[dr cornelius]

  OK, so my ears are pretty much back to normal.  I'm still careful about listening volume, but I've been listening to the RS2e's for the last couple hours out of both the LD I+ and the Duet, and I have to reaffirm that these are really great headphones.  I'm definitely loving them.  It wasn't just a first impression.  And they are definitely not harsh or sibilant.  Nor is the bass anemic or weak in any way.  Sub bass extension isn't great, but that doesn't present as a lack or deficit at all, it just isn't as impressive as something like the ER-4S's, for example.  But in songs with sub-bass content, the 2e's will respond.  I've checked on a few songs I have that I know have really deep sub bass--songs where the ER-4S's really blew me away in that frequency region.  And the 2e's respond, just not as strongly as cans with really good bass extension.
 
And, my oh my, don't these headphones just love dynamics and transients!  They really are incredible headphones in this way!  Perhaps its the completely open design, or perhaps it's the low impedance, or perhaps it's the high sensitivity, or perhaps it's something special about the Grado drivers, but for whatever reasons, the fidelity of the 2e's to transients is incredible.  They are really dynamic, lively, clear, intimate, front-row, etc., headphones.
 
I'm really impressed, and I'm definitely keeping them.
 
As for the LittleDot I+, I think if I only had the iPhone, I would be impressed and happy, but the Duet seems to have just as good (or better) synergy with the 2e's and seems to be able to drive them just as well (for my listening volumes anyway), so I'll probably be putting it up for sale soon, along with 5 GE JAN tubes, 2 Voshkod tubes, and the LM4562 op amp.

Thanks for the review - I’m thinking of trying out a hybrid amp with my 2e’s - I was thinking of the Schiit Vali might work well...

 

[rovopio]

 
Thanks for the review - I’m thinking of trying out a hybrid amp with my 2e’s - I was thinking of the Schiit Vali might work well...

 
i dont know how much the microphonic of the vali affects listening on a regular use basis... but you ought to take that into account before getting them...

 

[GreenBow]

Speaking of sound-stage, I have to agree I think Grado have good sound stage. Before I bought my DAC I was listening to motherboard on-board sound. Before anyone jumps on me and says, that's rubbish as the rep with on-board is, it actually sounded brilliant. Anyway sounds came from way beyond where the headphones were. After I bought a DAC the soundstage was similar but less airy-transparent, and more weighty.
 
Anyway there will be loads of examples that folk can give to use as an example to show-case the soundstage. I have one in mind, (for rock fans anyway), the track 'Limelight' by Rush. (From their Moving Pictures album (released 1981), and their compilation album Time Stand Still.) At the end of the track there is a drum roll, which swings about all over near side to front. As the roll finishes it appears to go behind the listener.
 
I think this is a strength with Grado, though I haven't compared with any other manufacturer. It's because it makes them ideal for PC-gaming headphones. You know exactly where an audio-source (or enemy) is coming from. It doesn't matter where in elevation or direction the sound is, Grado tell you exactly where. 
 
Good track that 'Limelight' though. I love how it punches me in the ears with drums at the start. Rock solid all the way through. Even with my vaguely bass light SR225i/e, it leaps about and beats my ears with drums and bass guitar. Am looking forward to what a pair of Grados further up the line, with more bass, will do with it.

 

[rovopio]

  Speaking of sound-stage, I have to agree I think Grado have good sound stage. Before I bought my DAC I was listening to motherboard on-board sound. Before anyone jumps on me and says, that's rubbish as the rep with on-board is, it actually sounded brilliant. Anyway sounds came from way beyond where the headphones were. After I bought a DAC the soundstage was similar but less airy-transparent, and more weighty.
 
Anyway there will be loads of examples that folk can give to use as an example to show-case the soundstage. I have one in mind, (for rock fans anyway), the track 'Limelight' by Rush. (From their Moving Pictures album (released 1981), and their compilation album Time Stand Still.) At the end of the track there is a drum roll, which swings about all over near side to front. As the roll finishes it appears to go behind the listener.
 
I think this is a strength with Grado, though I haven't compared with any other manufacturer. It's because it makes them ideal for PC-gaming headphones. You know exactly where an audio-source (or enemy) is coming from. It doesn't matter where in elevation or direction the sound is, Grado tell you exactly where. 
 
Good track that 'Limelight' though. I love how it punches me in the ears with drums at the start. Rock solid all the way through. Even with my vaguely bass light SR225i/e, it leaps about and beats my ears with drums and bass guitar. Am looking forward to what a pair of Grados further up the line, with more bass, will do with it.

 
if you buy either one of the 325e or rs2e, and turned out you don't like them, can't you just put them up on sale on head-fi. I live in Asia, but head-fi classified ads are still really effective for me. I'm pretty sure it'd be easier to sell stuffs from the Europe...
 
I don't think you should delay yourself from the pleasure of hearing "better Grado" any longer. You've done quite a lot of research, come on... live a little.
 
I post this with the assumption that you could get the 325e and rs2e today without ridding yourself from eating properly three times a day and live comfortably for the month. However, If the cost of either of them will substantially hit your wallet, then more research for more informed decision is also a good way to go and won't hurt you.

 

[_js_]

I wouldn't call the soundstage bad or narrow or lacking or congested on the Grados I've heard or anything like that, but in terms of making you feel as if the music is coming from a stage in front of you with distinct places for singer, guitar, etc, the RS2e is clearly bested by the Sennheiser HD-595's, for example, but is better than the in-your-head presentation of the ER-4S's. Just my $0.02.

 

[GreenBow]

If I can stray a little off the beaten path of Grado e-subject. I will probably come in for a lot of criticism for my opinion of sound-stage, but this is what I found.
 
My previous stereo was made of fine components, including an Audiolab 8000A. It sounded good but wasn't until I bought good speaker cable that it fully came into it's life. With meagre quality speaker cabling the image was laid out in front from left to right. With good cable the image went so far 3D I was astonished.
 
I was sat about eight feet in front of the stereo. The new speaker cable run in. Listening much improved. Then! I heard a sound come from over to my left. Not only to my left but slightly behind me. It put audio in the room exactly where it was when it was recorded with directional reference to the microphones. I tell people this and they do not believe me, so I expect a thrashing. They say, 'you can't get audio info behind you unless you buy surround systems'. 
 
Anyway enough said. (However if anyone is interested what speaker cable I used for this, it was Audioquest Slate.) For me then I like the Grado surround. Very important when playing something like Alien: Isolation video game. 
 
After-thought edit: Maybe a good pair of Senn's would put sound around. I don't know and can't comment. However, even my little MX500 ear-buds tell me where enemies are in video games.

 

[joseph69]

  Thanks for the review - I’m thinking of trying out a hybrid amp with my 2e’s - I was thinking of the Schiit Vali might work well...

I had the Lyr with some NOS Amperex ECC88 Orange Globes and it was great with the Grado's.
The Lyr 2 should be even better with the impedance switch for the Grado's.
 

  Anyway there will be loads of examples that folk can give to use as an example to show-case the soundstage. I have one in mind, (for rock fans anyway), the track 'Limelight' by Rush. (From their Moving Pictures album (released 1981), and their compilation album Time Stand Still.) At the end of the track there is a drum roll, which swings about all over near side to front. As the roll finishes it appears to go behind the listener.
 
Good track that 'Limelight' though. I love how it punches me in the ears with drums at the start. Rock solid all the way through. Even with my vaguely bass light SR225i/e, it leaps about and beats my ears with drums and bass guitar. Am looking forward to what a pair of Grados further up the line, with more bass, will do with it.

+1000
I was listening to "Limelight with my PS1K's at well above my normal listening level
(couldn't help it) and my jaw was hitting the floor!!!

 

[zazex]

  The RS2e is a bit different from the i version. It's less agressive and has a bit more bass than the 2i (but lesser than the RS1i).
The RS1i is better sounding headphones than the 2e, but I prefer the 2e to the 1i.

 
If you feel that the 1i sounds better than the 2e,
why do you prefer the 2e to the 1i?

 

[stacker45]

   
If you feel that the 1i sounds better than the 2e,
why do you prefer the 2e to the 1i?

 
I'm with you, this is a head scratcher

 

[_js_]

So, I think the verdict is still out for me on the iPhone 5S / RS2e pairing. It may not actually be fatiguing. That could have just been coincidence. I'll need to wait until I'm at 100 percent and off the Claritin D to be sure.

What I can say is that it sounds really good to me in short doses right now!

As for soneone preferring the 2e to 1i even though thinking the 1i sounds better, it's pretty easy to explain--the whole more musical and engaging vs technically accurate, faithful, etc. We usually (here on head-fi) would say the can we preffer sounds "better" to us, sonce that is a value judgement, while maybe admitting that it is more colored or less accurate overall, etc.

Just my guess, here, but made sense to me when I read it.

 

[Zuqi]

   
If you feel that the 1i sounds better than the 2e,
why do you prefer the 2e to the 1i?

 

   
I'm with you, this is a head scratcher

Sorry about the confusion. What I meant is: in terms of sound quality, the RS1i is a supior headphones, but I prefer the sound character of the RS2e. As I've stated in much earlier posts, the RS1i has more treble than the RS2e and some time can be a bit too bright for me.

 

[Zuqi]

So, I think the verdict is still out for me on the iPhone 5S / RS2e pairing. It may not actually be fatiguing. That could have just been coincidence. I'll need to wait until I'm at 100 percent and off the Claritin D to be sure.

What I can say is that it sounds really good to me in short doses right now!

As for soneone preferring the 2e to 1i even though thinking the 1i sounds better, it's pretty easy to explain--the whole more musical and engaging vs technically accurate, faithful, etc. We usually (here on head-fi) would say the can we preffer sounds "better" to us, sonce that is a value judgement, while maybe admitting that it is more colored or less accurate overall, etc.

Just my guess, here, but made sense to me when I read it.

 

[willyvlyminck]

So, I need to retract some of my initial findings and impressions!

First and foremost, the RS2e's sound definitely better out of the Duet.  The first day I got them, I started out with the Duet and spent a good while listening out of it, then switched to the iPhone 5S.  This did, I felt at the time, tighten up the bass a bit.  However, over the last few days, I have definitely not been enjoying the RS2e / iPhone 5S pairing!  It becomes fatiguing after a while, more or less, depending on the music and the state of your ears and mind.  The RS2e's have really shown me that the audio codec of the 5S is pretty harsh and "digital" in the treble.  The Sennheiser HD-595's pair well with it precisely because the treble isn't forward and is even recessed in a few places.  I'm more susceptible to getting this listening fatigue at some times than others, and recently is definitely one of those times!

Today I was trying to track down this issue, and was again listening to all my headphones with a set of test tracks, and finally decided that the problem wasn't that the RS2e was emphasizing treble regions, but that either the DAC or the amp or some combination of both in the iPhone 5S was harsh and the RS2e's were just revealing it.  So, to test that I switched back to the Duet which I hadn't listened to since that first day, and immediately the harshness was a non-issue, and everything was so much better--except the bass, which was maybe not quite as tight.  I don't know why I felt the iPhone was "definitely better" that first day.  Probably I was caught up in the excitement and thrill and joy of these headphones at the point that I switched over, and my ears were "warmed up" so to speak, so that when I switched over, I was just noticing the slightly better bass and didn't notice the more fatiguing nature of the sound.

But I have certainly noticed it lately!

Clearly, my downward spiral has started in earnest.    I am now definitely going to get a dedicated desktop / full-sized headphone amp so I can use my Duet as just a DAC and send it's line level speaker outs to the amp.

On the upside, I can also now say that the comments I made about Adele not sounding as good as other artists did on the RS2e's was an artifact and consequence of the 2e / 5S pairing.  Out of the Duet, Adele sounds freaking amazing on these RS2e's.

So I've decided to get one of the Schiit amps.  I love their topologies, the all discrete components, the made-in-USA, the look, the reviews, and their refreshing irreverence.  I have an Asgard 2 on order (it's backordered at the moment), but I'm wondering if I shouldn't switch to the Lyr 2.

A couple of the reviews I've read had positive things to say about the Asgard / Grado combo, with one reviewer (6 moons, IIRC) going so far to say that he would package the Asgard with Grados!  LOL!  Plus, from everything I've read, I think it's quite likely that I'm a solid state guy, so starting with the Asgard 2 seems to make more sense than jumping right to the Lyr 2, which would kind of be overkill for the Grados, power-wise, not to mention being $200 more expensive.  But perhaps that's where I'll end up.  We shall see.

However, if anyone feels strongly that the Lyr 2 is the much better pairing, please chime in!  I'd love to hear what you have to say.  Thanks everyone.

I use the GR10 with my iPhone 5s, but with the bass boost on, and it sounds as the perfect pair. An alternative if you prefere a more relaxed sound is the Philips Fidelio L2, but don't get me wrong, the L2 will give you all details and pleasure in your favorite music only the trebles are softer and you don't need your bass boost on. This said the L2 sounds fab with other sources to.

 

[chailee80]

So, I think the verdict is still out for me on the iPhone 5S / RS2e pairing. It may not actually be fatiguing. That could have just been coincidence. I'll need to wait until I'm at 100 percent and off the Claritin D to be sure.

What I can say is that it sounds really good to me in short doses right now!

As for soneone preferring the 2e to 1i even though thinking the 1i sounds better, it's pretty easy to explain--the whole more musical and engaging vs technically accurate, faithful, etc. We usually (here on head-fi) would say the can we preffer sounds "better" to us, sonce that is a value judgement, while maybe admitting that it is more colored or less accurate overall, etc.

Just my guess, here, but made sense to me when I read it.

Have you tried audioforge's equalizer app on your iphone? Its a fairly good parametric equalizer that lets you fine tune the response and can help smooth things out.

 

[8b2y0n]

i think PS1000E is better than ps1000i 
gs1000e also
but rs1e is worse than rs1i