[jajabinker]

Im planning to buy Grado music series one @ about 125 USD.
It will be my first pair and the only one i can get locally of Grado.
senheiser, sony etc. of the same quality is more costly(correct me if im wrong).
 
I listen to classical music (mozart, bach etc), club music (tiesto etc) and rock (RHCP mostly) most of the time and the occasional metal and rarely pop. (basically all genres lol ).
 
i usually listen on my hp notebook (6730s)
Do i need a headphone amp along? and is it okay for my first set?
i can try for sr60's but i will have to look abroad.
 
p.s. im into playing/recording music, i.e. guitar and piano so note separation and clarity counts and bass not so much. and plan to use it with DAW's also

 

[Spelaeus]

I have the MS-1i's and I do quite like them. No, they don't need an amp to sound good. But I'm going to go against the trend here and say that they can improve with an amp. I find some improvement with even a FiiO E5 over the headphone-out on my Zen Vision: W (and use the line-out for the amp). But it's certainly not a necessity to enjoy them, and the internal amp on the HP might be good enough for you not to have to bother, but I don't know the specs on that. Otherwise, I will mention that $125 is a little pricey for them. You can purchase the MS-1 for $99 and the MS-1i for $109.99 with free worldwide shipping off of the Alessandro website. But if you consider it to be worth the extra money to avoid waiting on the shipping and buying locally, then by all means go for it.
 
Edit: For the record, the headphone out on my now deceased (may he rest in peace) Lenovo R61i thinkpad did have a better internal amp than my Zen Vision: W and probably wouldn't have seen much improvement with the FiiO E5. Though I can't verify that since it's currently frolicking in laptop heaven...

 

[mythless]

The MS1i are very nice headphones.  With all laptop it's sometimes better to buy an external soundcard since there will be less electronic noise.  If you really want a cheap one, $25USD, Turtlebeach has one called the Micro.  That should be enough to power the MS1i through your laptop.

 

[jajabinker]

cool thanks for telling me about the free shipping no clue how i missed that! any difference between the MS1 and MS1i? or is it just the converter. and im really interested on your opinions about the headphones, are there any alternatives that i missed?

 

[jajabinker]

cool thanks for telling me about the free shipping no clue how i missed that! any difference between the MS-1 and MS-1i? or is it just the converter. and im really interested on your opinions about the headphones, are there any alternatives that i missed?

 

[mythless]

^^
Not really, just newer housing design.  Either one should suit your needs.

 

[Kevin Brown]

I would say, save your money and get the SR80i's, which I think are  better headphones than the MS-1i's.
 
I recently did a shootout between the SR80i's and the MS-1i's.  I was expecting what everyone here seems to say: that the MS-1i's are a more refined, smoother version of the Grados.  Less midrange/high freq harshness.
 
First, the MS-1i's are not "based" on the SR125i's.  They are based on the SR80i's.  The 80's have a thinner cord than the SR125i's, and that is the same cord the MS-1i's have.  The MS-1i's do not have the thicker cord that the SR125i's have.
 
Second, from what I heard, and I compared with many CDs, many songs, at both low and high volume, the MS-1i's sounded a heckuva lot more like the cheaper SR60i's to me.  They were missing the better low end extension and impact that the 80's have that the 60's don't.  The midrange and high frequencies sound the same to me, between the 80's and the Alessandros.  The lows?  The SR80i's have beefier lows, but not in an overdone way.  In a solid way that complements the rest of the spectrum.  The MS-1i's just sounded "thin" compared to the Grados down low.
 
More here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/468090/grado-versus-alessandro/45
 
and here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/500088/allesandro-music-series-one-v2#post_6753573

 

[wind016]

I never really considered Grados to be that much quality...  Spending over a hundred bucks on a Grado is a shift of money not towards quality imo, but just more of the sound if you like it.  Buy a cheaper Grado SR60i and decide if that is quality. The quality of Grados do not improve by much in higher models... You get more for your dollar with other brands. A sennheiser, akg, denon, audio technica, ultrasone, etc etc of the same price will get you a better headphone.
 
Quote:

Im planning to buy Grado music series one @ about 125 USD.
It will be my first pair and the only one i can get locally of Grado.
senheiser, sony etc. of the same quality is more costly(correct me if im wrong).
 

 

[nathanv]

the ms1 is mostly for instrumentals if you like that than get them if not get the rs1 it's more for rock and that sort of stuff.

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Im planning to buy Grado music series one @ about 125 USD.
It will be my first pair and the only one i can get locally of Grado.
senheiser, sony etc. of the same quality is more costly(correct me if im wrong).
 
I listen to classical music (mozart, bach etc), club music (tiesto etc) and rock (RHCP mostly) most of the time and the occasional metal and rarely pop. (basically all genres lol ).
 
i usually listen on my hp notebook (6730s)
Do i need a headphone amp along? and is it okay for my first set?
i can try for sr60's but i will have to look abroad.
 
p.s. im into playing/recording music, i.e. guitar and piano so note separation and clarity counts and bass not so much. and plan to use it with DAW's also

 
You'll be fine.  Don't let the Grado haters confuse you with FUD.  You're paying a little more to buy local (They're $99 off the Alessandro website).  Check the vendor's return policy.  That way, if you don't like what you hear, you can bring them right back for a full refund (if it's available).  You'll be able to tell, within the first week, whether the MS1 is something you'll like.  It may not be long enough to get a full "burn-in," but I think you'll find, right out of the box, that these are sensational headphones.
 
Grado sells its headphones through a variety of authorized dealers, but it has an exclusive deal with Alessandro, which gets to make its own versions (using the same Grado drivers) under its Alessandro name.  The MS1 is very popular, so popular it has its own cult following.  The specs are analogous to those of the SR125, which sells for $150, so even though you're paying a premium for an MS1, you're going something analogous to the $150 SR125.  I've read posts from guys using these as recording monitors.  I've never read a post from an unhappy MS1 owner.
 

 

[jajabinker]

Quote:

 
 
I've never read a post from an unhappy MS1 owner.
 

Very true i did search a lot for that.
 
cool, i think ive made my decision to get them (MS1's). Thanks GUYS!
 
p.s. my first post here and great forum keep it up!

 

[Spelaeus]

Quote:

cool thanks for telling me about the free shipping no clue how i missed that! any difference between the MS-1 and MS-1i? or is it just the converter. and im really interested on your opinions about the headphones, are there any alternatives that i missed?

From what I've heard, there really doesn't seem to be any major between the MS-1 and MS-1i in terms of sound, the MS-1i just has an extended housing compared to the MS-1. All in all, I'd say go for whichever one you think looks better. I've posted this image a few times on the forum, but it's still helpful for threads like this. MS-1i on the left, MS-1 on the right:

 

[neuheadfi]

i bought my ms1i for $100. do ebay search and make an offer good luck.
i am an instrumental listener ( paul mauriat, richard clayderman ...) only good with nicken mod

 

[Kevin Brown]

  I've never read a post from an unhappy MS1 owner.
 

 
Originally Posted by jajabinker /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Very true i did search a lot for that.
 
cool, i think ive made my decision to get them (MS1's). Thanks GUYS!
 
p.s. my first post here and great forum keep it up!

 
Post #7 ... 

  Head to head shoot out with the SR80i's.  The SR80i's won.  But I fully expected the Alessandro's to win.
 
You are not getting SR125i sound quality with the MS-1i's.  More like the bass-shy SR60i's IMO.
 
Jajabinker- I very strongly recommend that once you get you MS-1i's, try to compare them to any or all of the SR60i's, SR80i's, and the SR125i's if you can.  I think you'll be surprised by what you hear.
 
I certainly was ...

 

[HydroTurtle]

ms-1's are a GREAT choice for ur first headphones
however the grado sound isn't for everyone as the Grado sound signature can be more of a love or hate thing from my experiences.
Best thing to do is try a grado out if possible.
 
I had the MS-1's as my first audiophile headphone and i ddnt rly like the sound sig. at first but it grows on you.  eventually i learned to love them.  They are GREAT for ur musical preferences and I definitelty recommend them.