[scdavis0]

I'm getting the grado 225s. I don't see the need for crossfeed in my situation (3D games, Dolby Headphone, I like the 'in my head' sound). I've narrowed my selection down to the RA-1 and Creek OBH (the less expensive one). I do realize that one is portable and the other is not; this does not have bearing on my buying decision. I am mostly concerned with sound. I listen to bass bumping types of music if that helps.

 

[morphsci]

I use the Creek OBH-11 with my MS II's, 60's and V6's. It is very good amp IMHO. Dead quiet if the recording is dead quiet. It will be interesting to see how the OBH-2 power supply affects it if I can ever find one for a reasonable price ($100 PS for a $150 amp just doesn't seem right!

)

 

[KR...]

Quote:

3D games, Dolby Headphone, I like the 'in my head' sound

Sounds like you will be using a soundcard, am I right?

 

[scdavis0]

Quote:

Sounds like you will be using a soundcard, am I right?

Yup.

[/me waits for everyone to yell at him]

 

[KR...]

If that's the case, then get the Creek, since the RA-1 is overkill for a soundcard.

See if you can get a demo Creek and save money.

 

[Chewy]

If you buy the Creek OBH-11 I suggest getting the optional OBH-2 power supply. It boosts the clear and detailed qualities of this fantansic amp.

I brought both from Stone Audio http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/ for just over $200 delivered from the UK. They have a great site and good service but are a little slow to reply to emails.

Chewy

 

[scdavis0]

Quote:

If that's the case, then get the Creek, since the RA-1 is overkill for a soundcard.

I don't understand what you mean by 'overkill'. I can get both amps for the same price.

 

[Braver]

what kind of soundcard is it? using that kind of highend equipment on a soundcard will be revealing all sorts of nasties..tho Vert managed to get some halfdecent sound out of it for a while...until he was assimilated by Team Denon that is

 

[Galveston]

While the RA-1 could very well reveal all sorts of nasty, subtle details of what's going on in his computer, he could always upgrade shortly after. If it sounded too horrible to wait, then he could get a good portable cd player with a line out to hold him over (for under $100) until he could get a good home player. Or he could even just get the Denon, as it's only around $230 if you shop around.

This, of course, assumes that the amp will be mostly for listening to music.

Just a thought.

Also, scdavis0, where do you plan on ordering the RA-1 from, and how much does it cost from there? It sounded to me like you were getting a really good price for it.

 

[scdavis0]

What is the 'Denon' that you guys are talking about?

I plan on using the Game Theater XP. For those not familiar, it is essentially a dummy card that attaches to an EXTERNAL box. That should hopefully help eliminate noises from my PC.

 

[JMT]

Quote:

scdavis0 wrote: What is the 'Denon' that you guys are talking about?

I believe they are talking about the Denon DCM-370 HDCD/CD player. It is a tabletop 5 disk CD changer and is considered to be one of the best value mid-fi CD changers on the market. The list price is $299.99 but I have seen them for as low as $197.99. I bought mine at The Good Guys for $223.00. Search Yahoo Shopping for some good deals.

 

[morphsci]

Why would the RA-1 be more revealing than the OBH-11? According to the reviews/comparisons I have seen regarding the OBH-11, as well as my own listening, it seems like a very neutral amp, adding little coloration to the music. Is the RA-1 even more neutral? It seems to me that in order to reveal a real flaw in the sound card the amp must not add anything significant to the signal, IMHO. Anyway, perhaps someone who has listened to both could enlighten me. Thanks.

 

[bootman]

Quote:

I don't understand what you mean by 'overkill'. I can get both amps for the same price.

Where?

The RA-1 lists for $350 and the OBH-11 lists for $199.

I would get a RA-1 for $199 in a heartbeat!

 

[scdavis0]

Looks like it was just a typo on a popular headphone website... it has been fixed since my initial post.