Rwit
New Head-Fier
I’m back to post some thoughts about my new RS2e, having spent about 10 or 15 hours listening to music with them.
The level of detail and clarity that I can hear on well-recorded and mastered tracks is simply incredible. It’s easy to ignore the details when not focused on the music, but when I shift my attention back to what I’m hearing and listen critically it’s amazing.
One area where I believe the RS2e really shine is in low-volume listening. In a quiet room, listening to a track with good dynamics, it’s amazing how good these things sound even at relatively low volume level. I don’t feel the need to push the gain forward to make out sounds and details. I can hear everything even when it’s quiet.
The L-pads are mostly comfortable, though from a purely comfort point of view I think I prefer the S-pads from my 125e. The L-pads are comfortable once I have them in the correct position so they won’t move (pads over the ears, headband tilted slightly more forward than you would think), but then sometimes the weight of the cord will pull the headphones out of position and I have to reset them. I’ve found twist-tying part of the cord and resting it on my desk prevents the cord from dragging too much.
I’ve tried the S-pads with the RS2e and I appreciate that there is bit more bass response, but at the cost of some of that astounding clarity and improved soundstage, so I usually have switched back to the L-pads pretty quickly.
Listening to the 125e and RS2e back-to-back make me appreciate two things: 1) the absolute detail that the RS2e is able to discern which the 125e cannot, and 2) what a fantastic value the 125e is at $150.
First 1): Listening to jazz music, every single piano key strike and pluck of the bass produces overtones which can be heard clearly through the RS2e. The 125e can almost hear them but it’s not quite as perceptible or clear. When I put the S-pads on the RS2e it actually sounds like a slightly more resolving 125e. However, when I put the L-pads on the 125e there is not the level of detail or soundstage that the RS2e can produce. I don’t find the RS2e to be as fatiguing for long listening as the 125e.
Point 2): Even though the RS2e are a better set of headphones, I was amazed how well the 125e can hold its own. They have a satisfying bass (maybe the RS2e will get there with more burn-in time) and sound great for $150. They were a great introduction to the Grado sound and made me a fan for life. It makes me curious to listen to the rest of the Prestige line to hear how they all sound.
Sorry for my rambling. I am not an audiophile (yet), just trying to describe what I hear for others since reading this thread was so helpful to me. Thanks again GFC.
The level of detail and clarity that I can hear on well-recorded and mastered tracks is simply incredible. It’s easy to ignore the details when not focused on the music, but when I shift my attention back to what I’m hearing and listen critically it’s amazing.
One area where I believe the RS2e really shine is in low-volume listening. In a quiet room, listening to a track with good dynamics, it’s amazing how good these things sound even at relatively low volume level. I don’t feel the need to push the gain forward to make out sounds and details. I can hear everything even when it’s quiet.
The L-pads are mostly comfortable, though from a purely comfort point of view I think I prefer the S-pads from my 125e. The L-pads are comfortable once I have them in the correct position so they won’t move (pads over the ears, headband tilted slightly more forward than you would think), but then sometimes the weight of the cord will pull the headphones out of position and I have to reset them. I’ve found twist-tying part of the cord and resting it on my desk prevents the cord from dragging too much.
I’ve tried the S-pads with the RS2e and I appreciate that there is bit more bass response, but at the cost of some of that astounding clarity and improved soundstage, so I usually have switched back to the L-pads pretty quickly.
Listening to the 125e and RS2e back-to-back make me appreciate two things: 1) the absolute detail that the RS2e is able to discern which the 125e cannot, and 2) what a fantastic value the 125e is at $150.
First 1): Listening to jazz music, every single piano key strike and pluck of the bass produces overtones which can be heard clearly through the RS2e. The 125e can almost hear them but it’s not quite as perceptible or clear. When I put the S-pads on the RS2e it actually sounds like a slightly more resolving 125e. However, when I put the L-pads on the 125e there is not the level of detail or soundstage that the RS2e can produce. I don’t find the RS2e to be as fatiguing for long listening as the 125e.
Point 2): Even though the RS2e are a better set of headphones, I was amazed how well the 125e can hold its own. They have a satisfying bass (maybe the RS2e will get there with more burn-in time) and sound great for $150. They were a great introduction to the Grado sound and made me a fan for life. It makes me curious to listen to the rest of the Prestige line to hear how they all sound.
Sorry for my rambling. I am not an audiophile (yet), just trying to describe what I hear for others since reading this thread was so helpful to me. Thanks again GFC.
