[Abovetheair]

Currently right now I have some Alessandro MS1i's, and have had them for about a half a year. The sound sig seems to be my taste, I just love the sound these put out. When I listen to my Audio Technica M50's I always seem to put them down and put on my Alessandro's.
 
So now to the main question on this thread, what is the best upgrade route through Grado?
Should I start my upgrade to the MS2's, or go to the SR225's? I think eventually I will end up in the higher end grado models, I want to take my time going through and enjoying all the headphones Grado has to offer.
 
Secondly what >$300 headphone amp would you recomend for Grado's specifically?
 
I know someone will tell me I should have used the search, but most of the topics I scrape through have no specific answer to this question. Thanks for all the help
 

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Technically, MS2i is better, but I suggest you have to try them before make purchasing, because they're a bit different than MS1i.
 
and honestly, I can't find any $300 cans that can replace my MS1i 

 (don't know it's give or curse, when the only one way to upgrade straight from MS1i is MS-Pro)

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abovetheair /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I think eventually I will end up in the higher end grado models, I want to take my time going through and enjoying all the headphones Grado has to offer.
 

 

ATA, I really have to question this strategy. Like you, I started with the MS1 and soon had several pairs of Grados, but I can see the wisdom in what many here have said over the years:
 
1. Be happy that your SR60/80/MS-1 is a great set of phones for (comparatively) little money and try to resist the urge to upgrade for as long as possible.
 
2. When you do make the plunge, be prepared to save for the RS1, even if it means holding off for a few months.
 
3. Like many of us, you probably spend time wondering just how 'awesome' the GS1000/PS1000 are, but nothing I have read here or elsewhere tells me that I need to go beyond the RS1 - the golden eared here may disagree.
 
Good luck !
 

 

[Abovetheair]

Do you have a amp suggestion for the RS1, also a DAC would be great? I plan on saving for it, maybe next June I will purchase them

 

[alphaphoenix]

What's your budget?  To properly drive Grado, you want a good amount of current.
 
Melos - $1K+
Mapletree - $400+
SOHA JISBOS - $200+
Millet Max - $200+
Gilmore Lite /DPS - $400+
RA-1 (varies)

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

Currently right now I have some Alessandro MS1i's, and have had them for about a half a year. The sound sig seems to be my taste, I just love the sound these put out. When I listen to my Audio Technica M50's I always seem to put them down and put on my Alessandro's.
 

You just saved me from creating the same thread and asking the same question. I've had my M50 on my head the last few weeks as I burned them in. The M50 was purchased to complement my beloved MS-1i. While I agree the M50 presents a great value proposition, I've come to realise I just don't enjoy them any where as much as my MS-1i. I'm actually contemplating selling off most of my gear, keeping the Audio-GD Fun, to finance what would hopefully be a substantial and final upgrade to the Alessandro MS Pro.

 

[Abovetheair]

Around $300 mac what is the best?
 
Quote:

What's your budget?  To properly drive Grado, you want a good amount of current.
 
Melos - $1K+
Mapletree - $400+
SOHA JISBOS - $200+
Millet Max - $200+
Gilmore Lite /DPS - $400+
RA-1 (varies)

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

Do you have a amp suggestion for the RS1, also a DAC would be great? I plan on saving for it, maybe next June I will purchase them

My MS-1i has great synergy even with my RA-1 clone. I suspect the Fun's DAC section has a lot to do with the clarity presented while the RA-1 clone unleashes the crunch and attack I love so much from the MS-1i. When I plug straight into the Fun so that it's utilised as a dac and an amp I find a more restrained sound but with better definition and soundstage (this is with the Earth opamp installed). I'd recommend you look into an Audio-GD Sparrow as a starting point based on your budget.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

For amp about suggestion, I really love pair my MS1 with Linearossa K3. It's just about $300-$400 I think.

 

[Kevin Brown]

I had the MS1i's and actually didn't like them very much.  They didn't seem to have much bass, very much like the SR60i's I listened to.  The SR80i, SR125i, SR225i, and anything higher have more (and better IMO) bass.
 
If you are thinking about the MS2i's, I like these very much actually.  But if you are thinking even higher, then the HF2 from TTVJ simply must be on your list too.
 
Depends on how much money you want to spend.   
 
Personally, I don't think an amp helps Grado's that much.  They are fairly low impedance and relatively high sensitivity.  With that said however, I have found that all of the Total Bithead, Aune Mini USB/DAC/amp, and Audio-gd Sparrow USB/DAC/amp provide pretty good synergy with any of the above Grado's that I've mentioned.  (Well, my HF2's are on the way as I write this.  :-D  Can't wait ...)  The Audio-gd Fun is very similar to the Sparrow, just with more features.