I've got some Grado SR-80's which are great but the highs are too sharp on some of my electronica recordings and make my head hurt. Also I've got a lot of old Jazz records that I love to use the Grados with because they bring out all the details, but they're in mediocre shape and the Grados really over-ephasize the crackling. They also make some of the underpowered campus radio stations in the area unlistenable because of the crackling. I'd like to get a headphone amp... not sure what to get that would help make the Grados more forgiving without loosing too much detail. I don't have a very big budget since I'm a student, so ~$150 is my limit. So what are some good cheaper amp suggestons that will make these things chill out? ... and I don't want to hear about some other headphones you think will do the job 'cause I'm already hooked on the Grados for most of my stuff. I'm just trying to see if I can expand their usefulness!

Also secondly I read earlier that the Grados need a lot of current, but not a lot of voltage (correct me if I got that wrong). But I'm confused what exactly current is and how that's different from voltage. If I'm playing out of some computer device (laptop, mp3player, etc.), how would I find out what the current of that device is? Do headphone amps improve just the voltage, or the current, or both, or what? Are there other aspects I'm leaving out here?

If you don't like your phones, spending more money on an amp for them makes no sense. Don't be afraid to dislike Grados. I don't like em myself. I'd ask a question in the headphone section describing budget and the kind of sound you want and go from there.

markl

I agree with Markl. If you don't like Grados, you don't like Grados.

But if you like the Grado sound a lot except for the "shrillness" I'd say get some Alessandro tuned headphones and couple them with a tubed amp.

If you're like me, you'll just stick to the senns

the guys are right. besides, with electronica and jazz, you don't sound like a Grado kinda man I really doubt you'll be able to chill the Grados enough.

I love my Grados, but they are only as good as your source, even more so than your amp, me thinks.

Okay maybe I came off as not liking the Grados, that's not true, I actually love the Grados with most of my stuff.. though not all. It's not the way (most) of the music sounds that bothers me, it's just the way static and noise gets Super-Amplified so it practically kills me. Was hoping a tube amp would smooth that out, although tubes are out of my budget. Are there any really budget tube amps... like say, $200 or less? I saw the MG Head tube amp and thought about it but I'm hoping for something even cheaper... Secondly, if electronica isn't a Grado type of thing, then what models excell more in this area (in my price range).

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With Grados? Don't think about it. For whatever reason, they don't seem to like each other very much. At least that's what I, and a few others here, have determined.

Well I have to inject my opinion in here -- I think the MG-Head goes very well with Grados and smooths them out and warms them up. However, the Head will not necessarily help sharp highs a lot. Anyway, if you're looking for an inexpensive tube amp, definitely keep the Head in consideration.

Okay, so I checked out the Alessandros on the web, and realized that they're really some slight varient of regular production Grados.

As joelongwood has just noted, the Grados don't like the MG Head tube amp, which is the only tube amp in my price range... it makes me wonder if the Alessandros would work either? I'd like to know what exactly the disagreement was between these two. It seems there is a lot of variation among different tubes. Does anybody know what tubes Do work?

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Well, I think the Earmax Pro works very well with Grados, but at $750 it may be a bit out of your price range. On a side note, lee, you should understand that headphones and amps are really all about opinions. Personally, I don't like the way the MG Head drives the Grados, but that's me. You may find, as shivohum does, that they work quite well together, as we all hear things differently. If it sounds good to you that's all that matters. Take our advice with a grain of salt and trust your own ears.....the recommendations here should be considered to be rather general in scope, not specific.
BTW, which college in Amherst are you attending? My son graduated a few years ago from UMASS at Amherst............he's still living in Amherst.
Woops...forget that last question....I just checked your profile.

Hamp and UMass are pretty isolated from eachother- very very little crossover unfortunately, though not sure why.... okay back to topic!

Maybe a better question then would be where could I actually listen to some of these Amps and higher-end cans without actually buying them, to get an idea what I like? They don't usually carry tube amps and such at Best Buy! Is there a directory of some kind for these places anyone knows of?

Don't blame the Grado's for the source material, although as a Grado owner I agree that they would accentuate snaps, crackles, and pops (like Rice Crispies). Try turning down the treble a bit while listening to those sources you mentioned before giving up on the Grado's. Don't be surprised to find you like different headphones for different musical sources or styles. That's part of why you will notice so many here have headphone "collections".
BTW- I would make every effort to listen to the actual equipment you are considering BEFORE spending your $$$. We all hear a bit differently, and these differences are very real in experiencing headphones. Also, the inaccuracies of any set of cans may be pleasing to one person and very annoying to another.

--- It's your ears, and your $$$.

Jon

re: Grado alternative

If you're looking for a chilled out sound, the smoothest phones I've heard on a budget are the Sennheiser HD 545. They've been replaced by the 570, but I haven't heard the new model.

I think Grados do very well with Electronica, many consider them the best headphones for that sort of music. You could try changing to the comfy pads or try some of the other pad modifications that can tame the highs somewhat. Or try some other headphones as others have suggested. I doubt an amp will completely solve your problem with them, but an amp is good to have anyway for other reasons.

re: HD545 vs HD570, the HD545 is much better. I have them both and the HD570s spend most of their time in the drawer.

I would say go for Total Airhead. I also experienced sharpness in the high of the Grado. I use SL-CT570 as a source. TA warms up the high end sharpness of Grado and gives a fuller midrange. Finally, these are one of my favourite setup. Good Luck.