Description
Grado RS-1i Reference Series on-ear Headphones - Mahogany / Black Leather #8957. I bought these headphones new from a specialist hi-fi shop in 2015 as my first foray into the world of high-end headphones. On listening to these, I immediately fell in love with the Grado house sound - these were the top of the range of Grados reference series at the time I think, and were hand-made in Brooklyn, USA. Theres a lot of information out there about the Grado sound, and this model in particular, which you can find if you need more information. In my experience, that sound is precise and detailed but not overly analytical, and is more organic than other very precise but rather dry headphones Ive listened to. These have a fun and musical sound, which means you listen to the music rather than the individual notes, though they still convey lots of detail. They are by no means basshead headphones in the Beats category, though they do have a controlled and taut bass with some heft (but not the bass bloat of Beats and similar brands). In my opinion, they are suited to many genres of music including rock, pop and acoustic, but are particularly suited to music where the vocal performance is key - the mid-range on these is fantastic. (If you primarily listen to EDM or hip-hop, these probably arent the cans for you!) As I say, there is a lot of information out there on these headphones, but photos #11-15 Ive uploaded some screenshots of the most recent review of this particular model that I could find online. As I say, these are the 2015 model, which I think has since been superseded by Grados RS-1e and RS-1x models. Having said that, I know from the audiophile forums that a lot of people prefer the sound of this model over the newer ones (as it may be that Grado has moved slightly away from its house sound with the later models to try to compete with more well-known brands). Ive only used these headphones for about 100 hours in total, so they are burnt in (which some people think is a necessary process for audiophile headphones to sound their best) but they havent been used a lot. The reason for that isnt because I didnt like them, its that I liked the Grado sound so much that I quite quickly progressed up the Grado line to their bigger over ear models, which weigh a fair bit more and so produce a slightly different sound. So in the last 8 years Ive gathered four (!) pairs of Grados (see the last picture Ive uploaded - the others arent for sale, yet) and so reluctantly have to thin out my collection, and these RS1s just arent getting enough use from me to justify keeping them. These RS1s sit on the ear with the smaller pads they are provided with (i.e. they sit on the outer ear and the circular pads are about the same diameter as the distance from the top of the ear to the bottom of the earlobe). However, the stock pads can be swapped out for some larger Grado pads that come with their other models but which also fit the RS1s. Again, theres plenty of information on the web about how changing the earpads/cushions can alter the sound, and lots of info about how the pads can be modded to tweak or experiment with the sound to fit the listeners taste. I know some people even switch the pads to suit the genre of music theyre listening to. I also know that whoever gets to use these RS1s next will want their own brand new pads, so Ill bin my used ones and will include my unused spares (which I think cost around £30), as show in photo #10, with the sale. As you should be able to see from the photos, these headphones are still in really great condition, the mahogany wood on the cups still looks great and has no chips or gouges as Ive looked after them carefully and only ever used them indoors (though they are light enough to use outdoors on the go, unlike my other Grados, and from what Ive read they can easily be driven by a portable music player or even a phone, though youll need a 3.5mm adaptor as the cable on these is terminated with a full size 6.35mm balanced headphone jack). Ive only used them indoors powered by a high-end headphone amp though. Grado dont supply carry cases with any of their headphones, but those can be bought separately if required. Instead, they are sold with Grados classic cardboard pizza box, which I still have and will include with the sale. As you can see from the pictures, the box is the original as the serial number on it matches the serial number on each of the headphone cups. Apologies for writing such a long description (particularly if you are looking at this listing already knowing all about Grado) but as its quite a significant outlay for headphones I thought it worth including as much information as I can give - any other questions though, please do just ask. I think these retailed for about £500 when I bought them, and Ive seen used versions selling for a fair bit more than that on ebay and elsewhere as a lot of people prefer these to the later models. Im starting this auction at just half that amount though, so grab a bargain way of entering the high-end headphone world! Good luck if you do decide to bid for these - Im sure you wont regret it - just be prepared to get bitten by the Grado bug!
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