[LugBug1]

I've got nearly 30hrs on these now and so here is few first impressions and to be updated later.
 
My equipment is in my signature at the bottom, budget to midfi.
 
These are the most expensive Hp's I've bought or owned so my expectations are high. I got over the magic dust period pretty quickly and think I can now make a few objective impressions.
 
First appearance: They look pretty much what I thought they would, small, quirky. They are lighter than I thought they would be. The wood looks very nice and with the black grill its a pretty fab design. Quality control could be better, the occasional piece (although tiny) of excess plastic from the mold is still there. There is also a couple of pieces of string from the mesh hanging, again tiny but they really should have been removed. The cable is awkwardly twisted in places and this will even out in time but was never the case with my new sr225's.
 
Sound first listen: The first thing that hit me straight away and with aplomb was the attacking brightness and the huge bass. I've never heard bass like that from an open headphone. The detail, considering that they are straight out the box is staggering! I had been recently appreciating my new re-cabled 650's and thought they had detail, but not in the same league as the RS1's. These also are verging on being aggressive from the mids up, I'm going through a few old rock favorites and I can see how these are the ultimate rock headphone, they are soooo exciting! No matter how loud you have the volume, you feel a kick from the bass drum. Bass guitar just grabs you by the balls and doesn't let go..! I'm hoping the treble is going to calm down a bit as they are verging on the brittle side at the very top end. 
The sound-stage is on par with my 225's from the sides, top to bottom it is larger. The sound as a whole is denser.. more richer like going from milk chocolate to dark.
 
Sound 2nd day: The treble is calming down and I'm pleased. The bass is still  big but it is nice and I just know you would find it nice too! in fact I would go as far as to say, anyone who doesn't like these phones for what they do: doesn't like music. 
These are music friendly hp's. They are not clinical, they keep you focused on the music and not how good the recording is. I've been astounded on how they seem to calm down and smooth bright recordings, and at the same time brighten up warm recordings.. really! I've been playing recordings that I've known for the best part of my life and they've never sounded more alive. That to me is true resolving.
 
But it's still early days... Hope this helps anyone who is thinking about shelling out for these. I got a bargain, otherwise I wouldn't have them in the first place.
 
To be continued... 

 

[LugBug1]

A week in and I'd say they are pretty much burned in now...
 
The sound now is much smoother than it was a week ago, not smooth compared to other hp makes such as sennheiser but smooth for Grado.. which means that they are still bright, but not as bright as other models.
 
The bass is where I'm impressed the most, it's deep and powerful, not the tightest I've ever heard but warm and earthy. Massive Attack's "Pray for Rain" with its creeping rolling bass and drums sounds superb.    
 
The mids are rich and very detailed, great for strings. The texture of the strings on Beethoven's 5th (kleiber) is very believable. Orchestral pieces sound better than I was led to believe from the "Ultimate Rock Cans" The airy sound stage and warm deep bass along with the rich mids and sparkly top end work perfectly well with classical music.
 
I've had a chance to try them with a good hybrid tube amp, the Xcan v3. I've read lots about the synergy with Rs1's and hybrid tube amps and although there is noticeably more sound stage and depth to the bass, the overall sound isn't that much different from my two ss amps. In fact every amp I've tried with these sound great! I've tried Creek obh21 & 21SE, Xcan v3, ibasso T3, but my current favourite is a homemade dual mono Cmoy design (£50 2nd hand Ebay) this has a powerful punchy sound that really brings the RS1i's to life. I take it back what I've previously said about buying high end hp's for portable use.. The Rs1's make everything sound good!   
 
The RS1i's are a very pleasant contrast to my trusty old 650's and I will be keeping them. I don't believe they are worth the price they being sold at, as they simply are not as good as the HD650's for e.g. But they are what they are.. and by that I mean there is nothing else like them (that I've heard anyway) for sheer fun and excitement in a can they may be the best.

 

[jr41]

Hey LugBug1, I just stumbled across your great review (thanks for posting it!) - I'm surprised no one has commented on it.
 
It's sounds like we have a lot in common headphone wise. I've just joined the Grado crowd with a pair of SR225i's, and have had a pair of HD 650s for some time. I brought the HD 650's as my first pair of good headphones. I looked into Grado's at the time, but based on my reading I felt the 650's were a safer bet. Like you I still like my HD 650's, and I won't be replacing them, but I can't take these Grado's off my head!
 
I've always wanted to try Grado's on account of their strong fan base, but I was nervous about comments regarding lack of bass, fatigue and brightness, and so was keen to listen to a pair before taking the plunge. I stumbled across a store on Tottenham Court Road which had the entire Grado range available for audition. I gave the SR225 and 325i's a try, and much preferred the 225's. Now that I have a pair, and I've spent some time with them in a quiet environment with a decent source and amp, I've been able to appreciate just how good they sound. I don't find them at all fatiguing or bright, and they have great punchy bass. I'm hearing things in certain tracks I never heard with the 650's; the 225's seem to communicate the emotion in the singer's voice better and better convey guitar distortion, etc. They lack 'body' in certain tracks, so it might be said the 650's are more forgiving and full bodied in comparison.
 
It could just be infatuation - time will tell - but I'm in love with the Grado sound at the moment. Consequently I've found myself reading reviews on the RS1i. I love the way these headphones look and I've read very positive things about the way they sound. May I ask where you got yours from? I'm in the UK too and I baulk at the idea of paying £760 for them, especially when our friends across the Atlantic can have them for $700. I note the likes of ALO Audio and TTVJ ship internationally. Even with import tax, etc., importing them would result in a considerable saving, I just don't know if this would cause me any problems warranty wise?
 
Now that you've had your RS1's for a little while, are you still in love with them? I would love to hear your latest impressions and further thoughts on how they compare to the 225's and 650's. Many thanks.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

Hey LugBug1, I just stumbled across your great review (thanks for posting it!) - I'm surprised no one has commented on it.
 
It's sounds like we have a lot in common headphone wise. I've just joined the Grado crowd with a pair of SR225i's, and have had a pair of HD 650s for some time. I brought the HD 650's as my first pair of good headphones. I looked into Grado's at the time, but based on my reading I felt the 650's were a safer bet. Like you I still like my HD 650's, and I won't be replacing them, but I can't take these Grado's off my head!
 
I've always wanted to try Grado's on account of their strong fan base, but I was nervous about comments regarding lack of bass, fatigue and brightness, and so was keen to listen to a pair before taking the plunge. I stumbled across a store on Tottenham Court Road which had the entire Grado range available for audition. I gave the SR225 and 325i's a try, and much preferred the 225's. Now that I have a pair, and I've spent some time with them in a quiet environment with a decent source and amp, I've been able to appreciate just how good they sound. I don't find them at all fatiguing or bright, and they have great punchy bass. I'm hearing things in certain tracks I never heard with the 650's; the 225's seem to communicate the emotion in the singer's voice better and better convey guitar distortion, etc. They lack 'body' in certain tracks, so it might be said the 650's are more forgiving and full bodied in comparison.
 
It could just be infatuation - time will tell - but I'm in love with the Grado sound at the moment. Consequently I've found myself reading reviews on the RS1i. I love the way these headphones look and I've read very positive things about the way they sound. May I ask where you got yours from? I'm in the UK too and I baulk at the idea of paying £760 for them, especially when our friends across the Atlantic can have them for $700. I note the likes of ALO Audio and TTVJ ship internationally. Even with import tax, etc., importing them would result in a considerable saving, I just don't know if this would cause me any problems warranty wise?
 
Now that you've had your RS1's for a little while, are you still in love with them? I would love to hear your latest impressions and further thoughts on how they compare to the 225's and 650's. Many thanks.

Hi, Thanks, this where I got my RS1i's from, he does'nt seems to have any listed at the moment but If you email him he is very helpful.  
I paid £490 with no extra shipping charge. Quite a saving!
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/wholesaledealsgalore/?_trksid=p4340.l2559
 
I'm still loving my RS1's but I've been on quite a journey trying to find a "perfect amp" for them. I'm currently messing about with a Little Dot I+ at the mo, its a great match, you can feel every vibration of the strings etc its got lots of current for low impedance phones. It's a bit on the bright side though so I'm going to try a different opamp which is in the post.
 
The thing with the Grado's is that they've got such an addictive sound! I'm now having to use 2 different rigs (see my sig below), one for my 650's and the other for my RS1i's because I've found it hard to find a source for them both to be happy with.
The sound I've currently got with my Musical Fidelity gear and 650's is the best I've had yet with any set up!- but it's too powerful and bright for Grado's.
 
Although the RS1's have the edge over the 650's in regards to detail and individual instrument timbre, as a whole I think the 650's are still my favourites, because I listen to a lot of orchestral music and the 650's for me are more resolving and can handle anything you throw at them.
 
In comparison to the 225's, the Rs1's are better but not a lot. The big differences are the bass, which is bigger and deeper and I would say that they are more refined as a whole, smoother at the top but still Grado bright. I still think that the 225's are a brilliant hp considering how much cheaper they are in comparison and are more grittier then the RS1i's.. this may be a preference when it comes to Rock music?. I tried the tape mod on them and it really brought the bass out and made them a bit warmer and punchier at the bottom.  
 
If you love the Grado sound then I can easily recommend the RS1i's. Why settle for 2nd best! Plus if you buy from the US, you will easily make the money back if you sell... and perhaps more.  
 
Cheers  

 

[jr41]

Many thanks LugBug1, I appreciate you taking the time to reply - you've certainly given me more food for thought

.
 
I too have the Little Dot I+, I've been using it to drive my SR225i's - they make a great pair. Good luck with the op-amp rolling!

 

[HeavenNotes]

Up again. What a good review. Any update after all these years? I’m in love with mines. I have found it pairs perfectly with AT HB22Tube with ECc88 tubes