Grado RS-1 too bright?
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:33 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
joe chill

joe chill

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Hi, Im a recent new owner of a pair of Grado RS-1 (2006 ish) powered by a Lehmann Rhinelander and a Arcam rDAC to give it that little edge. The sound is unbeliveably clear and detailed to the point that it almost hurts my ears. What are your opinions regarding this matter, do you find them as bright as I do? I know the previous owner had only about 10h on them and I about 5h. Will they calm down over time or will I get used to them? Will I be better off with another pair of cans? I usually appreciate bright and detailed sound but I honestly feel that my ears might get hurt and Im having a hard time enjoying the music. 
 
Kind regards/ Joe
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:38 PM Post #2 of 15
 
 
 Are you finding the bass to be fairly big and bloomy? I find the Arcam rDAC when I had it adds a little coloration
 in that sense ~ big bass across the board, it was almost over the top with my 325i at times.
 
 As for general brightness, it's such a subjective thing ~ there is no way of telling how sensitive you might
 be to the Grado house sound, but overall you cannot have it all ~ absolute clarity, speed, involvement are
 all Grado character traits, some higher end Audio Technica's also share this trait but it can result in
 fatigue.
 
 It also comes down to your material - what do you listen to?
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:39 PM Post #3 of 15
 
 
 Try getting some flat pads ~ either the factory Grado flat pads or the Sennheiser HD414 yellow pads, that will
 also tame the edge off the upper mids and treble area, bass might prove to be over the top though.
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:42 PM Post #4 of 15
Hello and welcome, Joe. I have an RS-1 from around the same period. To me, it's a very bright headphone at all times, but not to the point of discomfort. No headphone should cause actual discomfort in that way.
 
Many of us choose to pair our Grados (especially the RS-1) with either tube amps or warmish SS amps to somewhat tame the highs and bring out the sweetness in the mids and fullness in the bass. Unfortunately, I haven't used your amp AND my RS-1 came well broken in, so I can't comment on either of those two parts of your question.
 
I would personally suggest sticking with them to see if burn in (both physical and psychological) does the trick. They're well worth the effort. Despite having purchased many "higher-end" headphones in the last few years, I still feel the RS-1 best approximates the natural sound of an acoustic guitar.
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:51 PM Post #5 of 15
Thanks for your answer. Im listening to a lot of Fogerty, Norah Jones, Nils Lofgren, Dire Straights. The source is usually flac from my computer. My previous cans have been Bose On-ear and B&W P5 so its quite the step up for me. The rDac works well with my stereo system and I find it better than my old Dacmagic. 
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:55 PM Post #7 of 15


Quote:
olias of sunhillow said:
Despite having purchased many "higher-end" headphones in the last few years, I still feel the RS-1 best approximates the natural sound of an acoustic guitar.
Click to expand...



 I could not agree with you more there good sir. 
smile.gif

 
 Add electric axe to that too.
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:57 PM Post #8 of 15
RS-1's become less strident with burn in, and with a properly matched amp... and... with the "tape mod" (search the Grado threads for the tape mod, but it's electrical tape wrapped around the outer edge of the pads).  The tape mod prevents the pads from collapsing and provides better soundstage and mellows the sound.  
 
Few phones are better (if any) for acoustic music.  Though, I think I like my "new version" Senn HD580's (with the HD600 screens)... perhaps... as well - very similar sound... and... my ATH AD2000's, as well - maybe a bit better.  But, for acoustic material the RS-1's are very hard to beat!  I find if difficult to chose between these phones - though, I think the RS-1's sound more realistic for acoustic guitars, violins, cellos, etc.
 
The mate very well with all my amps... but... if I were going to focus on the RS-1's primarily, I think I'd get the MAD Ear+ (or variation) - all the reports are superb for that pairing.  
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:58 PM Post #9 of 15


Quote:
joe chill said:
Flats are on the way, hopefully they will arrive tomorrow =)
Click to expand...



 Good work - I say try keeping them busy until then - as in keep them playing to rack up the hours before the flatty pads arrive.
 
 Try them on for size and report back with the results.
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 6:01 PM Post #10 of 15


Quote:
olias of sunhillow said:
Hello and welcome, Joe. I have an RS-1 from around the same period. To me, it's a very bright headphone at all times, but not to the point of discomfort. No headphone should cause actual discomfort in that way.
 
Many of us choose to pair our Grados (especially the RS-1) with either tube amps or warmish SS amps to somewhat tame the highs and bring out the sweetness in the mids and fullness in the bass. Unfortunately, I haven't used your amp AND my RS-1 came well broken in, so I can't comment on either of those two parts of your question.
 
I would personally suggest sticking with them to see if burn in (both physical and psychological) does the trick. They're well worth the effort. Despite having purchased many "higher-end" headphones in the last few years, I still feel the RS-1 best approximates the natural sound of an acoustic guitar.
Click to expand...


Sounds like a plan, I really fell in love with the design and everything I've read have had nice things to say about them. The Lehmann Rhinelander is known for be very honest and clear so it might not be the best companion (despite that many stores pairs them in package deals). A tube amp would be great but a bit over my spending limit. Burn in seems to be a factor, whether its psychological or not. Im used to more bass heavy phones (Bose On-Ear and B&W P5) so it might take some time for me getting used to them. Listened to a pair of Dr. Dres today and they sounded awful compared to my setup =)
 
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 6:06 PM Post #12 of 15
My RS1i are on a Mapletree tube amp, which really smooths out that Grado "sparkle" or brightness. I have no problems listening for a few hours at a time.
 
I also have an rDAC that I'm really happy with. It's coax compares very well to the analog outs of my Rega Saturn CD.
 
iTunes lossless files from my Mac Mini to the rDAC asynch USB are great. It's pretty much the equal of the Rega Saturn with redbook CDs. HDTracks downloads at 24/88 or 24/96 are spectacular.
 
Jan 25, 2012 at 6:12 PM Post #14 of 15


Quote:
jtinto said:
My RS1i are on a Mapletree tube amp, which really smooths out that Grado "sparkle" or brightness. I have no problems listening for a few hours at a time.
 
I also have an rDAC that I'm really happy with. It's coax compares very well to the analog outs of my Rega Saturn CD.
 
iTunes lossless files from my Mac Mini to the rDAC asynch USB are great. It's pretty much the equal of the Rega Saturn with redbook CDs. HDTracks downloads at 24/88 or 24/96 are spectacular.
Click to expand...


The maple-tree seems really nice but its very hard to find, especially in northern Europe where I live. Running most of my music from my Mini as well and the iPhone as remote, really nice and simple solution with good enough source quality for me.  
 
 
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