[bennyhaha812]

I just picked up my first pair of quality cans today from my local audiophile dealer and am wondering what I got.  They had a demo pair of Grado RS-1 listed on their site, and since I was interested in the RS-1i at $695, I figured   their list price for these at $449, same as the RS-2 demo was a good deal or even a mistake.  I doubt my ears would sense a $250 difference and since there was a tax holiday this weekend, I took the plunge.  Man are my ears thanking me today!  Question is, how old are these cans?  They are the button style, and have no serial numbers on them.  I took of the pads to look, and even looked inside the grill with a light.  Nothing.  The Box is old and beat up, with a slide out insert foam with cardboard glued to the base to hold the cans.  The outside has a large G with a square around it Grado under that underlined in red, and The Reference Series Headphones below that.  The only other info on the box is a pair of old stickers one on the front and one on a side with a RS1 and a 105 D as well as a barcode with 4625 under it.  Anyone have any idea?  The Dealer told me they were listed incorrectly on the web site, but agreed to sell them to me for $425 when I tried for $400.  I figure they were just buttering me up by saying that and really wanted to move these for a spot for the new RS-1i demo set.  Most likely this is the only RS-1 demo pair they have had since they started carrying Grados.

 

[crayonhead]

You're going to have to post a picture for people to identify it. The RS1s have been in production for some ti me.

 

[bennyhaha812]

 
Quote:

They may look a little rough, but man do they sound nice!  

 

 

[mrarroyo]

There are some tell tale that should provide some indication:
 
1. The cable pass through on the bottom of the metal ring is cut away as a circle not an square notch as Grado has been doing for the last 8 years or so.
2. The box and the use of the blue/green foam.
3. The bottom side of the headband has a bit of padding, this has not been the case for quite a few years.
 
These look like a "classic b" model, check out the thread on dating the RS-1.

 

[bennyhaha812]

After looking at this thread, http://www.head-fi.org/wiki/rs1-version-guide, I am going to have to agree with you.  There are several items in particular that stick out.  The headband thickness, the metal ends on my square rods, and of course the box.  Too bad Grado stopped using the wood box, sure looks like a nice touch and would have certainly held up better than the box mine came in from the store!  So my cans could be 10-11 years old!  What a demo pair, at least they came with a warranty! 

  
Thanks for the information, I will take good care of these.

 

[Nightslayer]

Quote:

After looking at this thread, http://www.head-fi.org/wiki/rs1-version-guide, I am going to have to agree with you.  There are several items in particular that stick out.  The headband thickness, the metal ends on my square rods, and of course the box.  Too bad Grado stopped using the wood box, sure looks like a nice touch and would have certainly held up better than the box mine came in from the store!  So my cans could be 10-11 years old!  What a demo pair, at least they came with a warranty! 

  
Thanks for the information, I will take good care of these.

Count yourself lucky, your cans have a unique non-replicable identity and a history

 

[Gwarmi]

Congratulations on the vintage goodness and welcome to the Grado club

 

[pcf]

These are vintageB RS1 that came out around the beginning of 1999. Are the drivers pink?

 

[kiertijai]

They came with pizza box so it seems unlikely to be a vintage RS1, it should come with the wooden box
Their headband is black so it is not the earliest version of the vintage RS1 (the earliest is brown headband
but the sound is the same)
Please show us the picture of the driver whether it's pink or not?  some vitage black headband may come
with pizza box or no box if they don't keep it well enough but the pink driver will have more mellow sound than other
and is of high demand.
Your RS1 had button at the back of driver so it should be at least semivintage, however the detail of the
driver will tell you what version of semivintage is.  Even semivintage RS1 have different version with the "Late
Friday" is the least desirable.
Is you cable the original one, if it is it should have the letter JG (Joe Grado) at Y splitter which can be clearly
seen  than the other part.   Please show us the photo of the Y splitter.  It can help confirm the authenticity of the
vintage or semivinatage RS1
If you get the semivintage Grado RS1 you are lucky to have the price of 425$ with the condition that you showed
including the box, I hope they also provide different earpad or 1/4" to 1/8" adapter too.  If that 's the case you
are very lucky.  You can sell this on head-fi 525-550$    or if you have the pink driver too it may go up much higher.

 

[bennyhaha812]

I really don't know about the driver.  From the rear looking in they appear black, with the foam removed they are a pink tinted bronze color in the middle with a pinkish ring around it. It looks like the dome one would find in a speakers center.  Around that it looks black, but it is hard to tell looking through the mesh that covers this area, and not worth removing for the sake of finding out more.  I have no intention of selling these considering how good music sounds through them.  Very clear, accurate, and warm lifelike.  I hear things I never heard before in my music!  It's listening nirvana!  The box isn't like a "pizza box" it only opens on the side and the foam tray slides out.  Based on the link provided above this box was only used from 1999-2001.  Not definitive by any means, but this was the box the Grado dealer had kept all these years for this demo set.  There is an adapter that came with the cans.  It has a Grado on 1/4 and 1/8 end twice each.  I  included a pic along with the y splitter portion of the cable.  Although you say it should have a JG, mine has G with an L connected to it.  Hope this info helps narrow it down!

 

[kiertijai]

here are some pictures of the vintage RS1  (without box)

 

[pcf]

Quote:

here are some pictures of the vintage RS1  (without box)

Nice pair of vintage RS1!
 

 

[pcf]

 
Quote:

I really don't know about the driver.  From the rear looking in they appear black, with the foam removed they are a pink tinted bronze color in the middle with a pinkish ring around it. It looks like the dome one would find in a speakers center.  Around that it looks black, but it is hard to tell looking through the mesh that covers this area, and not worth removing for the sake of finding out more.  I have no intention of selling these considering how good music sounds through them.  Very clear, accurate, and warm lifelike.  I hear things I never heard before in my music!  It's listening nirvana!  The box isn't like a "pizza box" it only opens on the side and the foam tray slides out.  Based on the link provided above this box was only used from 1999-2001.  Not definitive by any means, but this was the box the Grado dealer had kept all these years for this demo set.  There is an adapter that came with the cans.  It has a Grado on 1/4 and 1/8 end twice each.  I  included a pic along with the y splitter portion of the cable.  Although you say it should have a JG, mine has G with an L connected to it.  Hope this info helps narrow it down!

All RS1 had the wooden box and outer thin cardboard box before this point. The supplier of the wooden box went out of business after 9/11. Check the following thread for details:
http://www.head-fi.org/wiki/rs1-version-guide 
 
The vintageB RS1 I have do not sound as good as the older versions but are nevertheless very rare.

 

[kiertijai]

I have to correct the information about the letter at the Y splitter.  All my Grado's which include the PS1 had the letter
GL   only the HP1/HP1000 is the letter JG in a circle.  So if it is JG it can be certain but it is usually the letter GL.
The other persons who may know better (besides Joe Grado himself) is pcf who is right here and another one that
can have that experience is Larry Dale at headphile.com.  He knows almost everything about the Grado. please ask
him.   I think yours belong to the semivintage which is also highly aftersought but the price may not be as high as the
real vintage one with full accessories and wooden box, it may reach more than 1000$ for the vintage.
 
Here is another reference that you should take a look:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/420092/classifying-versions-of-the-rs1-your-guide-work-in-progress