[rosgr63]

Congratulations Jim and welcome to Head-Fi.
Lett us know how you like the RS1.
 
Happy Listening

 

[stacker45]

Quote:

 
this album was my favorite on the RS1i!!!!! after hearing it on the RS1i, i was like "yes!!! this is the way this is supposed to sound" one of the few moments which make me really miss my RS1i, nothing rocks as hard as a grado.
 
i upgraded to Beyerdynamic T1 though, which has a very awesome midrange as well, and more soundstage! 

 
That's a very nice little headphone collection you got there.

 

[jimmy jazz]

I picked up the RS1i headphones last night and the guy who answered the door was the young salesman that had sold me my SR325i's from one of the local Hi fi stores. He had also sold me my Firestone Dac at the store and we had hit it off pretty good at the time and had a couple of good talks about music equipment etc. So I was pleased to see him as i knew he was a good guy and I felt reassured that the RS1i's would be well cared for . O yeah, he had given me a $100 discount when i bought the Firestone Spitfire Dac so I kinda liked the guy ! ! hahaha small world . I paid $600 nzd for the RS1i's , they are 1 year old and currently retail over here for $999 nzd.
Anyway enough about that , how do they sound I hear you say ! Well my very first impressions compared to my 325i,s  was a lot more bass and a smoother sound overall , I did feel they had lost some of the immediacy  of the 325's as tho the upper mids had been pulled back a bit . I found tho that with a bit more volume to bring the sound out that those mids are all present and o so correct ! wow I love these things ! The timbre of the strings and vocals is so very good and the bass is beautifully presented , firm or loose depending on how it was played. Detail is such a delicate touch so very nice. And like the 325i's I find that I am just enjoying the music and not analyzing the equipment. That to me is the great thing about Grado just good honest sound to bring your music to life.

 

[stacker45]

I'm glad your enjoying your RS1, and you're right, regardless of brand and price, the most important thing is to be able to concentrate on the music, not the equipement.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

. And like the 325i's I find that I am just enjoying the music and not analyzing the equipment. That to me is the great thing about Grado just good honest sound to bring your music to life.

 
+1
 

 

[Reductio]

Cheers!!
 
The RS1i are truly great headphones - I totally agree that they make you forget about the Hi-Fi hype and just enjoying the music.
 
I matched the ARCAM RPAD DAC with the RS1i from my lossless iTunes library - and my music collection got a new life. Although I used SR125 directly on my MacBook, the difference is huge compared to SR1i with the DAC.
 
Now I am looking forward to add the Mapletree Ear+HD amp (with Sylvania Gold Brand 5751 input tube) between the DAC and the RS1i
 

 

[whirlwind]

I agree that the RS1i makes you forget and not think about the technical spec and such and just lets you enjoy your music.
 
The PRAT is just off the hook.
 
While I am here, what does everybody use on their wood cups to protect them and keep them looking nice...any recommendations of wood polish?

 

[jimmy jazz]

Quote:

Cheers!!
 
The RS1i are truly great headphones - I totally agree that they make you forget about the Hi-Fi hype and just enjoying the music.
 
I matched the ARCAM RPAD DAC with the RS1i from my lossless iTunes library - and my music collection got a new life. Although I used SR125 directly on my MacBook, the difference is huge compared to SR1i with the DAC.
 
Now I am looking forward to add the Mapletree Ear+HD amp (with Sylvania Gold Brand 5751 input tube) between the DAC and the RS1i
 

I love my Mapletree Ear + purist . Its not the HD but sounds great to me .

 

[wormsdriver]

Quote:

I agree that the RS1i makes you forget and not think about the technical spec and such and just lets you enjoy your music.
 
The PRAT is just off the hook.
 
While I am here, what does everybody use on their wood cups to protect them and keep them looking nice...any recommendations of wood polish?

coming from the Rs2, the Rs1 sounds much more technical, so thus far, I haven't enjoyed it as much as the Rs2 for that reason. On the Rs1 all the instruments are more on the same level, whereas in the Rs2 for example, the Guitar just really jumps out, and it (to me) has so much more PRAT going on. It is so effortless getting carried away with them.
 
As far as taking care of the wood, I use Howard Feed -n- Wax, it works great! look it up, many videos on youtube also.
 

 

[topperdoggle]

Oops, wrong thread.  Mod please delete.  

 

[Reductio]

Thanks to reviews on head-fi.org I was able to find a good match between headphones and amplifier. It is time to (hopefully) give some value back to the forum.
 
To find the “perfect” match is not an easy task. Before you choose the “perfect” headphones you need to define what is your “perfect” sound. Do you wan the perfect soundstage, do you want the perfect midrange (or both)? Or, do you simply want cans with a lot of bass for your gaming and action movies? Furthermore, which music do you listen to?
 
All these questions (and more) shall be answered before you begin your quest. Furthermore, which music do you listen to? Where do you actually use your headphones? At home, on flights, or only when you are working out?
 
Step1: Choosing the “right” headphones:
 
After testing several headphones (all kind of music, mainly at home), I decided to get the RS1i. This was, in my opinion, a no brainer.  Despite my hunt for soundstage and past investments in Quads electrostatics (which in my opinion outclass most of the hi-fi dogmatic religion), I ended up loving the sound of the RS1i. The music is just more alive – the midrange is perfect. The only concern is some lack of soundstage. The PS1000 is IMO 1) to heavy 2) to expensive (compared to what you pay for – and they are missing the “Grado sound” – no I cannot explain this with words) 3) Probably outclassed by the top notch Sennheizer if this is “your cup of tea”. The GS1000i has a very dry middle range in my opinion – but a better soundstage. The latter is probably better for classical music, but is not preferable for Opera, Jazz, Folk, rock IMO.  That said, the GS1000i is far more comfortable to wear.   
 
Step2a : Choosing Amplifier.
 
Firstly, I decided to buy a mobile DAC/amplifier. I want to bring my RS1i on travel (not on plains due to the noise). The sound quality is considerable improved with the external DAC/amplifier vs. the Macbook DAC/amplifier. I ended up purchasing the ARCAM rPAC after benchmarking it with several other portable DAC/amplifiers. (I do recommend benchmarking them, the sound is slightly different – choose according to your taste).
 
Step 2b: 
 
Having the RS1i, only using a portable amplifier is in my opinion justifiable when travelling. At home, it is preferable to have a stationary amplifier with even better sound than the rPAC. I was recommended to choose an amplifier that match with the RS1i very bright middle-tone.
 
In the end of the day I decided to purchase the Mapletree Ear+ HD. This was a risk, because I never had tested one of them before, and I was ordering it from Canada with no opportunities to try it before the purchase. It turned out to be a good match with the RS1i as expected. (I will cover this in detail. Please continue to read J.)
 
Sourcing:
 
For the time being I am matching the amplifier with iTunes (lossless files) and the ARCAM rPAC DAC. I am considering benchmarking the Ear+ HD with other DACs as well. I am not sure if the improvements are noticeable. Please let me know if you already have been testing different DACs in combination with this amplifier.
 
The Big question: What are the improvements?
 
 So, the question is – what is the real improvement adding the Mapletree amplifier (using the rPAC DAC as a input)?   
 
Tubes:
 
For the testing purpose, Peppard/Mappletree provided me with two different input tubes. A JJ 5751 and an Electro-Harmonix 12AX7. I am awaiting some other tubes to test as well, but this will be reviewed later (Including one of the known NOS, Sylvania GB 5751, gray plates).
 
The JJ 5751 input tube is described to have a tight low end, and a natural open mid and a sweet high end that is not to brittle.  In my opinion, the high end is maybe a little too sweet with the JJ 5751. Listening to flamenco guitar (Paco de Lucia) and electronica (Depeche mode) I am missing more “edge” on the high end compared to the rPAC solid state amplifier. I believe that the low end is more present tough, but I am not sure if this improves the soundstage… Because the amplifier already “sweetens” the sound enough with the tubes, I decided to, for the time being, continue to test with the electro-harmonix 12AX7 (this tube has both good and less good reviews. In my opinion, so far, the soundstage is more balanced with this tube – but I need to test more before I can conclude anything).
 
Benchmarking the mobile ARCAM rPAC with the MAD Ear+ HD amplifier:
 
Although the rPAC was a revelation compared to the computer DAC/amp (Macbook pro), and is a highly recommended product (especially when you are travelling – and want to bring your good music experience), the MAD Ear + HD is indeed an even better match with the RS1i. The amplifier smooth’s out the bright treble, increase the soundstage and give a slightly better bass impact. The music is more alive, more present. Furthermore, some of the background noise on some old recordings is not present with the Ear+HD. Listening for instance to old Opera recordings with Jussi Bjørling is addictive with this amplifier. That said I have to commit that the difference between the computer and the rPAC amplifier is more obvious than between the rDAC and the EAR+HD amplifier, but I do miss the tube-sound when I am using the solid-state amplifier as a source. The rPAC has a more “dry” and less dynamic sound – and less soundstage as far as I can tell.
 
I know this review is very subjective, but I would like to give my so-far opinions. Firstly, I believe the lack of common/defined hi-fi vocabulary is challenging. It is difficult to describe the musical experience (not very unlike describing a good meal and tastes).
 
Nevertheless, hopefully the review can give me some even more feedback, or can help others to find their perfect headphone/amp match. In advance, I apologize for any typos or obvious misjudgments.                  

 

[whirlwind]

One of the best things about Grado cans is that they are so easy to drive and sound great with any amp...better with some amps of course, but I have had my RS1i's connected to all of my friends equipment...and they put a smile on my face everytime.
 
The RS1's are pure heaven and I will always own mine.

 

[N15M0]

Anyone can share with me the result of replacing the rs1i with g-crush?

 

[Zuqi]

Does anyone here tried the RS1i and RA1 combo? How does it sound? I know some folks here have bias toward the RA1 but I guess the combo shouldn't be bad. Anyone?

 

[Rasmus]

Hello guys, i recently bought a pair of RS1i's from ebay. I find it a little weird that my serial number is this high since i haven't really heard anyone who had a number over 13k? And another thing is that my serial number dosen't seem to match with the one on the package?? My is 30k and the one on the package is 80k?
What is the highest serial number you have seen recently on a pair of RS1i's?