I went for the 225 to the 325i thinking it would be an upgrade. Intially I loved the clarity and the bass on the 325i, but eventually I wound up hating them--they just sounded clinical and they had a harshness that got fatiguing after a while. I went back to the 225 and was happier, but I...

Anyone had a chance to compare the old version with the new. There's gotta be some Grado fans out there that are dying to know if they sound any different!

My MPX3 Slam keeps up with the fast rock and even punk quite well. Having gone back and forth with that type of music between the MPX3 and a Gilmore Lite, I absolutely preferred the tubes. Just keep in mind that some tube designs are faster and some are slower. Talk to your builder and be...

Take a good hard look at tube amps like the Mapletree and Singlepower. I've loved my RS-1s for a long time and my MPX3 Slam makes them sing in a way solid state amps never could.

I've recently become very interested in picking up a Rega Saturn, either gently used or brand new. Besides Audiogon, does anyone know of somewhere I might be able to pick one of these up at a discount?

I spent some time with a Naim 5i and a bare 5x. The 5i didn't quite do it for me, but the bare 5x blew my mind--one of my all time favorites. I didn't get a chance to hear it with an additional power supply, but everyone seems to indicate that it only gets better. You might also want to give...

Take a close look at the Rega Saturn as well as Naim players from CD5x and up. They sound amazingly vinyl-like to me.

Still using my 542 and found that cables do make a big difference with the unit. I've tried several different ones, but most of the Chord offerings seem to pair well. To my ears, their Chorus line really brings the player to life.

Grado RS-1

Owned both, sold the 325i. To my ears, I'd guess that the difference between the two is exactly what you're looking for.

The G-lite was a little harsh with the RS-1s to my ears. A good tube amp really makes them sing.

I've heard a lot of Naim gear at the dealer and always been amazed by the PRaT. Great toe-tapping stuff that does extremely well with rock music. Unfortunately, it's very expensive and doesn't play well with other gear. I spent several days demoing a CD5i and and CD5x with my headphone rig...

I wouldn't worry too much about copper vs. silver. The construction of the cable will have more influence on it's sound than which of those materials it's made of. For a starting setup, I don't think you can go wrong with Bluejeans. I used their audio cables in my earlier rigs and still use...

As much as I love the RS1s, I had the same problem with them when using SS amplification. They were just a bit too bright with a little harshness at the the high end. The move to tubes smoothed that out perfectly. My MXP3 can sound quite different depending on the tubes I put in it. Some...

Of the tube combinations I've played around with, the 6SN7 driver with 2 5687s is still my favorite. Singlepower makes a great product, and the design really does let the sound of your tubes comes through. You might be surprised by how different the amp can sound based on the tubes you choose to...

I've never directly compared the two, but as long as I've been on this board, the MAD and Singlepower amps have always gotten good marks for working well with RS-1s. The Singlepowers are a bit more expensive, but I've been using a MPX-3 Slam with my RS-1s for a couple years now and still have...

Tube amps do have a special magic with Grado headphones. Depending on the particular amp you get and the tubes you use, some of that magic will likely come through on even the SR-80s. That being said, upgrading to a set of 225s might be a smarter first move. You'll still get an immediate...

RS-1 gets magical with tubes.

Definitely a lot to think about. New transport only units do seem to be very hard to find, so I might just stick with the 'ol c542. Now I just gotta settle on a DAC--I wish Monarcy made a current version without the line stage.

I'm thinking about going to a seperate DAC/Transport. I currently have a NAD c542. Anyone have any experience with this unit as a transport? Would it do justice to a good DAC or should I consider replacing it with a unit built as a transport only?

I've heard that you can have a couple of parts replaced to match the Grado impedence for about $100. Anyone tried that?

I've heard people say that it has good synergy with the Senns. Anyone try it with RS-1s?

Anyone out there have any experience with this combination DAC/Linestage? It's gotten some great reviews and after talking with the folks at Monarchy, I've found that with a relatively inexpensive connector, the linestage can be used as a headphone amp. I don't really need a linestage...

Depends on configuration and the tubes used; but yes, they can be REAL good with rock music.

Ball bearing 120mm fans are the way to go.