Grado RS1i Appreciation thread - Page 15

 First thing that did grab me about the RS1i over the 325i, even just running off my beat-up Apple iShuffle was the depth

 in bass, the RS1i definitely reaches down a little lower, sub rumbles are ample for my ears - ok, it's not an amped DT990

 Premium but that can is for sub bass lovers!

 T1 does rock out very nicely, it also has a peak or two past the mids that really do it for me, the articulation for guitar is

 particularly well reproduced.

Hey Gwarmi, any chance of a woody and big chromey comparison from you sometime? Maybe with a storm trooper helmet thrown in for good measure (think HD800 - sorry but it's the best that I could come up with right now)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 

 

 First thing that did grab me about the RS1i over the 325i, even just running off my beat-up Apple iShuffle was the depth

 in bass, the RS1i definitely reaches down a little lower, sub rumbles are ample for my ears - ok, it's not an amped DT990

 Premium but that can is for sub bass lovers!

 

 T1 does rock out very nicely, it also has a peak or two past the mids that really do it for me, the articulation for guitar is

 particularly well reproduced.

+1 

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

Hey Gwarmi, any chance of a woody and big chromey comparison from you sometime? Maybe with a storm trooper helmet thrown in for good measure (think HD800 - sorry but it's the best that I could come up with right now)?

 Definitely - I have access to a pair of HD800's fairly readily so that could be quite a show-down

 Big Chromie PS1000 vs Wooden Warrior RS1i vs HD800 Robotech-Phone

 Every RS1i picture, deserves another 

 These are very dark on the front face.

I guess the only thing to do would be audition the RS1i and 325is and see for myself. Luckily there is a Hi-Fi shop very near me that stocks Sennheisers, AT and Grados. Unfortunately they don't stock the HD800, but they do have the entire Grado range up to PS1000 (not sure about PS500). They don't have any plans to expand the headphone range to include other top manufacturers though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 Definitely - I have access to a pair of HD800's fairly readily so that could be quite a show-down

 

 Big Chromie PS1000 vs Wooden Warrior RS1i vs HD800 Robotech-Phone

I thought you owned an HD800 for some reason. It doesn't matter because I'm more interested in how the RS!i compares to the PS1000.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 
 

I thought you owned an HD800 for some reason. It doesn't matter because I'm more interested in how the RS!i compares to the PS1000.
 

 No I'm more of a colorful PS1000 kinda guy at the end of the day, had my chance to buy a HD800, it's been in and out

 of my house many times over the last six months - I admire it and respect it immensely as a headphone but I can't

 bring myself to love it.

I'm kinda bland  but even though I'm leaning towards the RS1i, I could be persuaded to move up to the PS1000 if it improves upon it in areas like resolution, clarity and bass detail. Soundstaging and imaging look like no contest but what about those magic Grado mids? Have they taken too much of a back seat to the treble and mid-bass hump with the PS1000?

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

I'm kinda bland  but even though I'm leaning towards the RS1i, I could be persuaded to move up to the PS1000 if it improves upon it in areas like resolution, clarity and bass detail. Soundstaging and imaging look like no contest but what about those magic Grado mids? Have they taken too much of a back seat to the treble and mid-bass hump with the PS1000?

 Interesting that you ask that ~ on the way home tonight I was having a boogie to a recent acquisition of late 70's

 funk - Earth, Wind and Fire - soon as I got home, jumped on the rig with the PS1000's and played back 2 or 3

 tracks.

 Now as stated above, soundstage and imaging was a hands down win to the PS1000, however I was struck at

 how again the bass is just so defined and layered on the big flagship. It's very tight and punchy, there is not

 as much bloom as there is on the RS1i and yet you hear more detail in the lower frequencies - it is for the

 lack of better word - clearer than the RS1i.

 Mids on this particular recording stepped back 1 or 2 rows but I'd argue that the added detail throughout the

 range coupled with the big sound stage makes it worth while.

 Best description I can give you in a nutshell is that the PS1000 has a knack of making every good recording

 sound live ~ like when you're at a venue, the vocals are always just a little behind the instrumentation at times

 - everything is clear and cohesive though as the performance sweeps around you.

 PS1000 is going to be more finicky to match - this is either a blessing or a curse, I had to ditch a pair of

 RCA cables with these (Chord Co Cobra Plus) the mid bass was a little too prominent, switched to some

 Van Den Huls and it literally disappeared!! Running some Nordost Red Dawn at the moment and it's just

 right, however now and then - the Nordosts add a little 'Shhh' here or there with some vocals.

 I see it as a bonus, like the HD800 - you can tinker to your heart's delight with the big chromie, the RS1i

 will already be in gear out of the bag and stay that way. I'll keep playing with the RS but I've tried it from

 two amps and one portable so far and it's not a huge shift.

 If your idea of fun is picking up background effects, noises or even recording errors then in my entire

 experience it comes down to two cans for that job - HD800 or PS1000, they pick up everything.

You're persuading me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

You're persuading me.

 Stacker45 may have mentioned this in another thread and I'd agree it's the definitive magic 'end game' Grado formula

 Take either one 325i/RS2i/RS1i/PS500 + GS1000i/PS1000 = bliss.

Just a couple of more questions thanks Gwarmi. Both phones have heaps of treble extension according to the frequency response graphs but how do they compare to your ears? Is one any more peaky or smoother than the other? And on to comfort, the RS1i sits on the ear and is a very light phone. The PS1000 surrounds the ear and is one of the heavier phones going around. Do you find one any more comfortable than the other?

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmer n roar 

Just a couple of more questions thanks Gwarmi. Both phones have heaps of treble extension according to the frequency response graphs but how do they compare to your ears? Is one any more peaky or smoother than the other? And on to comfort, the RS1i sits on the ear and is a very light phone. The PS1000 surrounds the ear and is one of the heavier phones going around. Do you find one any more comfortable than the other?

 That's the key trade-off between the RS1i and PS1000, on tracks where you want to be closer to those euphoric highs - the RS1i is more intimate but also

 more 'shouty' through the upper mids and treble on occasion, you find yourself having to occasionally regulate the volume as you chase that perfect volume level.

 The PS1000 is extremely smooth due to the pad separation between the ear and driver, almost to the point that as mentioned in some other post -

 you can find yourself listening at very loud SPL's with acceptable levels of comfort and yet be totally aware that your hearing is not going to last if

 you continue to do so!

 Treble summary in other words - the RS1i is more immediate sounding but the PS1000 presents a more realistic, live type of high note that is quite

 inviting but it can beckon you to keep upping the volume - this is a very crucial point to consider with these - it sounds very pleasant, far beyond

 where other cans have started to sound harsh and you automatically reduce the volume, the PS1000 still sounds great at silly SPL's so be careful.

 Comfort wise it's another mixed bag - the PS1000 is a dedicated 'sit down and stay put' headphone like the HD800 LCD2/LCD3 - yes it's big and heavy

 but it's quite balanced once placed on the head, the pads act as support mechanisms from the side. The only downfall is that after a few hours you

 will notice where the main load is acting on your head. Usually a small 3cm x 3cm contact patch atop of your head starts to feel the weight.

 I'm yet to finalize the solution myself but it's not a deal breaker - they just need a clever $60-$100 custom 'clip-on' custom headband to distribute

 the weight to outer edges of the head and add further support.

 By comparison, the RS1i is ridiculously light and handy - especially for a headphone capable of this sort of reproduction quality, but I do find

 it clamps a little (yet to bend the headband from the stock position) more than my 325i.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 That's the key trade-off between the RS1i and PS1000, on tracks where you want to be closer to those euphoric highs - the RS1i is more intimate but also

 more 'shouty' through the upper mids and treble on occasion, you find yourself having to occasionally regulate the volume as you chase that perfect volume level.

 

 The PS1000 is extremely smooth due to the pad separation between the ear and driver, almost to the point that as mentioned in some other post -

 you can find yourself listening at very loud SPL's with acceptable levels of comfort and yet be totally aware that your hearing is not going to last if

 you continue to do so!

 

 Treble summary in other words - the RS1i is more immediate sounding but the PS1000 presents a more realistic, live type of high note that is quite

 inviting but it can beckon you to keep upping the volume - this is a very crucial point to consider with these - it sounds very pleasant, far beyond

 where other cans have started to sound harsh and you automatically reduce the volume, the PS1000 still sounds great at silly SPL's so be careful.

 

 Comfort wise it's another mixed bag - the PS1000 is a dedicated 'sit down and stay put' headphone like the HD800 LCD2/LCD3 - yes it's big and heavy

 but it's quite balanced once placed on the head, the pads act as support mechanisms from the side. The only downfall is that after a few hours you

 will notice where the main load is acting on your head. Usually a small 3cm x 3cm contact patch atop of your head starts to feel the weight.

 

 I'm yet to finalize the solution myself but it's not a deal breaker - they just need a clever $60-$100 custom 'clip-on' custom headband to distribute

 the weight to outer edges of the head and add further support.

 

 By comparison, the RS1i is ridiculously light and handy - especially for a headphone capable of this sort of reproduction quality, but I do find

 it clamps a little (yet to bend the headband from the stock position) more than my 325i.

 

Uncomfortable stock bowls on the RS1i aside I presume