[Frip]

I recently received the Alessandro MS-1.

They seem a little bright. I listened to U2 - Achtung Baby, which is a pretty dynamic album, lots of highs and lows, and just lots of crap going on, right.

The MS-1 seems to pick up the highs TOO well.

I have to say sometimes it's actually a distraction. Like in one U2 song, The Fly, there was a tambourine (yes a tambourine) in the background. Fine, but I couldn't stop paying attention to it because it was SO IN MY FACE. (Or my left ear to be precise.)

Is this what they mean by the MS-1 having a "fun" sound? Everything is very clear and even. Is it possible to hear all the instruments too clearly? Can this not be slightly irritating?

Is it considered bright? Very bright? I'm afraid it's going to be fatiguing. And Alessandro only gives you a week to return them.

I do realize their attributes as well, don't get me wrong. I thought the bass was going to be too much, due to its rock reputation. But it was well controlled, nothing extravagant.

If anyone could just briefly share their knowledge or experience along these lines I'd be so appreciative.

Many thanks,
Frip

 

[Cyrilix]

They are bright, and that's just how Grado phones are rumored to be. I've had the MS-1s myself, and now that I've listened to my DT880s, the DT880s are about as bright as I'd like to go. The presentation on the MS-1s is just more forward, and for the first time today, I notice that my DT880s sound sometimes a bit too polite when at a particular section, the instruments seem far away.

That said, I'm not sure if I'd appreciate going back to Grado-type headphones -- most of my listening is no longer done under awake / relaxed conditions. Alot of it now is when I come home from work, feeling tired / half-sleepy, so a more laid back sound is good and non-distracting.

 

[markot86]

I have a feeling the HD580's would be an eargasm for you =D You may want to give them a shot

 

[Zorander]

Grados are inherently 'strong' in their highs and even the more neutral Alessandros still carry some of this signature. You can either keep the phones (and let your ears get used to it - it will) or return it in favour of more neutral phones.

 

[smeggy]

Yes the MS-1 is a little bright, not excessively so IMO and not as bright at full Grados. Still I prefer it to the sound of senns. Not surprising really as I traded my HD 580 for the MS-1

 

[OceanEnthusiast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frip I recently received the Alessandro MS-1. They seem a little bright. I listened to U2 - Achtung Baby, which is a pretty dynamic album, lots of highs and lows, and just lots of crap going on, right. The MS-1 seems to pick up the highs TOO well. I have to say sometimes it's actually a distraction. Like in one U2 song, The Fly, there was a tambourine (yes a tambourine) in the background. Fine, but I couldn't stop paying attention to it because it was SO IN MY FACE. (Or my left ear to be precise.) Is this what they mean by the MS-1 having a "fun" sound? Everything is very clear and even. Is it possible to hear all the instruments too clearly? Can this not be slightly irritating? Is it considered bright? Very bright? I'm afraid it's going to be fatiguing. And Alessandro only gives you a week to return them. I do realize their attributes as well, don't get me wrong. I thought the bass was going to be too much, due to its rock reputation. But it was well controlled, nothing extravagant. If anyone could just briefly share their knowledge or experience along these lines I'd be so appreciative. Many thanks, Frip

try taking off the ear pads, flipping them, and putting them on backwards. you can also buy sennheiser 414 pads for like $8 (can be purchased from http://www.sennheiserusa.com) and put those on there. both of these will taper the treble a little but and boost the bass. i'm not a big fan of the 414 pad sound (although some are), but i do like the reversed bowls on my grado 325i's A LOT (putting the original pads on backwards). pads make a HUGE difference, especially the 414 pads.

also, give them some time to burn in, see if that changes anything.

worth a try before you ditch them for something else. it's also possible you're just not into grado, which is completely reasonable.

if you're looking for a warmer sound that you can turn up without screeching, irritating treble, look at sennheiser. i own and like both senns and grados.

 

[iancraig10]

Another option is to try Todd's flats. They 'mellow' the sound rather nicely. I've cut my 'comfies' the same way on all of my Grados.

Ian

 

[l_simon_l]

I don't find the MS1 bright at all. Out of the setup I had back when I owned it I even thought the HD600 was brighter

 

[jagorev]

Try a Senn. HD 555 or 580 should do nicely with U2.

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev Try a Senn. HD 555 or 580 should do nicely with U2.

try hd-650 recabled with "POP"

 

[cheechoz]

They are wonderful sounding cans for the price, and they were my first set of cans. I wish you can listen to an SR225, as I beleive that they will satisfy your taste better. They are warmer than the MS-1, but are tons of fun!

 

[F107plus5]

I've only had my MS-1s for a bit less than a week, so haven't had a lot of time to get a solid impression of how they really sound, plus, I also have three different source devices I've been using with them and they all sound different!

Are they TOO bright? Not to my ears!

Of course I've been using this set of ears for over 60 years now, so....

Although the "Beattles" and I are about the same age, and while I listened to them alot in the 60s; last night was the first time I ever sat on stage with them while they were performing.

Now THAT was FUN!!

Not all songs appear that foreward, however. It depends. But I suppose that hearing all the instruments all the time could be distracting if a person was out of the "Analytical" mode and just enjoying a "Listening" session.

As of right now though, I am extreemly happy about the MS-1s sound signiture and after upgrading and sorting out my source devices, I can see a real posible upgrade to MS-2s in the near future!

 

[Frip]

Thanks for all the responses.

I'll keep MS-1 for their excitement, but knowing the treble fatigue WILL be a problem, I've decided to buy the Senn HD-485 also. I've seen a lot of good things on the internet about them.

The editorial review from Headphone.com (Headroom) below sums up what I'm looking for:

HD-485 - "Though perhaps too warm-sounding for the taste of picky audiophilic hi-fi fans, the large but tight bass response in these headphones blends right into silky, clean mids & highs. The really nice thing is no harshness!"

 

[dan1son]

You'll notice the MS-1s are a little bright... you'll then buy the flat pads expecting satisfaction... when you first start listening to the phones with those pads you will feel as though they are the answer and that they make them less bright and far less fatiguing... after a week or two you will switch back to the comfies realizing they sound freaking amazing and that the brightness is the way it should've been in the first place. Pure bliss is the $99 MS-1s... great work phones.

At least that's what happened to me... do you want to buy some flats?

 

[Zenja]

I find the tone balance to be perfect with the stock comfies, but I haven't tried any other pads out yet and don't really have anything to compare them to

I'll pick up some generic pads and cut a hole in them soon. I'm sure it'll change the sound but I don't know if it really needs changing. I definitely see something like an MS2 somewhere down the road too.