[scott_d_m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuatara /img/forum/go_quote.gif My RS1s came with bowls so I figure that's the way they were meant to be used. My 225s came with flats, tried them for a couple of days then got the dealer to swap them for some bowls..much better IMO. I've always thought the Grados are very sensitive to source and recording, (maybe more so than Sennheiser)because they place you so upfront. Going from an Arcam 7SE to an E-Sound cdp made a world of difference. I still have some recordings in my collection(mainly cds) that dont sound very good on the Grados but they generally dont sound great on my other phones either. There are too many poorly mastered, compressed, or low bit rate recordings around and too often their faults are blamed on the phones rather than on the source where it belongs.

This statement holds true for me aswell. The reason I prefer the bowls over the flats is because of the Apollo/Mad Ear+ HD2 combination. The Apollo being a warm cd player + the sweet warm sound of tubes makes the RS1 sound fantastic with most music thrown it's way.

 

[donunus]

ASR, have you heard any alessandro cans? mspro or 2i? how do those compare to the rs1s?

 

[wower]

This is a very useful comparison because, as noted earlier, they're very complementary phones. It's certainly a direction I would look at going. I worry about the shill highs on the lower model grado I've listened to and would proabably have to go for an rs2 for monetary reasons... I forgot what I was going to say..... All the comments are great!!!! Oh, are the highs smoother on the RS1+2 compared to the AD2000s? Do they dig deeper in the bass? I love the midrange on the AD2000/yammy pairing, but is there ever enough bassy PRAT?

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have to know what music the other RS1 owners are listening to now, I need to broaden my horizons and get even more of this fantastic RS1 goodness.

As long as you asked....I don't think anyone has really heard an RS-1 until you listen to Neko Case - "Furnace Room Lullabies". Definitely a "WOW" experience...even if you don't like the song.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif ASR, have you heard any alessandro cans? mspro or 2i? how do those compare to the rs1s?

I have not heard any Alessandros yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is a very useful comparison because, as noted earlier, they're very complementary phones. It's certainly a direction I would look at going. I worry about the shill highs on the lower model grado I've listened to and would proabably have to go for an rs2 for monetary reasons... I forgot what I was going to say..... All the comments are great!!!! Oh, are the highs smoother on the RS1+2 compared to the AD2000s? Do they dig deeper in the bass? I love the midrange on the AD2000/yammy pairing, but is there ever enough bassy PRAT?

I find that the AD2K has the clearly less-sizzling treble, and the more deeper-grinding bass. If you want more bassy PRAT than what the AD2K offers, I'm not sure what else is out there aside from uber-expensive cans like the L3000, PS-1, or HP-2.

 

[zanimation]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I find that the AD2K has the clearly less-sizzling treble, and the more deeper-grinding bass. If you want more bassy PRAT than what the AD2K offers, I'm not sure what else is out there aside from uber-expensive cans like the L3000, PS-1, or HP-2.

Perhaps the sony SA-5000.

 

[wower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want more bassy PRAT than what the AD2K offers, I'm not sure what else is out there aside from uber-expensive cans like the L3000, PS-1, or HP-2.

Well.. from the mouth of ASR it's golden and duly noted. Maybe, even after all these years, I'm still comparing the bass from headphones to that of speakers. As for the sony5k: I've had so many sonys I've kind of given up on them but I know the trance heads on head-fi like them so I should keep an open mind. Properly sourced I'd probably be surprised.

Is the rs1 really that much more harmonically rich than the AD2000? I like a harmonically rich, euphonic sound and I always thought I could just add more tubes if I wanted to continue this direction. Any ideas on this?

 

[donunus]

grados in general are very harmonically rich

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well.. from the mouth of ASR it's golden and duly noted. Maybe, even after all these years, I'm still comparing the bass from headphones to that of speakers. As for the sony5k: I've had so many sonys I've kind of given up on them but I know the trance heads on head-fi like them so I should keep an open mind. Properly sourced I'd probably be surprised. Is the rs1 really that much more harmonically rich than the AD2000? I like a harmonically rich, euphonic sound and I always thought I could just add more tubes if I wanted to continue this direction. Any ideas on this?

I wouldn't really describe as most Grados being harmonically rich. A few of them are, like the HF-1 and HP1000, but I found the others to accentuate metallic textures partially due to their treble peak. Highlighting of metallic textures is the opposite of harmonically rich, I'd say. Though with the right tube or solid-state amp, you could get "harmonically rich" from a Grado.

 

[donunus]

ASR, I read your 325i loaner program but didn't get any comments from you on the 325i. In a nutshell, how do you like the 325i's and are they almost as good as the rs1?

 

[Asr]

I barely had time to listen to the 325i while I owned it. It was stolen shortly after it returned to me from Loaner #5 and it didn't wow me enough to make me want to buy it again.

All I can remember about it is that it shared the basic Grado sound with the SR60 and SR80, and that it had some nice bass impact and thump. Probably the top of the heap in the SR line as far as detail goes. The RS1 is something different altogether, and then of course the various RS1 models sound different, which I've confirmed with previous ownership of a buttoned model and my recent button-less one.

 

[donunus]

Ok, I should probably aim for an rs1 then i guess. So the buttonless one is your favorite rs1?

 

[Asr]

I liked both RS1s that I owned. You should audition first though, or buy used.

 

[leftnose]

If you don't have it, get Yes "Fragile." It sounds fantastic with RS-1s!

 

[Happy Camper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, I should probably aim for an rs1 then i guess. So the buttonless one is your favorite rs1?

fld777 has a pair of RS-1s on your beautiful Islands paired up with a Platinum SP. Not sure of location but I believe he is in Manilla.