donunus
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Nov 12, 2004
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Quote:
now since we have the same impressions about the sr60s, I am a little confused about the ms2i. One member here said that they have almost the same balance as the sr225 but a little richer and fuller. Then some people say they are about the same as the ms1 in bass quantity. This confuses me because the sr60 bass is already much fatter than the ms1s and since the 225 is generally and measurably bassier than the sr60, how is it possible that the ms2i is just as bassy as the ms1. What
I am posting this because i'm about to pull the trigger on the ms2i if I get consistent impressions which is probably impossible
| Originally Posted by jook /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, you've forced me to register and login to make a post 
I'm sitting here with a pair of Grados SR-60 and a recently acquired Alessandro MS-1. I have been A/B'ing them just recently so this thread is very timely. I'll cut to the chase. For all the stuff I've listened to, and all the various sources and music of mine: The SR-60 and MS-1 sound significantly different to me. I'm not going to make sweeping statements that this applies for everybody. I think BrookR1 clearly has very different ears to me, and we most likely listen to (and for) very different things. For one, he listed "techno" as a genre he tested with, and I don't listen to any techno. I listen mostly to rock, pop (that's such a useless term these days), blues, jazz - recordings ranging from the 60s to now. I'm also a musician and dabble in recording, if that matters any. To me, I can't even imagine saying these two sound the same. They sound so vastly different, to the point that I can find instrument sounds that stand out on one and almost completely inaudible on the other. My impression is similar to what donunus' described earlier in the thread. The bass is significantly stronger on the SR-60. The rhythm section (drums and bass) is very much more forward and you can hear much more detail in these two instruments. The MS-1 however, while having a more rolled off bass (which is still quite nice and has a presence to it, but nowhere near as "forward" and thus less detailed in things like the tone of a bass guitar being plucked) has very crisp and detailed midrange to highs. It's almost like an a mid/treble boost on the SR-60's sound in some way. It's definitely more detailed in things like guitars and piano. Vocals are alot more 'airy'. Acoustic pianos that are played in conjunction with bass drums and electric bass stands out much more clearly, as opposed to being somewhat muddied up a bit in the SR-60s. The way I see it, the MS-1 (and I suspect, the Alessandro sound in general) is more "hi fi". It is cleaner, more detailed in many areas. It (purposely) loses some of the bass in order to achieve something more accurate and clear. I liken the SR-60 (and overall Grado line) to listening to something with a tube amp - in that it will appeal more to the people who enjoy the nature of things like tube amps. It gives warmth and tonal coloration. Achieving high fidelity is not its objective, it's just to make the music more pleasant to listen to (which is subjective of course, depending on your tastes). There is a great deal of detail in its own way, but not to the MS-1's level of clarity. It has a greater amount of color though, and the sounds have a more unique presentation. The MS-1 is great in that it has some of that warmth and coloration of the Grado, and yet be able to achieve greater detail, without going all out with the clinical level of accuracy of something like the AKG studio phones. I find myself going back and forth between which one I prefer, but in the end, I decided on the SR-60s. I believe it is significantly warmer sounding, and while it's not as detailed, it's very much the sound I want to "hear" in my head. Also, take into account that I listen to alot of old recordings, things from the 50s and 60s. These recordings are far from what would be considered high fidelity, and they don't sound so well when more detail and treble is brought forward, but they excel with something like the Grados. I read the interview with John Grado which says that he listens to alot of 60s stuff like The Beatles and the Stones, so this makes alot of sense. Anyway, the point I wanted to get to, is that no one listens the same way, and no one hears the same things. So I don't think it's wise to state your impressions as fact. I think it's going way overboard to start predicting corporate controversy just because you think these headphones sound the same. Take note that other people clearly do not, and whether you hear it or not, you have to take that into consideration. The frequency measurements posted before (and pasted below for complete-ness) are also interesting, and they largely match with my impressions. So some differences can't be denied. SR-60: 
MS-1: 
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now since we have the same impressions about the sr60s, I am a little confused about the ms2i. One member here said that they have almost the same balance as the sr225 but a little richer and fuller. Then some people say they are about the same as the ms1 in bass quantity. This confuses me because the sr60 bass is already much fatter than the ms1s and since the 225 is generally and measurably bassier than the sr60, how is it possible that the ms2i is just as bassy as the ms1. What
I am posting this because i'm about to pull the trigger on the ms2i if I get consistent impressions which is probably impossible
