The Grado RS1e is one of these, with mahogany earcups and a very retro headband which makes us think of radio operators during World War II. Had their headphones sounded this good at that time, would the Allies have still won? It’s a real enigma. Pros: If you're looking for headphones to enjoy the music with, the Grado RS1 adds up to a resounding no-brainer recommendation. Some refer to it as foot tapping, or pace and rhythm; I prefer the term kinetic energy. Whichever term resonates with you, be aware that the RS1 brings all of the above to the musical table. Its brand of infectious enthusiasm, yet smooth and organic presentation, defines the essence of the Grado sound. Let it be known far and wide – I'm proud to be a Grado customer! Aggressive, but smooth. Very textured, detailed, very extended but not harsh, clean and nearly free of grain. And inside the RS-1s which would look like the top of the Prestige series range, the SR325's, if not for the wooden enclosure that is substituted for the metal frame which encases the 325. Sonic improvement requires these changes. But lest that take anything away from the RS1's status, and to answer the question of what makes it great, I found the RS1's take on things to be very interesting, and ultimately, very preferential. But with the right preference, and with the right amps, the RS1 opens up to offer a world unlike any other. What makes it great, you ask?

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. I will get the the sound in a bit. Yes, the sound is a bit different from the RS2e, SR225e, etc. Still, people who hate Grados should feel completely free to crap all over them. This isn't for them. I actually love them though. Higher frequency response. Even though the drivers are furthur away from the ears, all the details in the sounds are easier to hear. Whether or not the details make the song better, that's really depends on the song. I think this also makes the bass a bit better as well.The fit and feel of any Grado headphone is polarizing, some hate it… others, like myself have either “Grado ears” or lobes made of steel. The new RS1 does deviate from the standard Grado comfort. With its protruding drivers and out of the box death-grip clamp the RS1e was bearable but far from ideal. A simple bend of the headband, a few hair ties (around the protruding driver, and in the channel the pad mounts to) help keep the pad from overly compressing and shoving the driver into your ear. A simple mod, but necessary to fully appreciate the sonic bliss that awaits. Beyond that, without knowing what you want or not, what brands (or custom manufacturers) you like, etc - the closest parallel I can think of is when I tried different woods on the same model ZMF headphone. It changes the sound noticibly, but not so much that I would confuse say an Auteur for a Verite Closed or Eikon or other factors such as the chain itself or the pads you use will get drowned out. There is also some degree of interaction - different woods of the same ZMF model may sound better with different pads / chains / whatever. And of course, personal preference. The RS-1 can be used without an amp, and I find that my portable iRiver drives them quite well, with a slightly soft bottom end and a bit of euphonic softening of the highs as well. It's a nice match. With an amp in my home system, the bass is better controlled and more assured, and the highs a bit brasher and sometimes just a touch of harshness or glare in the lower highs/upper mids. Three odd years ago these marvelous cans were considered the cream of the crop from Brooklyn-based audiophile headphone house Grado Labs.

Despite my preference for the flats, the bowls made the RS1 sound more balanced, and repeated listening on all the amps made it pretty obvious that they're probably tuned with the bowls - they gave the most consistent musical sound. 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 I'll try not to use words like warm, bright, fast, etc. to describe sound since I'm not exactly sure myself what they mean. I'll use simple words like detail, bass, treble, since we can all agree what kind of sound they represents. Comfort is quite good by Grado standards: the wood is lighter than the metal in the other Grados I've used (325, HP-1, PS-1), and although the flat pads sit on the ears and feel a little abrasive at first compared with non-Grados, I find them quite comfortable, or at least not uncomfortable, to wear pretty much all day. These headphones get tone right, and do so with remarkable consistency. Whether you happen to favor Mark Knopfler over Eric Clapton, or Wes Montgomery over Grant Green, the Grados put sufficient distance between the artists and make each of them stand out.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".