[lord_tris]

Where are the PS500's number wise? I am still last lol.

 

[xylin6]

kvtaco17 was first,alpha421 was second, i was third,manbear was fourth and KidA81 was fifth and he recently posted that he had mailed them to california to the sixth person (though i recall you saying you were sixth in line a few weeks back) so maybe you're seventh? you may want to email todd and check with him.

 

[lord_tris]

HI Jason,
 
You get the 6^th and last spot on the PS500e loaner program. The RS1e program is already filled up.
 
Todd
Todd F. Green
President, TTVJ Audio
 
Shipping address:
405 2^nd Ave East
Three Forks, MT 59752
 
Mailing address:
PO Box 1335
Three Forks, MT 59752
 
Phone
866-444-3910 toll free
406-285-3910
406-285-3911 FAX
 
www.ttvjaudio.com
todd@ttvjaudio.com

 

[lord_tris]

Is there a list that people are getting their info from or is it just a cap shot and sending the headphones out to random people?

 

[xylin6]

at the end of your review week Todd contacts you with a name and address to mail the headphones to, or if your seven days are nearing the end and you haven't heard from him you can contact him by email or phone. I would call or text him.

 

[cheneric]

Is there a list that people are getting their info from or is it just a cap shot and sending the headphones out to random people?

Hello lord_tris,
 
Just finished with the PS500e's. Will be shipping it out to you on 9/26. 

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

I received an email from Todd, asking if RS1e has arrived yet?  It hasn't.  Who has them now?

 

[lord_tris]

  Hello lord_tris,
 
Just finished with the PS500e's. Will be shipping it out to you on 9/26. 

Thank you!

 

[Billheiser]

  I received an email from Todd, asking if RS1e has arrived yet?  It hasn't.  Who has them now?

I sent my loaner Rs1e out to the next person (#4, in Pleasanton, California) on August 29.  It should have turned over at least twice more since then.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  I sent my loaner Rs1e out to the next person (#4, in Pleasanton, California) on August 29.  It should have turned over at least twice more since then.

 
Thanks, I'm #6 and haven't seen it yet.  I'm only asking because Todd asked me if I have it yet...

 

[Billheiser]

Thanks, I'm #6 and haven't seen it yet.  I'm only asking because Todd asked me if I have it yet...

It's certainly overdue to you then. Hope Todd can clear it up, perhaps he needs to contact #4 or #5.

 

[zeher]

It's certainly overdue to you then. Hope Todd can clear it up, perhaps he needs to contact #4 or #5.

Just an update on the RS1e: I am #4 and just received them yesterday. I moved a couple of months ago and so the phones had to be forwarded to me from my old address (the Pleasanton, CA one), accounting for the delay. Apologies for this! I will be listening to them all day today and then sending them off to the next person (Mr. Coleman) as soon as my work schedule allows. I will have my review of them up soon, comparing them to my current favorite Grado RS2i's

 

[Billheiser]

  Just an update on the RS1e: I am #4 and just received them yesterday. I moved a couple of months ago and so the phones had to be forwarded to me from my old address (the Pleasanton, CA one), accounting for the delay. Apologies for this! I will be listening to them all day today and then sending them off to the next person (Mr. Coleman) as soon as my work schedule allows. I will have my review of them up soon, comparing them to my current favorite Grado RS2i's

Mystery solved!  Thanks.

 

[zeher]

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.

 

[Compassionator]

Hmm, I know it is still too early to be making generalizations, but based on what I've read thus far is that the e series Grados are smoother and darker than there predecessors.  I tend to agree that older Grados are bright and in your face, but in an appealing way.  For me at least, that is why I still have a pair of 20+ year old pre "I" series Grados, which I listen to once in a while.  And when I compare them to the "i" series, the "i" series seem less aggressive more balanced but with the right amount of Grado sound in them.  Now it seems that the "e" series has gone another step in the same way, which might not endear themselves to all fans of the "i" series, but might appeal to a broader range of headphone wearers.  This would make good business sense as the hp market has grown dramatically over the last several years.  My dealer has yet to get the e series, so I have not listened to any yet, but maybe one of the models retains more of the GRado sound.  Otherwise, hopefully I'm wrong, but the series will be just be closer to another smooth and balanced headphone.