[RockCity]

Picked up a RS-1 locally today. Seller bought it in 2003 and used it for 10 hours. I loved the wood color so I bought them. However, I can't seem to find the serial number on the cups or on the box. Another thing, the pads were the most frustrating thing to take off. Somehow they were stuck to the lacquer and the process took one whole hour to carefully clean the foam residue. Is there a way I can tell if my RS-1 is semi-vintage?

Update: Pictures

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0880.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0881.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0884.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0885.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0886.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0887.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0888.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0889.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0890.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0892.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...u/DSC_0893.jpg

 

[Cankin]

Does it come with a wooden box? What color is the headband??

 

[CD44hi]

Oh, goody, the ones with glued pads tend to be vintage type. Good for you! And of course, w/o serial numbers back then. So you indeed have one of the older ones. THe really old ones have a brown headband, came with flat pads (glued as well) and had a redish/black mesh instead of the white current one.

 

[BushGuy]

The pads sticking to the wood is quite common - even if you only had the pads off last week. It happens that easily. The ser.# is always written on the wood that would be covered by the earpads.......re box - my RS-1 2001 box has ser. written on the outside, bottom of the box.

 

[CD44hi]

Oh, and forgot the real vintage also came in a wooden box, as mentioned 2X above....

 

[CD44hi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushGuy /img/forum/go_quote.gif The pads sticking to the wood is quite common - even if you only had the pads off last week. It happens that easily. The ser.# is always written on the wood that would be covered by the earpads.......re box - my RS-1 2001 box has ser. written on the outside, bottom of the box.

yeah, one thing is sticking to the wood versus actually glued to the wood. I have seen older RS1 that the pad had to be ripped of the earcups because it was glued. Not stuck to the varnish...

 

[RockCity]

It was glued then. I wasn't sure if I had clumsy hands, but they were stuck good. Cleaning up the bits with light alcohol was like surgery. I'm still amazed by the wood. It's a dark glossy mahogany with perfectly matched buttons. The headbands leave a little to be desired. Errant strands here and there, but looks hand made. Looked everywhere, no serial numbers. It came directly from Grado with invoice so it is authentic. I prefer it with bowls at this point. Strangely, the drivers look identical to those is MS2i. I wonder if Grado skipped research after SR-225?

BTW, black headband and white box. Definitely not Joe Grado vintage.

 

[kontai69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockCity /img/forum/go_quote.gif Strangely, the drivers look identical to those is MS2i. I wonder if Grado skipped research after SR-225?

Yeah, all Grado drivers look the same from the outside. The upper end (RS2 and up) have the black blob on the back of the transducers.

 

[RockCity]

Uploaded some pictures.

 

[CD44hi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockCity /img/forum/go_quote.gif Uploaded some pictures.

Based on the pics, definitely not old vintage. But they still look great, and I am sure sound wonderful, so enjoy!

Regarding the stuck pads: Maybe the previous owner glued the pads himself, since usually this type of RS1 did not come with glued pads.

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CD44hi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Regarding the stuck pads: Maybe the previous owner glued the pads himself, since usually this type of RS1 did not come with glued pads.

The foam turns gummy as it ages and sticks to the wood.

I dunno why it does not happen with the plastic/metal grados. It may have something to do with finish or the oils in the wood.

EDITED:
2003 is older then a serial-numbered pair. I think serial numbers started turning up around 2005-2006.

 

[CD44hi]

If I may, I'd like to put forward a hypothesis: To the extent that it is a chemical reaction within the foam and the varnish on the wooden cups ;_)

 

[RockCity]

Since the pads are 5 years old, do I wash them with a dab of shampoo and let them dry over night? Were the RS-1s designed with flats originally or with the bowls in mind?

 

[CD44hi]

Five years is pretty toast for a pair of pads, with frequent use.

Actually, even if used un-frequently, they do tend to get dry with age...

Brown headband RS1 came with with flats from factory. As far as I know, black headband RS1 (the current, or last decade more or less) came with bowls.

IMO, it is a subjective point, some prefer current or vintage with either pads. I personally think the brown headband sound the best with flats.

 

[RockCity]

Thank you CD44hi, you are very helpful. My initial impression is I like the RS-1 with bowl pads. With flat pads, the RS-1 and the MS2i sound indistinguishable. Evidently, sound loses its borders when music is upfront or too close. The RS-1 sounds very dynamic with the hollow bowl pads, a quality that MS2i loses over a short distance. The leap from the MS2i to RS-1 is noticeable but I wouldn't call it an outright improvement. In my opinion the RS-1 sounds colored, but more fun. I'm not sure if this coincides with other people's opinions or if my ears are still readjusting to the sound.