The Grado RS1's are in a class all by themselves. I purchased my pair approximately two years ago and used them with the Melos SHA-1 preamplifier/headphone amplifier. The
Grados are beautifully crafted of aromatic brown leather and
specially cured mahogony. They come in a very nice quality velvet lined wood presentation case. The sound is best described as rich and full, with very deep bass reproduction. I spent many many hours listening to music over these phones. It seemed that whenever I sat down to listen to a song, I kept feeling the urge to listen to another and another and another. In other words, they are very addictive to listen to. The music which seemed to sound best on these phones was, interestly enough, Hip Hop and Rap, which feature gobs and gobs of deep bass notes. You really have to listen to this type of music on the RH1's to get an appreciation for how well they do on the low notes. One very important aspect I should address in this review is comfort. Many headphones are relegated to the shelves by their owners due to shortcomings in this area. However, I am glad to report this model of the Grado is different then previous models in that respect. The RS1's are quite light, and the pads never seem to bother my ears. You may ask, do they work well with or without a headphone amplifier ? The answer is yes, however if you are going to spend $700
for a pair of headphones, it is almost mandatory that you get a decent amplifier to go with it. The Melos SHA-1 is the one I recommend, and this can be found on the used market for around $400. It also functions as a preamplifier.
Other choices include the outrageously expensive Cary 300SEI (Single ended tride), or the new battery operated model from Grado. I doubt if you could go wrong with either of those choices. These headphones are indeed worthy of the finest amplification to showcase their abilities.
The RS-1i is the Masterpiece of the Grado collection, the Top-Of-The-Range product which oozes class both in looks and sound. Featuring handcrafted Ma...More at J&R Music and Computer World
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