Alessandro Grados

[Ace o' Spades]

What is the story with the Alessandro Grados? Does the MS-1 have any distinct advantages over, say, the SR-80 and SR-60?

Where can I buy them if I decide it is worth it?

Thanks.

Edit: I apologize for the drastic misspelling of "Alessandro"

 

[yellafella321]

Alessandro provides som specifications to grado, and grado makes the headphones for them.

That being said, the ms-1 is actually a pretty nice step up from the sr60 and the sr80, even the sr125 but is price in between the two.

Allesandros can be bought used from the for sale forums, but to buy them new, you just go to their website, www.alessandro.com

 

[Ace o' Spades]

What about the specific tonal comparison between the Grado SR-60?

 

[Audiofiler]

^yella is spot on with his post, not reallly too much to say, other than the MS-1s are some of the best portable (semi port) cans I have ever owned..I don't like iems, nor ibuds, and never got used to the K35's fit..(sound great though), so these and the SR60's typically get the nod when I go walking, or do errands, etch.

The Aless line is great, more neutral, technically sounding than the the fun more energized, aggressively forward nature of the Grado house sound..and preferred by some..

The Aless line was originally put into production and given the nod by John so that the folks in PA could produce cans cataring more closely to musicians' needs and requirements as opposed to casual listening.

 

[yellafella321]

most specificaly, its more neutral, as all of the allessandros are. The bass is quite a bit tighter, but the overall balance and feel is still very fun and "grado-ish"

Its hard to decribe, you really have to just get a pair and listen.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace o' Spades What about the specific tonal comparison between the Grado SR-60?

compared to the SR-60, the MS-1 is waaay clearer in the upper reg. and the MR bump is more even, almost neutral compared teh 60's fun sound...the sounds are more balanced on the MS-1's, but the presentation is about the same in terms of soundstage and imaging. They make fantastic headphones if you are looking for an open backer..plus, if you like classical, jazz, or classic rock..you will appreciate the MS-1's addressing of the upper register, and more balanced MR..

In terms of bass, or marks in the lower band, neither phone correctly addresses this accurately, but the MS-1 has a more generally balanced presentation..that comes off sounding not as fun as the SR-60's, but with the 60's you get that house hump in the Mid Band, which "seems" to make them bassier than the MS-1's but it is actually just the hump in the mid registers giving this illusion..

(I own both and wouldn't/won't sell)
reason..the SR-60's sound great with redbook and pc sources, movies on notebook, traveling, in cars, etc..as my mind appreciates the extra oomph in the MR giving them that fun sound...and in these instances the extra clarity and imaging that the MS-1 provides is sometimes inaudible or too loud to be made out...so the 60 wins here..
my girl, prefers to monitor her Roland Piano with the MS-1's because they are closer to the sounds that are heard aloud, respective to her instrument..I agree whenever I use my Martin and plug my cans in..typically reach for the MS-1 in this cas)

 

[Ace o' Spades]

I'll have to save up for them, one of my side hobbys is playing in a band and we are recording an EP. Hopefully these will help

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace o' Spades What is the story with the Alessandro Grados? Does the MS-1 have any distinct advantages over, say, the SR-80 and SR-60? Where can I buy them if I decide it is worth it? Thanks. Edit: I apologize for the drastic misspelling of "Alessandro"

Different sound signatures. Treat them as completely different models in the Grado lineup.

People want to tell you "the MS1 is a tweeked version of a Grado SR... or an MS2 is a tweeked SR325i". That may be true to a certain extent, but IMHO their sound signatures are COMPLETLY different. I would say the MS1 with comfy pads and the SR125 with bowls represent the polar opposite of the Grado lineup. The most warm/mellow to the most harsh / aggressive, So, to say the MS1 is a tweeked version of an SR125 is kind of mis-leading IMHO.

The used F/S forum here is a great source for pre-owned Alessandros. Same goes for Ebay.
Garrett

 

[nelamvr6]

The link to Alessandro's web site is actually this one:

http://www.alessandro-products.com/main.html

 

[nickchen]

Got my MS1 from the german F/S forum for ridiculus 60€. Best money I've ever spent for this hobby. Highly recommended.

 

[nakedtoes]

MS1 is great value for $$$

 

[m00hk00h]

I like the MS1 with bowl pads even more. They lift the sligh veil in dthe highs and provide a lot more detail over the mids/heights.

They put a big grin on my face with bowls that stayed there a long time.

m00h

 

[F107plus5]

I'm currently using reversed 414s on my MS-1s at the moment, but my next cans(MS2i) will have bowls. I may have to break down and buy a set of bowls early and try them on my MS-1s first!! I've heard of other folks who like the on MS-1s as well!!

Good point!

 

[nickchen]

Oh, I thought the 414-reversed sound and the bowls sound would be quite the same...am I "half informed" again?

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen Oh, I thought the 414-reversed sound and the bowls sound would be quite the same...am I "half informed" again?

I suspect that they may be close. I don't have bowls yet so I don't know how far the ears are kept from the housings, but with my reversed 414s the distance seems to be about half an inch or perhaps a bit less due to some squish and ears slipping inside in places. 3/8" is probably more accurate.

oops...looking at pictures of bowls shows that they may have a more open chamber volume than the Senns as well.