Oh, it does! In some terms even better.
If you, as a phones designer/develope, raise the membranes diameter, your first thought is about sound pressure (the second is about increased distortion). Than you think about geometry. And eventually you build the driver, put it in a housing and than …listen to it.
In my imagination this was the moment, John Grado sensed the feature that made the RS1e special.
Yes, the final version provides better nuance, body, improved resolution, stage and positioning (compares to the RS2e), but there was this one feature…
So he went down to his workbench, fiddling with this, tweaking that, went up to the listening room, thinking it over, changing this, changing that. Again and again …and again. Trial and error.
And success.
Eventually he came up with one of his masterpieces.
One of which I read in some posting ‘…what went wrong with the RS1e?!‘.
Nothing!
That thing is just not mainly improved in the features the successors and it’s little brother provides in an excellent manner and quality (, don’t you dare to object!
), but especially in it’s own attribute.
It is improved slightly, but audible in several features, without losing much in others.
Or would some like to say that avoiding a peak (@ around 4kHz) out of neutrality is not an improvement?
(To our fellow Grado-Fan posting the ‘…what went wrong…‘: The item just wasn’t developed the direction you waited for. I think the Grado family excused to all the people with similar preferences enough by creating the 4 Heritage models and maybe the Hemp Headphone?)
So what is now that super special extraordinary unique feature that no other Grado headphone provided before?
(And why is this guy still talking/writing…?)
Of course the other Grados provided it in a fashion they are famous for.
But the RS1e raised the benchmark. By much.
Listen to it and you will recognize this. It provides an outstanding…
sound coloration
Not everyones preference, of course. Some like a prominent bass, some an out-of-the-head positioning. Some likes bright and present treble, some a slightly rolled of treble to avoid listening fatigue. Some loves it warm, some cold.
If you start listening with the RS2e it‘s prominent and undeniable good sounding features might prevent from experiencing and even like the more delicate, but also more detailed and colored tonality of the RS1e.
If you do it the other way ‘round and took your time experiencing the bigger brother, you will have chance to find out if you like it‘s superior sound. Not everyone does.
And even the freak that I am, can not find a single reason to buy a product, that to my own ears doesn’t sound better than another.
I like to switch (nearly hourly) between them both.
And yes, I bought the RS2e first.
Is it excuse enough if I say, that they had no RS1e in stock at that time…?
I swear it‘s true!
And someone opening the door for the mail service?
Definitely.
You got me! Didn’t bring the RS1e to the hearing session. Just wanted to get an impression of the new 44mm compared to the old ones. I really forgot about the 50mm’s.
But consulting my memories/impressions/feelings… /whatever … the X-ones are not.
A Grado? In any way rolled off in the treble?
Any headphone. Especially Audeze… But Grado?
The ideal (and boring) headphone would have an FR like drawn with a ruler.
Nearly all phones even the 59.000,- € ones roll off starting at 1 kHz with diverse peaks here and there creating the biggest part of their unique/special sound signature. (Up to 19 times the frequency range of the (lower) rest.)
One of JG‘s principles is trying to stay on or at least above the ‘zero‘-line up to 10 kHz.
But… of course there is a difference that explains the feelings about RS2e often being preferred over the RS1e.
Some say ‘clearer‘ and mean ‘brighter‘. (The RS1e is the winner in terms of nuance, detail, settling‘(?), stage-width (and slightly depth), positioning and of course by much sound coloration. So it is definitely ‘clearer‘!)
Both headphone‘s FR stays mostly above the line, both have the typical wooden housing 2 kHz peak. Fortunately both avoid the popular 3kHz peak completely.
The RS2e has it‘s next peak at a little more than 4 kHz, let‘s say 4.1kHz. And it‘s an impressive one.
Not a 6 dB one, but I guess it‘s more than 4 maybe 5.
The RS1e doesn‘t have that. Nothing there.
Now what is 4 kHz? Nearly the upper frequency of: female voice, piano,… falsetto.
(Let‘s ignore Maria Carey‘s 5.05 kHz sounds or the chinese (male!) world record of 5.3 kHz. No one can articulate words, syllables or even a vowel in 5 kHz. It’s a whistle.
So what is the effect of raising the volume at 4 kHz? It sounds more… bright.
Enrico Caruso was able to raise his voice to an impressive volume with constant and precise oscillation at 3.8 kHz. Definitely absolutely clear, one of the best of all times, but bright?
if you are interested to hear this in newer recordings, Plácido Domingo was able to match this.
Back to our Grados. There is another popular thing, an emphasis at 10 kHz. In the RS2e you will find this frequency raised by, I guess 8 dB. And again nothing in the RS1e. It starts the roll off to 20 kHz (that nearly all phones share/have) at slightly more than 9 kHz.
In case of the RS1e this is, I think based on the 6 mm larger diameter, moved to 8 kHz and much lesser raised. The GS1000e behaves alike.
Again: I don’t own a measuring rig, all this is done by hearing. If someone can provide the precise frequencies, you‘re welcome.
…
.
Never. We are talking about John Grado.
They came with THD diagrams, CSD diagrams, comfort, craftsmanship, even style.
John Grado? Changing his course, his focus?
Not this guy!
This is one of the reasons we love these cartridges and phones (incl. RS1e and SR325e), why this thread has 49.049 posts. (And why they sell a 150.000 phones a year.)
But hey, let‘s not give up the detachable cable topic.
Maybe, sometimes, our pleadings, our prayers reach and soften their hearts and they eventually give in?!
