[Occidio]

Hi All!

I've had the Westone UM2's for a while and loved the sound that came from them when using an ipod. While I understand they do have a bass emphasis; or at least I perceive this, I find they have excellent rendering capabilities and very accurate highs.

I finally decided to purchase an amp and settled on the LD MKIV SE to see what all the hype was about. I was amazed at what this amp was able to do to my music coming from the same source, my ipod! The soundstage inexplicably expanded and I could hear things in my music that I could never hear before. Let me add that David from LD is by far one of the best people I have ever dealt with and I would not hesitate to recommend their products to anyone, but I digress!

Upon this discovery of what an amp could do I figured it was time to go all out and get full size headphones to go along my home setup. The Allesandro MS-1's ended up as my decision and I just received them yesterday.

Now here are my concerns:

1) The sound coming from these cans were good but I found them to be less detailed than my UM2's. Is this always going to be the case or will they get significantly better with burn-in?

2) I regrettably didn't do my research and realized the MS-1 may be great for rock but isn't the greatest choice for classical. Is there anything that can be done to the foam to perhaps alter the signature to be better suited for classical music?

3) If this is not the right set of headphones for me what would be better suited? I don't want to invest more than $300. The things that appeal to me are detail and soundstage. I want to feel like I'm there!

While I have only had these headphones for a day and know they will change with burn in I fear they might not have what I'm looking for. Please tell me I'm wrong or what you would do.

Thanks!

 

[ronnielee54]

It seems to me that whenever people start talking classical they are usually talking upper end Sennheiser (HD600 or HD650). The discontinued HD580 has been mentioned also. I have a pair on the way and can't wait for them to get here. I have a pair of MS'1 and they sound pretty good to me but I bought them used so they already had some hours on them. I have never heard them mentioned when it comes to classical, but I don't listen to much classical. Use them awhile and if they don't improve you can get most of your money back on them by selling them on this forum. They don't stay for sale very long.

 

[ClieOS]

1) To increase detail, you might want to do a quarter mod on you foam pad, or use the bowl pad. However, I doubt it will match the same detail of UM2.

2) Yes, you are right. MS-1 is NOT for classical. The bowl pad might help a bit, but not as much as turning it into another 'phone. (in fact, most Grado don't do well with classical).

3) For detail and soundstage, try those top end Senn or Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 or AD900. You can always put the MS-1 up for sell to fund your next headphone.

 

[JWFokker]

It really depends on the type of classical music you listen to. I like Grados for chamber music, particularly string quartets. Grados are truly excellent for string instruments, though they may not be able to handle the high notes of the violin quite as well as other phones. They do, however, capture the more intimate atmosphere of smaller, less complex compositions better than phones that are more traditionally associated with classical music (Sennheisers). While they're not well suited to large orchestral compositions, the Grados are excellent at placing you right in with smaller groups of performers.

 

[Occidio]

JWFokker: I am starting to realize this. I've tried to start breaking in these headphones and have found already an improvement. Just for the heck of it I tried some rock tracks and I have to admit they do sound VERY good. When people write about the "in your face" experience they are spot on. I find the Grado's love music that isn't too complex and I find they are more enjoyable than my UM2's for rock. Sure, they don't have the same detail and don't have the same soundstage but I'm not sure I am looking for that in rock music.

I do find they start to get uncomfortable after an extended period of use and find the harshness of the treble fatiguing, so once again head-fi'ers are dead on with their reviews!

I think I will put these headphones up for sale and try to invest in something else. How much could I get back for essentially a "new" pair of headphones and most importantly, what headphones would give me that front row concert hall feeling?

 

[JWFokker]

It really depends on how much you want to spend. I've been investigating Grado alternatives myself, and Beyerdynamics have been highly recommended (really just the DT880 - the DT770 and DT990 are not nearly as good from what I've read) and many AKGs are quite popular as well (K240DF and Sextett in particular, not the S or M). You might want to take a look at the thread I started here. It's focused on the $200-250 range, but I've been seeing suggestions in the $100-150 range.

As for reselling the Grados, if you've still got all the packaging I think you could get $80 for them. If you threw out the box and all of that, $80 with shipping included would be fair.