Grado RS1e Reference Series Open Backed Headphones

Product Information

Materials do make a difference. I am reminded of a paper authored some 25 years ago by Ingo Titze, then chairman of the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center at the University of Iowa that examined the human vocal tract from a materials science perspective. He argued (in slightly paraphrased form) that "the human larynx is made of materials that vary considerably with time, temperature, and biochemical composition, … and even fails to obey Hooke's law; the stress-strain curves of vocal fold tissue being quite nonlinear." He felt that given these facts, "the larynx as a musical instrument would appear to be in the class of a plastic ukulele with rubber strings, and control of such an instrument to maintain accurate pitch and consistent quality would seem to be a formidable problem." Acoustic transducers certainly do not suffer from such limitations. In particular, headphones have always enjoyed an advantage over loudspeakers in terms of linearity and greatly reduced distortion levels. The fact that they sit on or over the ear makes for greatly reduced drive requirements. A fraction of a watt is sufficient to drive many phones to excruciating sound pressure levels. In fact, John Grado warns against extended listening at very loud levels, which "could seriously impair your hearing". We dig out a pair of first-generation RS1 and, as expected, are treated to an open, forward and insightful sound. Switch to the new RS1x, however, and the presentation is not only clearer and notably more transparent but also faster and livelier, making the veteran pair sound somewhat ponderous in comparison. The extent of the RS1x’s fleet-footedness has us drawing similar comparisons with rivals such as the Beyerydnamic T1 (3rd Generation), even if they chalk up points for their greater solidity, refinement and deeper bass. We commented on the new driver’s punchy nature in our SR325x review, and that talent certainly manifests in these Reference Series headphones too. I'm an audiophile; worst yet I'm a reviewer. It's my job to hear some of the most incredible audio gear on the face of the planet. So it isn't much of a surprise that I love the cutting-edge stuff! While the cable’s outer material is all-new, it still very much feels like a solid, substantial affair that’s best suited to stationary, home listening. It’s not quite so long and cumbersome that you can’t wear the RS2x around with you on the go while listening to a portable device - I tried it, and it’s definitely do-able - but it’s girthy enough that it will drag the delicate RS2x off your desk if your cable falls to the floor. Hey, at least it gives you confidence that it won’t get chewed-up and destroyed by the wheelies on your home office chair that’ll happily have your IEM cables for breakfast. Listening to the Grado RS2x

The tape mod raises everything below 1.5kHz by a few db, brings about a small bump at 120Hz, and extends the bass. The change isn't huge, which is kind of the point. We get a bit more bass without changing what makes the RS1 so interesting. Very simply, the RS1 doesn't alter the sound, for better or for poorer, it merely delivers what is on the disc, and too bad if the recording isn't up to it. Fortunately we chose good recordings, and I could feel the music "in" me. Or was it I who was "in" the music? Or had we become as one? Did this test just create a need? Another one? No matter -- needs like this harm no one.Just one more thing, I'm your prototypical glasses-wearing geek, and I found the spring-steel headband intensely uncomfortable if I wore the headphones for any length of time. The band pressed the earpieces against my ears, where they dug into my glasses frames, which in turn clamped the nose-pads on my spectacles firmly into my nose. If you can follow that logic, you will understand me when I say that wearing the RS1s for prolonged periods made my ears and nose hurt. The changes might be summarised best as ‘less headphone, more driver.’ The RS1x takes two different developments that Grado has been working on and combines them because they benefit one another. To make ‘less headphone’, the RS1xmakes use of Grado’s experience with wood and - quite literally - mixes it up. Grado does not use wood because it looks pleasing. The RS1x is quite literally made from the stuff. Where it differs from older designs is the type of woods used in its construction. Take away the foam pad on an enclosure (yes, don’t worry, we’ll come to those) and you can clearly see three different sections present.

The RS1 absolutely decimates the competition when it comes to delivering an intact, integrated, & participatory musical experience. I've heard many headphones so far, and none come close to the RS1's sense of life and energy. This headphone swings. It grooves. It dances. It excites. It throws down. It's the freakin' life of the party and it makes you want to MOVE! There are headphones where you want to sit down, close your eyes, and listen - and most headphones are best heard that way. The RS1 is the anti-thesis of those kinds of headphones - this is one best heard NOT sitting down. It has an inner spark that makes it sound alive with a ghost-in-the-machine kind of effect - and with the right music, it makes you want to stand up and groove! Grado is known for a fairly bright and airy sound from their headphones and the RS1e fits right in. There is bass in good proportion however, and the RS1e appears well balanced without any obvious peaks. The current top of the John Grado line exemplifies what he has made the Grado name all about: hard hitting bass and exciting forward midrange, at the expense of extension, smoothness, build quality, and comfort. Sub-bass is there but fairly muted; it’s there if we look for it, but it may easily be missed in unfamiliar pieces. Low/Mid bass is more prominent with a nice width; it’s well controlled too and gives an impression of effortlessness, like it’s just pouring into the ears. I'll say it's been improved, In fact the RS-1 puts headphone performance into a new perspective-it highlights the brilliance of music, while retaining a musical naturalness that only a handful of truly reference loudspeakers could ever hope to get a handle on.First impressions were of surprising degree of warmth in the sound and a handling of bass and spatial elements that was more like listening to loudspeakers than headphones. This was a good start and encouraged me to play through a wider selection of 'test pieces' and favorite music than I normally do - and to continue listening to longer extracts. Questo aiuta, senza dubbio, le RS1e a distinguersi tra un mare di prodotti che spesso, invece, cercano design e stili sempre più scintillanti e dal sapore sintetico. In generale non si tratta di un modello pensato per essere utilizzato fuori da casa o dal posto di lavoro, quindi la sua leggerezza e la costituzione abbastanza minimale non dovrebbero rappresentare un problema. I would disagree that rs-1's have "close-to-flat & extended treble". Listen to some hp1000's or ps-1's and you might come to a different conclusion.

The build still wears that hand-made feel, too, which isn’t to say that it looks or feels cheap but that it doesn’t particularly look or feel machined. Grado has been in the game long enough to know what it and presumably its customers like – tactile, no-nonsense design and lightweight comfort – and within that brief, the RS1x don’t disappoint. The Sennheisers clearly revealed the analog origins of "Third Uncle" by passing through tape hiss undiminished. It was barely audible through the Grados. Under the hood is where the most important changes lie in the new RS2x. An all-new 44mm, 4th-Generation “X Driver” that’s been specially tuned for the new RS2x has been partnered with the two-timber earcups, working in tandem to create a sound that’s unique to this particular model. More powerful magnets motivate the reconfigured diaphragm in the RS2x’s dynamic drivers to create sound between a claimed 14 Hz and 28kHz in terms of frequency response, and each pair of drivers are tested to ensure they are matched to a tolerance no greater than .05 of a decibel before they leave the production line. Like all Grado headphones, the RS2x is both a low-impedance (38 ohms) and high-sensitivity (99.8 dB) design, making it easy to extract a good performance and easily reach loud volumes from low-powered sources including phones, laptops and portable devices. Grado RS2x - user experience Comunque, i padiglioni sono ben progettati e rifiniti e insieme alla fascia in cuoio e ne viene fuori un prodotto dall’aspetto gradevole o che comunque potrebbe andare incontro ai gusti di parecchi. Yet once again the gates of headphone heaven (or was it hell?) opened up and bestowed upon me the Grado Labs RS1, and it is indeed a sight to behold. At the time of the release of this iteration of RS1, Grado had just decided to remove the ubiquitous button native to all RS1s, but kept the square rods, only to be changed to circular ones in the next version.There are no buts, or ifs or maybes. The RS-1s are true reference stuff. The only other headphones that I have heard that offer this kind of performance cost several thousand dollars and are electrostatic in design.

Not everyone loves the traditional Grado flexible leather-covered headband, but I find it to be amazingly comfortable on my large head. The metal height adjusters make it easy to fit the headphones and I really like the ability to rotate the earpieces 360 degrees so that you can lay them flat in a laptop bag or suitcase. The foam earpads are removable (and there is a great deal of discussion online about how using different sized earpads affects the sound quality).From the first notes of the St'lzel song, we knew the Grado was in a different category. The harpsichord sounded full, the left hand clearly audible for the first time. Karina Gauvin's voice was closer than with good loudspeakers, but the effect was delightfully natural. The rhythm was excellent, and Gauvin and harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour were a true duet. With other phones, Beaus´jour was merely accompanying. Because the driver is set deeper into the cup, your luxurious Mahogany wooden cup is attached to a nice metal ring instead of a piece of crappy plastic that I once broke.