[Zachik]

2) same goes for equipment. I can easily tell the night and day difference between my delta/sigma-based Gustard X18 DAC and my collection of R2R DACs.

Which is better? X18 or R2R?

 

[TheRealDz]

Which is better? X18 or R2R?

My preference is R2R. I bought the X18 because of its transparency and high resolution, and I wanted a "change of pace" DAC.

It is reasonably smooth for a delta/sigma design, but it does not have the tonal richness or "body" to notes that R2R does.
I am sure there are delta/sigma designs that do better than R2R, but for the money, you can get a lot of enjoyment out of R2R.

In my case, R2R brings out the best in my RS1x - I swear it feels like I can keep turning up the volume to crazy levels without fatigue.

 

[rasmushorn]

Now that my RS1x is fully broken in, here are some more thoughts:

1) this is truly a reference headphone in every respect - it will extract loads of details from your recordings. Good recordings are magical, but you will hear all of the bad in bad recordings. Buyer beware...

2) same goes for equipment. I can easily tell the night and day difference between my delta/sigma-based Gustard X18 DAC and my collection of R2R DACs.

3) I am about to reterminate mine with an XLR connection. It isn't about the power, but about the resolution potential. We'll see...

4) comfort isn't bad, but could stand to be improved. Bending the band made a huge difference - ie, reducing the clamping reduced the fatigue from pressure on my ears. I realized that the main cause is the fact that I wear glasses.

5) my god, this thing is gorgeous.

Oh no... This doesn’t exactly make me desire these any less than I already did.

 

[majo123]

My preference is R2R. I bought the X18 because of its transparency and high resolution, and I wanted a "change of pace" DAC.

It is reasonably smooth for a delta/sigma design, but it does not have the tonal richness or "body" to notes that R2R does.
I am sure there are delta/sigma designs that do better than R2R, but for the money, you can get a lot of enjoyment out of R2R.

In my case, R2R brings out the best in my RS1x - I swear it feels like I can keep turning up the volume to crazy levels without fatigue.

As you already know R2R all the way for me ..I have ES9038PRO dac coming soon and been a while since I tried non R2R... hopefully i still like it.

 

[panoptikon]

What’s even the meaning of reducing the whole DAC, including the output stage and everything, to the branded chip that’s only one part of it? There are tons of engeneering behind well made chip DACs, as with other DACs.

 

[jonathan c]

Oh no... This doesn’t exactly make me desire these any less than I already did.

…resistance is futile…resistance is futile…

…

 

[TheRealDz]

I should add another important comment on the RS1x:

They do have bass, but with clear limitations. They sound like 5" sealed monitor speakers to me - ie, punchy, taut bass, but not much going on below 70 hz or so. For most music, this is perfectly fine. But for bass-heavy music such as electronica, you will definitely miss the sub bass.

And note that they do not take bass EQ very well either - I can only bump them up a few db before they audibly distort on bass-heavy tracks.

 

[Shane D]

I should add another important comment on the RS1x:

They do have bass, but with clear limitations. They sound like 5" sealed monitor speakers to me - ie, punchy, taut bass, but not much going on below 70 hz or so. For most music, this is perfectly fine. But for bass-heavy music such as electronica, you will definitely miss the sub bass.

And note that they do not take bass EQ very well either - I can only bump them up a few db before they audibly distort on bass-heavy tracks.

Do you have an iFi amp? I bet they would Love bass boost.

 

[TheRealDz]

Do you have an iFi amp? I bet they would Love bass boost.

No - that is not what I mean; they really can't handle much of a boost of any kind. They simply distort.

For the RS1x, you just have to make peace with only getting a whisp of sub bass.

And I am OK with that, considering all else it does exceedingly well.

Besides, I have other headphones that give me sub bass. Ahem, Elegia, ahem

 

[Shane D]

No - that is not what I mean; they really can't handle much of a boost of any kind. They simply distort.

For the RS1x, you just have to make peace with only getting a whisp of sub bass.

And I am OK with that, considering all else it does exceedingly well.

Besides, I have other headphones that give me sub bass. Ahem, Elegia, ahem

That is too bad. My GH2's love bass boost and honestly, they need it. Most of the time I am at peace with the Grado sound, but every once in a while...

 

[TheRealDz]

That is too bad. My GH2's love bass boost and honestly, they need it. Most of the time I am at peace with the Grado sound, but every once in a while...

I am with you!

I will reterminate mine tomorrow to balanced XLR - that may help a bit with the bass.

 

[Shane D]

I am with you!

I will reterminate mine tomorrow to balanced XLR - that may help a bit with the bass.

I don't think Grado's need XLR type power.

I am currently fortunate for being 3 for 3 with Grado's. Great on the tube amp. The Violectric is very warm and full sounding. And the iFi is very subtle, yet effective, with the bass boost.
Can't wait to try the Hemps!

 

[majo123]

What’s even the meaning of reducing the whole DAC, including the output stage and everything, to the branded chip that’s only one part of it? There are tons of engeneering behind well made chip DACs, as with other DACs.

I was sort of expecting an answer like this .... from my experience in general Sabre DACs in general (not always) have a similar analytical Sig where as R2R sound totally different , I have already had 3 X different implementations of Sabre 9038 .....one was very cold and analytical , the others better but similar Sabre sound which imo, (Maybe not definitely) for me and my tastes was too much at times with the grado .. so far I have preferred the R2R with them but we shall see.

Edit ..I own other cans too so a mixed bag with pairings.

 

[rasmushorn]

I should add another important comment on the RS1x:

They do have bass, but with clear limitations. They sound like 5" sealed monitor speakers to me - ie, punchy, taut bass, but not much going on below 70 hz or so. For most music, this is perfectly fine. But for bass-heavy music such as electronica, you will definitely miss the sub bass.

And note that they do not take bass EQ very well either - I can only bump them up a few db before they audibly distort on bass-heavy tracks.

I see you are also an Etymotic ER-4XR user. I have always liked the way Ety's do bass. They do not add anything and I do not need any more than that.
I prefer an open and transparent midrange and I do not need deep bass to be satisfied with sound.

How would you compare the RS-1X bass to Etymotic ER-4XR bass? Impact, speed and resolution?

 

[TheRealDz]

I see you are also an Etymotic ER-4XR user. I have always liked the way Ety's do bass. They do not add anything and I do not need any more than that.
I prefer an open and transparent midrange and I do not need deep bass to be satisfied with sound.

How would you compare the RS-1X bass to Etymotic ER-4XR bass? Impact, speed and resolution?

They sound similar in that they both prioritize agility over tactility, and quality over quantity. Ie, they are both good at texture and being able to quickly start and stop bass notes. But the Etys dig deeper, replaying the lowest octaves (especially with the red filters). The Etys can't compete with dynamic driver designs, which give you a more sustained tactile "feel" from bass notes. But unfortunately the RS1x has even less of this feel.

As I mentioned above, you just need to know what you are getting with the RS1x; it simply does not reproduce the quantity of deep bass that you get from competing designs. But once again, I am OK with that in exchange for what you DO get.

That said, I am not done yet in trying to extract more bass. I am going to reterminate mine once my XLR connector is delivered later today - which has the potential to improve the bass. And I am still experimenting with different pads, which dramatically changes the bass response (but so far only with the unacceptable cost of ruining the midrange).