RS1i owner checking in. #9057
(a quick picture I took for another post - I'll post some better quality ones at some point.)
I moved to these after being so impressed with the SR225i. Before that the HD 650 was my main headphone, driven by an OTL tube amp (a combination I thoroughly enjoyed - I only brought the SR225i's because I was curious about the Grado sound).
I've been driving the RS1i from my AMB M³ and I'm very pleased with the results. I did have a stint driving the SR225i with my Little Dot I+ - which is a popular pairing with Grado headphones - while I was building the M³. Based on my time with the I+, I can see why hybrid tube amps are a popular choice for Grado's, and actually the M³'s 'tone' isn't dissimilar to the I+, so I've found the M³ to be a very good pairing the RS1i, and the SR225i before it. Otherwise the M³ trumps the I+ in every respect by some margin (most notably a cleaner sound, more detail and tighter bass), but that's to be expected given the cost difference.
I listen to pretty much the staple genres (mainly prog. rock, blues, folk, Jazz, pop and electronic), and the RS1i is the only headphone I use for serious home listening at the moment. I don't find the RS1i lacking in any of the music I listen to and I don't consider it overly dark or bright. It doesn't have the body of the HD 650, which is more noticeable in some tracks, but it has punchy bass and the way it focuses in on vocals and instrument timbre is magical and the real reason I love this headphone - it's also faster than the HD 650.