By using tone-wood clad with metal alloy we've obliterated two of the most vexing issues in headphone design: ringing in the chamber, and transient distortion. This gives audio professionals the security of consistent response throughout the frequency range. Did we mention they look awesome? You could pay more for headphones, but you can't afford anything less. ..the Grado PS1000 doesn't have few peers - it has none - at least none that I've ever heard in my home, other audiophile's homes, in audio salons, or in professional recording studios. - Enjoy the Music, Tom Lyle This hybrid design has an inner sleeve of hand-crafted mahogany made by using the new series 'e' curing process. Its outer housing, machined from aluminum then chrome-plated, utilizes a special processing and casting method to increase the porosity of the alloy. This combination of wood and metal insures that the earphone chamber has no 'ringing' which might obscure detail or add Colouration. The way the wood and metal housing moves air and reacts to sound vibrations is virtually unaffected by transient distortions. Grado has also designed the cable for the PS1000e; the twelve-conductor cable design uses UHPLC (Ultra-High Purity, Long Crystal) copper, improves control and stability of the total range of the frequency spectrum. The PS1000e also has a new 50mm driver and a newly re-configured voice coil and diaphragm design, resulting in unsurpassed speed and accuracy responses. The cushion design creates the correct balance between the driver and housing to support the desired musicality. The cushion design also makes the PS1000e one of the most comfortable headphones in the world. Grado has taken all of our knowledge and over 60 years of experience in controlling resonances and eliminating distortions, and put them into our finest headphone ever, the PS1000e. Grado is unbelievably proud of this flagship product... listen and enjoy.