So after listening to the RS1e’s for several hours yesterday and comparing them to my RS2i’s, I feel like I have a good enough grasp on their sound to comment.
For reference, my other audio equipment/chain consists of the following:
Headphones I currently own: Grado RS2i, Audio Technica ATH-A900X, Brainwavz R3
Headphones I used to own: Beyerdynamic T90, JVC HA-FXT90, VSonic GR04 Pro, UE Super.FI 5 EB
DAC/Headphone Amp: Aune T1 w/ Amperex Orange Globe tube
Speaker Amp: Topping TP22
Speakers: PSB Image B6
Media Player: Foobar2000 w/ WASAPI, mix of high bitrate mp3s and a few albums in FLAC. I listen to a variety of genres, but for this review I listened to what I’m currently into, which means a lot of pop (Broods, Banks), electronic (Flying Lotus, SBTRKT, Rraph, Basic Channel), and some rock (Interpol, Drenge).
I also own a Technics SL-Q3 turntable outfitted with a Grado Blue cartridge/needle outputting to a NAD PP-1 phono preamp, but I didn’t use this source to listen to the RS1e’s.
Since the Grado RS2s are my favorite out of all the headphones I’ve had the chance to listen to, and since they obviously bear the most similarity to the RS1e’s, I’ll be comparing these two phones mostly for this review. A few words on why I enjoy the RS2s so much: I love the signature “Grado sound”, which to me consists of tight, punchy bass that is more mid-bass centric than sub-bass, very forward mids (such that vocals and guitars are very clear and upfront), and bright highs that aren’t shrill. I also very much enjoy the RS2’s energetic in-your-face presentation, aided by its relatively compact soundstage. I seem to recall reading on this forum at some point that Grados make your music sound “realer than real” and I think that that is a perfect description of my RS2s: they make me feel like I’m on stage with the group I’m listening to but there is also clearly some coloration of the sound.
First thing that I noticed with the RS1e’s is that they are definitely more comfortable than my RS2s. The RS1e’s headband is padded, which makes a huge difference in comfort, and the cups seem to rest more naturally on my ears. The overall build quality seems to be better as well as they feel more solid and less liable to break than my RS2s.
As for the sound, I found the RS1e’s to sound very similar to my RS2s, but to differ in a few important ways. (On a technical note, they are slightly more sensitive than my RS2s, so I had to be careful to adjust for volume differences when trying to A/B the two phones.)
First, the soundstage on the RS1e’s is a little wider, and the imaging a little better than the RS2s. This might be due to their larger cup size, but I definitely had an easier time picking out and separating individual instruments on the RS1e. At the same time, the RS1e sound more closed and less airy, as if there’s a little bubble around my head in which the sound is resonating. Where my RS2s sound like the instruments and vocals are playing just near my head as from thin air (sort of speaker-like, if you will), the sound from the RS1s is more headphone-like, if that makes sense.
Second, the RS1s are warmer than my RS2s. They not only have a slightly louder bass response, but the sound sounds fuller to me, and it feels like the sub-bass on the RS1e extends further. I would call the RS1s more “lush” and “full-bodied”, when compared to the RS2s. This lushness is further accentuated by the fact that the RS1s seem to be more balanced overall in terms of sound signature, so that the mids don’t jump out at me like they do on the RS2s. Vocals (my favorite part of most music) are still clear and accented, but they aren’t as separated from the rest of the music as they are on the RS2. It’s when we get to the upper-mids/highs that the biggest difference is revealed. The RS1s are much smoother and more refined than the RS2s. The RS2s are bright phones, but they are not bright like, for example, the Beyerdynamic T90s. While the latter I would describe as having an icy-cold sound that could cause me physical discomfort on some sibilance-rich and poorly mastered tracks, The RS2s I would describe more like a hot ray of light. The RS2s definitely have a rough edge to their upper-mid/high presentation, but I enjoy this roughness and it makes the music more exciting to me. The RS1s are missing this roughness, and the highs are perfectly smooth throughout. They are still bright phones, but they don’t attack your ears or send chills down your spine like either the Beyerdynamics or the RS2s do.
All in all then, it seems to me like the RS1e’s are a more refined, fuller-bodied version of my RS2i’s. Their sound is more balanced, less in-your-face, and easier to listen to for extended periods of time. Given all of this however, I have to admit that I prefer the sound of my RS2s at the end of the day. Whenever I would switch over to the RS2s after listening to the RS1e’s for a while, I would be amazed at how lively and energetic the sound was. The RS1s were boring in comparison, and I had to listen to them for a while in order to settle in on their signature – a fuller, less aggressive tone. I don't listen to my Grados to have a balanced, full sound; I have my speakers for that. I listen to the Grados when I want to dance along in my seat to the music and be caught up in the melodies, and the RS2i's serve me better for this purpose.
Anyways, thanks for reading these rambling thoughts, and thanks to Todd for setting up this loaner program! I’ll send along the headphones to the next person in line soon.