bmwpowere36m3
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2008
- Posts
- 274
- Likes
- 3
Hey Headfier's, I'm still a relatively new headphone user but have been a long time "audiophile"/appreciator of good music stemming back to car stereos and then moving to in-ear phones (shure, head-direct, yuin, etc...). My first set of phones were HD580's that I still currently enjoy and use. I first used them with my CMoY > Millet "SS" Hybrid > currently SOHA II amplifier along with an iModed Mini (DAC). The one thing I have noticed is how well the Senn's scale with better and better equipment.
My Current Setup:
DAC - iModed Mini (ipod)
Amp - SOHA II w/ EH-12AU7's
Phones - Senn HD580's
Music - all forms of rock, metal, and some classical
Since making the choice to go Senn for phones, I have been debating on picking up another different set to experience something else. I really enjoy the syngery of the Senn's and SOHA and whatever I throw at it, it sounds good. But I had an itch to hear something else, just as I was struggling to pick out my first phones. So today as I was walking back from getting a few things in town, I noticed a sign for, " World's Smallest HiFi Store" and figured this might be my opportunity to try out some new phones. Sure enough on the door they listed GRADOS... awesome.
[size=small]SR-80[/size]
Anyhow, I first auditioned a set of SR-80's w/ a Grado RA1 amp (the only one available from a NAD CD transport). I listened to: Pink Floyd The Wall and Eric Clapton The Cream of Clapton. The first thing I noticed was how they felt... very comfortable and how little clamping force there was. Second was the build quality, which in my opinion was subpar... a lot of plastic components that weren't finished nicely, injection-molding spots, and the "adjusters" (the metal rod into the plastic square w/ L & R on it) was kind of loose and cheap.
To the listening impressions, at first I noticed they were definitely brighter... but not to the extreme they are reported at times on this forum. I would say their sound was more forward, overall bright, and "aggressive". Compared to HD580's, more forward, higher treble extension, less bass extension, the soundstage was not as big and airy, "Aggressive" (HD580's more "laid back"), pronounced peaks in the mid bass and mid treble, the treble was also harsh at times, and finally it lacks the precision of the Senn's with which you can hear very minor details.
[size=small]RS1[/size]
Then I moved onto a set of RS1's, which the owner after some discussion told me just to listen to them...
. Again same setup and music, and overall similar characteristics. The build quality was noticeably nicer and the wood was a nice aesthetic touch (sound-wise wont comment). These phones I auditioned for the majority of the time I was there, I just kept picking songs to listen to. I honestly liked this pair.
My overall sound impressions of RS1's were that again slightly bright, yet very smooth, forward presentation, and a good overall balance of sound. Compared to HD580's, more forward, higher treble extension, bass extension was on par, again a soundstage that was slightly compressed, and very smooth highs and overall almost as precise as the Senn's.
[size=small]Conclusions[/size]
My overall impressions with Grados, I guess goes along with what the majority say. They are an overall bright headphone, meaning not as neutral as my Senn's. They have a more forward presentation along with an "aggressive" attack, which definitely lends itself to Rock and Metal music. They sort of "engage" you more when listening to music as compared to the Senn's which are more laid back and won't fatigue your ears over time.
While they have those positives, they come at the expense of I would say less precision, harsher*, and slightly exaggerated sonic reproduction. If anything, I loved the RS1's but at a cost of ~$700 is hard to justify them at the moment compared to the Senn's which cost me ~$150. Unless I can pickup the SR325i's which the owner says are pretty much like RS1's and those are the ones he himself picked (~$250 for them).
I think the only things the Senn's lack is more "attack" and forward presentation to make them really excel at Rock-type music. They also need a decent amplifier, which for me wasn't a problem. However with my current setup, the Senn's sound wonderful, maybe someone can make some comments as what to try out.
In the end, after some small talk and realizing we're both Polish (me and the owner) I asked if I could try out the SR-80's at home with my setup. So I'm currently listening to it and the SOHAII and a variety of music. I still haven't made my mind up, but my setup definitely sounds a lot brighter than in the store, which I don't care too much for... and having worn them longer they are starting to hurt my ears slightly, whereas the Senn's have more clamping pressure, but its around your ear.
My Current Setup:
DAC - iModed Mini (ipod)
Amp - SOHA II w/ EH-12AU7's
Phones - Senn HD580's
Music - all forms of rock, metal, and some classical
Since making the choice to go Senn for phones, I have been debating on picking up another different set to experience something else. I really enjoy the syngery of the Senn's and SOHA and whatever I throw at it, it sounds good. But I had an itch to hear something else, just as I was struggling to pick out my first phones. So today as I was walking back from getting a few things in town, I noticed a sign for, " World's Smallest HiFi Store" and figured this might be my opportunity to try out some new phones. Sure enough on the door they listed GRADOS... awesome.
[size=small]SR-80[/size]
Anyhow, I first auditioned a set of SR-80's w/ a Grado RA1 amp (the only one available from a NAD CD transport). I listened to: Pink Floyd The Wall and Eric Clapton The Cream of Clapton. The first thing I noticed was how they felt... very comfortable and how little clamping force there was. Second was the build quality, which in my opinion was subpar... a lot of plastic components that weren't finished nicely, injection-molding spots, and the "adjusters" (the metal rod into the plastic square w/ L & R on it) was kind of loose and cheap.
To the listening impressions, at first I noticed they were definitely brighter... but not to the extreme they are reported at times on this forum. I would say their sound was more forward, overall bright, and "aggressive". Compared to HD580's, more forward, higher treble extension, less bass extension, the soundstage was not as big and airy, "Aggressive" (HD580's more "laid back"), pronounced peaks in the mid bass and mid treble, the treble was also harsh at times, and finally it lacks the precision of the Senn's with which you can hear very minor details.
[size=small]RS1[/size]
Then I moved onto a set of RS1's, which the owner after some discussion told me just to listen to them...
My overall sound impressions of RS1's were that again slightly bright, yet very smooth, forward presentation, and a good overall balance of sound. Compared to HD580's, more forward, higher treble extension, bass extension was on par, again a soundstage that was slightly compressed, and very smooth highs and overall almost as precise as the Senn's.
[size=small]Conclusions[/size]
My overall impressions with Grados, I guess goes along with what the majority say. They are an overall bright headphone, meaning not as neutral as my Senn's. They have a more forward presentation along with an "aggressive" attack, which definitely lends itself to Rock and Metal music. They sort of "engage" you more when listening to music as compared to the Senn's which are more laid back and won't fatigue your ears over time.
While they have those positives, they come at the expense of I would say less precision, harsher*, and slightly exaggerated sonic reproduction. If anything, I loved the RS1's but at a cost of ~$700 is hard to justify them at the moment compared to the Senn's which cost me ~$150. Unless I can pickup the SR325i's which the owner says are pretty much like RS1's and those are the ones he himself picked (~$250 for them).
I think the only things the Senn's lack is more "attack" and forward presentation to make them really excel at Rock-type music. They also need a decent amplifier, which for me wasn't a problem. However with my current setup, the Senn's sound wonderful, maybe someone can make some comments as what to try out.
In the end, after some small talk and realizing we're both Polish (me and the owner) I asked if I could try out the SR-80's at home with my setup. So I'm currently listening to it and the SOHAII and a variety of music. I still haven't made my mind up, but my setup definitely sounds a lot brighter than in the store, which I don't care too much for... and having worn them longer they are starting to hurt my ears slightly, whereas the Senn's have more clamping pressure, but its around your ear.
