Grado Fan Club!
Jan 31, 2015 at 12:09 PM Post #22,771 of 64,913
 
Well IMO you can take the HD700 off your list. It has somewhat recessed mids, not forward. I have never heard the AD1000 but the other two fit the bill other than possibly price as you mentioned. Shure makes one, I think it is a 1540 if I recall, that is pretty good also if you get a chance to listen to one.

Ok HD700 are off the list and I will add the HD800. So how do the GS1k, Beyer T1s, HD800 compare?
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 12:18 PM Post #22,772 of 64,913
 
I'll bet Jay does too...just sayin

no, sorry to say, have't gotten into the bluray thing too much, i ended up selling the oppo i had, and haven't replaced it
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 12:26 PM Post #22,773 of 64,913
What is the opinion on the Grado RA-1 amplifier? There's an old type for sale (only has the RCA female connectors and the silver switch on the back side) for 125 euro. From what I understood it's a good pairing with the RS-1, but would it also pair well with the SR325iS and/or the Alessandro MS-Pro?
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 1:40 PM Post #22,774 of 64,913
  What is the opinion on the Grado RA-1 amplifier? There's an old type for sale (only has the RCA female connectors and the silver switch on the back side) for 125 euro. From what I understood it's a good pairing with the RS-1, but would it also pair well with the SR325iS and/or the Alessandro MS-Pro?

Its not a bad sounding amp but the way they configure the two 9V batteries in series results in turn on/off thumps / pops.  I never openly recommend this amp as a result.  Ignoring the novelty of an all Grado / mahogany system for a second, for ~$300 there are better options... IMHO.  Its good practice to unplug your cans whenever turning on/off any amp with the volume turned down.  But still a well thought out circuit should not thump and pop like that.
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 1:52 PM Post #22,776 of 64,913
The HD800 is simply INCREDIBLE. The other phones pale in comparison.

Edit: Other than the HD800, another headphone worth a listen is the Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime.

i don't particularly like the hd800, i like the t1 more
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 2:06 PM Post #22,778 of 64,913
  Its not a bad sounding amp but the way they configure the two 9V batteries in series results in turn on/off thumps / pops.  I never openly recommend this amp as a result.  Ignoring the novelty of an all Grado / mahogany system for a second, for ~$300 there are better options... IMHO.  Its good practice to unplug your cans whenever turning on/off any amp with the volume turned down.  But still a well thought out circuit should not thump and pop like that.

 
I'll keep it in mind to check for the 'pop'.
 
For 300$, okay, but if you can buy one for 125 euro (142$)?
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 2:17 PM Post #22,779 of 64,913
  What is the opinion on the Grado RA-1 amplifier? There's an old type for sale (only has the RCA female connectors and the silver switch on the back side) for 125 euro. From what I understood it's a good pairing with the RS-1, but would it also pair well with the SR325iS and/or the Alessandro MS-Pro?


I love mine!  I have casually compared it to the Joseph Grado HPA-1 of 1990s vintage... not too different, if at all.  I use it with my Prestige line sometimes (SR-60, 80, 125, 225, 325), but mostly with my RS-1 and RS-1i.  When I wear my Prestige line, it is usually while I am wandering around doing things around the house, so I prefer a more portable, but excellent-sounding JDS Labs C-Moy Bass Boost in the Altoid tin.  Much smaller.
 
I did make an apron that holds my RA-1 amp though and used it for that as recently as yesterday...
 

 
Jan 31, 2015 at 2:29 PM Post #22,780 of 64,913
 
Good question!
 
I tried both side by side, using the same source material and the Grado HPA-1 amp.
 
I think there is a small difference, perhaps 5%.  The difference was small enough that I found it only by listening to one right after the other... an hour later if I heard one, I could not tell you which it was without hearing the other.
 
The SR125 was clearer and more transparent.  It seemed to move the musicians a bit ahead of you.  The SR80 put you more amidst the musicians, and there was a bit less airness to the sound.  Bass on the SR125 had a bit more of an actual tonality than the SR80, but both were similar in intensity.
 
Again, very small differences...  I don't think I could tell which was which without hearing them side by side.


The issue of Consumer's Report that arrived today actually rates the Grado SR-80e above (86 points) the Grado SR-125e (80 points), though both are in their Top Ten Headphones list (which is led by the Grado SR325e).
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 2:37 PM Post #22,781 of 64,913
   
I'll keep it in mind to check for the 'pop'.
 
For 300$, okay, but if you can buy one for 125 euro (142$)?

Yeah I don't mean to make a mountain out of a mole hill so to speak, the pop can be avoided by just unplugging your headphones before turning off and plug in after turning on.  Its a good habit to get into anyways regardless of the amp.
I am also not really a fan of the JRC4556.  I know its a perfect OP amp for low-Z cans and in this application it has the +/- V swing up push high-Z loads as well like the HD650/600.  But for me personally as a very low volume music listener current reserve and voltage potential reserve play second fiddle to sonic attributes, since my amps are more used for attenuation than boost.  In essence my amps are more there to color the sound, and serve as impedance mating between components.  Signal amplification really does not play into it much at all, given my listening volumes.  SO in that light, I have almost always preferred an OPA2107 for its (IMHO) warmer, groovier signature with my Grados and in my 18V Cmoy type circuits.  Its not a high current OP amp, but once again since I am using my amps as attenuators thats a moot point.
 
In light of my personal philosophies of what my amplification stage really does and my low volume listening habits...  I would still have a hard time recommending it at that price.  But thats just me... you simply can't argue the cosmetic appeal of the RA1.  Theres also I think a certain appeal in the "less is more" design concept... Doing more with less, where the the end result over-achieves the individual components.  Thats one of the cool things about cmoys in general... IMHO.  That philosophy has always been a Grado backbone with everything they do.
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 2:43 PM Post #22,782 of 64,913
I love mine!  I have casually compared it to the Joseph Grado HPA-1 of 1990s vintage... not too different, if at all.  I use it with my Prestige line sometimes (SR-60, 80, 125, 225, 325), but mostly with my RS-1 and RS-1i.  When I wear my Prestige line, it is usually while I am wandering around doing things around the house, so I prefer a more portable, but excellent-sounding JDS Labs C-Moy Bass Boost in the Altoid tin.  Much smaller.

I did make an apron that holds my RA-1 amp though and used it for that as recently as yesterday...




John, you need make some more of those, they would be a hot commodity on this Thread!!!

Do you think you could make me a fanny pack for my Lyr 2?:beers:
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 3:01 PM Post #22,783 of 64,913
John, you need make some more of those, they would be a hot commodity on this Thread!!!

Do you think you could make me a fanny pack for my Lyr 2?:beers:

Sure... allow me to send my able young tailor assistant to measure your fanny and your Schiit
Lyr 2...

 
Jan 31, 2015 at 3:37 PM Post #22,784 of 64,913
  Yeah I don't mean to make a mountain out of a mole hill so to speak, the pop can be avoided by just unplugging your headphones before turning off and plug in after turning on.  Its a good habit to get into anyways regardless of the amp.
I am also not really a fan of the JRC4556.  I know its a perfect OP amp for low-Z cans and in this application it has the +/- V swing up push high-Z loads as well like the HD650/600.  But for me personally as a very low volume music listener current reserve and voltage potential reserve play second fiddle to sonic attributes, since my amps are more used for attenuation than boost.  In essence my amps are more there to color the sound, and serve as impedance mating between components.  Signal amplification really does not play into it much at all, given my listening volumes.  SO in that light, I have almost always preferred an OPA2107 for its (IMHO) warmer, groovier signature with my Grados and in my 18V Cmoy type circuits.  Its not a high current OP amp, but once again since I am using my amps as attenuators thats a moot point.

 
I currently use a FiiO E10K, which uses the LMH6643 opamp. Do you know how that relates to the RA-1?
 
Jan 31, 2015 at 3:40 PM Post #22,785 of 64,913
 
I love mine!  I have casually compared it to the Joseph Grado HPA-1 of 1990s vintage... not too different, if at all.  I use it with my Prestige line sometimes (SR-60, 80, 125, 225, 325), but mostly with my RS-1 and RS-1i.  When I wear my Prestige line, it is usually while I am wandering around doing things around the house, so I prefer a more portable, but excellent-sounding JDS Labs C-Moy Bass Boost in the Altoid tin.  Much smaller.
 
I did make an apron that holds my RA-1 amp though and used it for that as recently as yesterday...
 


But I can use the RA-1 without dressing like a hick at a barndance, can I? We don't have hicks or barn dances here, and I really don't want to stand out that much...
 

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