[shimmer n roar]

it's been a long time coming but i finally compared the ps1000 and rs1i. there are notable differences in their presentations which is to be expected, but they share a strong family resemblance. both sound unmistakably grado to me. the ps1000 is an imposing headphone with its large, shiny and heavy ear cups. the rs1i by comparison, is so small and light that it feels quite flimsy. the ps1000 is the grander headphone of the two, both aesthetically and sonically. i also found it comfortable despite its weight but caution against any sudden movements and head bopping, which would only end in tears.

it has a larger soundstage, "eye blinking" clarity and detail. i'd describe the ps1000 as having a "u shaped" sound signature with its "tipped-up" but remarkably smooth treble, recessed mid-range and mid-bass hump. vocals sounded a bit thin to my ears. cymbals sizzled and had plenty of attack, but i felt this came at the expense of tonality. the bass was more than ample and would benefit from some reigning in.

the rs1i doesn't sound as smooth in the treble region as its bigger sibling and might not be quite as refined overall, but it is very detailed and has great clarity. i felt it had the more balanced, coherent presentation and i attribute this to its mid-range. like the ps1000, the rs1i also has "tipped-up" treble and a mid-bass hump, but its mids fill the valley that those peaks create more than the ps1000 does, which makes for more fulsome vocals and cymbals that have tonal color as well as attack. the bass was ample without being dominant, and sounded punchier and more controlled than the ps1000 to my ears.

i was struck by the ps1000's majestic, speaker-like presentation. it truly is an impressive headphone, but the hero for me was the rs1i. i think it's a fantastic headphone that punches above its weight and price point.

 

[Focker]

Wow, very interesting, Shimmer! 

 

[asmoday]

Thanks for the comparison/review shimmer n roar. Now it just makes me want a set of RS-1 even more 

but thats down the road as I just got the SR80i's. 

 

[LCfiner]

shimmer n roar's experience is fairly close to mine except replace the RS1 with the Magnum. The Magnum retains the same sound signature as the RS1 with a few tweaks. And in the case of the Magnum, the treble is smoother than the PS1000 but the PS1000 upper mids are smoother and less shouty than the Magnum
 
The PS1000 is good but loses the characteristic Grado sound and has a few issues. So I stuck with the Magnum and flats. 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

 
 
 
Lol! Grados cost 20% higher in Canada (compared to their official USA-only MSRP), this deal was definitely too good to be true.
 
And yes, I know that they cost even more just about everywhere else in the world (I could give UK and Australia as examples).

 
 Not really ~ since the distributor change - anyone over here in Oz can land an RS1i on their front door step for
 $695 all inclusive of delivery. PS1000? $1799 delivered, GS1000i $1095 - when you consider sales tax in
 some US states - Australia is cheaper now

 

[Twinster]

Thank you for the great review. I still haven't tried the RS1 and promise myself to never sell my MAD before trying them E

 

[Chris_Himself]

Somebody needs to offer a full-on Magnum headphone without the logistic trouble of sourcing all your shiet.
 
Waiting for all the stuff to come together can be a nightmare

 

[obobskivich]

How do you even get a Magnum these days?

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

How do you even get a Magnum these days?

 
Own an SR325 of any sort and mail it to Symphones with $399.
 
-or-
 
Gather a headband, cups, Symphones magnum drivers which are sold separately, and cable.
 
Quick and cheap way is just to get cups and drivers and reuse the old cable with a new SR-60. If you have one already, even better!

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

*Own an SR325 of any sort and mail it to Symphones with $399.

 
This has been discontinued about one month ago by Rhydon, he only sells v4 black drivers now. Some folks believe/speculate that he is working on a new headphone/product because he already got the tools to work aluminum and all the knowledge... I'm really not sure myself, because it was only a side-project for him (he has a career outside of Symphones).

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

 
This has been discontinued about one month ago by Rhydon, he only sells v4 black drivers now. Some folks believe/speculate that he is working on a new headphone/product because he already got the tools to work aluminum and all the knowledge... I'm really not sure myself, because it was only a side-project for him and he has a career outside of Symphones.

 
Well then I guess that'll be good news for us for a while

 

[rezolver]

Does the MAD EAR+ HD still hold the crown as the best amp match for the Grado family of headphones? Or might you have some other suggestions?
 
On the subject of Magnum's, I had an opportunity to borrow a pair of V4 Magnums for a week to compare against my RS1i's. Needless to say, I only needed 1 day to make my decision. Spent an evening and into the night with a friend going back and forth listening to the 2 pairs, listening to the following genre's; Rock, classic rock, folk, metal, pop, electronic).  
To start the evening, RS1i's were running off of my Little Dot I+, while the Magnums were running off of the ROC SA. The amps were then switched 1/2 way though the night to see if the RS1i's resembled any of the Magnum traits.
 
Magnums have a wonderful dark background (aka canvas) on which the music is 'painted' on compared to the RS1i's. RS1i has more 'grit' on the canvas. Personal preference here, but I'd like to hear an RS1i with such a black background.
Magnums bass overwhelms the whole frequency range.  This wasn't as bothersome with pop music (eg. Michael Jackson, and some electronic) but its awful with rock/metal, acoustic pieces. This causes the drum track to overshadow the bass guitar track. RS1i's bass has more punch to it and hits hard. Earsier to pick out bass guitar. I've always liked how the RS1i's presented bass.
Magnums soundstage is DEEPLY lacking. Where the RS1i soundstage is an outdoor venue concert soundstage with superb instrument separation and placement from left to right, the Mangums soundstage is a bedroom concert with all the instruments crammed inside. I'd compare the soundstage of the Magnums to an RS2. Very cramped and closterfobic (is the reason why I sold the RS2's in the first place). Just listen to the intro to Neil Young's - Heart of Gold and you will know what I mean. This is the biggest killer imo.
The highs. Magnum has smooth highs, but they are 'recessed'. Cymbals disappear from recordings and with it that treble sparkle. Smashing Pumpkins - Geek USA is a track that comes to mind which shows this. It was hard to follow the cymbals. My friend Ian, who is a drummer and love's his Pumpkins, had difficulties on the Magnums. RS1i's cymbals were very apparent, and lively, but never sharp. Cymbal splashing was easy to pick out and had great decay.
 
If I had to classify the Magnums in comparison to the previous Grado's I've owned, I'd say they have more and cleaner bass than the SR-325's, smoother treble than any Grado I've owned (at the price of clarity and sparkle), cramped soundstage which I'd compare to the RS2's.
 
Those are just my friend's and my findings, take it for what its worth. I ended up returning the Magnums back to my other friend after that evening, at which point he ended up selling them. He currently owns the PS1000's and used to own the RS1i's and found the Magnums to be sonically  inferior can to both.  Your ears may say otherwise.

 

[wje]

"Just When I Thought I Was Out ... They Pulled Me Back In Again"
 
After a 6 month Grado "sabbatical" I'm here to announce that I'm back.  Fortunately, I never changed my avatar the whole time.  

 
I purchased a pair of HF-2 Grados to use for some of my jazz listening.  I'm enjoying them again.  Also, thinking about coming out of retirement to build a pair of Magnums for personal use since the Headphone Lounge is offering some beautiful mahogany cups - finished and with screens.  Ah ... I'm feeling the love already.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

"Just When I Thought I Was Out ... They Pulled Me Back In Again"
 
After a 6 month Grado "sabbatical" I'm here to announce that I'm back.  Fortunately, I never changed my avatar the whole time.  

 
I purchased a pair of HF-2 Grados to use for some of my jazz listening.  I'm enjoying them again.  Also, thinking about coming out of retirement to build a pair of Magnums for personal use since the Headphone Lounge is offering some beautiful mahogany cups - finished and with screens.  Ah ... I'm feeling the love already.

 
Welcome back! haha

 

[Melvins]

Quote:

Does the MAD EAR+ HD still hold the crown as the best amp match for the Grado family of headphones? Or might you have some other suggestions?
 
On the subject of Magnum's, I had an opportunity to borrow a pair of V4 Magnums for a week to compare against my RS1i's. Needless to say, I only needed 1 day to make my decision. Spent an evening and into the night with a friend going back and forth listening to the 2 pairs, listening to the following genre's; Rock, classic rock, folk, metal, pop, electronic).  
To start the evening, RS1i's were running off of my Little Dot I+, while the Magnums were running off of the ROC SA. The amps were then switched 1/2 way though the night to see if the RS1i's resembled any of the Magnum traits.
 
Magnums have a wonderful dark background (aka canvas) on which the music is 'painted' on compared to the RS1i's. RS1i has more 'grit' on the canvas. Personal preference here, but I'd like to hear an RS1i with such a black background.
Magnums bass overwhelms the whole frequency range.  This wasn't as bothersome with pop music (eg. Michael Jackson, and some electronic) but its awful with rock/metal, acoustic pieces. This causes the drum track to overshadow the bass guitar track. RS1i's bass has more punch to it and hits hard. Earsier to pick out bass guitar. I've always liked how the RS1i's presented bass.
Magnums soundstage is DEEPLY lacking. Where the RS1i soundstage is an outdoor venue concert soundstage with superb instrument separation and placement from left to right, the Mangums soundstage is a bedroom concert with all the instruments crammed inside. I'd compare the soundstage of the Magnums to an RS2. Very cramped and closterfobic (is the reason why I sold the RS2's in the first place). Just listen to the intro to Neil Young's - Heart of Gold and you will know what I mean. This is the biggest killer imo.
The highs. Magnum has smooth highs, but they are 'recessed'. Cymbals disappear from recordings and with it that treble sparkle. Smashing Pumpkins - Geek USA is a track that comes to mind which shows this. It was hard to follow the cymbals. My friend Ian, who is a drummer and love's his Pumpkins, had difficulties on the Magnums. RS1i's cymbals were very apparent, and lively, but never sharp. Cymbal splashing was easy to pick out and had great decay.
 
If I had to classify the Magnums in comparison to the previous Grado's I've owned, I'd say they have more and cleaner bass than the SR-325's, smoother treble than any Grado I've owned (at the price of clarity and sparkle), cramped soundstage which I'd compare to the RS2's.
 
Those are just my friend's and my findings, take it for what its worth. I ended up returning the Magnums back to my other friend after that evening, at which point he ended up selling them. He currently owns the PS1000's and used to own the RS1i's and found the Magnums to be sonically  inferior can to both.  Your ears may say otherwise.

thanks! i love hearing people's impressions of grado flagships to the magnums