[wewewho77]

I really appreciate your valuable opinion sir! It's a pity it doesn't come with rechargeable batteries or AC adapter.

 

[Syan25]

True....but the sound quality is nothing less than stellar. For fast headphones like the grado, I think this amp would perhaps take the edge off the grado brightness. But I'm talking about the general features of the grado sound. I m about to get a pair of grado sr-325is for Christmas. I'll report on that matching as soon as i get them.--

 

[wewewho77]

You guys are really helpful. I still can't decide which one of these 3 amps for my Grado, SR 71A, ALO International or ALO Rx mk3. Each with their own pluses and minuses. And it seems not too many reviews regarding how's Grado doing with these amps.

 

[fiascogarcia]

Quote:

You guys are really helpful. I still can't decide which one of these 3 amps for my Grado, SR 71A, ALO International or ALO Rx mk3. Each with their own pluses and minuses. And it seems not too many reviews regarding how's Grado doing with these amps.

I love my SR 71A, but I've heard nothing but good things about the MK3, and of course, if you want to use the International as a PC DAC you have that extra function as well with that unit.  Just depends on what you want, bearing in mind that the RSA is considerably  (IMO) less expensive.  Just a side note:  I get a good 16 to 18 hours minimum with my batteries, and changing has never been a hassle for me.  The voltage used really does eliminate clipping at any volume level I've been able to tolerate.  I have a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries, but I prefer the Duracells, if you're willing to spend the extra for them (probably offsets the cost, in my situation, of the more expensive rechargeable amps in the long run!).

 

[ambchang]

I just joined the club yesterday, as I received my SR-71a in the mail.  And let me say, the hype is real.
 
I used to own the ALO Rx MKII, RSA Tomahawk, the Bravo v2, Bravo Ocean, and a CMoy amp, and the SR-71a has them all beat by quite a margin.  Mentally, I wasn't ready to abandon my allegiance to the MkII, as that was a great little amp that I have owned for over 2 years, but the SR-71a just sounds better.
 
The Rx had a little bit of a boost on the bass, always sound very clean, but the SR-71a just gives so much punch to the bass and sparkle on the high end.  The sound is smooth and clear, and while the MkII had "more bass", it wasn't as refined or impactful.  The cymbals are so clear on the SR-71a that it sounds real.  The soundstage on the SR-71a is wider as well.
 
The only draw back is that there are no recharge circuits (9v batteries), and it's quite large.
 
FYI, I used a DIY Magnum v3 (soundstage is so ridiculously wide in this one), a W3 (mids a little recessed in this setup), and a modded T50-RP (so smooth and nice, like listening to melted butter).
 
I listen mostly to rock, like Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine Nirvana (even bad recording sounds good), Kid Rock and such. Will test out soundtracks and mellower stuff later on.

 

[fiascogarcia]

Quote:

I just joined the club yesterday, as I received my SR-71a in the mail.  And let me say, the hype is real.
 
I used to own the ALO Rx MKII, RSA Tomahawk, the Bravo v2, Bravo Ocean, and a CMoy amp, and the SR-71a has them all beat by quite a margin.  Mentally, I wasn't ready to abandon my allegiance to the MkII, as that was a great little amp that I have owned for over 2 years, but the SR-71a just sounds better.
 
The Rx had a little bit of a boost on the bass, always sound very clean, but the SR-71a just gives so much punch to the bass and sparkle on the high end.  The sound is smooth and clear, and while the MkII had "more bass", it wasn't as refined or impactful.  The cymbals are so clear on the SR-71a that it sounds real.  The soundstage on the SR-71a is wider as well.
 
The only draw back is that there are no recharge circuits (9v batteries), and it's quite large.
 
FYI, I used a DIY Magnum v3 (soundstage is so ridiculously wide in this one), a W3 (mids a little recessed in this setup), and a modded T50-RP (so smooth and nice, like listening to melted butter).
 
I listen mostly to rock, like Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine Nirvana (even bad recording sounds good), Kid Rock and such. Will test out soundtracks and mellower stuff later on.

 
Glad you're so happy with it. Love mine!   I think you'll find it does a great job on all genres.  Enjoy!!

 

[ambchang]

BTW, one thing I am really curious about is how the SR-71a compares to the Meier Quickstep/2stepdance or the Pico Power, just purely from a SQ perspective.
 
I am interested in all three, but unfortunately, not rich enough to own all of them.

 

[Syan25]

I found the Meier quite neutral and clean and a little boring. The RS-71A is definitely warmer in a musical way and manages to balance bass, MIDs and highs very nicely while having an alive presence. Haven't heard the pico...

 

[fiascogarcia]

Quote:

BTW, one thing I am really curious about is how the SR-71a compares to the Meier Quickstep/2stepdance or the Pico Power, just purely from a SQ perspective.
 
I am interested in all three, but unfortunately, not rich enough to own all of them.

 
Here's an oldie but goodie, for a nice reference!
 
http://www.headfonia.com/the-usual-suspects-12-portable-amps-compared/

 

[fiascogarcia]

Quote:

BTW, one thing I am really curious about is how the SR-71a compares to the Meier Quickstep/2stepdance or the Pico Power, just purely from a SQ perspective.
 
I am interested in all three, but unfortunately, not rich enough to own all of them.

 
Here's an oldie but goodie, for a nice reference!
 
http://www.headfonia.com/the-usual-suspects-12-portable-amps-compared/

 

[ambchang]

Thanks guys.  My original plan was actually to get this, try it out, sell it, and get a 2Stepdance for a lower cost, but I think I will be sticking with the SR-71a for a while.

 

[imackler]

What rechargeable batteries are you all liking with the SR71A? 

 

[fiascogarcia]

  What rechargeable batteries are you all liking with the SR71A? 

Tysonic MAH200 works well, but I personally prefer Duracell's, and I get really long use from them. 

 

[refault]

I might be a minority here by asking how SR-71A pairs with Grado PS1000. But that's what I have right now. Any opinion will be greatly appreciated guys. Thanks you.

I'm not so sure the difference between the SR-71A and the original SR-71, but I find the original SR-71 to sound pretty good with my Grado HP-2 (although, again, I'm not sure how this compares to the PS1000.... just putting this out there.)
 
It seems to have a pretty good synergy with the Grado HP-2 at least. Very quick attack and kind of smooths out or adds a small level of clarity to instrument separation, etc.  to the forward-sound of the Grados I think with the original SR-71. 
 
From what I've read, the SR-71a seems to sounds pretty similar to the SR-71 except the latter has a slightly less aggressive sound with a little wider soundstage than the SR-71a. Although take this with a grain of salt because I've never listened to the SR-71a myself...
 
The original SR-71 sounds great with everything from low-impedance IEMs (like the 16ohm Sennheiser IE-80) to high-impedance cans (300ohm HD650), so I find it very versatile in this regard. The black background is nearly dead silent, even with sensitive IEMs, although there is a very very very slight mild "hiss" at higher volume levels with the IE80s. It isn't noticeable at all unless you are listening specifically for the background noise w/ nothing playing though.
 
I've just placed an order for the ALO RX-MK3-B+ and hope that the hissing with my IE-80s will at least be tolerable... if not, I might have to look into the SR-71B instead sometime in the future, lol.

 

[stevetoney]

I recently bought an SR-71a off of ebay and when I got it, one of the first thoughts I had after using it was that I needed to be careful not to lose either of the thumbscrews that hold the back panel in place.  Less than a month later I lost one of the screws. LOL.  Fortunately, I contacted Ray Samuels and he provides replacements.