[Kirosia]

I loved the RS1, but there was a reason why I didn't keep it.

1. The sound hurt my ears A LOT. I think it was the chunkiness. The sound was incredibly enjoyable though. I'd wear it for hours on end, w/ flats and bowls, dancing in my chair. But since they hurt my ears so much, I started listening to my crappy speakers. Then I was like, hey if senns soud like good speakers, I want to try them out. When I put the RS1 up for sale, I kept having reservations, since whenever my stopped hurting I'd put them on and realized how good they are. I think they're great, and I wish I had high-end tube amp/source to try them with.

OT, but I having nothing to listen to right now. I was planning to get a HD650 w/zu, but I had to let my mom borrow $400, so I guess I have to wait till the end of the month.

I can say that I really miss the RS1 and it's grado-ey goodness.

 

[braillediver]

Here's a good review from Zanth to start.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16224

The Senns are laid back and let you fall asleep listening to the performance. Sort of high brow and aristocratic.

The RS-1's put you on stage where the excitement is, no chance of falling asleep. Sort of like a punk rock girl with body piercings.


Mitch

 

[1911]

imo the rs-1 are very very good. from their website you can read all the glowing professional reviews. from a layman's view when i first listened to them in new york they blew me away. now it is more difficult to a/b them since i have found most audio stores carry one brand or the other and not both. but that is where the headfi meets can come in handy. i recently got a pair of rs-1 and am burning them in . my goal being to acheive the sonic bliss experinced in the audio store.
are they worth 695 dollars? that is tough on many points. that being in terms of headphones comparable to that price are they better or worse?
should one be spending 695 on headphones in the first place??
that said i have no regrets of buying the rs-1 and ra-1 combo. i think the enjoyment i receive will be worth every penny. the only sadness i have experienced so far is that they have exposed my source as a fraud and i love my yamaha cd player.
on a side note, someone i know has trashed monster cable. now i have the "good stuff" the cables you buy at high end stores but the monster found at blockbuster. what are head-fiers opinions on monster. perhaps this should be on the cable forum but i thought i would throw this out. later

 

[GoRedwings19]

It's difficult to say, because of people different taste in sonic preferences. Personally I love the RS-1 especially when combined with a good tube amplifier. The senns are Ok, but they don't get my foot tapping like the RS-1's though. I think it is wrong to say the senns or better or the grado's are better because they reproduce the sound in a different way. Figure into cost that hd650+zu cable will cost you about $600 new and the price/performance isn't as good as everyone makes it out to be. So for the sake of $100 difference it is marginal at best. It comes down to your own sonic preferences. Although I do rate the sr-225 very highly.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911 the only sadness i have experienced so far is that they have exposed my source as a fraud and i love my yamaha cd player. on a side note, someone i know has trashed monster cable. now i have the "good stuff" the cables you buy at high end stores but the monster found at blockbuster. what are head-fiers opinions on monster. perhaps this should be on the cable forum but i thought i would throw this out. later

1911, I keep telling you, new source man! And as for the cable you own, might I direct you to this thread - http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...+monster+cable

 

[1911]

on another side note,
yesterday after listening for about 30 minutes to creed at what i thought was moderate volume my ears were ringing. not a good sign....too loud or something else? the ra-1 amp was turned to 10 o clock and the yamaha player was on high output for those who are familiar. anyone else's ear ring?

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911 on another side note, yesterday after listening for about 30 minutes to creed at what i thought was moderate volume my ears were ringing. not a good sign....too loud or something else? the ra-1 amp was turned to 10 o clock and the yamaha player was on high output for those who are familiar. anyone else's ear ring?

HELLO TINNITUS!

Dude, calm those highs down! That's also what they call "fatigue" - your ears just can't take too much of it. You need to lessen the brightness ASAP and by any means possible. Reverse those bowls at least, for the sake of Mario Kart - "Oh Lord, Please Help Me..." (inside joke w/friend here)

 

[NKT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver The RS-1's put you on stage where the excitement is, no chance of falling asleep. Sort of like a punk rock girl with body piercings.

LOL! That's one of the best descriptions I've heard. I guess my w2002's would be a high priced escort? Senns are the kind of friendly jeans-n-tshirt girl you meet in a library?

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKT LOL! That's one of the best descriptions I've heard. I guess my w2002's would be a high priced escort? Senns are the kind of friendly jeans-n-tshirt girl you meet in a library?

Nah, Senns are the Librarian that keeps shushing you to keep quiet

 

[philodox]

I think you either like them or you don't... which is definately confirmed after reading this thread. I personally do not like the Grado sound. I prefer the Sennheiser sound by a fairly high margin... but I do notice some of the problems that people point out.

I think it comes down to which compromise you are willing to make. For me I am willing to compromise on the amount of bass in my headphone as I find other headphones often have too much. Grado users are willing to compromise on soundstage because they enjoy the fun impact that they achieve. Sennheiser users are willing to listen to a dry laid back sound because they love the neutral presentation that they get.

Every headphone has its strengths and its flaws.

But mine are the best.

 

[Pat]

There's a reason Grado has so few supporters on this board. We're all too busy enjoying our music (I suppose I got suckered into this thread).

I was an "audiophile" for a few years. Critiquing everything I could about my components. Tweaking this part, replacing that part - never quite being satisfied. Fact was, I listened more to my system than I did to my music. That all changed when I got my RS-1s. They've got back invovled with the music. I could forget about my equipment for once and just listen. There's so much satisfaction in that.

If I could add one comment, the pace, rhythm and timing of the RS-1 is superb. It brings life to even the dullest of recordings. Not too many people talk about that. Many seem too preoccupied by getting an absolutely perfect flat response.

If you like the sr-80s, you'll love the RS-1s. Simple as that.

 

[Zanth]

Oh my my my....it's an old school thread!! You know, a REAL slug fest, Senns vs. Grados. With all the action taking place in the amp forum I thought folks had simply stopped listening to headphones and instead were critiquing the innards of amps!

Back on topic... for me RS1's > HD650. It is a preference thing. I personally find that HD650's are quite able to reproduce sounds quite well. Analyzing each band, one can pick out admirable traits, but an they reproduce music very well? Hmmm, for me, not so much. Not when compared to the RS-1's. Certainly the 650's are a step up from 600's, but you know why? They are more Grado sounding. No stop laughing, it is true!

I swear, every phone on this board is a picky phone. The fanboys will come out swinging saying you need a Bill Gates trust fund to pay for the R&D needed to design a custom multi-billion dollar source and amp to mate perfectly well with said phones. And in the end, that will still not be good enough.

Folks are going to have differing opionions. I find Senns sound fake and they have this unnatural instrument separation. Others will state that conversely, the RS-1's are muddy, because the instruments aren't separated enough. Who is right? Listen for oneself.

Taking Headrooms opinions though as greater than say...those of us here is futile. Headroom are the biggest Senn fanboy pack of all time. They continually state the HD650's are the best headphone in existence. Come on...I personally can list 5 off the top of my head that destroy it, and I'm not alone in believing this.

Todd lists the RS-1's as 5/5? Well now, this man has some sense! But...look, he is the vinyl junkie, all about the music man, analogue lovin' and the RS-1's were voiced with vinyl!

Secretly though, and shhh, this is just between you and the rest of the folks that decide to read this post...the best phones ever made are the Grado HP-1000's. Buy a pair and never stop listening

 

[Puddleglum]

I've heard some people say that it's a better deal to get the woody/recabled sR225's from headphile over the RS-1's. Is that in any way true? I definitely don't have any problems with my SR80's. For some reason, the fatigue I experienced after I first got them is pretty much gone, and they have always been comfortable to the point that I don't notice them(maybe my head and John's are the same dimensions). So I was planning on getting some closed phones for all-around listening when I don't want to disturb anybody, and some Grado's for when I do.

 

[Zanth]

IMO, RS-1's smoke the 225's.

 

[swalker]

I think RS1 is easily the most coloured high-end phone out there and, to my ears, it was more coloured than its cheaper siblings which shows the polarizing nature of the 'phone. I really liked RS1's added separation(even though it sounds a little like listening through pipes sometimes) and refinement in addition to the signature liquid mid of the Grado but it's just way way too coloured in the low-midrange for my taste to choose it over the Senns or even the AKGs. I actually prefer the tonality of SR325 over that of RS1 and agree with Headroom's assesement of RS1 being an exotic treat; great sounding sometimes but not so great for all-around purpose.