iPatcH
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2007
- Posts
- 528
- Likes
- 10
After finally receiving my pair of Grado SR-100's with HP-1000 drivers in them, I had promised to make a reviewed comparison between these and the wonderful sounding Grado RS-1.
The reason I have called this a "modest" review is because of my basic and pretty minimal audio setup, which consists of a Laptop -> M-Audio Transit USB - RA-1. Basic yet effective. Each headphone will be reviewed using flats purchased from TTVJ, as it seems both of these headphones were made and tuned during the time of flats so it only seems appropriate.
The following topics will be covered:
[size=small]Cosmetics
Comfort
Sound[/size]
For the sound section of the comparison, I will use a list of what I consider to be well-mastered audio tracks, all in FLAC format in the following order:
The Flashbulb - Friends Under Coils
The Eagles - Hotel California
Shpongle - Schnitzl'd In The Negev
They Might Be Giants - I Enjoy Being a Boy
[size=small]Cosmetics[/size]
I don't know about you, but I find the appearance of my headphones to play an important role. I want my headphones to, cosmetically, look beautiful. When I look at headphones, I look at them as pieces of art, and carefully treat them in the same manner that a curator would in a museum. They are art and should be treated like such.
First, the RS-1.
I have to say I am a very lucky RS-1 owner. I have to admit, as pretentious as it sounds, that I have one of the best looking pairs of RS-1s out there. I've estimated that it was made around 2004 thanks to the serial number. It has a wonderful, full glossy finish to it and the color itself isn't a light "honey" hue as much as it is a thick, maple syrup brown. The button in the middle matches the rest of the finish, and also has a shimmering tone to it depending on the light source. I've seen many RS-1s that have a dark finish and a really light colored button (although I do digress, it may be a side effect of a camera's flash, can someone verify this for me?). It also has the older style Garamond font in comparison to the newer models' Times New Roman font. Asthetically, it looks much classier and more "professional" than the newer ones. Unfortunately, it does suffer from Grado's lovely hot glue finish on the inside although I'm not sure if that effects the sound signature to any degree. The L is slightly faded but can be easily touched up with some paint.
Now on to the SR-100.
So, some of you might have seen the SR-100 that was on ebay a few weeks ago, the one with red lettering and the HP-1000 drivers. Yep, that was my victorious capture and I have to tell you, I don't regret the purchase one bit. I definitely got my money's worth and let me tell you how:
These headphones are in PERFECT, BRAND NEW CONDITION. The pictures on ebay really didn't do it enough justice. The lettering in those pictures made it look slightly faded and/or oldish, but no. Everything from the lettering to the housing and cable are in a condition like I haven't really seen with older Joe Grados, or even some older John Grados. There is no twists in the cable and no crimping in the Y. The red is red, I mean, RED. Like the color of this font red. I'm really surprised why they stopped using this color for the font, it looks a whole lot better than the silver painting on the new cans. The housing is also in pristine condition with zero scratches, although the molding has natural flaws since it was made with a 40 year-old device, so no plastic housings are 100% perfect. This was expected. The coolest thing about these is the white with black capped drivers peeking out from the black grille. In the right lighting, it looks phenominal. The black mesh on the inside of the headphones are also in perfect condition, with ZERO signs of wear and/or tear. I also like the old Joe Grado headband. It seems to be much less fragile and flimsy than the newer style headbands; a round metal bar with a leather headband that's about inch, give or take, wide. The leather is also in perfect condition with zero signs of wear and no pulls or frays on the ends or on the stitching.
I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the appearance of the SR-100 and its red lettering, and I think I may even like them more than the beautiful mahogany RS-1.
[size=small]Comfort[/size]
For those of you who may not be familiar with the fitting of Grado headphones, most of these cans are meant for jugheads. John himself is supposed to have a fat head so this is to be expected with his headphones. I chose to wear flats for this comparison because not only do I believe that they are the optimal choice for Grado sound, but they are by far more comfy than the bowls. The downside is that since the RS-1s are so big, they can potentially fall right off my head simply by looking down, more often in a sharply manner (for example, if I feel a bug bite me and I look down to smack it, the headphones can flop off). I understand that some pushing and pulling can get them to fit just right for me, but it causes the leather to bunch up and stretch in areas which can cause wear marks and fraying in the stitching.
Before I got the SR-100's, I was not familiar with Joe Grados, in both fit and sound. Surprisingly, these headphones fit me like a glove. They were much tighter fitting and I found them to be spot on, and I could freely move my head without worry about the headphones falling off. The only way I could get them to pop off was to physically touch them.
Once again, the SR-100's were the preferred choice.
[size=small]Sound[/size]
I will take notes as each song plays with comments and feelings about how each track sounds:
The Flashbulb - Friends Under Coils (2 minutes, 33 seconds)
I chose this short, yet exciting song because it has a heavy focus on percussion. The song is essentially a 2:33 long drum solo with overlaying synth melodies and a smooth, jazzy guitar riff to finish the song with.
(RS-1)
Snare drums are really sharp sounding. I can hear the snap of the drum sticks actually hitting the drum set.
Guitars are really smooth sounding as always.
The soundstage is unusually narrow.
(SR-100)
Right off the bat, the soundstage is much wider than the RS-1.
Lots of detail, although it sounds just a tad bit more congested than the RS-1s. I blame the housing.
Not so much "in my face" as the RS-1, although I find it to be a good thing since it's a really jazzy song.
The winner: It was a pretty close one, but I have to say the RS-1 had a bit more zing to it than the SR-100.
The Eagles - Hotel California (6 minutes, 35 seconds)
I think this is one of those songs you just can't go without. I can still recall hearing this song playing on the radio station when I went on 12-hour road trips with my family. Very nostalgic. I should also mention this is the Steve Hoffman remaster. Even better!
(RS-1)
Mmmm, that bass is perfect. Not boomy, not thin. It's very "natural" sounding.
Acoustic guitars in the begging are just silky smooth.
Don's voice is a little harsh sounding, kind of caught me off guard. I had to turn my music down a little to adjust.
Man, those drums are just right.
Guitar solo is just beautiful, glides just like butter.
(SR-100)
The bass definitely isn't as full sounding as the RS-1, but still plenty satisfying.
Don's voice sounds soooo much better. Waaay less harsh.
Once again, these guys are super detailed, soundstage feels so much wider, but suffers from some minor congestion. Don kinda sounds like he has a stuffy nose.
With the RS-1s, the band is like RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. With these on, I feel like I'm just a few rows back. Sometimes it's good to have a little distance.
These guys are quite a bit more neutral sounding than the RS-1s. They aren't so warm and syrupy as what I'm adjusted to, but I love it. It's a nice change.
Drums are nice and snappy.
Guitar is a bit more raw sounding, but it pulls out a lot more feeling than what the RS-1s do for sure.
The winner: SR-100. Just something about how it has you positioned in the soundstage is just perfect for the song. It's very relaxed and powerful at the same time. I really like the wider soundstage it presents to me.
Shpongle - Schnitzl'd In The Negev (4 minutes, 17 seconds)
I picked something a little bit outside of what the Grados normally cater to, just to see how they compare. This song has a heavy upright bassline, and lots of sounds whirling all over the place. Also one of the best psychedelic tracks ever.
(RS-1)
Upright bass is slightly exagerrated, but still sounds really nice.
Percussion is just right, and definitely has a good flow to it.
High pitched vocals are HIGH PITCHED. Really shrill, I really had to turn the music down until it stopped.
What I love about these is how much detail that would normally go unnoticed really shines in these. It's one of the reasons I love these so much.
Piano is a bit too bright for the rest of the music, had to turn down the music when it was playing.
Upright bass is still awesome, I could feel its rumble in my skull. It feels good.
(SR-100)
Right off the bat, everything "felt" much better balanced. Upright bass was good, but maybe a little more slurred.
Lots of resolution. You know what I said about the RS-1 having detail? Whole 'nother level.
It really surprises me how these guys have a much bigger soundstage than I expect them to. Every time.
I've never noticed how bright those RS-1s are. The vocals didn't even faze me this time, and I had it at the same starting volume!
Did the piano really have that much reverb? Sometimes this guy has too much detail for its own good!
Upright definitely doesn't stand out as much as in the RS-1.
The winner: SR-100 for sure. It really outclassed the RS-1 in detail, and that's a huge focus on certain types of electronic music, Shpongle in particular. You miss out on a whole lot without the proper cans.
They Might Be Giants - I Enjoy Being a Boy (2 minutes, 42 seconds)
I decided to try something a little different this time. Instead of going with the usual FLAC, I salvaged an old CD with a 128 rip of a TMBG, potentially even a transcode. What I'm going to do as the focus on this test is to check the detail of each headphone, what it brings out in a lower-quality mp3.
(RS-1)
Whoa, this song is really, really loud and bloated. Bass kick is like a serious punch to the face. Bass is just all over the place. This would be really fun on 770's I'm guessing.
Drums are surprisingly sharp. Really poppy and in your face.
Vocals don't stand out too much. They are just there.
(SR-100)
Holy crap. Waaay more detail! Bass kick was still really punchy but more tolerable.
Vocals stand out a whole lot more, and are much more audible. I can hear every vowel consonant crystal clear.
Drums are about as sharp as the RS-1.
Bass is still really bloated sounding, a bit unnecessarily boomy.
The winner: Once again, the SR-100 shined through. It brought out lots of good detail in the song and at the same time managed to supress the bad. It was a lot more controlled sounding and I have to say it was really satisfying, even at a mere 128 kbps.
So, which one would I call the "better" headphone?
Well, neither to be quite honest. Each headphone had its own unique personality and there were times when I would definitely prefer one to the other and vice versa. What does that mean? Well, it essentially means that I may not be plannning to sell off my RS-1 right away as I intentionally planned. Also after seeing the SR-100 first hand in its red lettered glory, I don't have the heart to crack it open and headphile it. At least not for a long while. I suggest to everyone that they should try each of these out for yourselves. It's quite the spectacle to behold.
I will update this soonish with pictures of each headphone so you can see exactly what I'm talking about!
The reason I have called this a "modest" review is because of my basic and pretty minimal audio setup, which consists of a Laptop -> M-Audio Transit USB - RA-1. Basic yet effective. Each headphone will be reviewed using flats purchased from TTVJ, as it seems both of these headphones were made and tuned during the time of flats so it only seems appropriate.
The following topics will be covered:
[size=small]Cosmetics
Comfort
Sound[/size]
For the sound section of the comparison, I will use a list of what I consider to be well-mastered audio tracks, all in FLAC format in the following order:
The Flashbulb - Friends Under Coils
The Eagles - Hotel California
Shpongle - Schnitzl'd In The Negev
They Might Be Giants - I Enjoy Being a Boy
[size=small]Cosmetics[/size]
I don't know about you, but I find the appearance of my headphones to play an important role. I want my headphones to, cosmetically, look beautiful. When I look at headphones, I look at them as pieces of art, and carefully treat them in the same manner that a curator would in a museum. They are art and should be treated like such.
First, the RS-1.
I have to say I am a very lucky RS-1 owner. I have to admit, as pretentious as it sounds, that I have one of the best looking pairs of RS-1s out there. I've estimated that it was made around 2004 thanks to the serial number. It has a wonderful, full glossy finish to it and the color itself isn't a light "honey" hue as much as it is a thick, maple syrup brown. The button in the middle matches the rest of the finish, and also has a shimmering tone to it depending on the light source. I've seen many RS-1s that have a dark finish and a really light colored button (although I do digress, it may be a side effect of a camera's flash, can someone verify this for me?). It also has the older style Garamond font in comparison to the newer models' Times New Roman font. Asthetically, it looks much classier and more "professional" than the newer ones. Unfortunately, it does suffer from Grado's lovely hot glue finish on the inside although I'm not sure if that effects the sound signature to any degree. The L is slightly faded but can be easily touched up with some paint.
Now on to the SR-100.
So, some of you might have seen the SR-100 that was on ebay a few weeks ago, the one with red lettering and the HP-1000 drivers. Yep, that was my victorious capture and I have to tell you, I don't regret the purchase one bit. I definitely got my money's worth and let me tell you how:
These headphones are in PERFECT, BRAND NEW CONDITION. The pictures on ebay really didn't do it enough justice. The lettering in those pictures made it look slightly faded and/or oldish, but no. Everything from the lettering to the housing and cable are in a condition like I haven't really seen with older Joe Grados, or even some older John Grados. There is no twists in the cable and no crimping in the Y. The red is red, I mean, RED. Like the color of this font red. I'm really surprised why they stopped using this color for the font, it looks a whole lot better than the silver painting on the new cans. The housing is also in pristine condition with zero scratches, although the molding has natural flaws since it was made with a 40 year-old device, so no plastic housings are 100% perfect. This was expected. The coolest thing about these is the white with black capped drivers peeking out from the black grille. In the right lighting, it looks phenominal. The black mesh on the inside of the headphones are also in perfect condition, with ZERO signs of wear and/or tear. I also like the old Joe Grado headband. It seems to be much less fragile and flimsy than the newer style headbands; a round metal bar with a leather headband that's about inch, give or take, wide. The leather is also in perfect condition with zero signs of wear and no pulls or frays on the ends or on the stitching.
I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the appearance of the SR-100 and its red lettering, and I think I may even like them more than the beautiful mahogany RS-1.
[size=small]Comfort[/size]
For those of you who may not be familiar with the fitting of Grado headphones, most of these cans are meant for jugheads. John himself is supposed to have a fat head so this is to be expected with his headphones. I chose to wear flats for this comparison because not only do I believe that they are the optimal choice for Grado sound, but they are by far more comfy than the bowls. The downside is that since the RS-1s are so big, they can potentially fall right off my head simply by looking down, more often in a sharply manner (for example, if I feel a bug bite me and I look down to smack it, the headphones can flop off). I understand that some pushing and pulling can get them to fit just right for me, but it causes the leather to bunch up and stretch in areas which can cause wear marks and fraying in the stitching.
Before I got the SR-100's, I was not familiar with Joe Grados, in both fit and sound. Surprisingly, these headphones fit me like a glove. They were much tighter fitting and I found them to be spot on, and I could freely move my head without worry about the headphones falling off. The only way I could get them to pop off was to physically touch them.
Once again, the SR-100's were the preferred choice.
[size=small]Sound[/size]
I will take notes as each song plays with comments and feelings about how each track sounds:
The Flashbulb - Friends Under Coils (2 minutes, 33 seconds)
I chose this short, yet exciting song because it has a heavy focus on percussion. The song is essentially a 2:33 long drum solo with overlaying synth melodies and a smooth, jazzy guitar riff to finish the song with.
(RS-1)
Snare drums are really sharp sounding. I can hear the snap of the drum sticks actually hitting the drum set.
Guitars are really smooth sounding as always.
The soundstage is unusually narrow.
(SR-100)
Right off the bat, the soundstage is much wider than the RS-1.
Lots of detail, although it sounds just a tad bit more congested than the RS-1s. I blame the housing.
Not so much "in my face" as the RS-1, although I find it to be a good thing since it's a really jazzy song.
The winner: It was a pretty close one, but I have to say the RS-1 had a bit more zing to it than the SR-100.
The Eagles - Hotel California (6 minutes, 35 seconds)
I think this is one of those songs you just can't go without. I can still recall hearing this song playing on the radio station when I went on 12-hour road trips with my family. Very nostalgic. I should also mention this is the Steve Hoffman remaster. Even better!
(RS-1)
Mmmm, that bass is perfect. Not boomy, not thin. It's very "natural" sounding.
Acoustic guitars in the begging are just silky smooth.
Don's voice is a little harsh sounding, kind of caught me off guard. I had to turn my music down a little to adjust.
Man, those drums are just right.
Guitar solo is just beautiful, glides just like butter.
(SR-100)
The bass definitely isn't as full sounding as the RS-1, but still plenty satisfying.
Don's voice sounds soooo much better. Waaay less harsh.
Once again, these guys are super detailed, soundstage feels so much wider, but suffers from some minor congestion. Don kinda sounds like he has a stuffy nose.
With the RS-1s, the band is like RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. With these on, I feel like I'm just a few rows back. Sometimes it's good to have a little distance.
These guys are quite a bit more neutral sounding than the RS-1s. They aren't so warm and syrupy as what I'm adjusted to, but I love it. It's a nice change.
Drums are nice and snappy.
Guitar is a bit more raw sounding, but it pulls out a lot more feeling than what the RS-1s do for sure.
The winner: SR-100. Just something about how it has you positioned in the soundstage is just perfect for the song. It's very relaxed and powerful at the same time. I really like the wider soundstage it presents to me.
Shpongle - Schnitzl'd In The Negev (4 minutes, 17 seconds)
I picked something a little bit outside of what the Grados normally cater to, just to see how they compare. This song has a heavy upright bassline, and lots of sounds whirling all over the place. Also one of the best psychedelic tracks ever.
(RS-1)
Upright bass is slightly exagerrated, but still sounds really nice.
Percussion is just right, and definitely has a good flow to it.
High pitched vocals are HIGH PITCHED. Really shrill, I really had to turn the music down until it stopped.
What I love about these is how much detail that would normally go unnoticed really shines in these. It's one of the reasons I love these so much.
Piano is a bit too bright for the rest of the music, had to turn down the music when it was playing.
Upright bass is still awesome, I could feel its rumble in my skull. It feels good.
(SR-100)
Right off the bat, everything "felt" much better balanced. Upright bass was good, but maybe a little more slurred.
Lots of resolution. You know what I said about the RS-1 having detail? Whole 'nother level.
It really surprises me how these guys have a much bigger soundstage than I expect them to. Every time.
I've never noticed how bright those RS-1s are. The vocals didn't even faze me this time, and I had it at the same starting volume!
Did the piano really have that much reverb? Sometimes this guy has too much detail for its own good!
Upright definitely doesn't stand out as much as in the RS-1.
The winner: SR-100 for sure. It really outclassed the RS-1 in detail, and that's a huge focus on certain types of electronic music, Shpongle in particular. You miss out on a whole lot without the proper cans.
They Might Be Giants - I Enjoy Being a Boy (2 minutes, 42 seconds)
I decided to try something a little different this time. Instead of going with the usual FLAC, I salvaged an old CD with a 128 rip of a TMBG, potentially even a transcode. What I'm going to do as the focus on this test is to check the detail of each headphone, what it brings out in a lower-quality mp3.
(RS-1)
Whoa, this song is really, really loud and bloated. Bass kick is like a serious punch to the face. Bass is just all over the place. This would be really fun on 770's I'm guessing.
Drums are surprisingly sharp. Really poppy and in your face.
Vocals don't stand out too much. They are just there.
(SR-100)
Holy crap. Waaay more detail! Bass kick was still really punchy but more tolerable.
Vocals stand out a whole lot more, and are much more audible. I can hear every vowel consonant crystal clear.
Drums are about as sharp as the RS-1.
Bass is still really bloated sounding, a bit unnecessarily boomy.
The winner: Once again, the SR-100 shined through. It brought out lots of good detail in the song and at the same time managed to supress the bad. It was a lot more controlled sounding and I have to say it was really satisfying, even at a mere 128 kbps.
So, which one would I call the "better" headphone?
Well, neither to be quite honest. Each headphone had its own unique personality and there were times when I would definitely prefer one to the other and vice versa. What does that mean? Well, it essentially means that I may not be plannning to sell off my RS-1 right away as I intentionally planned. Also after seeing the SR-100 first hand in its red lettered glory, I don't have the heart to crack it open and headphile it. At least not for a long while. I suggest to everyone that they should try each of these out for yourselves. It's quite the spectacle to behold.
I will update this soonish with pictures of each headphone so you can see exactly what I'm talking about!
