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grados go with what?

post #1 of 7
11/20/10 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 

So i'm pretty set on getting the grado gs 1000s. I have 800 bucks still. What headphone amp/ dac should I buy? Is there a particular brand or model that does the GS-1000s justice? Or will anything around 800 bucks suffice? 

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post #2 of 7
11/22/10 at 5:47am

To the best of my knowledge, Grados do not really require any great amplification other than to give a flavour to the sound (like to tone down the aggressive treble or add some additional punch to the bass etc)

 

IMO, your money would be best spent on a high end DAC that also happens to have a built in headphone amp.

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post #3 of 7
11/22/10 at 2:06pm

So there's a tendency for people to recommend things they own and like...  But in this case there's a lot of support for there being really good synergy between the Mapletree Audio headphone amps and Grados.  You should find some that comfortably fit within your budget.  Check out the Mapletree appreciation thread for some owner testimonials.

 

I find that my MAD amp sounds especially nice with Grado RS-1's, but have not heard it with GS-1000's, so I can't say for sure that the same specialness is there.  But I suspect it is and heartily recommend an audition.

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post #4 of 7
11/23/10 at 3:09am

@OP - Going for an amp makes sense if you have a good source. If not I suggest you take care of your source first before venturing into an amp.

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post #5 of 7
11/23/10 at 12:14pm

How about the HeadRoom Desktop Amp/DAC.  Its $700.00 I believe and would be a great all in one solution.  

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post #6 of 7
11/23/10 at 1:46pm
Either go with solid state or a tube amp that has output transformers. Most OTL amps don't have an output impedance low enough to handle Grados. That's not an issue with solid state, because chips have a nice, low output impedance.
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post #7 of 7
11/23/10 at 3:33pm

I've always liked Grados with a Melos SHA

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