[eatmoreplant]

I am looking for a headphone/IEM that Ipod can drive very well without a amp. My RS-1 sounds excellent on the Ipod already but want to upgrade further and is thinking of GS-1000/E500. Are there any better choices?

I listen to pop/rock, and love the Grado sound as the bass is just perfect for pop. HD-600's bass is lacking for my taste of pop music.

Many thanks!!

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatmoreplant I am looking for a headphone/IEM that Ipod can drive very well without a amp. My RS-1 sounds excellent on the Ipod already but want to upgrade further and is thinking of GS-1000/E500. Are there any better choices? I listen to pop/rock, and love the Grado sound as the bass is just perfect for pop. HD-600's bass is lacking for my taste of pop music. Many thanks!!

Hi
I have owned the stock GS1's and they are amazing out of a portable device, like they are already amped on a $800+ amp...superb.
However, I found their sound too sibilant and without enough oomph, or balance in the tone, nor the FR...and so opted to buy the BDGS1's to compare...[size=xx-small]anddddd[/size]

the comparison was short, and the story is shorter...BDGS1's by the size of California or more..

 

[eatmoreplant]

Many thanks for the comments, they are very helpful. BUT.... my wallet is burnt with a deeper hole if I am going to get BDGS1...

But with your comments, how can I go back to the stock GS-1000? Well, that's "Head-fi"...

Can you elaborate more on the sound difference? Thank you!!

 

[Mercuttio]

The GS1000 sounds good out of an iPod. I'd go as far as to say that it is the best unamped headphone I've ever heard from an iPod... but that's still really wasting its true potential.

 

[eatmoreplant]

Thanks a lot for the comments. Are there any other good cans that drive well unamped from the Ipod?

Mercuttio, what other cans have you tried? And how do they compare to the GS-1000?

 

[yellafella321]

if you can afford the gs-1000's and/or e500's, why wouldn't you get an amp for them so that they sound at their best?

 

[eatmoreplant]

The reason I don't like to use amp is I like portability. I can keep my ipod in my pocket and listen while walking in the house, and walk in the garden at night (so people don't notice my headphone)... But then again, I have people looking at my RS-1 thinking that my grandpa left me those phones...

 

[jdimitri]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatmoreplant The reason I don't like to use amp is I like portability. I can keep my ipod in my pocket and listen while walking in the house, and walk in the garden at night (so people don't notice my headphone)... But then again, I have people looking at my RS-1 thinking that my grandpa left me those phones...

Well, i think you should get a G1000 (WHY WOULD U GET AN IEM FOR THE HOUSE U NUT)

Lol iems r good, but headphones half the price beats or al least matches it, at least the ones i tried
Get the headphone, and xin's supermini- he just released a new one too
Don't forget to get a lineout cable from audiolineout.com or turbo from here
IF you travel and on the train/bus a lot and that's where u listen to music the most, get the iem

Just what i think should be best for u

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatmoreplant Thanks a lot for the comments. Are there any other good cans that drive well unamped from the Ipod? Mercuttio, what other cans have you tried? And how do they compare to the GS-1000?

I've tried most headphones directly out of the iPod. Call it morbid curiosity. To name a few that I've heard:

HD650, RS1, SR225, MS2i, W10VTG, Qualia 010, W11JPN, SR60, HP1000 (HP2), DT880, DT770-80, SA5000.

Directly out of an iPod, the GS1000 sounds the best, period. It isn't sibilant in any way.

Here's the tricky part. Right now, I'm only listening to my portable rig (iPod and Bithead) because my mid-fi-ish home rig is ruthlessly bright and not meshing well with the GS1000. Sibilance galore. I'm going to keep messing with it to find the balance I want... I'll need a lot of bass and treble control to find my true nirvana with them.

The GS1000 is absolutely spectacular when driven well with great gear behind it, and your iPod flat out sucks. It's OK, mine sucks too. Just because the GS1000 makes the iPod sound as good as possible doesn't mean that "good as possible" is anywhere near what I know first hand that it can be. I didn't check your profile, do you not use amps or anything other than an iPod?

Sometimes warm, relaxing and a little mushy combined with the unbeatable GS1000 soundstage and tone is the way to go. What I'd like to have is something quicker, cleaner and with more texture (source and ampwise) to compliment it. Not quite there yet!

 

[kramer5150]

what is it you don't like about the RS1? what are you trying to improve on?

IMHO the RS1 sounds conjested without a decent amp circuit, adding a mid-fi amp will improve on that (assuming you'll take advantage of the ipod line out?). The GS1000 is ~$1000. If that's your budget you can get a DAMN fine RS1 amp for the kind of $$$. Heck Ive seen singlepower amps for around $500 in the F/S forum. Go for that and a source upgrade, and leave the ipod for portable use.

Ive never heard the GS1000 so I cant comment on how it sounds unamped, but I'm willing to bet its not reaching full potential unamped.

And one more thing, neither the RS or GS will be reaching full potential with that source.... regardless of what amplification you use.

 

[Mercuttio]

At the very least, you NEED to start using the line out and a portable amp.