They are better than the G2 in every possible way, bass being the exception. Keep in mind though, I listen to the G2 with the ports fully open. The bass is about the same with port fully open, which is a lot. It's definitely a little tighter on the Ref1,a bit more controlled. There is probably slightly more bass on the G2 with the open port, but it is hard to say. Every other aspect the Ref1 sounds better to me. Soundstage, details, etc. The being said, there is a big price difference between the two. I'm quite shocked at how well the G2 competes considering the price difference. I'm also fairly new to this so my ears may not notice all of the differences... I'd dare to say that others with more experience would hear a bigger difference