[MajorCockUp]

Hi all, I am new to audiophile world and in just about 2 years Ive changed a lot of equipment. Im ready to shed a lot of money that i dont really have, about 1100£ to get a Grado RS1 with an RA1 amp. Ive never listened to them and this is why I need your advice. Would I get a better deal If I invested in something else? Il give you a bit of my background so you will have a clue.
 
I primarely listen to FLAC and audio CDs on my PC, with Asus Xonar D2X soundcard, Grado SR80, Denon AVC-1530 amp and Tannoy Mercury surround speakers. When away I use my Cowon S9 and Grado SR80 to play losless.
 
I listen to acoustic, punk rock, alternative, blues, jazz, classic, folk. Dont laugh, I come from a non-english speaking country and our folk sounds awesome.
 
Ive been through a few soundcards and sound systems and Ive changed a lot of headphones before I settled with Grado SR80. I had Beyer DT8800pro 250ohm, Sennheiser HD595, iGrado, Sony MDR 7506, AKG K272, AKG K450 and loads other cheap tats under 50£. Some were too bassy, some too flat, some unconfortable, some messed up my hair, some pushed distorted bass into mids, some even had all these great qualities altogether.
 
Dont get me wrong I dont praise SR80 for being the best but from what Ive listened I think they are the closest. They are flawed but good. Im not going to brag about it since this is not a review and I dont wish to turn myself into the Grado fanboy that I am.
 
I wonder how RS1 would be. I dont have the patience nore money to climb all the way up the Grado ladder. Why cant I just buy the mother and father of all heaphones and just be happy with them?
 
Anyone had any experience with RS1 and RA1? Something against them? Will I need a better source to bring up the quality in them? Would I get a better deal elsewhere? I was wondering about those little gems one might pick up once in a while on ebay, any clue? Guidance please?
 
THank you all. 

 

[ArmAndHammer]

First of all...there is nothing wrong with folk music...no one will laugh at that. I love some good bluegrass/folk/old time music.
 
Second, if you love your SR80's like you say you do, you will be more than pleased with the RS1. They are a tremendous jump in sound quality over the SR80's. I have no experience with the RA1 though.

 

[whirlwind]

I am a 325 owner, and I cant wait until I can upgrade to the RS1.
 
I love my 325's, there has not been a day go by that I have not listened to them since I have had them....i really look forward to relaxing a couple of hours a day with them......I also agree, that there is nothing at all wrong with folk music.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

First of all...there is nothing wrong with folk music...no one will laugh at that. I love some good bluegrass/folk/old time music.
 
Second, if you love your SR80's like you say you do, you will be more than pleased with the RS1. They are a tremendous jump in sound quality over the SR80's. I have no experience with the RA1 though.

A few things. I am a big fan of Macedonian folk music from "my parent's old country" (I was born in Canada).
 
Secondly, I still own the RS1i headphones along side my HD800s/T1s/Ed. 8LEs/LCD-2s and they do get their share of head time. They are that good IMO.
 
Thirdly and finally, I recommend staying far away from the RA1 amp. While it sounds nice with the RS1s, for the $$$ you can do so much better.
 
 

 

[MajorCockUp]

Thanks for the imput everyone, ill remember to stay clear of RA1. MacedonianHero can you suggest something else?
 
I had a look on ebay and some decent shops from USA sell RS1 for 500£, thats 200£ cheaper than here. Do you think I should take the plunge? I know for sure they arent allowed to sell GRado stuff from USA into EU. Maybe it is worth waiting and buying a cheaper pre-owned RS1 ? Because as far as I know Grado customer service is rubbish anyway so there wont be much support in case something goes wrong with the new pair I might buy. Pre-owned will also be burned-in....

 

[Proglover]

Quote:

First of all...there is nothing wrong with folk music...no one will laugh at that. I love some good bluegrass/folk/old time music.
 
Second, if you love your SR80's like you say you do, you will be more than pleased with the RS1. They are a tremendous jump in sound quality over the SR80's. I have no experience with the RA1 though.

Yes
 
and
 
Yes
 

 

[Proglover]

I've checked it at Grado customer service, if needed, they won't give warantee service to my SR225, bought in US 2 months ago
They also wanted to know the name of the (official) seller who sold and shipped to Europe (which I didn't give).
 
I wished all this wasn't necessary, but the price difference is too big and there's no good reason for prices being THAT high.
 
I'd buy a RS-1 from a fellow head-fier, 2nd handed, personally 

 

[MajorCockUp]

I had no problem with amazon when my SR80 went silly. They started to resonate and Ive sent them back for repairs after few days of use. I got them back all good rafter a month. I also think theyve burned them in for me.
However I later found out I only need to suck the cans in to get rid of some creases in the drivers when distortions come up.
765£ on amazon now. Ebay seems much more tempting. Some auction I missed ended up lower than 500£. Are you allowed to sell on this forum? Is anyone offering their pair for sale?

 

[Ham Sandwich]

There is also the option of the Alessandro MS-Pro instead of the Grado.  The Alessandro prices are going to be cheaper for you than the Grados if you're outside the US and Alessandro can ship outside the US unlike Grado authorized US dealers.

 

[MajorCockUp]

Quote:

There is also the option of the Alessandro MS-Pro instead of the Grado.  The Alessandro prices are going to be cheaper for you than the Grados if you're outside the US and Alessandro can ship outside the US unlike Grado authorized US dealers.

Can you give me some links onto good shops I could get it from? Ive put it in google shopping and nothing cames up. I live in UK by the way. Whats the difference between MS-Pro and R1i? As I understand Alessandro is tuned for guitar/acoustic listening? Will it be a big difference?

 

[Ham Sandwich]

I'm in the US.  I'm not sure of the best way to get an Alessandro in the UK or Europe.  I just know they're cheaper than the Grados over there.  Hopefully someone will chime in with how to best get them in the UK.
 
I've not heard an RS1 or MS-Pro.  Can't comment on the difference.  I did get a very brief listen to an MS-2 against my SR325is.  They were remarkably similar.  I was expecting a more noticeable difference given how they're described in reviews and comments compared to the 325.  But it was also a very brief listen at a meet so not the best of conditions for a comparison.  I wouldn't get too worked up over the differences between the Alessandros and the similar Grados especially given the cost differences that there are in the UK and Europe.  The Alessandro interpretation of "more neutral" still seems to be very very Grado, at least with the MS-2 vs SR325is.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I haven't heard any Grados, but I definitely wanna go straight into the 325i and RS1i as my first experiences.

 

[156219]

Delete

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Quote:

 


Hi guys...

I currently own a pair of audio technic a ad700s...

I was wondering if the dt880, is a worth while upgrade compared to the ad700s?

Sorry for posting a question, which isn't related or corresponds to the OPs thread.

Happy holidays and merry Christmas..

God yes. However if you want an improvement to the AD700 sound, I'd say the K701 and K702 fit that description more than the DT880. That being said, I prefer the DT880 over the K701/2 for music and movies.

 

[tuanhung303]

oh come on, grado's good is ended at sr225. rs1 is overpriced I think. I'd rather go to denon d7000 and save more than 100 bucks. since d7000 is good with his genres and provides better soundstage, depth and timbre