[TheMiddleSky]

Quote:

 
 
good to know
won a brand new fireye 1 on ebay (impulse buy)
and was tempted to buy some MS1s
you may have just persuaded me 

is that so? glad to hear that 

 
Fireye 1 will make MS1i sounds more "life" 

 

[Spelaeus]

Just recently received my pair of MS-1i's and loving them. Multiple eargasms.

 

[thefallenangelx]

Bought a nice Alessandro MS1i too and loving them!!
Did the dynamat, metallic grill and quartered HD414 mod!
i'm loving it!;P

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Quote:

Bought a nice Alessandro MS1i too and loving them!!
Did the dynamat, metallic grill and quartered HD414 mod!
i'm loving it!;P

hmm... metallic grill... I'm curious, can you find any different sound with it? (compare to plastic grill)

 

[thefallenangelx]

actually, cant tell any real difference...someone said it could improve quality, but i didnt hear any improvement!
at least they looks better now!;P

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Quote:

actually, cant tell any real difference...someone said it could improve quality, but i didnt hear any improvement!
at least they looks better now!;P

well I've tried this metal grill for some weeks and I love it 

 
it makes my MS1i a bit brighter, improve the transparation and better detail, but can sound too harsh for bad recording song

 

[FlySweep]

I've been checking this thread out for MONTHS. reading up everything and anything on the MS-1i's.. and finally decided to buckle down and buy them earlier this week!  I'm so excited.. I've got the HD414 pads on the way too and am looking at doing the quarter-modded comfy w/ the quarter-modded HD414 on top as described in darksyde's "audio miracle" post.. regarding the "electrical tape" mod on the bowls.. how would this lend itself to the comfy+414 quarter-reverse mod?
 
I listen to a pretty wide array of music.. primarly consisting of indie hip hop (CunninLynguists, Solesides/Quannum, Sage Francis, etc.) to downtempo electronica (Ancient Astronauts, Flying Lotus, Bonobo, Clutchy Hopkins, Tommy Guererro, etc.), mixtapes, psych rock (Yeasayer, Axelrod, etc.), jazz/funk/soul (MMW), prog rock (Tool) & ambient DnB (Big Bud, etc.).. generally music with layers and a lot of progression.  While a lot of this is electronic-y music, it has many/mostly organic instruments, so I though it could be well suited to the modded MS1i's.. also, I'm very curious to hear this famous "Grado sound" I read about everywhere.  I appreciate good, thick, detailed bass.. but I equally value clarity, impact, a good soundstage, & instrument separation.. I like my music to hit hard, but not at the expense of the other frequencies being drowned out.
 
Would the mod I mentioned above be suitable for this kind of music?  My primary sources will be an iPhone 3GS, Meizu M6, and my new laptop/desktop PC's onboard audio (Realtek 886B audio codec).  I also have an iBasso D2 portable amp & a high quality LOD to connect to my iPhone. I'll also be listening on a nice Yamaha home theatre setup (so the MS1i will get proper amping)..
 
I'm not too keen on shelling out dough for two sets of bowls as the MS1i will already be a significant purchase at the moment ("sorry about my wallet!") & from what I've read, the comfy+HD414 quarter mod reproduces a sound quite close to what the bowls would.. in many cases, better.
 
..Currently rocking Denon D1001 (modded), KSC75's (on PortaPro headband), & Sennheiser HD238... w/ a Maximo im-590 & the MS1i  on the way !
 
Appreciate the input.. this forum is incredible!

 

[regal]

Just buy them and try them,  at worst if you don't like them you can sell them on the forum for a few bucks lost,  but I think you will love them.  I preferred the stock pads to the quarter lodded yellow pads,  but everyones got different ear geometry so we can't say.  IMO bowls suck for Grados,  so I wouldn't even worry about those.

 

[FlySweep]

Ordered them on Tuesday and they were sitting in my mailbox yesterday (Saturday).. impressive considering I'm in Alaska!
 
Took 'em out of the box and threw em on right away.. no mods, nothing.. and I'm VERY IMPRESSED!  I'm very confident in the potential these cans possess as they burn in & are properly driven but so far.. after about 8 hours of playing them.. my ears are loving the sound. A lot of the complaints I've read about these in stock form I'm not experiencing.  The comfy pads are COMFY & haven't been irritating me in the slightest.  My ears don't heat up at all and the texture hasn't been scatchy to my skin.. the clamp pressure by the head band is a non issue & I love the snug fit.. most importantly, the SOUND is great!
 
Someone described the signature as "grown up KSC75's".. I thought that description was spot on.  It sounds fine when amped by portable devices, but the MS-1i REALLY shines when driven by something with serious juice & the music source is high quality.  These cans can truly sing and their ability to cover a wide range of frequencies effortlessly was astonishing.  They handle complex pieces well enough & will probably only get better with time.  I was actually surprised by the width of the sound but perhaps I was setting my expectations too low considering their narrow soundstage is something of a precautionary to prospective buyers. I guess I was expecting the worst & was pleasantly surprised.  What they might lack in soundstage for some they make up for with astounding clarity, depth, & detail. The MS1i's really do LOVE guitars!  For example, in acoustic pieces I hear so much in the strings I had never heard with my other cans.. gentle strumming, fret boards being pressed, they bring out so much depth in the instruments.. I was really blown away. The "forwardness" of the sound is suited well to my liking too. 
 
I'm looking forward to the HD414 pads arriving early this week.. tightening up the bass a little & smoothing out the treble will take these to another level.. thanks to the contributors in this thread for helping me make a really wise investment. After putting these through the a diverse set of paces from my music library, I feel like if these were my last cans, I would be totally satisfied.

 

[philipt42]

 
Quote:

Ordered them on Tuesday and they were sitting in my mailbox yesterday (Saturday).. impressive considering I'm in Alaska!
 
Took 'em out of the box and threw em on right away.. no mods, nothing.. and I'm VERY IMPRESSED!  I'm very confident in the potential these cans possess as they burn in & are properly driven but so far.. after about 8 hours of playing them.. my ears are loving the sound. A lot of the complaints I've read about these in stock form I'm not experiencing.  The comfy pads are COMFY & haven't been irritating me in the slightest.  My ears don't heat up at all and the texture hasn't been scatchy to my skin.. the clamp pressure by the head band is a non issue & I love the snug fit.. most importantly, the SOUND is great!
 
Someone described the signature as "grown up KSC75's".. I thought that description was spot on.  It sounds fine when amped by portable devices, but the MS-1i REALLY shines when driven by something with serious juice & the music source is high quality.  These cans can truly sing and their ability to cover a wide range of frequencies effortlessly was astonishing.  They handle complex pieces well enough & will probably only get better with time.  I was actually surprised by the width of the sound but perhaps I was setting my expectations too low considering their narrow soundstage is something of a precautionary to prospective buyers. I guess I was expecting the worst & was pleasantly surprised.  What they might lack in soundstage for some they make up for with astounding clarity, depth, & detail. The MS1i's really do LOVE guitars!  For example, in acoustic pieces I hear so much in the strings I had never heard with my other cans.. gentle strumming, fret boards being pressed, they bring out so much depth in the instruments.. I was really blown away. The "forwardness" of the sound is suited well to my liking too. 
 
I'm looking forward to the HD414 pads arriving early this week.. tightening up the bass a little & smoothing out the treble will take these to another level.. thanks to the contributors in this thread for helping me make a really wise investment. After putting these through the a diverse set of paces from my music library, I feel like if these were my last cans, I would be totally satisfied.

Nice mini review. And nice liking Yeasayer!

 

 

[JonnySayer]

Just thought I would ask how long does it normally take for the delivery of these to the UK? I ordered some last Sunday and on the Wednesday they said their being shipped. I'm asking because I seriously cannot wait for a pair of decent cans!

 

[faisal2003456]

I couldn't think of a better place to ask this question. How do the MS-1is (2009 edition) fare in rap, hip-hop, classical, orchestra, and symphony? What amp works well with them in the $100 range. I'm not looking for any DIY or anything off of eBay I wan't something I can either buy from a retailer or the manufacturer. I need an amp, because the 3.5mm head-jack on my iPod is broken. As for the rap, hearing lyrics is priority. For orchestra, hearing the string section is the priority.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Quote:

I couldn't think of a better place to ask this question. How do the MS-1is (2009 edition) fare in rap, hip-hop, classical, orchestra, and symphony? What amp works well with them in the $100 range. I'm not looking for any DIY or anything off of eBay I wan't something I can either buy from a retailer or the manufacturer. I need an amp, because the 3.5mm head-jack on my iPod is broken. As for the rap, hearing lyrics is priority. For orchestra, hearing the string section is the priority.

use the bowl pad while you hear rap, then get the Jumbo pad when you want orchestra
 
and don't forget to still amp it.

 

[JonnySayer]

Finally got mine and their amazing! Took 18 days to deliver to the UK!

 

[gimmeshelter]

Finally got mine and their amazing! Took 18 days to deliver to the UK!

Did you pay the extra $20 for shipping? I did, ordered them on the 5th August and still not here. Checked the tracker and they left UK customs this morning! Really hoping they're here for tomorrow night (Friday)