[zombie medic]

as i have said before there is simply no way for me to audition them both in my current situation. there for i will go with my logic and gut instincts on this one and what people have been saying. My heart and head is set on getting the grado rs1i. if i somehow dont like them i can simply return them and get the he 500 (which i sorta doubt i will).
 
thank you all for your help!

 

[tomb]

Just a question, but who are you going to blame when you like the sound of Grados, your heart is set on Grados, and then the majority in your poll vote for HE-500's?

 

[zombie medic]

Quote:

Just a question, but who are you going to blame when you like the sound of Grados, your heart is set on Grados, and then the majority in your poll vote for HE-500's?

 
i dont think i would blame anyone. everyone has different tastes and from a technical stand point i can see why some people would choose hifiman over grado. They seem to be more neutral, have a bigger sound stage and bass impact and they can do all genres decently well (from what iv heard from people). This is contrast to grado which can do a few genres very very well while they dont do so good in others. But from what iv heard grado would be a better choice for me personally once i started to think about it. 
 
1. because most of my library is rock/metal/grunge so on and so forth
 
2. when i visted cruchtfeild i got to try on the sr80i and i absolutely loved them i even liked them more then most of the 300 dollar phones there.

 

[cel4145]

2. when i visted cruchtfeild i got to try on the sr80i and i absolutely loved them i even liked them more then most of the 300 dollar phones there.

Sounds exactly what a Grado fan would say. Some people aren't that excited about the Grado sound, which is what the poll reflects.

I read all the negative stuff about Grados and almost didn't order the SR80i to try. First five minutes out of the box, I loved them. If I could only have one pair of headphones for home use (portable is obviously not a good choice for Grados), the only $200 headphones I would take over the SR80i (and I've heard quite a few) are my SR225i

It definitely seems like you are in the "love" the Grado sound group.

 

[KG Jag]

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2. when i visted cruchtfeild i got to try on the sr80i and i absolutely loved them i even liked them more then most of the 300 dollar phones there.

Sounds exactly what a Grado fan would say. Some people aren't that excited about the Grado sound, which is what the poll reflects.

I read all the negative stuff about Grados and almost didn't order the SR80i to try. First five minutes out of the box, I loved them. If I could only have one pair of headphones for home use (portable is obviously not a good choice for Grados), the only $200 headphones I would take over the SR80i (and I've heard quite a few) are my SR225i

It definitely seems like you are in the "love" the Grado sound group.

But then how do you know whether or not you like brand X (in this case the HE-500) better if you have never heard them?
 
I like the Grados and Alessandros very much.  I like the sound of the HE-500 better--at least up to and including the RS1 (=/- i) and the PS 500.
 
If your going to spend about $100, get the Alessandro MS-1i.  It beats the (very good) 80i for almost exactly the same price tag.

 

[zombie medic]

Quote:

But then how do you know whether or not you like brand X (in this case the HE-500) better if you have never heard them?
 
I like the Grados and Alessandros very much.  I like the sound of the HE-500 better--at least up to and including the RS1 (=/- i) and the PS 500.
 
If your going to spend about $100, get the Alessandro MS-1i.  It beats the (very good) 80i for almost exactly the same price tag.

i probly wont know for a long time if the he 500 are better than the rs1i or vice versa. as i have said before there is basically no way for me to try both of the on and compare them at the moment.
 
However from what i have been reading and from what i have heard from people the rs1i would fit my tastes almost perfectly compared to the hifiman.
 
Just after i tryed those sr80i's i realized something. I realized if almost all the cans in the grado line have this sorta sound signature that i like but improves more on the way up well i was thinking  "then just think what a higher end grado would sound like!" that gives me even more support to get the rs1i (even tho i have heard that the rs1i does deviate alittle from the grado sound signature in regards to warmth and bass....but in a good way i guess!

 

[cel4145]

But then how do you know whether or not you like brand X (in this case the HE-500) better if you have never heard them?

As I agreed with you above, you can't unless you hear both. Otherwise, you have to make your best guess. How would anyone know that headphone Y would be the best choice of any other headphone in their budget range? It's all making a decision on what information you have available

 

[KG Jag]

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Originally Posted by zombie medic /img/forum/go_quote.gif

...
 
Just after i tryed those sr80i's i realized something. I realized if almost all the cans in the grado line have this sorta sound signature that i like but improves more on the way up well i was thinking  "then just think what a higher end grado would sound like!" that gives me even more support to get the rs1i (even tho i have heard that the rs1i does deviate alittle from the grado sound signature in regards to warmth and bass....but in a good way i guess!

 
The Grado sound signture is generally used to describe the SR line,  That's where you get the sitting on stage with band slam and wall of sound.  Those things are not part of the Grado RS line sound signature.

 

[tomb]

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The Grado sound signture is generally used to describe the SR line,  That's where you get the sitting on stage with band slam and wall of sound.  Those things are not part of the Grado RS line sound signature.

Sorry, but I reluctantly disagree with this.  The only Grados that severely deviate from Grado sound are the GS-1000's and perhaps the PS-1000's (haven't heard these) - and the HP-1000's.  The essential difference in all the rest: going from SR to RS and PS-500's (and HF-1's, HF-2's) are more refinement, less harshness, and in most cases - better and deeper bass.  Generally speaking, the PS-500/HF-2's are at the same level, with RS-1's a bit faster with more detail, but the PS-500/HF-2's having a fuller sound with much better/deeper bass.
 
Grado has tricked out the SR line compared to back in the day, in that they all had bowls except the SR-60.  You could literally hear another 1/2 octave or so of bass added each time as you moved up from SR-60 to 80 to 125, etc.  Those differences are not as apparent now with the flat pads in use up to the 125, but if you were to put bowls on each, that's what you'd notice as the difference - more bass and a bit more refinement (less hot harshness) as you move up the line, but all sounding extremely similar.
 
The pads mean a lot on every headphone - perhaps more so on Grados, re: flat pads vs. bowls vs. G-bowls.  Then the other distinction is the cups in use - plastic, wood, metal and the depth and weight of the cups.

 

[KG Jag]

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The Grado sound signture is generally used to describe the SR line,  That's where you get the sitting on stage with band slam and wall of sound.  Those things are not part of the Grado RS line sound signature.

Sorry, but I reluctantly disagree with this.  The only Grados that severely deviate from Grado sound are the GS-1000's and perhaps the PS-1000's (haven't heard these) - and the HP-1000's.  The essential difference in all the rest: going from SR to RS and PS-500's (and HF-1's, HF-2's) are more refinement, less harshness, and in most cases - better and deeper bass.  Generally speaking, the PS-500/HF-2's are at the same level, with RS-1's a bit faster with more detail, but the PS-500/HF-2's having a fuller sound with much better/deeper bass.
 
Grado has tricked out the SR line compared to back in the day, in that they all had bowls except the SR-60.  You could literally hear another 1/2 octave or so of bass added each time as you moved up from SR-60 to 80 to 125, etc.  Those differences are not as apparent now with the flat pads in use up to the 125, but if you were to put bowls on each, that's what you'd notice as the difference - more bass and a bit more refinement (less hot harshness) as you move up the line, but all sounding extremely similar.
 
The pads mean a lot on every headphone - perhaps more so on Grados, re: flat pads vs. bowls vs. G-bowls.  Then the other distinction is the cups in use - plastic, wood, metal and the depth and weight of the cups.

I guess our ears disagree, especially if we're talking stock Grados (with stock pads), as I was.
 
The RS line has a much larger sound stage and dispursed sound in comparison to the SR line (with the 325is being a true transiton between the two lines). In addition clarity and extension is improved moving from the SR to RS line. 
 
The PS 500 has more bass than either.  It has a sound stage a bit smaller than the RS's, but significantly larger than the SR's--except for the 325is, in which case is is "only" larger.

 

[sling5s]

The only headphones that I know that has the Grado sound and is good for both rock and electronica are:  ATH-ESW9 or less so Senn. HD25.
 
If you go with RS1i, get a tube amp like MAD EAR or Little Dot I+

 

[leon995]

I prefer rs1i for its perfect, neutural sound. It won't let you down, trust me.

 

[zombie medic]

would a amp/dac improve the sound quality greatly? or would it just add minor improvements?
 
Iv heard you can drive the rs1i's directly out of a ipod so im wondering if getting a amp and a dac would be worth the exstra money. If its worth getting an amp im thinking about get the little dot i+ (thanks for your recommendation sling5s!) iv been looking around and that looks like the best cheap amp for the can's. My budget would be sorta small for the amp + dac IF its worth it of course so no mad ear+HD for me. Im really not sure about what i would get for the DAC though.

 

[sling5s]

For small budget, HRT makes great musical dacs: HRT Music Streamer II or Microstreamer.

 

[levinhatz]

Quote:

would a amp/dac improve the sound quality greatly? or would it just add minor improvements?
 
If its worth getting an amp im thinking about get the little dot i+ (thanks for your recommendation sling5s!)

 
With the RS1i the differences are minor in terms of with/without an amp/dac, but they are definitely noticeable if good. I would agree with the Little Dot 1+ recommendation, I've tested a lot of amps with the RS1i and the 1+ makes the biggest difference, especially for a relatively cheap amp. It really adds to the punchiness/energy of Grados unlike anything else. Try it with the WE408A tubes for a nice warmer sound.