No introductions needed I think...these are the Allesandro counterpart to the famed Grado RS-1. Supposedly tweaked to offer a slightly more accurate sound. And also looking a good deal more darker than the RS-1 too, almost the color of red furniture wood. So, here we go...
First off, I plainly bought these from my pal Vka fully expecting some very nasty treble, given the reviews I've seen of these in the past. So as per my ritual, my first song through them came from...Aqua!
But also I used this album to see just how bad sibilance was with the MSP, since the Aqua - Aquarium album can easily invoke sibilance with the right headphones. Then I followed up with one of my favorite songs, Coco Lee - A Love Before Time from the Crouching Tiger soundtrack.
So here I am, expecting the sibilance to shave my ears and all the hair cells in my ear right off...but, surprisingly, there was...NO sibilance at ALL??? Wow. The overall sound of the MSP in fact is rather warm, with laid back treble, and an upbeat, thumping bass with a tightly controlled extension. Either my system is warmer than I thought (Denon 370 + RKV Mark II), or these are very well burned in. Either way, I just could not get sibilance out of these MSPs. Hearing the wooden drums beat from the left channel over to the right in the Coco Lee song simply left me flattened in astonishment...the drums sound so REAL! They were also thrown quite far away from my ears...the typical Grado centering effect doesn't seem so bad with these MSPs...overall the soundstage is quite wide.
Now for some comparisons from off the top of my head among the Grados I've tried...
I can see where and why the MSP is called "slightly more accurate" than the RS-1. Whereas the RS-1 had a VERY warm midrange and upper bass, the MSP's midrange is slightly warm, and the bass seems to be more controlled. The MSPs also contain a slightly more accented treble, but once again, I don't get any sibilance at all. Finally, the MSP has a greater transparency...they are electrostatic-like in their ability to seperate instruments, so that each instrument has a stop and go point.
Now as to the MSP vs. MS-II...well now, the MS-II I must say has GOBS more treble and sibilance than the MSP. It also had a much drier sound, a very dry, laid back midrange, pinched, tight shrill treble, and the bass didn't go deep. Doesn't sound pleasant does it? On the other hand, I wouldn't trust any other headphone but the MS-II to compare the difference between two amps or CDPs...they were simply the cleanest, clearest headphones I've heard. The MSP on the other hand sounds more musical, more pleasant...more analog if you will.
MSP vs. HP-1? MSP vs. R10? Mmm maybe later.
Well, that's my startup with the MSP...the biggest thing I wanted to point out was the lack of any harsh treble. I'll figure out why later on.
First off, I plainly bought these from my pal Vka fully expecting some very nasty treble, given the reviews I've seen of these in the past. So as per my ritual, my first song through them came from...Aqua!
But also I used this album to see just how bad sibilance was with the MSP, since the Aqua - Aquarium album can easily invoke sibilance with the right headphones. Then I followed up with one of my favorite songs, Coco Lee - A Love Before Time from the Crouching Tiger soundtrack.So here I am, expecting the sibilance to shave my ears and all the hair cells in my ear right off...but, surprisingly, there was...NO sibilance at ALL??? Wow. The overall sound of the MSP in fact is rather warm, with laid back treble, and an upbeat, thumping bass with a tightly controlled extension. Either my system is warmer than I thought (Denon 370 + RKV Mark II), or these are very well burned in. Either way, I just could not get sibilance out of these MSPs. Hearing the wooden drums beat from the left channel over to the right in the Coco Lee song simply left me flattened in astonishment...the drums sound so REAL! They were also thrown quite far away from my ears...the typical Grado centering effect doesn't seem so bad with these MSPs...overall the soundstage is quite wide.
Now for some comparisons from off the top of my head among the Grados I've tried...
I can see where and why the MSP is called "slightly more accurate" than the RS-1. Whereas the RS-1 had a VERY warm midrange and upper bass, the MSP's midrange is slightly warm, and the bass seems to be more controlled. The MSPs also contain a slightly more accented treble, but once again, I don't get any sibilance at all. Finally, the MSP has a greater transparency...they are electrostatic-like in their ability to seperate instruments, so that each instrument has a stop and go point.
Now as to the MSP vs. MS-II...well now, the MS-II I must say has GOBS more treble and sibilance than the MSP. It also had a much drier sound, a very dry, laid back midrange, pinched, tight shrill treble, and the bass didn't go deep. Doesn't sound pleasant does it? On the other hand, I wouldn't trust any other headphone but the MS-II to compare the difference between two amps or CDPs...they were simply the cleanest, clearest headphones I've heard. The MSP on the other hand sounds more musical, more pleasant...more analog if you will.
MSP vs. HP-1? MSP vs. R10? Mmm maybe later.
Well, that's my startup with the MSP...the biggest thing I wanted to point out was the lack of any harsh treble. I'll figure out why later on.
