rds
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- May 4, 2008
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[size=small]The MS1000 vs the K701 – this sonata’s only for one[/size]
[size=small]Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano No. 31 in A-flat major op. 110[/size]
This was never going to be a fair fight. I haven’t heard a headphone that renders a good piano recording so effortlessly and precisely as the AKG K701. On the other hand Grado and Alessandro phones are quite out of their element when it comes to natural presentation of classical music (or any music one might argument). Regardless, it seemed only right to pit the MS1000 against the headphone which for me is a reference in how a piano should sound.
As the first movement of op. 110 opens with slow lyrical wanderings in the key of A-flat major each note seems to find its own space perfectly. The attack and decay is so fluid and natural there is no doubt that the listener is hearing a very special piano (not to mention pianist!). The large size of the concert hall is also very apparent adding just the right amount of reverb to fill the air between the notes. Even more incredible I can sense the emptiness of the hall - the result, I suppose, of having no bodies there to absorb the sound. This movement develops a feeling of spaciousness and the K701 really brings that space to life.
The second movement brings a stark contrast. It is fast, complex, and very aggressive. The sense of open space disappears almost instantly into a sort of angry tirade. The listener in pulled quickly into the chaos, but at no point does the music become congested. As before each note is clearly separated, and they come crashing down in such rapid succession there is a sense of stimulus overload. Here the K701 reveals what is probably its greatest strength – it is at once liquid in transition and perfectly controlled in delivery. In exchange for this small miracle the weight of the grand piano, which resonates in the lowest registers, is mostly lost and as a result the hammering bass loses some of its impact.
Now I plug in the MS1000 and go back to the first movement. My first reaction is ‘wow, this is not too shabby’. I keep waiting for things to go badly wrong, but as the piece develops I find the MS1000s are getting a lot of things right. The soundstage is panoramic like the K701, but it seems to lack the dimension of depth. The sense of space is definitely there, but I can no longer place the room. I know from the CD booklet it is the Reitstadel in Neumarkt, but there is a bit of congestion to the sound that makes me feel like the concert is taking place in a small room, despite the large soundstage. The MS1000 presents a natural decay between the notes, but the attack is softened. It is almost as if Schiff has his foot resting lightly on the damper pedal. In addition there is something a little strange about the notes themselves. It seems the middle octave has been stretched out making the treble a bit unnaturally bright and the bass a little boomy. Unfortunately, this has the effect of detuning the piano to a point that is just not very fitting to the music. This would work wonders for simple rock accompaniments but here we need a complete and cohesive piano.
As we launch into the second movement the headphones themselves seem to become a bit lost in the rapidly cascading notes. Where the K701 keeps its composure the MS1000 becomes somewhat disoriented. Notes blur together and I lose my perception of the keyboard. However, the added bass from the MS1000 is welcome here. Although it doesn’t accurately produce the deep bass of the grand (as no headphone can) it does make the music a bit more visceral, albeit slightly boomy.
My conclusion here is that the MS1000 does respectably with classical piano. To say this about any ‘Gradessandro’ (to borrow Nickchen’s term) is quite a revelation in my opinion. This is not the right headphone for someone who listens primarily to classical, but for the occasional listener who is more interested in pop and rock these will do quite well.
[size=small]The MS1000 vs the K701 – together through life (?)[/size]
[size=small]Beyond Here Lies Nothin’[/size]
With the K701s on my first thought is ‘wow, so this is how rock sounded before they killed the dynamic range’. The drums really sound alive and dynamic. Every instrument is clearly defined and ...well... dynamic. The soundstage is huge and surreal (obviously intentionally so). The lead guitar and horn weave in from corners of our eyes. The drums are huge and centered. Dylan seems just slightly right of center.
The sound is really gripping. Every little detail comes through in striking detail. It’s really a great recording and the K701 makes that transparent. ...still that electric guitar and horn could use just a little “exciting” courtesy of Grado, and the drums could use a little extra impact for dramatic flair.
Enter the MS1000. The very first thing I notice is a bass guitar that was pretty much imperceptible with the k701. Now it appears very clearly ...but it just doesn’t sound quite right. It doesn’t blend like it should. It’s like someone eq’ed the bass amp for too much thump.
Next, on a much more positive note is that awesome MS1000 soundstage. In terms of breadth it actually rivals the K701. This definitely ain’t no Grado sound. However, when it comes to instrument placement the precision of the AKGs simply isn’t there with the MS1000. It’s not bad by any stretch but that surgical precision is not a MS1000 trait.
The drums definitely have more impact, but again the story isn’t all good. In trade for big drums, we lose the fine details. The nuances that separate the different pieces of kit are very subdued. One must listen very carefully now to hear any that nuance, whereas with the K701s it was very clearly presented. In addition the cymbals lose some sparkle in comparison to the AKGs (the MS1000 top end sounding more akin to the HD650s) - this would probably be considered an improvement by a lot of people.
The electric guitar and horns feel bigger and more present on the MS1000. These phones still do that magic Grado thing with the guitars.
The Grado intimacy is definitely still there. Dylan sound very close, like the listener might be standing 2 feet away from the mic. In comparison, the K701s had me somewhere in the first or second row (think a club, not a concert hall).
Overall, the MS1000 still manage to do most of that magic Grado thing with rock. This song gets a little added excitement with the MS1000. It may appeal to more people too by glossing over the very fine details that might reveal lacking sources, amps, or recordings.
[size=small]Conclusion[/size]
I have to conclude that the MS1000 is a great phone for a wide range of music, and one that is vastly improved over the phone it is derived from. I would not recommend this to someone who listens exclusively to classical music. The K701 is far superior in this case. However, for those whose main music choice is rock, but who also dabble in classical and other forms of music these may be the perfect fit - a fun and surprisingly high end sounding phone that expands on the Grado house sound.
Now if you listen to classical and rock in equal measure ...hmm... how about both?
*Souce: Twister Pear Opus DAC; Amplifier: PPA v2
I did try some tube amps such as the SOHA II and Millet MiniMAX, but in order to focus comparisons as much as possible on the qualities of the phones themselves I felt a powerful and accurate solid state amp was the best choice.
~Thanks to Nickchen and his friends for their hard work on the MS1000 project~
[size=small]Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano No. 31 in A-flat major op. 110[/size]
This was never going to be a fair fight. I haven’t heard a headphone that renders a good piano recording so effortlessly and precisely as the AKG K701. On the other hand Grado and Alessandro phones are quite out of their element when it comes to natural presentation of classical music (or any music one might argument). Regardless, it seemed only right to pit the MS1000 against the headphone which for me is a reference in how a piano should sound.
As the first movement of op. 110 opens with slow lyrical wanderings in the key of A-flat major each note seems to find its own space perfectly. The attack and decay is so fluid and natural there is no doubt that the listener is hearing a very special piano (not to mention pianist!). The large size of the concert hall is also very apparent adding just the right amount of reverb to fill the air between the notes. Even more incredible I can sense the emptiness of the hall - the result, I suppose, of having no bodies there to absorb the sound. This movement develops a feeling of spaciousness and the K701 really brings that space to life.
The second movement brings a stark contrast. It is fast, complex, and very aggressive. The sense of open space disappears almost instantly into a sort of angry tirade. The listener in pulled quickly into the chaos, but at no point does the music become congested. As before each note is clearly separated, and they come crashing down in such rapid succession there is a sense of stimulus overload. Here the K701 reveals what is probably its greatest strength – it is at once liquid in transition and perfectly controlled in delivery. In exchange for this small miracle the weight of the grand piano, which resonates in the lowest registers, is mostly lost and as a result the hammering bass loses some of its impact.
Now I plug in the MS1000 and go back to the first movement. My first reaction is ‘wow, this is not too shabby’. I keep waiting for things to go badly wrong, but as the piece develops I find the MS1000s are getting a lot of things right. The soundstage is panoramic like the K701, but it seems to lack the dimension of depth. The sense of space is definitely there, but I can no longer place the room. I know from the CD booklet it is the Reitstadel in Neumarkt, but there is a bit of congestion to the sound that makes me feel like the concert is taking place in a small room, despite the large soundstage. The MS1000 presents a natural decay between the notes, but the attack is softened. It is almost as if Schiff has his foot resting lightly on the damper pedal. In addition there is something a little strange about the notes themselves. It seems the middle octave has been stretched out making the treble a bit unnaturally bright and the bass a little boomy. Unfortunately, this has the effect of detuning the piano to a point that is just not very fitting to the music. This would work wonders for simple rock accompaniments but here we need a complete and cohesive piano.
As we launch into the second movement the headphones themselves seem to become a bit lost in the rapidly cascading notes. Where the K701 keeps its composure the MS1000 becomes somewhat disoriented. Notes blur together and I lose my perception of the keyboard. However, the added bass from the MS1000 is welcome here. Although it doesn’t accurately produce the deep bass of the grand (as no headphone can) it does make the music a bit more visceral, albeit slightly boomy.
My conclusion here is that the MS1000 does respectably with classical piano. To say this about any ‘Gradessandro’ (to borrow Nickchen’s term) is quite a revelation in my opinion. This is not the right headphone for someone who listens primarily to classical, but for the occasional listener who is more interested in pop and rock these will do quite well.
[size=small]The MS1000 vs the K701 – together through life (?)[/size]
[size=small]Beyond Here Lies Nothin’[/size]
With the K701s on my first thought is ‘wow, so this is how rock sounded before they killed the dynamic range’. The drums really sound alive and dynamic. Every instrument is clearly defined and ...well... dynamic. The soundstage is huge and surreal (obviously intentionally so). The lead guitar and horn weave in from corners of our eyes. The drums are huge and centered. Dylan seems just slightly right of center.
The sound is really gripping. Every little detail comes through in striking detail. It’s really a great recording and the K701 makes that transparent. ...still that electric guitar and horn could use just a little “exciting” courtesy of Grado, and the drums could use a little extra impact for dramatic flair.
Enter the MS1000. The very first thing I notice is a bass guitar that was pretty much imperceptible with the k701. Now it appears very clearly ...but it just doesn’t sound quite right. It doesn’t blend like it should. It’s like someone eq’ed the bass amp for too much thump.
Next, on a much more positive note is that awesome MS1000 soundstage. In terms of breadth it actually rivals the K701. This definitely ain’t no Grado sound. However, when it comes to instrument placement the precision of the AKGs simply isn’t there with the MS1000. It’s not bad by any stretch but that surgical precision is not a MS1000 trait.
The drums definitely have more impact, but again the story isn’t all good. In trade for big drums, we lose the fine details. The nuances that separate the different pieces of kit are very subdued. One must listen very carefully now to hear any that nuance, whereas with the K701s it was very clearly presented. In addition the cymbals lose some sparkle in comparison to the AKGs (the MS1000 top end sounding more akin to the HD650s) - this would probably be considered an improvement by a lot of people.
The electric guitar and horns feel bigger and more present on the MS1000. These phones still do that magic Grado thing with the guitars.
The Grado intimacy is definitely still there. Dylan sound very close, like the listener might be standing 2 feet away from the mic. In comparison, the K701s had me somewhere in the first or second row (think a club, not a concert hall).
Overall, the MS1000 still manage to do most of that magic Grado thing with rock. This song gets a little added excitement with the MS1000. It may appeal to more people too by glossing over the very fine details that might reveal lacking sources, amps, or recordings.
[size=small]Conclusion[/size]
I have to conclude that the MS1000 is a great phone for a wide range of music, and one that is vastly improved over the phone it is derived from. I would not recommend this to someone who listens exclusively to classical music. The K701 is far superior in this case. However, for those whose main music choice is rock, but who also dabble in classical and other forms of music these may be the perfect fit - a fun and surprisingly high end sounding phone that expands on the Grado house sound.
Now if you listen to classical and rock in equal measure ...hmm... how about both?
*Souce: Twister Pear Opus DAC; Amplifier: PPA v2
I did try some tube amps such as the SOHA II and Millet MiniMAX, but in order to focus comparisons as much as possible on the qualities of the phones themselves I felt a powerful and accurate solid state amp was the best choice.
~Thanks to Nickchen and his friends for their hard work on the MS1000 project~
