September 2018


Best Of 2018 Blue Note Equipment Awards

Grado PS-2000e Stereo Headphones
Price: $2695
Click here to read the complete review.

  It's no secret that Enjoy the Music.com's Editor Tom Lyle likes Grado headphones. His fandom started in the early 1990s when I purchased Grado's lowest priced model at a local dealer, the SR-60 for $69. I was very, very impressed. This model is still in production as the more refined SR-60e. Believe it or not, these "budget" headphones currently sell for $79, and by using an internet inflation calculator -- in 1992 dollars the SR-60e would have sold for around $45. I know, those on-line inflation calculators don't account for many things, but really, even at $79 in 2017 dollars this headphone is a steal. I don't know how Grado Labs does it, but I've met many owners of these headphones and every single one of them is happy with theirs. What is also surprising is that when listening the to their top-of-the-line headphones, I can hear a family resemblance to every other Grado model I've ever heard. That's a good thing, because the sonic characteristics of the Grado line lean very strongly towards the excellent.

In the October 2012 issue of Enjoy the Music.com's Review Magazine Tom Lyle wrote a review of Grado's then top-of-the-line PS-1000 headphones, which was basically a love letter to Grado, as I had only praise for this headphone, sonic and otherwise. After this review these $1695 cans became my reference for dynamic headphones. Not long after that, Grado upgraded this model to the PS-1000e, without changing its price. I couldn't imagine how Grado could make improvements to the older model, yet Grado surprised me and indeed made some minor improvements to their excellent sounding flagship model. And so, the newer PS-1000e became my reference for dynamic headphones. Grado surprised me again by recently introducing their even newer flagship model, and the subject of this review, the PS-2000e.

And once again Tom finds himself wondering how improvements can be made to their flagship model. But indeed, they did. The PS-2000e is built with a hand-carved maple inner chamber surrounded by a "smoked chrome" finish. Grado says that by surrounding the maple with metal, it eliminates "ringing" and other anomalies that can distort the sound that comes through to one's ears. They also redesigned the driver of the headphone, lowering the amount of coloration that could distort the music. The redesigned diaphragm geometry of the PS-2000e is said to be more accurate.

There is no question that the Grado PS-2000e is one of the company's best headphones. It sounds fantastic, and I found the new wider leather head-strap to support these rather heavy ear-goggles in a very comfortable manner. Its sound quality is practically faultless, and possesses a certain aural magic that one finds only in an ultra-premium audiophile product. One might notice that I spent as much time writing about the music I was playing through these Grados as the sound of the headphones. This is because the headphones have a sound that is at the service of the music, period. And so, the PS-2000e is definitely worth its asking price. If you can afford it, go for it!

Click here to read the complete review.

Previous Annual Blue Note Awards

Product of the Year Awards 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001.