Grado RS-1
The mahogany Grado flagship: the house energy with a warmer, lusher, wood-tinged midrange.
Our take
The RS-1 is Grado’s classic wood flagship: the forward, lively signature softened by a warmer, richer midrange the metal and plastic models lack. Still bright and engaging, just more romantic. Easy to drive, and the one many Grado fans settle on.
Measured on a Head Acoustics HMS II.3 artificial head — raw response, left/right averaged, normalized to 0 dB at 1 kHz. From the Sonic Temple Archive(2008–2014, one unit per model). Honest limits: seating variance runs ±0.4 dB in the mids to ±3.9 dB above 12 kHz, and open headphones read bass-light on this fixture — don’t read fine treble detail as settled. How we measure →
Common questions
Straight answers — the same ones our measurements support.
RS-1 vs SR325?
The RS-1 is warmer and lusher in the mids; the 325 is more aggressive and metallic. Same energy, different character.
Does the RS-1 need an amp?
No: easy to drive; a clean source is all it asks.
If you like the RS-1
Close on the graph, or a deliberate step in one direction.