Account
Make the record
Listen to the record
Where to start
A Meze Empyrean II resting on a turntable beside a spinning record with an orange label, its silver cable across the plinth

Everything in the shop

Headphones, records, cables and recording gear, on one page.
Close up of the black ribbed cup of a Meze headphone, lit low from one side

The condition scale

One standard for used headphones, instruments, amps and drums.
Read
How we work
Come in
Close up of the brass yoke against the walnut cup of a Meze 99 Classics

How we listen

What we listen for, and what a measurement will not tell you.
A Meze Empyrean II lying on crumpled black fabric, lit from one side, its cable running out of the frame

The listening room

Third floor at 215 E. Lewis Street in Livingston, by appointment.
Headphones
Amps, DACs and in ears
The Best Headphones Around $300

The HD 600 or the HD 650 is the whole question at this money.
The Best Desktop Amps and DACs Around $150

Five desktop amps and DACs around $150.

Cart

Your cart is empty

Continue shopping

Where to start

Buying guidesHeadphonesAmps & DACsCustom headphone cablesGradoMeze AudioGrace DesignRecords
Grado RS1, side view of the wood earcup
Grado RS1, front view
Grado RS1, view of the cushions from inside the headband
Grado RS1, angled view
Grado RS1 worn by a listener seated in front of a headphone amplifier
Grado

Grado RS1

Price$750.00

The first wooden headphone Grado ever made, and the only RS model left in the line, now on the 50mm X2 driver.
Ordered from the maker when you order, then shipped usually inside two weeks and always inside thirty days. Shipping
Thirty days from delivery to send it back. Returns
Specifications
  • Type Open-back dynamic
  • Driver 50mm X2
  • Housing Cocobolo, hemp and maple
  • Impedance 38 ohms
  • Cushions L
  • Cable Signature Silver, fixed
  • Replaces RS1x
Why it is here

The RS1 has been in the catalogue for over thirty years and it is the headphone people mean when they say they want a wooden Grado. The Classic version uses three woods in one housing, cocobolo for density, hemp for damping and maple for stability, and pairs the 50mm driver with L cushions that sit the driver close to your ear. What you get is midrange, presented plainly and up front, which is why singers and guitars sound the way they do on this headphone. The RS2x is gone, so the RS line has nothing cheaper in it any more.
How it is built

50mm X2 dynamic driver with Mylar diaphragm and copper voice coil. Tri-wood housing in cocobolo, hemp and maple. Signature Gold headband with engraved aluminium gimbals, stainless steel height rods and a leather headstrap. Signature Silver cable, L cushions.
What it is for

Vocals, acoustic music and anything where the middle of the recording is the point. It does not need a powerful amplifier, but it does reward a clean one.
Grado RS1, side view of the wood earcup
Grado RS1 Price$750.00
Before you buy
How I Listen, and What a Measurement Will Not Tell You

How I listen

A Grado headphone with cherry wood cups and a tan leather strap hanging on a curved cherry Grado stand against a pale concrete wall

The buying guides

A woman in a grey knit sweater listening on wood-cup Grado headphones, eyes closed and one hand raised to the cup, in a dark room

FAQ

Headphones on a pale wood desk striped with bars of afternoon sun, the cable coiled beside them

Shipping

A woman on a brown leather couch listening on Grado headphones, eyes closed and one hand behind her head, two stacked wood-cased amplifier units lit up on the table behind her

Returns

Jamey Warren waving hello in a recording studio

Can you help me choose?

Yes. Email us directly. The person answering has been in professional audio since 1997.

Email us