recordings, but they are not ideal when you want to enjoy classic rock. The Abyss 1266, Grado HP1 and Audeze LCD4 tend to excel in that particular category, each having their own distinctive sound signature.

Many headphones (and amplifiers/cables) do add their own sound characteristic to the mix, but I would prefer to err on the warm side of neutral, if given a choice.

While I could discuss many headphones today, the three that win most of my head time are the (right) Hi-Fi Man HE1000 (Rev. 2 with Kimber Cable), (left) Sennheiser HD800S (with Cardas Cable) and the Sony MDR-Z1R. I had planned to review the HE1000 Rev 2 at the time of launch, but I got rather ill at the time and ended up forced into surgery, so I sadly consider this a missed opportunity for KitGuru.

For those interested, I did cover other headphones and configurations in previous articles which you can see HERE, HERE and HERE. I will be making some changes as those articles are now a little out of date, but all in due time.

Grado PS2000e Headphones Audio Specs:
Transducer Type: Dynamic
Operating Principle: Open Air
Frequency Response: 5 – 50,000 hz
SPL 1mW: 99.8 dB
Nominal Impedance: 32 ohms
Driver Matched dB: .05 dB

Included Accessories:
Headphones, Warranty, Grado story-sheet, 3.5mm mini adapter, extension cable. A 4-pin XLR balance cable option is available.

Review photography handled in house at KitGuru with a Leica S series medium format camera and S series prime lens. Please do not use any of the images within this review without express permission.

The Grado PS2000e headphones arrive in a simple cardboard box. We appreciate Grado say they don't want to waste money on shipping materials, but they really could come up with something a little nicer. I have heard that you can buy a mahogany case for them for $100 but as Grado aren't even listing the PS2000e headphones on their own UK website as we go to publication, we think it might be available later. Given terrible UK pricing in 2017, expect this to retail for £100 (or more).

We guess it is one of the downsides when dealing with a family run company. If this is your first pair of Grado headphones (really?!)  you may find the bare bones packaging rather surprising and rather underwhelming.

Inside, you get a letter from the Grado family, explaining the heritage of the company and how the control has been handed down through the generations.

The driver cups are protected underneath some covers. Grado also supply a 6.5mm to 3.5mm converter adapter and an extension cable. The cable is thick, high grade OFC but many people comment on how much it feels like a ‘power cable'.

The headphones are simply glorious to look at. I did notice a few minor little marks on the chrome style finish when I first had a close up examination – almost like a residue of the manufacturing process. Thankfully a wipe with a high grade jewellery cloth removed them easily enough. I would be careful not to treat these chrome cups roughly as scratches would likely show. The chrome is more like a ‘smoked' finish now – the PS1000 was very bright and clear – I prefer the new look as its a little more refined.

Any owner of PS1000 headphones will be used to the sheer heft of the PS2000e – they feel almost identical in regards to weight. I actually like the physical presense of these headphones although I may be in the minority. Being the proud owner of a somewhat large skull and with the new, wider Grado headband I found them very comfortable and stable on my head. My brother however didn't have as pleasant an experience, he said when he moved his head that he felt them wobbling left and right, almost as if they would slip from his head. He loved the sound quality but wasn't overly impressed with the weight. Back to your Bose set then I say.

Please be aware its difficult for me to rate comfort as everyone has a different shaped head, but there are definitely noticeable improvements in regards to comfort if you are using the PS1000e. Clamping pressure on my head is not too tight, and yet, not loose enough to cause problems.

I listened to a Box set of 24 bit Neil Young tracks for 3 hours one evening during my testing routine and only started to feel a little fatigue. Not quite as good as the say the Sennheiser HD800S long term (have worn these for 4 hours without a problem), but still very satisfactory. Being an open back design, some air will circulate which always helps.

Adjusting the headphones for your head is easy enough. You pull down and up on the ear piece and they move smoothly inside a plastic holder marked with L and R (left and right). Its a simple but effective system, and the new super wide headband works a treat – aiding long term comfort. The cables are not adjustable or replaceable – if you wanted to change the cables you would need to be pretty handy with a solder, however I really do rate the standard Grado cabling – they really don't need replaced.

Grado have created a new set of drivers for these headphones with an astonishing response rate of 5-50,000 hz. They have a very easy to drive impedance of 32 ohms meaning they will work from the headphone jack (with the 3.5mm adapter) of any phone or tablet. They have a high sensitivity of 99.8dB as well so again – very easy to drive. Grado quote a driver matching of within .05dB which, if accurate is very impressive. As a point of interest I noticed with my STAX 009 lately that one of the the electrostatic drivers is louder than the other so I will have to get them serviced soon.

Grado say that they have worked on the diaphragm geometry and changed the design to more accurately convey the ‘signal into music'. They developed a new front cap and grill for the new driver which helps minimise diffractions of the signal emitting from the diaphragm.  This is all mounted into their proprietary hybrid housing which gives the driver very high levels of support to eliminate resonance and distortion.

The ‘Salad bowl' cushions are replaceable, comfortable and easy to buy from sites like Amazon in the UK. Just make sure you get the correct size, as buying other cushions will alter the sound signature. Some Grado aficionados do switch between cushion sizes to tweak the sound presentation (they have a universal mounting system), but this really would require a separate article to cover indepth!

Grado surround the drivers with wood – keeping the driver itself separated from the metal/chrome finish. Grado explained that these headphones are a no expense spared design and that the wire, voice coil and magnets are all hand picked from materials of the highest grade they can get. The serial number of each pair is marked clearly on the wood – as shown above.

This inner chamber is hand crafted from Maple wood, a wood well known for its acoustic properties and vibration dampening characteristics. The PS1000e used mahogany wood, which Grado say is acoustically inferior to the Maple used in the PS2000e.

To properly test these kind of headphones you need to ensure that you are using capable equipment. Of course not every headphone will create perfect synergy with every amplifier as i have explained in one of my previous articles over HERE. To try and negate this as much as possible I have built a universal high end setup which I feel works very well with every headphone I have tested (Electrostatics are not included obviously).

• Chord Dave DAC £8,500 inc VAT – available HERE.
• Astell and Kern AK380 (Limited Edition Copper Version) – £3,199 inc VAT – available HERE.
• Astell and Kern CD ripper £400 inc VAT.
• PS Audio DecTet Power Centre – £450 inc VAT – available HERE.
• PS Audio PerfectWave PowerBase – £999 inc VAT – available HERE.
• PS Audio P3 Power Plant Mains Regeneration – £2,300 inc VAT – available HERE.
• PS Audio Perfect Wave AC 10 power cables x 3 £499 inc VAT per cable – available HERE.

Total cost of KitGuru headphone test bed – £17,350.

The Chord DAVE DAC is without question one of the most incredible pieces of audio equipment you can buy. It is the high end DAC in their current line up, created by audio genius Rob Watts.

Many of Chords competitors buy in DAC chips from the likes of Burr Brown or Wolfson and then they would create their digital to analogue sections around these. Chord have rewritten the rule book by creating a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) with proprietary software. No other manufacturer will sound like Chord as they aren’t using an ‘off the shelf DAC’.

The DAVE is based on the Spartan 6 field programmable gate array which has been utilised in other products by Chord. The new design however incorporates a massive version of the Spartan 6. This high end FPGA is the LX 75 version of Xilinx’s Spartan 6 – a new chip with 10 times the power of the previous flagship model, which is called the QBD76.

Rob Watts has also developed a WTA interpolation filter which utilises 166 separate DSP cores with an incredible 164,000 taps.

The build quality of the Chord DAVE is unmatched in my opinion. It is built like a proverbial tank and is available in silver or black. All of the controls feel as if they would last for decades, even if they aren’t labelled! It has a quarter inch headphone socket with built in headphone amplifier, four BNC based coaxial digital inputs, USB, two toslink connectors and a AES/EBU balanced input as well. There are also four more DX digital connectors using BNC ports which will cater for upcoming products from Chord.

The Chord DAC literally transforms any setup I have at home, adding another layer of detail, transparency, dynamics – with huge depth of field acoustics. When a headphone is plugged into the front port, you also get three options for crossfeed which works remarkably well. So much so, that I tend to use many of my headphones at the maximum ‘3’ setting.

I don’t often buy into these ‘gimmicky’ options that many manufacturers use to generate sales, but The DAVE implementation for Crossfeed is truly remarkable. I had a quick chat with Rob Watts and he said when he uses headphones via the DAVE he has it set to ‘3’ and I would tend to agree. The higher setting adds a lot to the overall presentation – as it attempts to recreate the acoustic overlap you would get from listening to floor standing speakers. With it off, you can immediately notice how incredibly flat the side ways projection can be between your ears.

The headphone amplifier in the Chord Dave is very powerful. It manages to handle the tricky Abyss 1266 without any problems, reaching the same levels as I get with the Cavalli Liquid Gold. So much so, I no longer even have the Cavalli amplifier in the mix. The biggest upgrade with the Abyss 1266 is investing some money into a set of third party cables to quell the rough edges around 1kHz-2kHz.

Investing in a PS Audio P3 Power Plant Mains Regenerator was one of the greatest moves I ever made. I wouldn’t say my mains at home was particularly dirty, but like many people in the UK my feed would often move between 241v and 230v – getting worse in the evening. Adding the PS Audio P3 noticeably enhanced the black space on tracks. It also improved dynamics and ‘openness’ and just to prove a friend wrong, I did a blind test one evening and noticed every time it was disabled. I always find it removes a fine layer of ‘haze’ when listening to some of my favourite tracks.

Basically it takes the AC power, rebuilds it from scratch, feeds it into 3 separate regenerated zones with a 4th high current unfiltered zone. In real world terms this removes any kind of noise and mains fluctuation before it reaches the audio equipment – to give you pure, smooth power. It really is not a gimmick, I can hear it with my own ears. You can even adjust the output voltage if you wish.

PS Audio do more expensive models all the way up to £5,000 (for the P10 flagship), but I find their P3 £2,000 model (recently increased to £2,300 due to Brexit) is more than up to the task of powering a wide cross section of amplifier (with a 750 VA output capacity). I won’t bore you with how it works, but if you are interested, check out the information HERE – and you can buy a UK version directly from Gary Penska at Analogue Seduction in the UK HERE.

I also use a PS Audio PerfectWave PowerBase in this setup as it combines an isolation base with a power condition. When paired up with the Mains Regeneration unit, it is a powerful combination. You can buy this from Analogue Seduction for £999.00 HERE.

I still buy CD’s so the Astell and Kern CD ripper is a very useful device – you get a perfect WAV copy of the album straight to the internal storage on the AK380 device – and if you are connected to the internet via WI-FI it also snags the artwork and track names without any intervention.

The Grado PS2000e had been bedded in for 100 hours before my review took place.

I tested the headphones today with a variety of FLAC and WAV files either in 16 bit or 24 bit format, via the Astell and Kern AK380 over optical to the Chord DAVE.

I also hooked in a Mac Pro desktop system over USB into the Chord DAVE and it worked flawlessly. It is important to note that due to the sensitivity of the Grado PS2000e it can pick up even faint line noise from even some great amplifiers. The PS2000e also can get loud very quickly so be careful with the volume control levels – especially if you are moving from other headphones such as Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser (300-600 Ohms).

Paul Simon – Rhythm Of The Saints (2011 Remaster) 24 bit 96kHz.

I was a big fan of the Paul Simon Graceland album, and I have heard it that many times that I decided to move onto his follow up album which didn’t seem to receive such critical acclaim. I actually ended up liking this album more and some of the arrangements are incredible. ‘You Can Call me Al’ – well yes Simon you can, but give me a break.

I played ‘The Coast’ from this album and The PS2000e exhibited great control over the low end, producing sub bass that enhanced the overall impact of the track. The mid range was slightly forward, yet very refined and smooth. The treble didn't convey signs of an out of proportion, accentuated V shaped curve although there was plenty of detail around higher end frequencies. The GH2 seemed a little more neutral to my ears, although they didn't bring out the same level of detail as the PS2000e. Soundstaging from the PS2000e is bigger than the GH2 with more ‘space' around the instruments.

My overall feeling after listening to this track is that Grado have opted to extract quite a lot of detail from the drivers, but played via the Chord Dave, there was no sign of any harshness or sibilance which is sometimes indicative of a headphone created by a manufacturer to extract the highest level of details possible. The PS2000e tread the line well but if you have a highly detailed solid state system you may need to experiment with the configuration.

I decided to eliminate the Chord Dave from the mix just to see how the headphones sound direct from the Astell and Kern AK380 amplifier. I noticed that the mid range seemed more ‘forward' and that a slight amount of bass and sub bass was removed from the mix. The Chord Dave also maintains great control over the upper register frequencies too. The PS2000e might be easy to drive, but adding in quality partnering equipment reap dividends.

Beth Hart – Fire On The Floor – 24 bit 44.1kHz.

This is a great album that never really hit the mainstream and Beth Hart is a vocalist you will either love or hate. Her gritty style of delivery embodies passion and fire. The track ‘Woman You’ve Been Dreaming of’ is beautifully recorded with her vocal positioned up front beside you and crystal clear in the mix.

Beth has mastered the technique of getting her voice to break just at the right time and the Grado PS1000e were able to beautifully portray her naked, emotionally fired vocal range. The GH2 are impressive with this track as well, but the PS2000e took the soundstage a level further – making it just as intimate, but wider – as if you could hear her voice decay into the distance.

I also didn't notice the slight edge to her vocal in the mid range that was apparent with the GH2. The PS2000e deliver vocals in an exceptionally smooth way that is difficult to explain, but I have to stress that when I removed the Chord Dave from the mix, the emotional impact and soundstage was lessened.

Using a standard 3.5mm output from the Astell and Kern indicated just how good the headphones are – they don't suddenly sound rubbish without the Chord Dave in the chain, but the soundstage, detail retrieval, smoothness in the high end – all drop a level without the Chord Dave DAC involved. Its tricky to explain, but the simple thing to say is this – If you can't afford the Chord Dave then please do NOT get a demo. You will likely be auctioning your kidney on ebay to buy one.

The PS2000e bass response shows considerable heft – its not as visceral or ear pounding as the Abyss 1266 but I love the weight and sub bass response which is without question more refined and a step up from the previous PS1000 series.

Kiasmos – 24bit 44.1kHz.

I love this album and always use it as a test source for any new headphones or speakers I spend time with. I first tested with the track ‘looped' – which is an ambient relaxing piece of electronic music which always finds my playlist in the evening. The PS2000E deliver a smooth, sultry sonic experience which is thoroughly enjoyable. This track sounds very alive with the HiFi Man HE1000 V2 and GH2 as well.

Sub bass response on the Grado PS2000E is first rate, and a significant improvement over the PS1000 which remain in my collection. The track ‘Dragged' is another great showcase for sub bass and the PS2000e really delivers where the PS1000 falls down. The PS1000 had great response but I was never very impressed with the sub bass. The PS2000e maintain a very high level of composure, even when driven to ear shattering volumes.

William Orbit – My Oracle Lives Uptown – 24bit 44.1kHz.

This is a very well recorded electronic oriented album and a great showcase of headphone strengths and weaknesses. I played ‘Optical Illusion' (Billy Buttons Mix) which features Maggie Reilly style vocals and a repeating, ambient riff to transport you into a relaxed state.

The GH2 headphones performed admirably with this track – showing a very clear neutral delivery. The PS2000E exhibited a similar, refined sound signature but with more headroom, clarity and detail in the high end. The sound stage also sounded wider from left to right with even some v axis extension. Sub bass response was similar, with the PS2000e bringing a little more weight from the lower registers. All in all, both GH2 and PS2000e impressed, but the PS2000e was bringing an extra level of detail from the recording. This was more noticeable when using the Chord Dave DAC.

The Grado PS2000e is a heck of an impressive headphone and while many people may not feel the need to upgrade from the PS1000 series, there are noticeable improvements that become clear over time, if not perhaps immediately. I don't always believe it is necessary to let headphone drivers ‘bed in', but after around 50 hours, the PS2000e drivers had settled in, loosened up and signs of minor grain had vanished.

The Grado PS2000e are sensitive enough that they can be powered from the headphone jack of an iPod, iPhone or smartphone (with the supplied 3.5mm adapter of course). You will not be getting anything close to the best sound quality from these headphones with that kind of source however as the PS2000e exhibit audible benefits from greater amounts of voltage. It really helps the drivers sing.

While no one with any real world sensibility would be using a PS2000e headphone with an Android phone on a daily commute – you will need to spend some money on a quality amplifier and source. Most portable players may produce adequate volume, but they can not drive the PS2000e properly.

The only audio player I have which works well direct to the PS2000e is the Astell and Kern AK380. The optional amplifier helps a little more even though I don't rate it very highly in the grand scheme of things. Here is the kicker though… The Chord Dave completely pushes the headphone into new territory. But that is an £8,500 DAC, its expensive. The Chord Dave has transformed every headphone to new heights of audio nirvana, but the PS2000e seems to have a unifying synergy with the Chord Dave that is utterly delightful to experience.

Another improvement over the PS1000e is the sound staging presentation. The PS1000 has an unusual sound staging characteristic that can lock some instruments into specific positions in the three dimensional Map outside your head as you listen. The PS2000e strikes wider when it needs to, and it can project an incredibly realistic 3D image too. It doesn't create a huge soundstage like the Sennheiser HD800, but its big enough to give a sense of weight and presence to orchestral recordings. Vocals and acoustic guitar sound sublime with the PS2000e, although again, with a lesser DAC and amplifier, this will be noticeably less impressive.

I actually find the Grado GH2 to be a slightly more neutral headphone, but the PS2000e retrieves more detail, has greater sub bass response, and with a high grade amplifier and DAC will suck you into the music. From Neil Young to Bach – if you throw a high quality recording at these headphones they will deliver with an infectious enthusiasm that is hard to resist.

Just be prepared to spend a lot of money on the rest of the equipment – however if you have just spent the guts of £3k on headphones, its likely you already have a high grade DAC, amplifier and mains filtering system in place. The PS2000e are so sensitive, you will need the cleanest feed possible from source to headphone.

You can buy these headphones from Gary Penska and his wonderful team over at Analogue Seduction HERE for £2.695.95 inc vat. He has limited stock right now so if you want a pair, don't hang around.

Grado have said that the PS2000e is ‘Simply the best headphone we have ever produced, and perhaps, the best in the world.' It is unquestionably their finest (and most expensive) headphone to date, and sets a strong challenge to other market leaders such as the Hi-Fi Man HE1000 V2, Audeze LCD4 and Focal Utopia. Even if you haven't been a fan of the Grado sound signature in the past, the PS2000e are worth a serious audition.

Discuss on our Facebook page over HERE.

Pros:

• Smoked Chrome over Maple wood. Stunning.
• Soundstaging.
• Sensitive.
• scales well with more expensive equipment.
• new PS2000e driver is a step forward.
• sub bass is impactful.
• smooth mid range.
• new headband is very comfortable.

Cons:

• Need good partnering equipment.
• can pick up line noise due to sensitivity.
• expensive (like all flagship headphones in 2017).
• substandard packaging.
• Heavy.

KitGuru says: The Grado PS2000e are a formidable tour de force of headphone excellence. If you can afford them, and have a suitable amplifier / DAC they will reward you for many years. Grado's finest headphone yet.

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