[jaywillin]

  whoops what?

misread your comment, and my comment made no sense, so whoops ! and i deleted my text
i wasn't all here at the time

 

[swspiers]

I am so curious...

 

[Nerrel]

While I'm still not entirely settled yet, I've spent enough time to note some definite changes between the RS1i and e:
 
*Sound signature is very different.  I've owned the 80, 225, 225e, and RS1i, and they all had a fairly similar balance.  The RS1e is the most dramatic departure from the usual Grado sound of all those models; the treble is very muted in the upper range, to the point where it almost sounds "dead" with no extension past a certain frequency at all.   This means that transient details, like the little sounds of guitar picks/string squeaks/etc., are very muffled. 
 
There's still that classic upper-midrange hump to keep the headphones sounding bright, but the lack of high treble extension sometimes gives the phones an oddly congested sound and is part of the reason I thought strings sounded so awkward when I first started listening.  This is the single biggest fault of the RS1e, and I'm having a hard time looking past it.
 
The bass and especially the lower-mids are much more pronounced, which gives the music more body and weight.  These ranges generally sound more powerful and full than the RS1i, but sometimes the lower mids seem to overwhelm the mix; this probably wouldn't be an issue if the upper treble weren't so rolled off.  I suppose the up-side of this is the the e is  much more neutral than the i.
 
Combining the extra mids/bass with the less airy treble, the sound is much more solid and stable than the RS1i and more "up close" and in your face than before.  In comparison, the recessed mids and more crystalline treble of the RS1i make it sound more ethereal, cold and distant.
 
 
*Soundstaging is better.  A lot of people have said the e has a wider stage, and while that's true, it would be more accurate to say that the instrument placement is better.  The soundstage sounds very well organized in that the instruments seem to have more space to themselves and the extreme left to right panning is wider than on the i model, but the lack of treble extension can make the soundstage actually sound more closed and narrow for tracks with a lot of high end information (like large, sparkly reverbs). 
 
To use the cliche soundstaging analogy, you could say that the RS1i is like sitting a few rows back in a smaller theater- there's more distance, but the sound doesn't have as much room to expand outward.  Compare that to the RS1e, which is like sitting a few rows closer but in a larger theater with grander acoustics.
 
 
*The e's are easier to drive.  I get an obviously louder volume from the RS1e than from the i while at the same setting.  I would have assumed the larger driver would make the opposite true. 
 
*The overall sound is noticeably smoother and with better midrange texture/detail.  Complex synth sounds in particular definitely have more nuance to them on the RS1e and there's a pleasing clarity and purity to the sound.  It's hard to describe, but I assume this is what Grado meant when he said it was as if a veil had been lifted on the e models. 
 
 
It's really hard to decisively say which is better.  The e model definitely has better soundstaging, better detail, and a fuller, cleaner sound.  Unfortunately, the awkward treble extension is very hard to adjust to and I keep wishing I had an EQ in my system to boost the highs... Who would ever suspect they'd need to do this with a pair of Grados? 
 
On the plus side, the crushed earpads actually returned to their proper shape after a few days out of the box and the bowls have reformed, and again, they are great looking headphones.  I'll have to decide in the next day or two which model to keep.
 
For reference, I listened on an analog system that includes an MMF-5 table, a Bottlehead Eros phono amp, and a MAD Ear+ HD, which I consider to be an ideal setup for an RS1.  Or at least as ideal as I can afford... 

 

[Uri Cohen]

Comming soon: 
 
My review of the RS1e!  I just went with the RS1e instead, I like my sound really up close.  I'm going to compare this with the PS500 and the RS2i.  

 

[cl5160316]

I sold my RS1i and got RS1e earlier this week. I had the previous version for at least a few years. To me, these are indeed better. They still have the wide soundstage, but I've always found the RS1i to have too much treble. Especially on modern recordings with heavy limiting, the sibilance was always a bit harsh for me. RS1e seems better in that department, much more "listenable" if that's a word. Low end is much better also. It's just such an enjoyable headphone. The high end is indeed a bit strange right now as the review above said, but I literally have less than 20 hours on it so far.

 

[Nerrel]

I was actually going to ask those of you who have heard the RS1e to comment on the treble.  Since my model is a late i, not an e, I wanted to make sure I didn't get an early variant/prototype or a defective model, but it sounds like this is just how the RS1e is. 
 
I can only hope that it will change with more break-in.  It's entirely dependent on the record, though.  Grizzly Bear's "Shields" and Can's "Future Days" sounded incredible with the RS1e; the soundstaging really made those albums shine.  On the other hand, Beck's Morning Phase and Radiohead's Kid A didn't sound quite as nice.  Morning Phase really benefits from the RS1i's more ethereal treble and Kid A is a little too dark and bassy on the RS1e. 
 
Any thoughts on this from other RS1e owners would be nice... really tough to decide which phone to stick with.  Again, the RS1e is better overall and it would be hard to go back to the relative thinness of the RS1i.  The treble is really the Achilles's heel so far.

 

[crim gnarly]

  I was actually going to ask those of you who have heard the RS1e to comment on the treble.  Since my model is a late i, not an e, I wanted to make sure I didn't get an early variant/prototype or a defective model, but it sounds like this is just how the RS1e is. 
 
I can only hope that it will change with more break-in.  It's entirely dependent on the record, though.  Grizzly Bear's "Shields" and Can's "Future Days" sounded incredible with the RS1e; the soundstaging really made those albums shine.  On the other hand, Beck's Morning Phase and Radiohead's Kid A didn't sound quite as nice.  Morning Phase really benefits from the RS1i's more ethereal treble and Kid A is a little too dark and bassy on the RS1e. 
 
Any thoughts on this from other RS1e owners would be nice... really tough to decide which phone to stick with.  Again, the RS1e is better overall and it would be hard to go back to the relative thinness of the RS1i.  The treble is really the Achilles's heel so far.

 
Really?  I was completely blown away by Kid A on my RS1e.  Thought it was one of the best things I've heard so far on these...

 

[XLR8]

Would the different driver size be the reason behind this lack of treble on the rs1e or is it the cups size(from memory I think they are the same with the i and e versions)?
 
I just ordered a rs1i and was going to ask how many hrs you guys have on the e's but cl answered that (20hrs).
Would love to see a frequency response curve of the new e's v the i's.
 

 

 

[Nerrel]

  Would the different driver size be the reason behind this lack of treble on the rs1e or is it the cups size(from memory I think they are the same with the i and e versions)?
 
I just ordered a rs1i and was going to ask how many hrs you guys have on the e's but cl answered that (20hrs).
Would love to see a frequency response curve of the new e's v the i's.
 

 

At this point I've put in at least 4 solid days of burn-in with radio static with about 6-7 hours of actual listening.  Like I said, I still don't have a full grip on the RS1e yet, but I've listened enough to know what separates it from the RS1i. 
 
It's possible that the shallow pads are part of the problem.  If I pull the headphones slightly away from my ears then the treble opens up and sounds more similar to the RS1i, but you also lose the extra fullness in the midrange that way.  
 
For the record, the old RS1i pads don't provide a deeper bowl when used with the RS1e.  The center hole of the RS1i bowl is recessed low enough that it's not flush with the surface of the protruding driver, and instead reaches just a little below it.  It's hard to describe without a photo, but it basically means that the distance between the driver and the outer rim of the pad is the same regardless of which pad you use.  The only difference is that the e pad has been designed to meet with the new protruding driver surface seamlessly while the old pad leaves the driver protruding out of them with a gap. 

 

[zazex]

As I've remarked elsewhere on the site,
the 1e's are warmer sounding, with a
bigger soundstage and more detail.
 
However, I found them impossible to
wear for more than an hour or so
because the ear cushions are so shallow.
 
I kept my 1i's, I enjoy them tremendously,
and I'm looking forward to hearing about
some mod or change to the 1e ear cushion.
Then I'll probably try them again, because
the sound is terrific.  If the ear cushion stays
the same, I guess I'll be looking at the PS500e,
the new Sony Z7, and eventually the next iteration
of the Grado RS1 if there is one.

 

[Nada190]

Can't decide between SR80e and SR225e. I want to put wood on them and I won't really be using them all the time, just when listening to rock/metal. 
 
Kind of on a tight budget too which makes the decision even harder.

 

[zealsoijun]

Has anyone compared the sr325is and the sr325e? I'm very curious to know the differences, if any.

 

[tiobilli]

Hi, I own a SR80e and I'm looking for a portable amp in order to plug it to an Ipod touch via LOD.
Can you recommend me one? The official RA-1, an RSA, Pico...

( I maybe own an PS500 in the future)

 

[XLR8]

Would the protruding driver in the e's slightly increase the chamber size compared to the i's?
I have seen the new e driver and its unusual protrusion but was also more concerned with the comfort as many said the new e's had the silk screen from driver actually touching your ears causing discomfort over time.
Interesting you say how adjusting the ear pad causes the treble to increase but alters the mid - range. I wonder if grado will release a revision with increased cup depth on ear pads. I found bringing the ear closer to the driver in my SR80's the bass overpowers the mids something i dislike. I wonder if this is the case with the e's.

 

[XLR8]

Zazex based on your thread here can you if you still have access to both update that thread pls with a photo side by side with the pads removed?
Just want to compare the depth of each driver + cup.
Tia.