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Grado SR60i or Alessandro MS1

post #1 of 9
12/24/11 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 

First some basic info before we start,

 

I'm going to use the headphone's with my iPod, Pc and cd player without the use of an external amp. The music i'm going to listen to the most is:

 

Rock/Classic Rock

Jazz/Blues

Classical

 

So i'm looking into the Grado SR60i headphones, i've listened to them a few times and i think they sound great. Now in The Neherlands and in the rest of Europe, the Grado's are very expensive as many of you probably know.

 

They cost €99,- at the very least wich is about $130,- Now that is just Insane since they only cost around $79,- in the USA. Problem is Grado won't let their resellers send items to Europe so importing a Grado headphone is going to be a problem.

 

Now a hear a lot of people who have the same problem as me say, that i should look into the Alessandro's MS1. Wich i can order directly from the manufacturers website for $99.- shipped. And they do ship to Europe. Only problem here is that almost everybody i heard of that imported their Alessandro's to The Netherlands had to deal with costumes and had to pay a lot of extra taxes.

 

In the end the total costs for Alessandro MS1's are about €125,- wich is about $160,-

The thing is can't find any place to listen to the MS1's before ordering so i'm not sure if i'm going to like them. And buying them without listening to them is kinda a risk wich i rather not take.

 

So my questions is should i go for the SR60i's wich i know i like and wich i can just buy at any local store tomorrow without any hassle.

 

Or should i risk getting the MS1's for the extra $30 wait for 4-6 weeks for them to arrive and just hope i like them. I don't think i can send them back if i don't like them. And also if i would buy the MS1's how would that work with warranty, will i have to send them so the US for repair?

 

Who can help me out here?

 

(excuse me for my bad english grammer)


Edited by ReVision - 12/24/11 at 4:37pm
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post #2 of 9
12/25/11 at 3:58pm

I personally would get neither because of the horrendous build quality. Id look into the Ultrasone 750's.

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post #3 of 9
12/25/11 at 4:04pm

Horrendous build quality? I'd call that a bit harsh. It's very minimalistic and retro, but I'd hardly call it horrendous. Meanwhile, I think the Ultrasones have a completely different sound, and one that I highly dislike. They're also closed-back headphones and the topic creator has heard the unique sound of Grados and enjoys it -- to suggest an Ultrasone based on just that information we have is just irresponsible. 

 

I would get the Grado SR60i. It's entirely possible that you like the more bright tonality that they have, rather than the more subdued Alessandros. It sounds like it'd be an easier and a much easier process.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post

I personally would get neither because of the horrendous build quality. Id look into the Ultrasone 750's.



 

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post #4 of 9
12/25/11 at 4:13pm

Well i came from the Alessandro MS1's and they are nothing to brag about IMO. Id save up for the 325i's since the quality is much better, than the plastic lower grade headphones. Im all for bright sound, as i do also come from SE535's and a Pioneer 1250 and JBL L100 setup, but my MS1s were muddy and not bright by my standards.

 

Ive had no experience with the Ultrasone's, but i do know from reading and other reviews that "(Ultrasone) is similar to the Grados in that it is mercilessly revealing in the mid-range and somewhat bright, with no difficulty handling sibilants. Where it trounces the Grados is in bass reproduction--and it's also more comfortable."

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post #5 of 9
12/25/11 at 4:21pm

The main difference in terms of tonality that I see from the Ultrasones to the Grados is that the Grados have more of a lower treble emphasis with a 5dB peak in the lower treble where the vocals are centered, but then slightly rolls off the upper treble. Ultrasones emphasize the upper trebles by 5-10dB where mostly the sizzle from cymbals are and the "air" and harmonics for instruments reside, and don't emphasize the lower treble. They just handle the treble in a very different manner, even though they are both aggressive sounding in their own way. I love the Grado sound, but I hated the Ultrasone sound for this reason -- I can handle lower treble brightness, but as soon as you start emphasizing the treble in the upper ranges, I just get headaches and my ears get very fatigued by the sound, especially when super high frequency sounds in a recording which normally just texture the sound start coming to the forefront -- it just sounds terrible. The Ultrasones also extend far deeper into the sub-bass regions, but have overall less clarity in my opinion in the mids and highs. I just can't stand the frequency response of the Ultrasones, and I don't find them detailed for the price and overall below average in their presentation of anything but the bass -- they do bass well and exactly how I like it, that's the only real plus I'm willing to give them. 

 

As for the Alessandro MS1s not being bright, that was part of the point behind them, actually. They are Grados which are tuned to try and be more neutral. They retain a little bit of their old sound signature, but it's not really the true Grado sound in terms of what it emphasizes. If that Grado emphasis is what the topic creator liked, it seems to me like the Grados are the way to go. 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post

Well i came from the Alessandro MS1's and they are nothing to brag about IMO. Id save up for the 325i's since the quality is much better, than the plastic lower grade headphones. Im all for bright sound, as i do also come from SE535's and a Pioneer 1250 and JBL L100 setup, but my MS1s were muddy and not bright by my standards.

 

Ive had no experience with the Ultrasone's, but i do know from reading and other reviews that "(Ultrasone) is similar to the Grados in that it is mercilessly revealing in the mid-range and somewhat bright, with no difficulty handling sibilants. Where it trounces the Grados is in bass reproduction--and it's also more comfortable."



 

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post #6 of 9
12/26/11 at 2:27am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the responses, something i need to add is that. I listened to a few different headphones before coming to the Grado's.

I've heard the Grado SR60i, Grado SR80i, the Beyerdynamic DT 770, the AKG 272 HD and the Audio Technica Ath-m50. I must admit that i've not heard any of the Ultrasone's.

 

From what i've heard the Grado's produce the best sound to my liking, and i found them to be quite comfortable and i think the build quality is fine. I'm only going to use the headphones only at home i'm not going to travel with them.

What i should have mentioned is that i have a budget of $100 - $150 which is my absolute max. This is going te be my first real audiophile headphone and i don't want to spend to much on the first go.

 

So for me the question really was should i go for the SR60i (SR80i doesn't fit the budget) or should i go for the Alessandro's wich is only costs a bit more and should be kinda like the SR80's but with a different sound signature.


Edited by ReVision - 12/26/11 at 2:50am
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post #7 of 9
12/26/11 at 6:56am

A Canadian user did a comparison between the MS1 and the SR80i.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/573981/grado-sr80i-vs-alessandro-ms1i-a-review

 


Edited by dirkgently - 12/26/11 at 6:57am
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post #8 of 9
12/26/11 at 9:03am
I adore my MS1is, and had a chance to spend some good time with my next door neighbor's SR60is. Go for the MS1is. Similar sound signature, but they just sound smoother and more refined.
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post #9 of 9
12/27/11 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 

I'm also looking into some used grado's. I've found someone who's selling his 3 years old SR80's and he's also selling his 2 months old MS1i's so hopefully i can get a nice price on any of them.

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