joelongwood
Keeper of the 'Phones
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
- Posts
- 4,649
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- 14
As many here are aware, I have amassed a rather large collection of headphones and amps over the past few years. Rather than put my money into one, absolutely phenomenal system, I’ve chosen to give myself a variety of sounds and systems, and I have had a great deal of fun and learned a lot by playing with the different combinations, and trying to find the pairings which, to my ears, make me say, “Whoa!” upon hearing it for the first time. Over time I have really learned to love and appreciate what headphone listening has to offer.
Some of the combos which have provided me this thrill are the K1000/RKV, the CD3000/EMP, the DT770/MG Head, the MS Pro/Sugden Headmaster, the ETY ER4S/Sugden, and the Grado HP-1s with just about anything. Remember, these are with my ears and my tastes. Others may come to different assessments.
Unfortunately, most of my listening to these components is done during late Fall and Winter, when the fires are crackling and it’s too cold to walk around outside.
Beginning in the Spring, I usually rely on portables such as an iPod or MD unit paired with a variety of 'phones. With the iPod it’s either the 4P or the Sony E888 buds. I recently discovered a pairing that my ears like.............an old school Aiwa AM-F70 MD coupled with the silver ATH-EM7 clip-ons. The full sound of the Aiwa, far from neutral, works very well with the rather lean, bass-shy, somewhat thin sound of the ATH-EM7s. I believe this propensity to sound thin has a lot to do with the way the clip-ons fit. If I press them against my ears, the sound becomes full and rich, while still maintaining the details they are noted for. Since this is an impractical solution, I resorted to the Aiwa. To my ears, the sound is richer, with very good bass. And I don’t have to use my hands!
OK, where am I going with this? Today I read a thread regarding the Grado RA-1 amp paired with the Senn HD600. This prompted me to dust off the much maligned pseudo-cmoy chunk of mahogany, pop a pair of fresh 9V batteries in the bottom, and look for a pair of ‘phones to use. No HD-600s, as they are the only ones to leave the stable. I spied a nice, wooden box sitting on the side of one of my speakers, and thought, “Ahh, the RS-1s.......I’ll give them another chance.” I’ve never really taken to those mahogany cups, as I’ve always been partial to the MS-Pros. For my tastes, the RS-1s always seemed to be a bit thick and syrupy in the lower midrange, while the MS-Pros were cleaner and purer in that region. Hence, the RS-1s have languished in their box for the better part of two years.
So I carefully opened the box and took the Grados out of their resting place. Now I needed a source. I wanted something portable, because this was going to be my listening system for the day and I wanted to be able to walk around the house and yard (I’m retired, so I can do things like that on a Thursday.
The Sony DJ-E01 PCDP seemed like a good choice, as did a Straightwire mini to RCA IC.
Now for the music. I chose a CD which I’ve been listening to a lot over the past few days, Joni Mitchell’s “Blue,” so I know it well. After hooking the source up and popping the CD in, I plugged in the RS-1s with squashed bowl pads......very squashed. You have to look at them real close to see that they aren't flat pads. The mahogany mating ritual was now complete.
I flipped the switch in the back of the RA-1, heard the little transient "pop,"and pressed “Play.” “WHOA!”.........big time. "WHOA!"
That first guitar note sent shivers down my spine. Then Joni's sweet voice wafted in and the “Whoa” factor doubled. She was here with me, singing in my ear. The piano sounded so damned real, it was scary. Words that came to mind regarding the sounds I was hearing included “intimate,” “detailed,” “transparent,” and “balanced.” As I listened more, the word “pure” ran through my mind a lot. The ambient sounds of the recording studio came through clearly. OK, so Joni made the combo sing. How would something like the blues do? To find out, I put on some John Lee Hooker. “Whoa! again. His voice was a growl, his guitar was cutting, and the bass line was incredible. I couldn’t stop tapping my feet through the entire CD. Then I put on The Doors.......”Whoa again! I think you get the picture. It seems that John Grado knew what he was doing when he created these beauties. They are literally made for each other.
I think that too often, we constantly search for the latest and the greatest. I know I’ve been as guilty of that as just about anybody here. But after today, I seem to be headed back to my roots in this hobby. The first pair of ‘phones I purchased after discovering HeadWize was the Grado SR-80. I fell in love with the Grado sound. Then, over the course of the next few years, I went on to, what I perceived, were bigger and better things. And in some ways, they are better........particularly in the area of soundstage (think K1000). But today’s experience made me realize that I’ve been a Grado guy all along. And, this may sound like heresy around here, but to my ears at least, the RA-1/RS-1 combo ranks up there with the best of ‘em. Why? Because it makes music fun........and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
I'm home.
Some of the combos which have provided me this thrill are the K1000/RKV, the CD3000/EMP, the DT770/MG Head, the MS Pro/Sugden Headmaster, the ETY ER4S/Sugden, and the Grado HP-1s with just about anything. Remember, these are with my ears and my tastes. Others may come to different assessments.
Unfortunately, most of my listening to these components is done during late Fall and Winter, when the fires are crackling and it’s too cold to walk around outside.
Beginning in the Spring, I usually rely on portables such as an iPod or MD unit paired with a variety of 'phones. With the iPod it’s either the 4P or the Sony E888 buds. I recently discovered a pairing that my ears like.............an old school Aiwa AM-F70 MD coupled with the silver ATH-EM7 clip-ons. The full sound of the Aiwa, far from neutral, works very well with the rather lean, bass-shy, somewhat thin sound of the ATH-EM7s. I believe this propensity to sound thin has a lot to do with the way the clip-ons fit. If I press them against my ears, the sound becomes full and rich, while still maintaining the details they are noted for. Since this is an impractical solution, I resorted to the Aiwa. To my ears, the sound is richer, with very good bass. And I don’t have to use my hands!
OK, where am I going with this? Today I read a thread regarding the Grado RA-1 amp paired with the Senn HD600. This prompted me to dust off the much maligned pseudo-cmoy chunk of mahogany, pop a pair of fresh 9V batteries in the bottom, and look for a pair of ‘phones to use. No HD-600s, as they are the only ones to leave the stable. I spied a nice, wooden box sitting on the side of one of my speakers, and thought, “Ahh, the RS-1s.......I’ll give them another chance.” I’ve never really taken to those mahogany cups, as I’ve always been partial to the MS-Pros. For my tastes, the RS-1s always seemed to be a bit thick and syrupy in the lower midrange, while the MS-Pros were cleaner and purer in that region. Hence, the RS-1s have languished in their box for the better part of two years.
So I carefully opened the box and took the Grados out of their resting place. Now I needed a source. I wanted something portable, because this was going to be my listening system for the day and I wanted to be able to walk around the house and yard (I’m retired, so I can do things like that on a Thursday.
The Sony DJ-E01 PCDP seemed like a good choice, as did a Straightwire mini to RCA IC.
Now for the music. I chose a CD which I’ve been listening to a lot over the past few days, Joni Mitchell’s “Blue,” so I know it well. After hooking the source up and popping the CD in, I plugged in the RS-1s with squashed bowl pads......very squashed. You have to look at them real close to see that they aren't flat pads. The mahogany mating ritual was now complete.
I flipped the switch in the back of the RA-1, heard the little transient "pop,"and pressed “Play.” “WHOA!”.........big time. "WHOA!"
That first guitar note sent shivers down my spine. Then Joni's sweet voice wafted in and the “Whoa” factor doubled. She was here with me, singing in my ear. The piano sounded so damned real, it was scary. Words that came to mind regarding the sounds I was hearing included “intimate,” “detailed,” “transparent,” and “balanced.” As I listened more, the word “pure” ran through my mind a lot. The ambient sounds of the recording studio came through clearly. OK, so Joni made the combo sing. How would something like the blues do? To find out, I put on some John Lee Hooker. “Whoa! again. His voice was a growl, his guitar was cutting, and the bass line was incredible. I couldn’t stop tapping my feet through the entire CD. Then I put on The Doors.......”Whoa again! I think you get the picture. It seems that John Grado knew what he was doing when he created these beauties. They are literally made for each other.
I think that too often, we constantly search for the latest and the greatest. I know I’ve been as guilty of that as just about anybody here. But after today, I seem to be headed back to my roots in this hobby. The first pair of ‘phones I purchased after discovering HeadWize was the Grado SR-80. I fell in love with the Grado sound. Then, over the course of the next few years, I went on to, what I perceived, were bigger and better things. And in some ways, they are better........particularly in the area of soundstage (think K1000). But today’s experience made me realize that I’ve been a Grado guy all along. And, this may sound like heresy around here, but to my ears at least, the RA-1/RS-1 combo ranks up there with the best of ‘em. Why? Because it makes music fun........and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
I'm home.
