Alessandro MS-1

I ordered the alessandro ms1 on june 15/2011 and they just arrived today. after many delays from canada post and their strike i finally received it.

i am incredibly impressed and pleased with my purchase.

let's start my review

Durability/Design

if i had to complain about anything on these headphones i think it would have to be be the looks and durability. after holding them in my hands i noticed they are made of plastic.and look quite unappealing. durability wise the cord seems a little loosely connected to the headset and i feel twisting might harm it. also they are open back so this makes it hard to take places. they are masters of noise leakage.

Update: The screw which screws the extender to the ear cup has become loose and it keeps falling out. It's not a huge issue as the headphones still work and when their on your head they don't fall out, but it is really annoying.

Comfort

many people say grado's are uncomfortable. well perhaps they are correct. but these are really comfortable. their lightweight and have comfortable pads.

Sound Quality

ok so this is the most important part. this is only a first impressions so it might change after i get used to it. sound quality is for the most part amazing. these are not harsh or abrasive and they are not honest making listening to badly recorded music more fun. these have loads of bass. those who say they don't are crazy. they are really fast headphones and the mids are very present. the highs are not harsh or sibilant.

now im a metalhead and listen to almost exclusively metal so this is my impressions on that matter.

electric guitar is very forward and fun. it has the energy it needs to have. drums are very present. and bass has a very forward sound to.

now folk metal is another thing. with my shure srh840 i find flutes and folk instruments hard to listen to. these make them clear fun and not screechingly harsh.

now i don't have very much experience with headphones so take my review with a grain of salt but i feel that for $99 these are definitely worth it.

now stop reading this review and buy a pair.

Do you want a grado? Are you on a budget? Do you live outside the usa? Get these.

I'm going to say it like it is.

Grados past the sr80i aren't worth it. The alessandro ms1 is essentially a sr125i for $99.

I own the grado sr225i (well they broke) and i put these to the test. Since the right cup on my grado sr225 is broken i swapped cups and listening with the alessandro ms1 on the right while the grado sr225 is on the left. I failed to hear any significant difference and it was listenable as a normal headphone. Grado what are you pulling?

I love the sound of grados, they are very aggressive and are amazing for rock/metal. What i don't like is substantial price increases for relatively little sound quality improvement. The alessandro ms1 is everything a grado should be and compares with the sr225i immensely well. Just get this or the sr60i/80i and forget about other grados. Some will say it's just a taste of gradodom but i believe the 5-10% increase at 2x the price isn't substantial enough. I thought the grado sr225 was awesome but that was mostly placebo. $200 vs $99. If you bought both your brain will want to tell you the $200 pair is superioir so you don't feel ripped off. It is superior but in a very small way. At least if you buy ms1 for $99 if it breaks you aren't out of a ton of cash.

My first set of 'real' cans.  It transformed my music library over just a few weeks.  The texture and detail are the best I have heard for their price, and the best I have ever owned.  While not good at electronic, acoustic, rock, and metal sounded fantastic.

I unfortunately killed a driver while performing my 900th mod.  I miss them.  Hopefully I will own them again one day.

Make sure you don't mind making some diy pads for these