I do think if there were any issues (ear clearance, etc.) they were corrected. When I heard them for first time I was happy to hear how well they performed.Very true I never purchased the RS1es mainly because of what people were saying about them but then I got a great deal and just wanted to try them out, glad I did because they sound darn good!
My vintage RS1 uses flat pads and sounds superb. The new RS1x fits perfectly into the slot left by the RS1e.