Introduction Headphones
are not a particularly glamorous product and are often overlooked by
many consumers. For years, I have paid practically no attention to
headphones or headphone amplifiers. I didn’t know what I was missing
but, after experiencing the best in headphones, I doubt I will ever be
without a pair of good headphones again.
I spent time
listening to two top-of-the-line dynamic headphones, the Grado RS-1s
and the Sennheiser HD-600’s. There are some more exotic designs,
including electrostatic headphones costing upwards of $10,000, but
these represent the top-of-the-line dynamic headphones from two
well-respected companies.
I turned to Tyll at Headroom, a company specializing in headphones and
headphone accessories, to get started on this article. I received a
quick lesson not only in headphones but also in headphone amplifiers. I
used Headroom’s "Maxed Out Home" headphone amplifier, as well as a
Grado Reference headphone amplifier, in my testing. The Headroom
amplifier has special circuitry that provides amazing imaging through a
pair of headphones. Anyone interested in headphones would do well to
explore the offerings of Headroom, as they make a wide variety of
headphone-related products and are resellers for other brands as well.
Grado RS-1 The
Grado RS-1 represents the top-of-the-line Grado headphone and retails
for $695. The body of the Grado’s earpiece is unique, as it is made of
mahogany. The particular type of mahogany and the refining process for
it are John Grado’s secrets, but he claims they were carefully selected
to produce the finest in sound reproduction. The headband is leather,
with minimal padding. A 15-foot extension cable and mini-plug adapter
are now shipping with the Grado RS-1's. Owners of older RS-1's can
order these, along with new and more comfortable earpads from Grado.
The RS-1's were not incredibly comfortable out of the box. Some minor
bending of the head band helped significantly resulting in a much more
comfortable fit. The majority of my listening was done through the
Grado Reference Headphone amplifier ($350). The Grado amplifier, with
its wooden chassis, is the size of a small paperback novel and powered
by two nine-volt batteries. The battery power supply eliminates all of
the problems associated with cleaning up AC power. I briefly listened
to the RS-1's through the headphone outputs of my B&K Reference 20
and Pioneer Elite PDR-19RW, as well as the Headroom "Maxed Out Home"
headphone amplifier.
The Music "Stunningly
clear" and "extremely dynamic" are the terms that first came to mind as
I listened to the RS-1's when connected to the Grado amp. I listened
mainly to the same material that I had used to check out the HD-600's.
The biggest and most immediately noticeable difference was the apparent
position of the listener. With the RS-1's, I was no longer sitting in
the audience, I was on stage and the musicians were right there with
me. The sense of immediacy was sensational. The one comment repeated by
everyone who listened to the RS-1's was that it was just like being
there live, not a bad commentary at all. The saxophones on "Time Out"
came to life with crystal- clear detail. My only complaint with regards
to the RS-1 / Grado amplifier set-up was also noticeable on this track.
Occasionally, Mulligan’s baritone saxophone appeared to be coming from
the headphone earpiece and not the soundstage that was created in and
around my head. This sensation was also noticeable on Robbie
Robertson’s "Broken Arrow" off of his eponymously titled album (Mobile
Fidelity). I listened to the same tracks through the RS-1's and the
Headroom amplifier; the processing in the Headroom amplifier cured the
problem, albeit at the cost of the slightest loss of detail. Listening
to Doug MacLeod’s You Can’t Take My Blues (XRCD), I felt as though he
was right in front of me and was strongly reminded of the time I was
actually in the front row of a MacLeod show in a small venue.
Throughout all of my listening, the RS-1’s remained consistently clear
and dynamic, in a manner similar to Wilson speakers, while retaining
all of the detail of high quality electrostatics.
The Downsides of the RS-1's and HD-600's The
RS-1's were generally less comfortable than the HD-600's, with some
listeners finding them actively uncomfortable. This demonstrates the
importance of trying on any pair of headphones before purchasing them.
The RS-1's also had the occasional "glitch" in imaging. I spent a lot
of time listening to the passages where I noticed this and the best
explanation I can come up with is that it is caused by the extreme
detail and position in the soundstage of the "offending" instrument. It
was intermittent problem, but it was very apparent, given the otherwise
impeccable audio performance. The HD-600's weak point was only
noticeable when these headphones were compared to the RS-1's. The
RS-1's were clearly more detailed and dynamic. After listening to the
RS-1’s, the HD-600's were still enjoyable, but lacked that last bit of
quickness and detail. They just didn’t sound as "live" as the RS-1's.
Conclusion Each
set of headphones, like normal speakers, have their own
characteristics. Both the RS-1’s and the HD-600’s produce amazing
sound, are more accurate than most speakers and capable of producing
soundstaging and imaging I never thought possible from a set of
headphones. Listeners who prefer a more laid-back, forgiving yet still
accurate sound will likely prefer the Sennheiser HD-600's. Those who
want every last bit of detail, along with an up-front presentation,
will probably prefer the sound of the Grado RS-1's. The Sennheiser’s
were universally praised for their comfort, whereas the Grado’s got
mixed marks in that area.
Every audiophile should own a
pair of high-end headphones. There is no speaker that I have heard that
comes close to offering the degree of realism provided by the
above-mentioned headphones at a similar price. I know a thousand bucks
or more for a headphone and headphone amplifier may sound ridiculous at
first, but I would be extremely surprised if you could get a speaker
and amplifier sounding this good at any price close to that.
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Headphones
are not a particularly glamorous product and are often overlooked by
many consumers. For years, I have paid practically no attention to
headphones or headphone amplifiers. I didn’t know what I was missing
but, after experiencing the best in headphones, I doubt I will ever be
without a pair of good headphones again.
