Ahhhh...Vintage RS-1's

[postjack]

What on earth made them so "special"?

I don't get it, they are just a pair of RS-1s. They look just like mine.

[deepak]

Throw on a brown headband on any darker RS-1 and you have a vintage RS-1

They didn't even have the wood box.

[mr. nice]

i don't know what made them so special, though i did have a couple of new RS-1s that i compared them to and they did in fact look better made, but then again everybody seems to say that all vintage RS1s in general look better. I did compare them with a vintage set somebeod had in the city and the ones i had were glossier and the wood was a nicer color and as mentioned the RS1 button was in fact conical which people on headfi dug and both the dudes in the city also mentioned, but is this all worth that much more? like i said maybe there is some hidden freakin treasure in the drivers so something. the person i bought them from told me they were never ever used and sitting in his drawer for years. how am i suppose to know the truth there but they looked brand new. maybe all of your RS1s are worth lots more. who knows?

[ojnihs]

well looks is one thing, but if they all sound the same, then what gives?

[mr. nice]

youd also have to sand out the serial number, throw on some black mesh. the buyer told me that he had never heard a more beautiful headphone than a vintage RS-1 also. he mentioned that the new RS-1s sounded like crap but loved the vintage and looking by his headphone collection on headffi he seems like a pretty trustworthy source. no wooded box you are correct! but i think of all things to make them vintage the wooden box would be the easiest thing to reproduce.

[mr. nice]

like i said i compared a couple of newer ones to the vintage. i did prefer the sound of the vintage but that aint saying much.

[philodox]

FWIW, I prefer the look and sound of the vintage RS-1s. I'll wait until I can get them for a sub $1k price though.

[postjack]

Also, welcome to head-case mr. nice!

[ojnihs]

FWIW, I prefer the look and sound of the vintage RS-1s. I'll wait until I can get them for a sub $1k price though.

looks like you'll be waiting for a while there jay

[mr. nice]

thnx for the welcome. holy crap i just starting reading this thread from where i was starting to be called a liar. you guys must think that im the anit-christ.

[postjack]

thnx for the welcome. holy crap i just starting reading this thread from where i was starting to be called a liar. you guys must think that im the anit-christ.

nah, you aren't the anti-christ. Thats EdipisReks job.

But I hope you're skin is thick enough to absorb the fact that I still have a really hard time believing that you sold those for $1650. Hell I sold my near mint HP2 for $50 more then that.

In fact, even if the buyer came on here and said "I am the buyer, I paid $1650 for them", I would still not believe it.

[deepak]

I have to agree with Jack, that's about $1000 more than what a vintage RS-1 without wood box normally goes for. Prices fluctuate and things go up in value, but I have a hard time believing they sold for that much.

[mr. nice]

man you guys are starting to make me feel like a ripped this guy off. larryminator made me some nice offers for them including trading an HP2 with me paying additional cash. why do any of you think id refuse him or not take $650 if it was all BS? no BS people whether you believe me or not.....

[philodox]

looks like you'll be waiting for a while there jay

Nah, just need to be patient.

Nobody is calling you a liar Mr. Nice, but it is hard to swallow... So don't try to force it down our throats.

[mr. nice]

and BTW most of the offers that came in were for around $1000 lowest for $550 to Hong Kong. I shouldve held on to all the PMS i had deleted all the names and just posted them here or on head-fi. for entertainment purposes. I'll tell you what if any of you have a vintage pair of RS-1s i'll give you $950 for them right now. that's $300 more than you would ever imagine paying for them. very simply i want them with a brown headband, no serial number and the original box. I am not joking! PM me. They need to be in great condition!

[Larryminator]

and BTW most of the offers that came in were for around $1000 lowest for $550 to Hong Kong. I shouldve held on to all the PMS i had deleted all the names and just posted them here or on head-fi. for entertainment purposes. I'll tell you what if any of you have a vintage pair of RS-1s i'll give you $950 for them right now. that's $300 more than you would ever imagine paying for them. very simply i want them with a brown headband, no serial number and the original box. I am not joking! PM me. They need to be in great condition!

wtf you just sold a pair 2 days ago.

[Larryminator]

OMG, you might actually take down one of your WTB threads?!?!

Seems like it worked... Yes I will take down one of them. I've found many of my wanted things in the past few days.

[mr. nice]

it has nothing to do with me wanting a pair laurent but people are saying that the most they should ever go for is $650 and that nobody believes that i sold it for what i sold it for so....i am kinda being an ass and want to make a point. To those who believe the vintage RS-1 in great condition should never go for more than $650 (stating that is pushing it) I say I will give you $950 right now. Just PM me. Seems like a pretty fair deal No? I could care less about the vintage RS-1 cuz I am never gonna get a nicer set than i sold. Trying to make my point that's all. Congrats on finding what you were looking for. Maybe we can start talking about one of your HP2s?

[deepak]

and BTW most of the offers that came in were for around $1000 lowest for $550 to Hong Kong. I shouldve held on to all the PMS i had deleted all the names and just posted them here or on head-fi. for entertainment purposes. I'll tell you what if any of you have a vintage pair of RS-1s i'll give you $950 for them right now. that's $300 more than you would ever imagine paying for them. very simply i want them with a brown headband, no serial number and the original box. I am not joking! PM me. They need to be in great condition!

Grados are nice, I was listening to some Smiths earlier (The Queen is Dead) and as Morissey would say it was gloriooooooooous. some Grados are better than otheeeeers

[recstar24]

There have been enough comparisons from enough reputable people out there that have compared the vintage rs-1's to new stock and the conclusions have all been pretty similar. Warm full bodied sound, no glare, no harshness, very smooth throughout. New stock has a glare and harshness that is simply not present on the vintage stock. My rule of thumb for myself is when I can listen to them with bowls and not become deaf from the shrill highs, and get some of the deepest fullest bass with bowls, then there is something going on. My sonic impressions have almost always coincided with Mulveling's (Mike) and they do with the vintage vs. current stock rs-1's. I believe Ian in his post from the NYC meet is pretty similar to our impressions as well.

Now if that difference is worth about 16-1700 bux, can't help you there. At that pricepoint I would just get the HP1000. But if your comparing a $650-$700 vintage rs-1 set vs. a $1500 HP1000, then the cost/value ration is heavily favored to the vintage rs-1 IMHO.

[n_maher]

It would be pretty funny if the only real difference between the old RS-1s and the newer variety is that the older ones have been run in and abused enough to sound different.

Regardless I simply can't find any justification for the $1000 premium that this last pair allegedly commanded.

[foo_me]

To defend all these people calling Mr. Nice fake...nope, I was the buyer. Who likes to be called a fool??? no one right...but I'm pretty comfortable with this purchase actually.

Did I overpay? Depends...Maybe I did overpay, I thought it'd be somewhere closer to 1000 actually, but then I thought about where it stood relatively to other headphones I've listened to.

I just sold a pair of RS1s so I know how they sound. I also was able to hear John's vintage pair recently and was amazed how different they are. I also own a PS1 and K1000 and the sound for me lies somewhere in between so they do have a place in my collection.

I listened to and have owned most of the headphones around so I think I know what's out there and I know what I like.

That being said, for me, they're worth it. I like them better than the HP1/HP2s and perhaps even better than the PS1s...time will tell. But given the prices for those and the limited availability and purely the fact that I was looking at the time these headphones were sold, I got them.

Maybe I did overpay but sometimes and especially for me right now, it's about enjoying the headphone and music and I'm doing that right now. Sometimes or I think, most of the time, it should be the enjoyment factor relative to cost that is most important not primarily the cost alone. It's why some people pay thousands and tens of thousands to buy singlepower amps...I would hope it's not the ego factor but the enjoyment of the music that they're really after.

So the added X factor is there. For others, maybe not. But so what...I don't give a sh*t.

[n_maher]

But so what...I don't give a sh*t.

Welcome to Head-case foo_me. FYI, you can say shit around here and no one will bat an eye.

[ojnihs]

But so what...I don't give a sh*t.

looks like you'll fit in here no problem.

[foo_me]

lol...thanks for the clarification.