Headphones
Grado RS 2i
Like its superlative big brother the RS1i, the Grado Labs RS2i brings liquid lushness to Grado's signature lively presence and big musical impact -- just without some of the extra-costly bits. Real mahogany earpieces, ultra-pure copper cabling and close-matched voice coils remain to ensure a wonderfully immersive, completely engaging listening experience. The RS2i on-ear 'supra-aural' cans are highly efficient at 32 Ohms and can be driven by portable audio players without demanding a headphone amp.
Sorry, Grado Labs products can only ship within USA due to manufacturer restrictions.
add to wishlist |
email to a friend
Product Features:
- Liquid and lush while retaining Grado's signature impact and presence
- Very efficient, easily driven by portable players without demanding headphone amps
- A great lower cost alternative to the RS1!
- Made by hand in Brooklyn USA
What's In The Box:
- Grado Labs warranty insert
Applications:
If you're seeking the classic high-end Grado RS-1i sound in a slightly less expensive form, then the RS-2i are the headphones for you. They show such a striking resemblance to the RS-1i in cosmetics, ergonomics, and tonal presentation, they could almost be called a younger sibling. The RS-2i deliver an intense, immersive music listening experience that is dynamically impactful, immediately present and very liquid-sounding, although they can occassionally be leading on the uppermost highs -- if only with unforgiving "audiophile" recordings. The more expensive RS-1i model offers slightly smoother transparency on the uppermost treble and precise detail resolution in the midranges. The RS-2i are comfortable but can be made more so by gently (gently!) bending the headband to better conform to the top of the head. They will work well directly out of a portable player/iPod/iPad without requiring any outboard amplification, but the RS-2i will more easily reach their full musical clarity and resolution potential when used with a dedicated headphone amp or with a nice powerful home stereo system that will maximize the dynamic range extension, soundstage imaging 'depth', and smooth tone of this lovely hand-made Grado headphone.
The RS-2i are extremely well-designed at Grado Labs' family-run Brooklyn, NY USA facility and the element drivers are perfectly matched to .05dB featuring voice coils made of Grado's own ultra-high purity, long-crystal, oxygen-free copper. The headphone cord is the straight type & attaches to both earcups in a 'Y' design and it too utilizes the Grado proprietary upscale copper braiding and fully-shielded cable winding construction. The RS-2i's earpieces are hand-tooled with real mahogany wood for a uniquely sophisticated look that some say adds a slightly burnished "woody" tone to the sonic signature of the RS-2i. These cans maintain the standard Grado flexible leather-covered headband and simple metal height adjusters that connect the earpieces to the headband which allow for up & down height adjustment plus full 360 degree rotation of the earcups. This feature is ideal when laying the headphones down flat for storage or traveling. The RS-2i headphone cable comes terminated to a full-size 1/4"-inch plug. If you need to plug into a smaller mini-jack on your source, you'll need the Grado 1/4"-to-1/8" mini-plug adapter. By the way, Grado Labs has now removed the little cosmetic RS-2 logo 'dots' from the outer earcup grille.
HeadRoom is now a fully authorized Grado headphone recable specialist! Please call us if interested in re-cabling your Grado headphones with our exclusive HeadRoom/Cardas 'Fat Pipe' upgraded headphone cord!
Specifications:
- Cord Type: Straight Y
- Coupler Size: Medium
- Weight: 8
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
- Cord Length: 7 ft. (2 m)
- Detachable Cable: No
- Connector Type: 1/4"
- Ear Coupler Type: Earpad
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 32
- Sensitivity: 98 dB/mV
- Wireless: No
- Noise Cancelling: No
- Headphone Type: Earpad
- Acoustic Seal: Open
- Isolation: 0
- Microphone: No
- Driver Type: Dynamic
Additional Resources:
- Manufacturer's Website
- http://www.gradolabs.com/
- Product Reviews
- Cool Tech Zone Gundeep Hora Sept. 2005
- Techradar.com, Richard Black
Average Rating
Posted by Izzy Axel on 2012-02-10
Recommend Product: No
Pros: Excellent extension, harmony throughout the frequencies, comfortable, looks great
Cons: Could do with a wider soundstage
But, these cans are special to me.
I don't know quite what it is, maybe it's the omnipresent rich low end that doesn't stick its neck out, unlike what seems to be popular today. Maybe it's the calm, crystal clear waters of the mids and highs, the resolving capability that allows you to hear all the way down and back through a mix...or maybe it's that the sum of the parts adds up to more than it logically should. It's a common occurrence among talented musicians, but it seems to be woefully uncommon in headphones, and any other section of the audio market.
The comfort of the bowl pads is contested, but they didn't bother me any, even though I wear glasses. The headphones' fit can be modified by bending the headband outwards or inwards to get more or less clamping pressure, but even by default they fit loosely on the head, and when I found my desired fit, they disappear when I listen. The looks of these cans are polarizing to say the least, I've not found a single person outside of the internet who likes their looks. I personally love them, but that's not relevant, look at them and decide for yourself.
As for driving, I run them through the headphone amp on the HT Omega Claro Halo soundcard. I'm not entirely sure how it compares, but it sounds leagues better than my FiiO E7, so I imagine it's pretty good. They do sound a bit piercing through the E7s though. But then again, the E7s are regarded as bright themselves. Line out of the iPhone 3Gs is nothing special but it gets the job done.
As for the open back design...I'm an odd one when it comes to this. I actually REALLY like the way outside noises meld with the music when I'm walking downtown. I use these as a portable set, but most people would not want to do this, due to the sound leakage both ways.
And for the con I listed, the soundstage is perfectly fine, you do get the look-over-the-shoulder moments with it, but it's not QUITE a total sphere around your head, it only goes ~70% of the way around, I'd say, and it isn't outstandingly wide.
To close out, a polarizing line of products that will require you test drive them before buying. Not for everyone, but they gave me something special and unforgettable.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by Rotobuster from Bridgeport CT on 2011-03-06
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Warm present beautiful rich sound
Cons: Those darned ear pads
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by aimlink from Kingston, JM on 2010-02-14
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Excellent value
I decided to be different and go for these instead because of their significantly smaller price tag. I also wanted great comfort which they were reputed to have.
On seeing them for the first time, I thought they were so nice looking and the lightest among my headphones. The wood finish is really slick.
As to the sound, I really enjoy these. They are special, and I've been using them at work as my main cans. They are very similar to my SR325is, but with less brightness on the top end and far greater comfort due to their light wooden design. The bass is very well represented, i.e., punchy, deep, tight and never too much. With that comes nice, forward mids to highs that are rarely harsh, but which help to create a high degree of intimacy in sound. The detail retrieval is also excellent.
These do deserve their place among Grado's reference series.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you?
