Hey folks,
I picked up a used MP301 last week and it arrived Saturday, this unit was a friends who never got it out of the box to setup because of being too busy. I get the unit Saturday late afternoon and immediately hook it up to my largest JBL's, I bought the 301 to be a headphone amp. This little 9+ inch gem with its 6 watts per channel is effortlessly driving a set of JBL ND310II's.
I found a group of guys that mod these amps and did the first easiest mod that required no soldering-"The snip mod"-which is basically cutting two wires that make up a useless connection and wow did the sound improve dramatically. This little amp already sounded excellent and has me rethinking my current setup and it got better, a lot better. The music is full, and details emerge that never before were apparrent, the clarity this amp brings out is outstanding. This to me at $150 used represents probably the best value I've ever found in this hobby.
I bought used Grado SR60's from a head-fier and have started modding them, which is a blast by the way, and they sound wonderful as well..tonite was the first time I've had a chance to listen to headphones with the latest mods and I'm shocked at how good this sounds. If you want a lot of bang for your buck keep an eye on the used market for these units, I doubt you'll be disappointed and as my first headphone amp I think I hit a Grand Slam. I use a Virtue Audio Piano M1 CD Player with it internal DAC I consider this the best CD player I've owned in 53 years. Paired with modded Grado's, modded MP-301, and Piano M1 this is a combination that I would be comfortable putting up against any and all competitors if only to see how far up the price point ladder one would have to go to achieve this sonic ability.
Total cost of this setup..3 pieces- $820.00, its worth checking out if your in the market to setup a new rig. If you need to PM me any questions about the stuff please do but I may be under headphones for awhile before I can get back to you!!!!
