Grado RS-1s

The RS-1s are really, really, really nice phones. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We do have our Grado haters on headfi, as well as our share of know-it-alls who will only be too happy to tell you to set fire to the RS-1. Totally bogus. The RS-1 is a very refined headphone with very controlled bass, making it ideal for rock, classical, jazz and acoustic music. What you may have heard was that this is not a headphone for bassheads. That's partly true, as the RS-1 doesn't go out of its way to provide that all-bass signature, where you hear basically nothing but bass 24/7. There are much cheaper phones that will do that, such as Sony's latest sub-$100 bass cranker and Monster's Dr. Dre Beats. But these cans sacrifice clarity and detail to give you throb-throb-throb. The RS-1 won't. It'll give you tight, controlled, bass with outstanding clarity and detail.

Will it throb? Not without a bass amp. I used a solid state amp, the AMB M^3 (price around $500) and, with variable bass boost, got the same throb-throb-throb that other phones provide. All that bass does tend to narrow the soundstage, so even with the RS-1, things can feel a little crowded if you turn the bass boost all the way up. Still, with the RS-1 and a decent amp, you can find the sweet spot where you got all the bass you want - without sacrificing the HF clarity that makes it such a great set of cans.

P.S. I own three M^3s and a B22 - awesome amps - but most of my listening on my RS-1 is unamped.

I agree with Bilavideo that the RS1's are fantastic cans, period.

But...

Since you're planning to "sneak" a listen, make sure you have some metal/wood epoxy ready just in case the cup falls off the rod while you're listening.

Woudn't want you to get caught.

Cheers.

I had something like that happen to a pair of 325i's I had. I don't know why one of the cups started falling off, but it really floored me. I bought some SuperGlu and within seconds, those cans were as good as new.

I got the perfect solution for you.

For rock: use bowls (they come stock that way). The bass is tight and punchy.

For hip hop/electronic music: purchase a pair of flats (from ttvj.com) and you will get more than enough bass. Greater bass presence, both deep and lower bass.

I remember when I first received my RS-1's, easily the most anticipated audio purchase I have ever made and probably the best overall experience too since I was so new to the hobby. They will be awesome out of an iPod or with an amp. If you don't have experience with anything else then be ready for a pretty jaw dropping time. They are wonderful for electronica, hip-hop, trip-hop, r&b, rap and anything else you want to throw at them. Like others have mentioned elsewhere, I too find that they excel most with jazz or rock, but no way are the deficient with the other genres you are interested in.

Have fun and be careful

i love the rs1 as well. choosing between the older version and the current "i" version is
important, imo, since they don't share identical sound signature. the older version sounds
slightly more robust in the mids, whereas the "i" version sounds thinner, and much clearer.
i don't mean this in a bad way, but it almost sounds wispy compared to the older versions.
i like this though, with certain music like acoustical pieces. but for vocal, i prefer the
older version and the hf-2 more.

Because Grados excel at rock, many people assume that by default, they can't do anything else well. It's not true. The bright, forward sound suits guitars and drums, but the clarity they offer suits most other genres too.

People who listen to hip hop and electronic tend to like fat, heavy or prominent bass, and quality headphones just don't have that emphasis.

I concur. You don't need $700 headphones to get "fat, heavy or prominent bass." There are headphones for under $100 that are dedicated to hitting that taste. The RS-1 sets its sights a little higher.

Isn't that what he just stated lol? "Quality" headphones just don't have that emphasis. He's talking about real quality, not $100 bass monsters

What part of concur don't you understand?

They can be extremely fun, but at the same time they can sniff out the worst parts of the chain. But without many delvings into audio, it will be quite an experience regardless of the song/source/amp/ears.

In Australian, it probably means something else.

the comments you get about being genre specific cans are totally bogus, "the haters" if you get time to sit and listen, immerse yourself in the grado sound, than one by one you will see that grado, especially the rs1's have very few weaknesses, the only genre i have found that sucks on my rs1i's is country, but that because country sucks in the first place yihaaaaaaaaa. hip hop, to classical are just beautiful on these cans, rom highs to lows, they just put you in the music, and unless you require unbalanced bass than you will be happy, personally i like my music the way it was recorded, without bass boost, or unnatural enhancements. your choice. happy listening.

whoa not true, i have both, and they are all but identical, wow hahahahahaha sometimes i wonder about these threads