Grado PS500e

I had the interesting experience of trying both the original PS500 and the PS500e due to having to return the PS500 for one of the ear cups falling off (which didn't stop me for a second from loving those phones). The PS500 had an insane amount of detail, even more than my Westone 4R which itself has a wonderfully detailed sound. The PS500 offered a fairly balanced overall sound but definitely had a warmth peak in the low-mids which surprisingly didn't interfere with the mids or highs. When I returned the PS500 and received my PS500e, the box was different, the connector was different, the color of the driver was different but soon enough all my concerns about the changes were quelled. The new PS500e loses a slight hint of the signature Grado sound in favor of more balance, don't worry, its definitely still there, but not quite like the original PS500. The sound of the PS500e is expanded a bit in the highs and offers a greater amount of clarity and detail to the music but it is still every bit as crisp in the lows as the PS500, maybe even a hint better with the balance. The sound of the PS500e is even more balanced than the PS500 which in my eyes places it even closer, dangerously close, to the PS1000 (which I happily had the chance to A/B versus the PS500) and is probably up to about 85-90% of the sound at a fraction of the price (using the larger ear pads instead of the on ear donuts). The PS500e has all of the breathtaking imaging of the wood instruments that you could want from the RS series mahogany earcups with a slightly less spatial sound (if you haven't heard the RS series, the sound of wood instruments brings out all of the timbre to the sound that gives you the feel of sitting in a small music cafe listening to an intimate performance). The PS500e makes up for the slight decrease in spatial feel with the more rich and detailed lows compared to the RS series. These headphones are nothing short of extraordinary and have displaced my Westone 4Rs for most everyday uses; The PS500e even runs off cell phones, mp3 players etc, but that doesn't mean you should settle there... the sound definitely scales up very nicely when connected to a decent DAC and tube amplifier (be careful not to go too warm with the amp since the headphones have a bit of warmth of their own). A definite headphone to try whether you like to kickback and relax with music or intently listen for the finest details in the music.