The first thing you need to know about the Grado GS1000 is that it's a $1,000 investment. Sure, that's pretty steep, but these headphones are perhaps the best ever made. A single driver per ear covers a frequency range of 8 Hz to 35 kHz and operates in what almost seems like its own room. In fact, each headphone sits just off the ear, pushed away from the skull by foam, and pumps excellent sound from within the wooden chamber it's mounted in. The GS1000s, like other Grado models, also project some sound outwards: These are not for the office, and your fellow riders certainly won't appreciate it if you wear them on the train or bus. Interestingly, it is this external projection and the drivers' distance from the ear that create a unique soundspace for the listener. In this manner, the Grados overcome the greatest shortcoming headphones have—a lack of psychoacoustic space. The cabling is thick, and there is a 3.5mm adapter so that you can listen to your iPod.