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 by Jamey Warren 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.