[Dutchess of York]

Ive had my Grados for almost a year, and just discovered head-fi, and all the expensive upgrades that come with a head-fi membership. I'm about to order a pair of HD650s to complement my Grados, but im going to need an amp for the powerhungry Senns, and want to see what my Grados sound like amped. I'm looking to spend 300$ MAX for a portable/home amp that goes well with both headphones. Any recommendations would be very helpful!

 

[epaludo]

RSA Hornet. You can find them for around $295-$350 used in the for sale forums.
It'll match perfectly your headphones once it has a 3 positions gain switch ...

 

[Dutchess of York]

what does the gain switch do, does it need to be added on?

 

[epaludo]

You're able to set up the level of gain desired. You don't need high gain for IEM or Grados, once they don't need much power to be driven. The senns and the AKGs on the other hand need lot's of juice.
It's better to have a gain switch than just the amp set on high gain. This way you get a lot of knob (volume) play with the easily driven cans as well. You can barely turn the volume up with these cans on high can mode. On low gain, you can play a lot with the volume knob ...

 

[NiceCans]

I believe there is a Hornet in the Amps For Sale forum here in your price range

 

[Dutchess of York]

anybody have any thoughts on headroom microamp vs. hornet

 

[souperman]

If portability isn't THAT big of a deal, I would go with the PPA v2 with OP637/627 opamp combo which is PERFECT for the 580/600/650 Senn's. It also works great with Grado's and has an AWESOME integrated variable bass boost. You should go ahead and PM MisterX to build you one. I believe the PPA and Senn's are a match made in heaven.

 

[Dutchess of York]

how much would a homemade amp cost, is the sound as strong as the hornet or any other amp?