The RS-1: Phones for the musical purest...

Before purchasing these headphones a number of months ago, I had been using the Grado SR-125s, and I had been blown away by their sound each and every time I heard them since I bought them a little more than 6 months before that.

But let me take a step back and explain to you how and why I chose Grado headphones over the many other brands that are currently on the market. For starters, my taste in music changes drastically from month to month, and about a year and a half to two years ago I was finding myself moving from angst-filled heavier music to a quieted and more melancholy sound. I adjusted for this by purchasing some (what I thought were decent) Sony earbuds that cost me around $60 (Canadian). I made the change because of the fact that the heavier music was less detailed than the more dynamic sound of bands like Radiohead, the Dears, or even going a little ways back to Pearl Jam, etc. Anyway, my tastes continued shifting and I found myself listening to more and more music.

I began looking into the different headphone companies out there, and read many, many, many reviews. I knew I wanted headphones instead of a speaker set because I knew the sound-to-money ratio was a bit more towards my advantage if I went the way of the headphone. Not only that, but I'm on the go a lot and don't get a lot of time to just sit in my room and listen to music; and I wouldn't want to lug some big speakers around with me on my travels.

I found out about Grado a little over a year ago and figured that when it was time to take a step up from the Sony's, that Grado was the make for me. I wasn't sure, however, upon the specific model of Grado's that I would want to pitch over the money for. I first looked at the SR-60's since they were so acclaimed and quite inexpensive for the sound that they apparently delivered. I knew that I didn't want the SR-80s because they were more expensive and the difference between them and the SR-60s was negligible. And I knew that (at the time) I didn’t think that it was worth paying more than $200 Canadian for headphones (and even that was more than I’d ever though I would pay). So I focused on the Grado SR-125s and read literally hundreds of reviews before purchasing them.

For more information about the SR-125s, you can check out my review on them, but needless to say, I was blown away by their performance. With the Grado headphones, however, I must tell you that they are much better than you may first think. When I first heard the 125s, I thought they were pretty decent and probably worth the money. They picked up a lot of detail, but the sound was slightly harsh at times. However, with both of my Grados, after long hours of play, the sound improved CONSIDERABLY and so now I recommend burning the headphones in for at least a full day at a moderate volume.

Anyway, I’m carrying on far to long for a review that will probably end up making me about $0.30. These headphones are definitely above the SR-125s in performance, and certainly in cost :). So, do some pricing of different phones before you buy. Try some out at a local retailer if possible (though the sound will vary after proper burn-in time). Either way, I highly recommend Grado, even if you are simply looking at a pair of starter audiophile phones like the SR-60s.

PLEASE BUY GRADO for the good of all sound everywhere! :)

Oh, yeah, just to let you know, I ended up selling my old SR-125s to a friend for half of what I paid, so I didn’t lose a whole lot their considering the enjoyment that I reaped from them. One thing about the Grado RS-1s to warn you about though, they are made of real wood and real leather, so make sure to take good care of them, I rub olive oil on the wood and leather from time to time to keep it fresh and to prevent it from drying out.

Alright, but I guess I should cover the essentials otherwise, this wouldn't really be a review, now would it?

In a lot of my reviews I tend to break the item down and review separate categories such as sound, design, comfort, etc. However, I find that with these headphones, breaking them down and reviewing each aspect of them really doesn’t do the phones any justice. Instead, I wish to talk about them as a whole and let them know how everything about them works quite nicely together.

The construction of these phones is second to none and they hold up very sturdy (much more so than my SR-125s) and look almost as good as they sound. The ear pieces are made from solid mahogany, and the majority of the pieces holding the phones in place are constructed from strong, yet elegant steel. One thing that I definitely love about these phones (if you can love headphones) is that the headband is actual leather, and not some cheap plastic material like in the SR series headphones by Grado. I think all of their phones should include the leather headband since the plastic one isn’t even tolerable. After owning my SR-125s for less than two days, I attached a new (more comfortable) headband to replace the painful one before it.

The overall comfort of these phones is great. Some people may still complain about being able to wear them for several hours at a time with the same level of comfort, but I find that they fit quite nicely and can be worn for extensive periods of time with little to no discomfort. Of course, everyone’s head is a little differently shaped, so you will have to find this out for yourself by trying on a pair (either your friends, or at a store or something). I don’t think the comfort is that big of an issue, however, since Grado changed the ear pads to thicker and stronger ones. But still, don’t take my word on comfort, you may prefer Sennheiser’s comfort as opposed to that of the Grado’s, but whatever. I still think that the Grado’s are a superior phone and they make (as I see it) the best dynamic headphones out on the market.

One last thing before you go. While you may think that spending nearly $1000 Canadian is a lot of money for headphones, you have to look at A) the quality of the phones, and B) the market for headphones. I would figure that it is pretty safe for me to say that you will not find a better sounding pair of headphones for under $5000. Also, the only phones you may find out there that sound better would be a pair of mammoth electrostatic headphones that not only use a heck of a lot more power, but also weigh more than 5 times what these ones do (making them nearly impossible to bring around with you).

So, bottom line, if you have to buy some headphones, and second best wont be good enough for you, then I HIGHLY recommend the RS-1s. Their beauty and sound is first class and the price isn’t all that bad when you really think about what you are investing in. If you take care of these headphones, there is no doubt in my mind that they will last you the rest of your life. Enjoy, and happy listening!


Note
Thanks for reading this little review, I know it might not be as extensive as some of my others, but I really don’t see the worth in going on and on about the same old stuff every time, especially when we are making barely a dime a month per review if we’re lucky. *sigh*, oh well, I guess that’s something to complain about somewhere else. Thanks again.

-Dereck G.