Reference SeriesRS1x Headphones

The sound quality of the RS1X once broken-in is utterly beautiful. With piano I am hearing detail that I was unaware existed in recordings. Live guitar performances have a realism that place you in the crowd. Voices are full and clear, but this also means that poor recordings can stand out like a sore thumb. Instrument separation can be sublime, but again a poor recording can have you wondering what all the fuss is about. AC/DC can seriously rock on these headphones, but I am having to get used to hearing far more intricacies in the background that are new to me - and can be somewhat distracting as I am constantly stopping the music to skip back to make sure I am hearing something new to my recollection of the track. I am now going through the process of finding the perfect match of a DAP that would pair with the RS1X. Moving onto the negatives - I would prefer a detachable cable, and will consider a modification of the headphones at some stage. It isn't that I dislike the provided cable's performance; I just wish I had the choice to try them unbalanced or balanced, and not be too worried should the cable get damaged in the future. Heck, even storing/displaying them on a stand would be far easier if I could detatch the cable and roll it up and put it in a drawer. I find the outer covering of the cable to be somewhat irritating to the skin on my neck, so I tend to position it away from direct contact. Unfortunately the provided ear pad material is incredibly uncomfortable, but is very easy to replace. I am currently looking to try out some Dekoni ear pads to find the balance between comfort and sound quality with the different material options they have. My only other gripe is I feel that there should be a stronger feeling of love put into the construction of these great headphones. The leather and stitching on the headband is satisfactory, but the mesh covering of the inside of each speaker is rather poor; with the edging being rough and ready to look at and gives the impression little care was given to the esthetics. Even the finish on the wood on the inside of each speaker is lightly splintered and should have been finished to a higher standard. It is almost as if Grado wasn't too bothered with the finish you wouldn't see when wearing these headphones.
Saying all that though, I am genuinely very happy with the sound from these headphones. With some customisation, I am able to wear them for long periods of time, and Daniil Trifonov's performance of Bach: The Art of Life has never sounded better. Yann Tiersen's Le Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain is an utter joy to listen to from beginning to end. Kiah Victoria's Memo EP is fabulous, with both versions of Ornament digging deep into what the RS1X can offer. Having only listened to music through my iPhone 13 Pro Max, I haven't even started to listen to the highest quality formats as yet, so I have even higher expectations of these headphones in the near future.