[niktheblak]

Ok, I just today received my pair of Alessandro MS-2's. Since the Head-Fi community is essentially the driving force that got me getting a pair of MS-2's, I think I owe the community my impressions about the cans

Let's start with the intimacy. When listening to these phones, I completely sink into the feeling, there's nothing between me and the music. No veils, no clothes, nothing. The music is completely naked, embracing me. It's such an intimate skin-to-skin contact that I never knew it was even possible.

And it's not just that they are very intimate and involving, the sound is incrediably civilized and refined. They're smooth, sweet and accurate. I would definitely consider these cans for monitoring. And still they rock like a Grado ever can! The best thing about these cans is that they are so alive, so musical, full of emotion and they rock seriously hard.

So, let's quickly review the acoustics basics. The bass hits hard and heavy. It's deep, fast and perfect. The mids and highs are s-w-e-e-t, almost beyond imagination. They are so smooth and delicious that it makes me want to eat them. The overall sound is pretty neutral, but it has the Grado-style rock-ability we've all learned to love.

I have no clue on why people don't rave more about the MS-2's. For me this is about as good as it gets. If someone makes a better pair of cans, they'd better charge some sweet $ for them.

Too bad the bowls hurt like hell

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by niktheblak /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, I just today received my pair of Alessandro MS-2's. Since the Head-Fi community is essentially the driving force that got me getting a pair of MS-2's, I think I owe the community my impressions about the cans Let's start with the intimacy. When listening to these phones, I completely sink into the feeling, there's nothing between me and the music. No veils, no clothes, nothing. The music is completely naked, embracing me. It's such an intimate skin-to-skin contact that I never knew it was even possible. And it's not just that they are very intimate and involving, the sound is incrediably civilized and refined. They're smooth, sweet and accurate. I would definitely consider these cans for monitoring. And still they rock like a Grado ever can! The best thing about these cans is that they are so alive, so musical, full of emotion and they rock seriously hard. So, let's quickly review the acoustics basics. The bass hits hard and heavy. It's deep, fast and perfect. The mids and highs are s-w-e-e-t, almost beyond imagination. They are so smooth and delicious that it makes me want to eat them. The overall sound is pretty neutral, but it has the Grado-style rock-ability we've all learned to love. I have no clue on why people don't rave more about the MS-2's. For me this is about as good as it gets. If someone makes a better pair of cans, they'd better charge some sweet $ for them. Too bad the bowls hurt like hell

Great write up! I could not have said it better myself, I agree 100%!

The bowls are supposed to get better over time, you could try washing them with baby shampoo, there are a lot of threads on this.

 

[SK138]

Having owned just about every Grado in recent past, I agree MS2 is the best value. After selling all my Grado/Senn collection to pursue AT cans...I am back to where I started with the best (value)...MS2

 

[hentai]

i compare ms2 to sr325i. I greatly prefer 325i as it sounds more alive to me. Ms2i is quite boring.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hentai /img/forum/go_quote.gif i compare ms2 to sr325i. I greatly prefer 325i as it sounds more alive to me. Ms2i is quite boring.

Put some flat pads or the yellow senn 19545 pads on the MS2 and the bass punch and overall dynamics are just excellent. The MS2 is as far away from boring as I can image in my setup.

 

[Blackmore]

I have heard SR321i fully modded by KEES, just great sounding phones. Never heard MS2i, but MS PRO coming my way and I am very exiting.
I think the whole issue with comfort is that the housing made from aluminum. Once again, I liked SR325i, but they are heavy, if you compare them with other Grados. And that's the problem, kind off. However when I auditioned PS1, I just forget about how heavy they were

 

[niktheblak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hentai /img/forum/go_quote.gif i compare ms2 to sr325i. I greatly prefer 325i as it sounds more alive to me. Ms2i is quite boring.

It's darker than SR325i, that's for sure, but...boring? I would say that Sennheiser HD595's could be viewed as boring under certain circumstances, but the MS-2? Never. Well, YMMV.

There's one thing I forgot to mention: soundstage. After a while of listening, I realized that the soundstage issues on this phone are much less severe than with MS-1's. They're not Sennheisers, but still I find the soundstage enjoyable and sufficient to the least.

It also seems that MS-2's are superior to MS-1's on metal because the treble is more refined and less harsh. This makes MS-2's more forgiving towards bad/overly trebly records than MS-1's. I just listened to some Darkthrone (which needs pretty forgiving headphones

), and it rocked.

Edit: and ditto for classical too, violins really appreciate the refined-ness.

 

[F107plus5]

I pretty well agree with all the good comments expressed in this thread!

......except for the part about the bowls! Right after getting the MS2i with bowls to replace my MS-1s with reversed 414s, I managed to get in a fourteen hour listening marathon! So I guess the physical ears are the deciding factor. I suspect that we ain't all the same at that! And the weight doesn't seem to be a problem either as long as I'm not trying to walk around too briskly or look down at the keyboard when I'm trying to type! They tend to try to fall onto the keyboard!!

....but then again; I don't try to type too much when I'm wearing them since I'm too busy concentrating on the music and not on my typing anyway!

And that's also true; the soundstage isn't all that bad either! I find my MS2i to be about halfway between my MS-1s and my HD600. About perfect to me considering their more forward presentation. IMHO.

And yup; they are a good value! The increase in SQ over MS-1 is worth a good part of the price increase, but when you add in the better materials and workmanship, they become almost a bargain!

....again; IMHO.

Comparing them with SR-325i is a good idea too! I give Grado a lot of credit for offering the SR-325i/MS2i pair in two versions. We alumifans get a nice choice!!

Oh yeah; I'm a real fan of these puppies too, and sometimes I think I rave about them a little too much. My one big fear is that someone will buy them because of my recommendation or excitement....and not like them!!

But since this appears to be an MS2i "fan" thread.....!

 

[young&wild]

Yeah, wearing the MS2 gets a while to get used to. Then again the clamping force of the MS2i is not as bad as that of the AKG K81 DJ in my opinion

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by young&wild /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, wearing the MS2 gets a while to get used to. Then again the clamping force of the MS2i is not as bad as that of the AKG K81 DJ in my opinion

Have you tried adjusting the band clamp by bending the headband?

It took me about five tries with my MS-1s to get them just right.

......then again I swapped pads a lot on the MS-1s till I found the set I liked best.

But I only needed about THREE tries with the MS2i!!

 

[Vicomte]

I'm finding it hard to ship mine back to Grado for some cosmetic repairs..I just have to do it before the warranty expires. I just can't part with them.

 

[Dominat0r]

ohhh man, i want them...im soo impressed with the MS1s, i know the MS2's would just be awesome. Im thinking of selling my woody 580s for a Grado.

 

[Benco]

God, why do you have to post such great impressions. I've wanted these for awhile. When I get paid on 3/2, I'm almost positive I'm going to take the plunge!

 

[Hermitt]

I knew that I would be impressed if i bought ms2is, but the pros were a lot of "sweet $$$" more so they must be better ... right?


errr... excuse me while i have another *eargasm*

 

[young&wild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tried adjusting the band clamp by bending the headband? It took me about five tries with my MS-1s to get them just right. ......then again I swapped pads a lot on the MS-1s till I found the set I liked best. But I only needed about THREE tries with the MS2i!!

Well, I don't really like bending headbands, I usually leave them as they are out of the factory. It's not like I against people doing it, but it's just me.