I'm getting really tempted by the Alessandro MS-Pro headphones, which some people describe as a warmer/mid ranged orientated headphone compared to Grados.
Anybody here had a chance to listen to those against the RS2E?
I can think of three reasons why Grado is my favorite brand: 1) They sound the most lifelike to my ears 2) They sound great even at the lowest volume 3) They weigh next to nothing
bpcans, I was just this minute struggling with this myself! Got a new Dragonfly Red and couldn't get it to play with Qobuz. Here's what fixed it for me:
in the Qobuz window there is a menu bar at the bottom of the pane. At the far left you see what you are playing, thene in the middle there are play and stop buttons, then on the right side there are some icons. one of them is a little rectangle with a circle inside it and a little slider next to it. Click on that and tell it to play through your device. In my case it recognized the Dragonfly and once I selected it--all good.
Can you get sound out of the speakers with Qobuz ?
Can you get sound through your Grados with some other source ?
Can you get sound with any other headphones?
Can you get any sound to come out of the MacBook in any fashion?
If the headphone port itself is not being recognized by your Mac you may need to reset your P ram. Here's how: Shut off computer. Press power button to turn back on on, then immediately hold down these 4 keys simultaniously until the login window appears: Command, Option, P and R. It may take a minute or so to fully start up, but make sure to keep holding those 4 keys until it is done.
If the headphone port itself is not being recognized by your Mac you may need to reset your P ram. Here's how: Shut off computer. Press power button to turn back on on, then immediately hold down these 4 keys simultaniously until the login window appears: Command, Option, P and R. It may take a minute or so to fully start up, but make sure to keep holding those 4 keys until it is done.
I'm getting really tempted by the Alessandro MS-Pro headphones, which some people describe as a warmer/mid ranged orientated headphone compared to Grados.
Anybody here had a chance to listen to those against the RS2E?
I haven't heard either, but I owned the Alessandro MS1 for several years, which is a "massaged" Grado SR80. The MS Pro is a "massaged" RS1. Alessandro doesn't really say what they do to differentiate them from the Grado equivalent. I just know my MS-1 sounded smoother and richer than the SR80.
I like all my headphones, but I do prefer Grado and it is my top choice.
I'm not accumulating a collection though. The SR225 is for a mod I have in mind and the HF3 I bought out of curiosity. I'm probably going to put the HF3 back up on the sales forum shortly.
I can think of three reasons why Grado is my favorite brand: 1) They sound the most lifelike to my ears 2) They sound great even at the lowest volume 3) They weigh next to nothing
Funny you should ask that question because my favorite amp is my iCAN. I can't live without X-Bass -- it is the only reason I still own the HD800. One of these days I'm going to upgrade to the Pro model. I wish you guys made a mid level iCAN without all the bells and whistles and a more affordable price (the original iCAN was freaking bargain).
Hey, thanks for still having that oldie! It's always a treat to read about folks still using our stuff released so many years ago! And yes, there's a gap between our Pro range and everything below, so who knows, at some point we might address it
my favorite amp is my iCAN. I can't live without X-Bass -- it is the only reason I still own the HD800. One of these days I'm going to upgrade to the Pro model. I wish you guys made a mid level iCAN without all the bells and whistles and a more affordable price (the original iCAN was freaking bargain).
iFi has the Zen CAN which is a stripped-down, solid-state only version of the Pro iCAN for $169 (94% cheaper!). XBass and 3D levels aren't adjustable but that's really all you're giving up. Note that I don't own a Zen CAN so I can't tell you if the output is cleaner than the Pro iCAN. A $1000 iCAN variant without cannibalizing the Pro iCAN sales would be a tough sell. It reminds me of Grado, actually: the GH4 is $550, and then I wouldn't exactly recommend anything higher unless you want the GS3000e at $1800. If you buy a model in between, you're going to be constantly thinking about what you're missing had you just spent a bit more.
Hemp + Zen CAN for $590 will satisfy most people. Just add a DAC and extra pads and you're set.
iFi has the Zen CAN which is a stripped-down, solid-state only version of the Pro iCAN for $169 (94% cheaper!). XBass and 3D levels aren't adjustable but that's really all you're giving up. Note that I don't own a Zen CAN so I can't tell you if the output is cleaner than the Pro iCAN. A $1000 iCAN variant without cannibalizing the Pro iCAN sales would be a tough sell. It reminds me of Grado, actually: the GH4 is $550, and then I wouldn't exactly recommend anything higher unless you want the GS3000e at $1800. If you buy a model in between, you're going to be constantly thinking about what you're missing had you just spent a bit more.
Hemp + Zen CAN for $590 will satisfy most people. Just add a DAC and extra pads and you're set.
The original iCAN is great and I'm totally happy with it. Sometimes I get the urge to upgrade though, but the price of admission puts an end to those thoughts fast. I think I will upgrade to the Pro if my iCAN bites the dust. I bought it when it first came out and it is still going strong, so I think that day is not going to happen for a good while.
Back to the Hemp. I find the balance between bass and treble ratio a little troubling. I find the bass a little too much. Makes the sound slightly too warm and slow for me. It lacks the fast snappy, punchy midbass of older grados. Also because the bass ratio is higher to the treble ratio, it lacks the treble air. There isn't that treble airiness to surround the mids that breathes air and space in the music and sound. It sounds congested, slow and heavy and not open and airy. Hmm....
Hemps came in today and in my brief first listen I kept recalling your description. I think you are onto something. I thought my modded 6XX more exciting and natural. Grado was always the cure against a boring headphone but not so sure in this case. Comparison and measurements later.
@bpcans
You may need to go into your Audio MIDI Setup on you MBP and select the output from the lefthand column.
Finder>Applications>Utilities>Audio MIDI Setuo
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