[Strat1117]

I split from ex and have been single for 2 years ...I can sit and listen to open backs in my underwear in the garden if I wanted....don't think my elderly neighbors would be too impressed but I bet they wouldn't say anything

I know the price of that freedom. Glad it’s in your past.

 

[majo123]

I know the price of that freedom. Glad it’s in your past.

Mine was relatively painless.... although I can't imagine my elderly neighbors would agree.

 

[MaiLam]

@Strat1117 nice write-up. I wouldn’t be shocked if you go back to the L pads in 3-6 months time and enjoy them, I wasn’t a fan of them on any Grados I own at first, but eventually the brain burn-in takes hold and out of nowhere the highs aren’t too high, bass is nuanced rather than lightweight and why yes those laser beam guitars do sound great etc. etc.

 

[Strat1117]

@Strat1117 nice write-up. I wouldn’t be shocked if you go back to the L pads in 3-6 months time and enjoy them, I wasn’t a fan of them on any Grados I own at first, but eventually the brain burn-in takes hold and out of nowhere the highs aren’t too high, bass is nuanced rather than blooming and why yes those laser beam guitars do sound great etc. etc.

That is intriguing. I certainly understand your thinking - and we shall see. I am an inveterate tweaker, so I’m always looking for that next improvement as my taste evolves, and that often means going back to something I had previously rejected for one reason or another. The L pads were not trashed; they are tucked safely away for when that day comes…

 

[TheRealDz]

Thought I'd add some SR80's to the collection and probably keep at work, but thought I'd give them a more personal touch so got the OKCSC WTD-3 off Amazon to use as a starting block, already having metal gimbals and locks and 3.5mm inputs, driver cover and drivers removed. Mesh changed and made some sleeves, new xl headband added and a bit of a general clean and polish, just waiting for drivers to solder / glue in but for now just added the L pads to get an impression of the finished 80's will look like.




To start.....

Work in progress


Just minus the drivers.

Did you say which drivers you will use, or did I miss that?

 

[allenwong]

Anyone here want so sell the masterpiece Grado PS1? I’m ready to get the damage.

 

[ledzep]

Did you say which drivers you will use, or did I miss that?

Was thinking 80's not sure which gen though , 80 i / e / x
Any thoughts?

 

[MaiLam]

Was thinking 80's not sure which gen though , 80 i / e / x
Any thoughts?

I’ve got the i and the e, and have had the x. The biggest choice would be between i/e or the x. X is more fun and energetic than the other too, with the slight trade off of sound a touch more synthetic/digital imo. The i and e are largely similar to my ears, with vocals being a bit more upfront and enjoyable on the e and slightly better left right separation. Basically I’d go x if you want lively/plan to pair with warm gear, or the e if wanting something a bit more laid back.

 

[headfry]

I’ve got the i and the e, and have had the x. The biggest choice would be between i/e or the x. X is more fun and energetic than the other too, with the slight trade off of sound a touch more synthetic/digital imo. The i and e are largely similar to my ears, with vocals being a bit more upfront and enjoyable on the e and slightly better left right separation. Basically I’d go x if you want lively/plan to pair with warm gear, or the e if wanting something a bit more laid back.

If your budget permits, I would recommend auditioning the SR225e or SR225X if possible, I own the former and for me is a very large improvement over the 80e.

 

[Plautus001]

The older you get the "anything for a quiet life" becomes your ethos

Happy wife (partner,etc.) , happy life - just got home from the grocery store 20 mins ago...

GS1000 with Modius AKM and Asgard 3

 

[tombrisbane]

Mids are very interesting on the GS3000x, on some tracks you’d say they’re recessed but on others they’re forward. I can’t remember a pair where I’ve had anything similar happen in such a pronounced way. I can only assume that it’s representing the actual mix, I did think it may be certain frequencies however with the same track / vocalist with two different mixes has two different presentations.

They also scale well with power, I’m not generally a fan of Grado’s out of my Topping D90/A90 stack however these sound great out of it. Portable wise the Mojo2 also drives them well (just need to wrap the massive cable around yourself a few times ).

As with their older sibling they suit anything which has a large, multi layered, presentation. Really enjoying classical, Jazz and prog rock on them.

 

[TheRealDz]

Mids are very interesting on the GS3000x, on some tracks you’d say they’re recessed but on others they’re forward. I can’t remember a pair where I’ve had anything similar happen in such a pronounced way. I can only assume that it’s representing the actual mix, I did think it may be certain frequencies however with the same track / vocalist with two different mixes has two different presentations.

They also scale well with power, I’m not generally a fan of Grado’s out of my Topping D90/A90 stack however these sound great out of it. Portable wise the Mojo2 also drives them well (just need to wrap the massive cable around yourself a few times ).

As with their older sibling they suit anything which has a large, multi layered, presentation. Really enjoying classical, Jazz and prog rock on them.

How do they sound out of the Sony? (I would imagine, damn good)

 

[tombrisbane]

How do they sound out of the Sony? (I would imagine, damn good)

Yep, damn good! The Sony is my go to for Grado’s and holds true for these, the perfect pairing.

 

[xzibit1994]

It is my bad to plug the Hemp in the OTL Class A amp like Project Sunrise and Walkman WM1AM2. Hemp shouldn't use with warm sounding gears like that. Yesterday and today when I tried with Project Ember and KA3 it brings a addictive flavor to my ears. Full body (not dull or muddy), smooth, mellow with good details and spaces in between. I'm very enjoying right now

 

[InLoveWithHeadphones]

This is a weird hobby. How can headphones which sound so different from one another all be musically satisfying (and musical satisfaction, NOT matching up with some mythical curve on a piece of paper, is the goal - don’t let anyone tell you differently)?

Although primarily a Sennheiser 580/600/650 guy for most of the last 25 or so years, I have owned both the original SR60 (lost on the LIRR) and a pair of OG RS2 (I preferred the HD580 at the time), so while no Grado connoisseur, I am neither a total newb to Grados, nor to the hobby in general, although I admit that I really only thought of headphones as ancillary to my high end stereo habit; it’s only in the last few years that the headphones themselves have become the subject of my gear lust disease (a very advanced form of gear acquisition disorder).

Yada, yada, yada, I decided it was time to add a pair of Grados to my stable, got a good price on a pair of like new RS1e’s, and I’ve been playing around with them for the last few days with wonderful results.

I must say, for context if nothing else, I find it hysterical that the denizens of this thread seem to consider the RS1e a departure from the typical Grado treble signature because, to my ear, with the original L pads in place, they were almost unbearably bright on all material and from all sources (I won’t bore you with my equipment list - just take my word for it that I’ve been in this hobby since the 1970’s, and the headphones are at the tail end of a mid-five figure system, and are properly fed and amped. I know what my sources and amps do, so, while acknowledging that everything is indeed system dependent, my observations here are limited to the headphones themselves). The excessive (for me) treble ‘issue’ was easily resolved with a pair of Vever G Cush style pads for ~ $13.99 from Amazon. The bass filled in, the soundstage opened up and the treble, while still quite present, became shimmering and beautiful rather than opaque and overbearing. Big difference from a small piece of foam, but there it is. To me, those G pads are a necessity, but they don’t just make the headphones bearable, they transform them into interesting, delicious sounding, fun machines. I can now see the attraction. These Grados have a certain liveliness (as in lifelike presence - more than just dynamics), maybe an extra bit of transparency(?), that I haven’t heard elsewhere. Obviously, there is a price to pay in that potentially unruly treble, but once you figure out how to control that (no discussion of eq is being invited, it is of no interest to me, right or wrong), there is much pleasure to be had. Again, it is crazy to me that anyone could think the RS1e with original pads are dark - I have to respectfully disagree, not just compared to other (non-grado) headphones, but compared to live music in general (well maybe it would sound like that if you were standing next to the drum kit with your ears too close to the cymbals), these headphones with original L pads are bright. But stick on the Vever G Cush and they not only improve in comfort, but the sound becomes downright addictive. Maybe that’s why most of the other 50mm Grados come with the G Cush as standard? Just guessing - not offering an opinion.

Anyway, the important thing is that, once I changed the pads and reacclimated myself, I kinda fell in love - these things are addictive. I’ve always admired Grado as a company (although I haven’t been able to use their cartridges because they aren’t a good match for my tonearm), and I like the whole gestalt of the headphone. I like the light weight, I like the resonant mahogany chamber, I like that they chose the cord they want you to use and put it there permanently (though I question the choice of a 3.5mm connector with a 1/4” adapter rather than vice versa on a $695 headphone, and I don’t like the ease with which the cups rotate unfettered, thereby potentially over-twisting the captive cord). But those are minor quibbles, at worst. I am overjoyed with my RS1e purchase, and I continue to find myself looking for reasons to look at them, touch them, listen to them.

For context/perspective only: I currently own LCD-X (2021 rev.), DCA Open X, and Sennheiser HD 280 Pro/580/600/650. At the moment, if forced, I would put the Grado RS1e second only to the Near-twice the price Audeze LCD-X. They are very different, and I am not going to bore everyone to death with a line for line comparison, but the Audeze are as close to my ideal as I’ve ever heard and the Grados, cool as they are, don’t quite rise to that level. Maybe the Audeze could be dethroned by something from the Statement or Professional Series(?), but not the RS1e. Not quite. I am fortunate to have enough room for both so, while the Audeze will remain in the main system, the Grados have booted the Sennheisers out of and will get daily use on my bedside system (powered by a SS class A amp with a very stiff power supply - more than up to the task of getting the full potential out of the RS1e). Added bonus - SWMBO adores the look of the wood-chambered headphones on the stand on my night table.

I’m not a measurement guy, and all of the above is just some early-Saturday-morning-and-golf-has-been-rained-out rambling by an old guy with a new (to him) pair of RS1e’s that he is crushing on hard. None of it is fact, all of it is my personal observation, in my house, on my system, with my ears, my music, my taste and my experience. None of it is put forth for any reason other than conversation - it is not intended to influence, insult or persuade.

Maybe I’m totally wrong, or maybe I’m the only one on the forum who has a clue. I’ll never know, and neither will you. So take everything I say for what it’s worth - I’m not Caesar’s wife, and I don’t spout dogma. I’m just an alta caca who’s been listening to music seriously for 50+ years and who knows what he likes (but doesn’t pretend to know what you like, and who won’t tell you what you should like - unless of course you ask ).

YMMV, just my $,02, etc., ad nauseum

Thanks for your detailed impressions, very nice to read and much appreciated.
I am glad you like and enjoy your RS1e.
I really love my RS1e and can confirm much of what you wrote.
However, for my ears they do not sound overly bright with the stock L pads.
For my ears they have nice treble with good amount but sound more smooth than aggressive to my ears with the stock L pads.
Good that you found a way to enjoy your RS1e with the different pads.
In the end it only counts if you like what you hear and it seems you do.

Congratulations to your new great headphone!