[Albinoni]

Been looking into buying a pair of Allesandro MS-1's probably from headphones.com.au here in Australia (Perth).

Questions:

1. How do the MS-1's compare to that of the Grado SR60i ?
2. Are the MS1's easy to drive and I will be using my CMOY Amp with them?
3. How do the SQ of these also compare to the ATH-ES7's ?
4. I have heard that these are equivalent to the Grado SR80's, but I have the
SR80's already so do I really need these, or are they both really different.

5. Would you reccomend them ?

Thanks

 

[chews89]

1. Alessandros are said to be less harsh than Grados. Less up-front but still exciting.
2. You don't even need an amp and they are driven fine(you should know this since you own the SR80)
3. They can't really be compared since one is open and the other is closed. But both are pretty bright sounding. If you want to know more about the ES7, run a search and you'll find the "Official ES7 thread"
4. They are actually equivalent to the SR125s.

IMO if you already have the SR80s, then you should try something totally different. Something warmer with more soundstage. Perhaps say a HD580/HD600?
But if your looking for something that sounds like the SR80 then go right ahead. But I don't really see any point having two headphones that are so similar.

EDIT: May I ask why are you looking at the MS-1s in particular? Is it because Marcus raves about them all the time?

 

[Drubbing]

What chews said.

MS1 are not as harsh as Grado's are sometimes accused of; they're the Grado for those that like the Grado sound, but don't like the overly bright top end.

Ask on headphonics forum too. plenty of MS1er's there. But as chew says, they're going to be similar in many ways.

The MS1 got me started on phones, and while I've got 'better' ones since, they are still enjoyable, and worth the high recommendation for the price, IMO.

 

[jageur272]

These really aren't portable at all. With a series of mods, I enjoy these much more than most other headphones that I've heard. They do improve with amping, but sound great unamped. A good DAC and good source files help them out immensely. Check out these threads:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ale...arning-323271/

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ale...n-club-199195/

I enjoyed these more than the ES7's, the mids are lively, detail is better, soundstage is better than the ES7's congested one IMO. The bass is equally punchy, but the ES7's have a bit more quantity. Highs on the ES7 had a touch of sibilance, but the MS1's have very "hot" highs without any of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chews89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 4. They are actually equivalent to the SR125s.

I'll have to disagree here, they use the same driver type, but use a different coating which changes the sound (that's really the difference between the Grado drivers is matching, driver design, and coating used). IMO, the sound is much smoother coming from the MS1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chews89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO if you already have the SR80s, then you should try something totally different. Something warmer with more soundstage. Perhaps say a HD580/HD600? But if your looking for something that sounds like the SR80 then go right ahead. But I don't really see any point having two headphones that are so similar.

The MS1's sound considerable different than the SR80, but I would also recommend getting one of the higher Senns. You would have to invest in a decent amp to drive them (or DIY your own, CKIII or the Millet Starving Student are pretty easy and can be made for <$100).