Upgrado or try something different?

[Valnoren]

Well my wife tried out my grados sr-60's for a few days while listening to her MP3 player as she worked around the house. And of course she loves them.

I asked her last night. I'm not getting those back am I. She said with a smile ... nope.

So I need to get a second pair or try something different.

I want MS-2's but unless I get some pot of loot that' not happening anytime soon. So I was looking around I noticed headroom has a deal now with a bithead amp and the Senn HD-555's. I was wondering if that's a great but for the money since you get the amp and the cans?

Or should I just stick with Grados which I would be very happy with but which 80's or 125's? Or try Audio-Technica's, Beyers's, decisions decisions

 

[Murdoch]

People seem to like the Allessandro MS-1's. The word seems to be that you get the cost of the 80s and performance that rivals the 125s.

http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html

 

[wolfen68]

How about 225's?

 

[Valnoren]

MS-1 and 225's are good ideas I forgot about those. How do the ms-1's compare to the 225's are they not the same/but different or are the ms-1's in between the 80's and the 125's.

 

[Valnoren]

time to search on Ms-1's I wonder which pads come with the MS-1's and 2's

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valnoren time to search on Ms-1's I wonder which pads come with the MS-1's and 2's

Comfies! But I recommend upgrading to Todd's Grado Flat Pads asap.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valnoren MS-1 and 225's are good ideas I forgot about those. How do the ms-1's compare to the 225's are they not the same/but different or are the ms-1's in between the 80's and the 125's.

Funny you should ask this - i JUST did a A/B with the MS-1s and the 225s this weekend at Sound by Singer. Conclusion? Matter of preference. My friend liked the 225s so much, even tho we just got him Etys he wants to sell his ipod to get the cash for some 225s. He thought the 225s were not as "muddy" as the MS-1s and the high freq was very detailed - and the bass, of course, rocketh.

I thought the 225s were shrill compared to my MS-1s, and that my bass was punchier than the "foomp" of the 225s. But we both agreed that the vocals for both cans were tremendous. End result? I'm a happy Alessandro owner, and my friend is a soon-to-be happy Grado owner.

 

[Kirosia]

The ms1 is somwhere in between the sr-80/125, ms2 = 325, mspro = rs1. Which one choose depends on your preference of sound. Music series is considered to be more neutral. Loved the ms1 and sr-325 when i had them, but I kept wondering where the soundstage was. (I don't mean grados have no soundstage, just that it's smaller than circumaural phones). They were crazy addictive.

 

[raaj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Funny you should ask this - i JUST did a A/B with the MS-1s and the 225s this weekend at Sound by Singer. Conclusion? Matter of preference. My friend liked the 225s so much, even tho we just got him Etys he wants to sell his ipod to get the cash for some 225s. He thought the 225s were not as "muddy" as the MS-1s and the high freq was very detailed - and the bass, of course, rocketh. I thought the 225s were shrill compared to my MS-1s, and that my bass was punchier than the "foomp" of the 225s. But we both agreed that the vocals for both cans were tremendous. End result? I'm a happy Alessandro owner, and my friend is a soon-to-be happy Grado owner.

Jahn,

Your impressions from the short demo might not reflect the actual performance of the phones.. This might be the result of your ears reacting to a newer sound signature compared to the MS-1s you seemed to be used to.. The MS-1 is a sizeable step up from the SR-60s but it's still below the standard of SR-225. I am sure you would agree after a more leisurely audition of the SR-225.

I am not sure how the MS-2 compares to SR-325, but in general, to my ears, I rate the Grados and the Alessandros I heard/owned in the following order of performance:

SR-60 < MS-1 < SR-225 <=> SR-325 < RS-1 < MS-Pro.

(I have not heard the rest of the Grado/Alessandro lineup, so no comments.)

I would personally suggest MS-1 for a budget of $100, SR-225 for a budget of $150-$200, SR-325 for a budget of ~$200-$250, and MS-Pro for a budget of $450-$700.

Hope this helps.

 

[Permonic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valnoren time to search on Ms-1's I wonder which pads come with the MS-1's and 2's

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Comfies! But I recommend upgrading to Todd's Grado Flat Pads asap.

Only MS-1's come with comfies. MS-2's come with bowls.

 

[ReDVsion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn End result? I'm a happy Alessandro owner...

Not for long... there are still the MS-2s...

[size=xx-small]and MS-Pros...[/size]

 

[Valnoren]

Well Im gonna bite the bullet and stash some dough away for a while and go from the 60's to the MS-2's I could get the MS-1's right now but theres something I like about the MS-2's and I want to make a good sized leap from 60's to something better. My question is how easy are they to drive hooked up to an iPod or a computer? Amp required? cause the 60's are real easy to drive.

 

[Valnoren]

I have searched and came up empty but are there any good photos of the MS-2?

 

[jacopo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valnoren Well Im gonna bite the bullet and stash some dough away for a while and go from the 60's to the MS-2's I could get the MS-1's right now but theres something I like about the MS-2's and I want to make a good sized leap from 60's to something better. My question is how easy are they to drive hooked up to an iPod or a computer? Amp required? cause the 60's are real easy to drive.

SR-325 can be easily driven by an iPod, and should be the same for MS-2 (that's pretty the same pair of cans). But these cans wont absolutely give their best with mp3s and without an amp.

I'm actually using MS-1 un|amped with my iPod and mp3s and it's a really good sinergy. They also come with the mini|jack so you wont need an adaptor.

If I were in you I'd stay between MS-1, SR-125 and maybe 225 (but never listened to 225s

ciaociao!
jacopi|!

 

[Permonic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valnoren Well Im gonna bite the bullet and stash some dough away for a while and go from the 60's to the MS-2's I could get the MS-1's right now but theres something I like about the MS-2's and I want to make a good sized leap from 60's to something better. My question is how easy are they to drive hooked up to an iPod or a computer? Amp required? cause the 60's are real easy to drive.

You will not regret this upgrado step. I while ago I went from SR-80's to MS-2's. The differences are audible even without an amp. Like any Grado/Alesandro headphones, MS-2's have an impedance of 32 Ohms and are easy to be driven even from a soundcard jack.