I think it actually could be burn in - pads, drivers, or otherwise. Do they still sound good? It might not be something to worry about. Grados are generally easy to drive so the "louder" sound is probably the more correct sound. Also, I personally find that the volume my ears hear as "loud"...

Disclaimer: I searched the forums already and didn't come out with a satisfactory answer. I recently got a 5.1 speaker (Logitech Z-5500) setup for my computer, and it takes up all the jacks on the soundcard (an audigy 2 zs). The 5.1 system has a headphone out that is a lot worse than the out...

When I first got sucked in: When my cheapo mass-market headphones broke and I decided that a costly(i.e. more than $15) sennheiser hd 497 would probably not break. I wasn't even really thinking about the sound quality so much. A day or two after hearing the profound difference a decent...

It was $200 for me as well . . . you have been pm'd.

I very recently decided that I should get these as a christmas present to myself. At first I was intrigued by the reports of overly exaggerated bass . . . and then the research/obsession/purchase cycle set in. It didn't take much listening over at Guitar Center to convince me they would live up...

That makes sense . . . you'd think greater volume meant greater current but I guess it doesn't work out that way. But I have read elsewhere that the main problem with driving the 271s is current (i.e. they need more of it), this also explains why the ipod line out sounds especially anemic, and...

In anticipation of getting an amp, I ordered a pocketdock, which came in today. Out of curiousity I plugged my k271s into the line out unamped . . . . . . and it's pretty loud. Knowing that the headphone out has its own little amplifier inside, I thought that this was because the line out...

I have a 271 already and am undergoing the dilemma of finding a good amp . . . I have a thread here about it, though it's inconclusive. I believe that the out on the ipod is unsatisfying with these headphones. Mainly the bass loses a lot of amplitude. All I'm comparing it with is my computer...

Thanks guys. The larocco looks sweet with its slick casing. The supermacro also looks like a good contender... I still want to keep an open mind about these more expensive amps in the event that I could get lucky getting a used amp in some ebay auction (currently I don't see any up but I have to...

Found one more: Raven labs PHA-1 - http://www.raven-labs.com/pages/products/pha1/pha1.html Seems geared towards audio professionals (like for use with instruments).

I'd recommend trying out your headphones on your audigy before making the amp purchase . . . At one point I had a got a headroom little but I could hardly tell the difference using hd 580s (predecessor to your 650s) on my audigy 2zs - save being able to take the volume a lot higher - so I...

Sorry again for being a heretic in this regard . . . but I like to adjust my bass and treble (bass being more important to me). If possible I'd like to get an amp which includes some form of bass boost and possibly a treble control. I'm looking for suggestions! I'm trying to keep it under $200...

Azure - I'm coming into this at sort of an odd place; I read your whole escapade with spending a year tyring to find the perfect amp/headphone tonight (it was in my search results trying to compare a maxi-moy and a 3ha), and I thought I would make a comment regarding your grados: - I know you...

Looking at forums, it seems like the 271s are particularly picky when it comes to amps . . . d'oh! I read that they need more current than most . . . however that works. Though I haven't found anyone that's tried them with a maxi-moy or 3ha...

Thanks for all the suggestions! The xenos 3ha and the maxi-moy are most appealing to me right now because of the bass controls. The ipod's eq is awful and I long ago gave up hope that there was anything I could do about it. The xenos has a treble control too, and is inexpensive . . . it seems...

Thanks . . . not in Taiwan as it happens, just sunny Florida. Though it's cloudy now. I am now also looking at the maxi-moys - mainly because of the bass boost (I know any kind of eq's heresy but it's what I like!)

Thanks all! In summary the votes seem to be for pimeta, waiting for the xin supermini to go on sale, or finding a used rega-ear on ebay. I hadn't heard of the latter two amps in my internet travels so this is definitely turning into a good learning experience for me.

Hey all, I am looking to get an amp, hopefully not an expensive one (I looked into making a cmoy but I'd suspect I'd botch it). I've compiled a list of the ones I'm looking at getting (probably off ebay), in the order that it seems people like them in the forums. I would be using them...