Which Alessandro?
Apr 17, 2005 at 4:53 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11
Graz

Graz

500+ Head-Fier
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Up until now I've been more or less strictly a Senn & AT guy...everything I've bought headphone-wise up until now, I still own with the exception of a pair of ath-a700. Here's the chronological journey up to this point:

hd497: first set of decent cans. I still have a certain love for these...kinda underrated, imo
hd555: also underrated imo...at one point I hated them, but have come to respect them more over time. I use these quite a bit out of my guitar amp
er6: probably the one I'd most consider selling...I just don't like 'em much
ath-w1000: still a home-use favorite that seem to just get better & better with use
ath-a700: ...which I traded in for:
ath-a900: primary office cans
hd650/zu: splits about equal home-use time with the w1000's
hd 25-1: primary mobile cans

So....back on topic...
For whatever irrational reason, I've not pursued Grado/Alessandro at all in my head-fi journey. I'm not sure if its the appearance, the perceived lack of comfort, or whatever...for some odd reason, I've just never been excited about the Grado lineup. It's totally unfair & unobjective, I know...but somehow along the way I've managed to avoid ever even listening to a single pair of Grado's.

Anyway, this nonsense must end...but I have no idea where to start & need some advice.

Here are my basic requirements/wishlist/preferences/budget :

- Being overseas, I'll need to go with Alessandro.

- Total budget is around $500, but I'm hoping this will include some c-pads (the beta ports look pretty cool) & a decent cable upgrade.

- Listening preferences run the gamut...I'm into progressive rock (Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, LTE), and lots of jazz...but I'm more into contemporary/fusion/electric jazz (Pat Metheny Group, etc.) than traditional, acoustic jazz. I also listen to a bunch of nujazz/acid jazz & I'm really into comtemporary Brazilian stuff.

- I covet the sound signature of my zu/650...so if that means I like my sound boring, than so be it
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... That said, if I had to choose a preference with regard to coloration, I'd say it would lean toward warm.

- My only home amp atm is a Gilmore V2-SE, so I'll need something that can happily coexist with SS.

- Lately, I've had a semi-lust thing going on for the MS2i's (fatboys?)...and there's a local dealer near my place in Taipei that stocks them. I'm just not sure if these would make a good place to initiate myself into the Grado realm.

- Lastly, I'm kind of looking for "that one Grado" to have & hang onto for the long term. I'm probably hoping for too much, but I'm hoping (for once) to nail down that keeper pair of cans on the first try. I don't want this to turn in to a cash churn, while I try every dang one of 'em.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Peace,

Graz
 
Apr 17, 2005 at 5:07 AM Post #2 of 11
I really liked the old ms2's, I prefered them way more than the 225's, they were balanced and more open sounding but still grado, i would still have them if i didn't decide to quite the foreplay and just get the rs-1's.

I would imagine the ms2i's would be more or less like the old ms-2's which were very nice, you may want to get a set of those, they aren't senns but they are relatively balanced and warm sounding for a grado other than the rs-1's.
 
Apr 23, 2005 at 11:52 PM Post #4 of 11
i'd say the ms2i is a perfect starting point, compared to all your other high end phones. I have a 325i and it sounds absolutely glorious, I find that you might be surprised at how good your rock cds will sound with the alessandro ms2is
 
Apr 25, 2005 at 11:59 AM Post #7 of 11
Like yourself I like the Senn sound (see details inmy signature ). I wanted to try another style and was wondering about the Grados though I'd initially thought they would be too bright for my tastes.

I have recently had the opportunity to try out the SR225 and MS2 cans which are said to be Grados on the mellow side
wink.gif


Whilst I won't be selling off my 650/Zu I really took to the MS2, so much so that I have a pair on the way to me.

Being a lighter headset and especially with vocals they just seem to suit some records really well. I actually listened to a jazz track (off a demo cd) all the way through since it had so much punch & verve.

So my observation is that the lovers of brightness have the Grado models to suit them, the darkness is supported by the Senn and the MS2 are bright but sunglasses are not needed
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PS bowls for me rather than flats (sensible option is a pair of both flat/bowls).

Steve
 
Apr 25, 2005 at 12:04 PM Post #8 of 11
You shouldn't recable the grados until you decide that the sound needs to change. What if you like the sound from the stock cable? As for the c-pads, they are a great option to have.
 
Apr 25, 2005 at 1:39 PM Post #9 of 11
I'm assuming you're open to all Grados and not just the alessandro's.

For $500, I'd go with a used pair of RS-2s, which should leave money for c-pads and recabling, as you desire.

The RS-2s have the best qualities of the Grado line, minus the headstage of the RS-1. The RS-2s are also slightly less detailed than the RS-1. The problem is that c-pads with adhesive putty present some problems. I know Larry has an elastic band version in mind, but it's on the back burner last I heard.
 
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