[AdamZuf]

the treble region interests me most!

 

[AdamZuf]

and...

 

[AdamZuf]

AND..

 

[TonyTripleA]

Adamzuf,

Since no-one who knows seems to be able to help, let me give my relatively inexperienced impression on just one of those cans the MS-pros.

First, I've only had these for a couple of weeks so I am sure others will add much more experienced observations. Second, I'm comparing them with my time with the etymotic 4P canalphones.

With etys I hear every nuance of separation with absolute clarity. I'm sitting here now listening to high impact music (kraftwork) on the MS-pros and when I try and resolve separate instruments they are certainly distinct. Ten seconds later I'm tapping my foot again and not thinking about the detail at all. That's it with the MS-pros, the music is so good you just stop being amazed by analysis (and I analyse all the time with the etys).

I wondered if the MS-pros would handle classical faithfully. Not sure how I would describe the color of the Ms-pros but once again, I find it "fun" for classical as well. Listening to Beethoven's piano concertos the other night had me "rocking" and I cannot remember ever doing that to piano concertos before. Weird hey, my wife looked at me and thought I was listening to Madonna or something...

So to answer your question simply: I'm not sure you'll care too much about instrument separation with the MS-pros... you'll be errr... busy grooving. But if you want to you sure can, and the treble is well defined for this. I really love the clear high impact bass best though.

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[Hirsch]

The MS Pro and RS-1 are very similar headphones. I don't have the MS Pro anymore, but I wouldn't rate one as better at instrument separation than the other. The differences are in frequency balance, and, to some extent, optimal distance from the head (bowl pads work better on MS Pro than RS-1). That aside, in comparison to other headphones, even other Grado's, these sound very close.

 

[AdamZuf]

thank you. i was wondering if the RA-1 helps the RS-1 in that regard.
i like the idea of less amp dependant headphones, but maybe a better result (in our regard) could be had from this combo, and it does sound more balanced then the RS-1 with other amps, yet a bit lacking in high end.
maybe i could try making the bowls "deeper" to gain a bit more of high end to my taste, and maybe a bit more soundstage on the way.

 

[elnero]

I thought my PPX3 had a bigger more open soundstage with better separartion than the RA-1 with RS-1's but I didn't do any extensive listening.

 

[AdamZuf]

TonyTripleA,
i do know what you are talking about. since i got the RS-1, the ER-4 got only about 2 hours of listening (3 months!), and that is in portable situations/comparisons.
the RS-1's language is unbelievable. i'm sure that the MSP's too tell the story of each sound just the same, and do justice to the perception of composition.
i like the RS-1 for classical more then the Ety's. however, i am bothered about the seperation in classical music more of coarse, and would like to perfect that.

hirsch,
i guess that the PS-1 pro is the next step to go, in this regard, ha?

 

[AdamZuf]

good info, elnero!
did you hear it in a meet? which one? (can you link me?)
is there one owner for all 3 that i could address this question?

 

[mikeg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamZuf thank you. i was wondering if the RA-1 helps the RS-1 in that regard. i like the idea of less amp dependant headphones, but maybe a better result (in our regard) could be had from this combo, and it does sound more balanced then the RS-1 with other amps, yet a bit lacking in high end. maybe i could try making the bowls "deeper" to gain a bit more of high end to my taste, and maybe a bit more soundstage on the way.

I've done lots of comparisons of the RS-1 driven by the RA-1, versus being driven by a 300B tube amp. I also compared a couple of types of flat pads to the stock bowl pads. Although the RA-1 gives a really lovely sound through the RS-1, use of the tube amp. yields slightly better resolution at the high end. The tube amp also yields better separation between instruments, and a larger sound stage. But, despite this, the RA-1/RS-1 is still a really wonderful combination, and a pleasure to listen to. As for the various pads, the bowl pads give a substantially larger sound stage than the flat pads. Also, one type of flat pads "deaden" the sound somewhat, while the other kind of pads retain its lovely high end. But, overall I prefer the stock bowl pads, which I recognize is a minority view.

 

[AdamZuf]

mmm...
and how does the RA-1 compare to other amps?
i prefer not going with tubes.. and i need my setup to be compact.

 

[kunwar]

I think TonyAAA summed it up well when he said that the music is so nice and musical that one just forgets the analytical part of the music.
The Ety's sounded funny to me after listening to the MSP's and I don't regret buying either one of them'they serve their purpose real well.
Etys rule on road
the MSP rules at home. period.
I also have found that the sound of the MSP's are not affected much by the type of amp used as in SS or tube.
I have the Mad Ear+ 25th edition special and the Talisman T-3H.
Both are superb and the Talisman jsut more transparent.i am starting to realise that i would be hard pressed to find an amp more transparent then the Talisman.
I have had the oppurtunity to compare it to several amps by now and it still is the best I have heard.

The MSP's are definitely the phone for me
I had the oppurtunity t listen to the HP-1 finally and I found it a bit bland after listening to the MSP.
It is neutral, yes and to me a bit uninvolving.

The treble on the MSP is tight, it doesn't stray.
It adds to the music without taking anything away from it.

cheers
Kunwar

 

[elnero]

Another very generous Head-Fier loaned me his RS-1's and RA-1 to audition for a few days. I didn't spend much time with the RA-1 but enough to know that I felt the PPX3 was better in just about every area. It's still a very nice amp but the PPX3 just has that much more.

 

[mikeg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamZuf mmm... and how does the RA-1 compare to other amps? i prefer not going with tubes.. and i need my setup to be compact.

From my experience with the RA-1, I think that you'll be very happy with it. But, although my view is not prevalent, I'd stick with the stock bowl pads. This is because the RA-1 already provides a smaller sound stage, so it's best not to reduce it further with flat pads.

 

[AdamZuf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeg From my experience with the RA-1, I think that you'll be very happy with it. But, although my view is not prevalent, I'd stick with the stock bowl pads. This is because the RA-1 already provides a smaller sound stage, so it's best not to reduce it further with flat pads.

and for not to kill the high end, which the flats already did!
i like bowls better, when the system is adjusted to them. the flats are too colored, no matter what you'll do with your system.