[johnp9723]

   Hi fellow Head-Fi'ers,
I am new to headphones as I just picked up some new Grado sr80i's with L-Cush pads. These are my first real headphones. I really like the sound, it amazes me how the sound seems to be all over the place instead of just seeming to come from one source. So now I'm thinking I want to get the rs1's and be really amazed but before I do that I still think I have a lot of room for improvement from the source as I'm only using an iPhone 5 to listen to my headphones. I do have a Yamaha Aventage amp but only have a regular Sony Blu-Ray player that I use mostly for watching movies. I tried running my Grado's with the receiver but I didn't here much difference and I think thats possibly because the blu-ray player isn't as high end as the receiver which still isn't real high end but higher than average.
 
So I'm wondering what I need to buy to get the best sound out of the headphones? Should I buy a nice cd player with built in dac's that has a headphone out and just listen to it that way or run it through my Yamaha receiver? Or is that receiver not very good for headphone listening and I should buy an integrated amp? 
Are there cheaper alternatives to buying a high end cd player and a high end integrated amp? Like maybe just buying a portable dac to just play music from my iPhone or is getting a desk top dac a better option? Or is there another option I'm not even thinking of or don't know about.
 
Bottom line is How do I get the best sound possible out of a pair of headphones with out dropping several thousand dollars?

 

[Koerhijo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnp9723 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...the source as I'm only using an iPhone 5 to listen to my headphones. I do have a Yamaha Aventage amp but only have a regular Sony Blu-Ray player that I use mostly for watching movies. I tried running my Grado's with the receiver but I didn't here much difference and I think thats possibly because the blu-ray player isn't as high end as the receiver which still isn't real high end but higher than average.
 
So I'm wondering what I need to buy to get the best sound out of the headphones? Should I buy a nice cd player with built in dac's that has a headphone out and just listen to it that way or run it through my Yamaha receiver? Or is that receiver not very good for headphone listening and I should buy an integrated amp? 
Are there cheaper alternatives to buying a high end cd player and a high end integrated amp? Like maybe just buying a portable dac to just play music from my iPhone or is getting a desk top dac a better option? Or is there another option I'm not even thinking of or don't know about.
 
Bottom line is How do I get the best sound possible out of a pair of headphones with out dropping several thousand dollars?

If you're talking about inside listening without portability, I absolutely love my Schiit Modi DAC. You don't need much more than that, in my opinion. As for amping the RS1, I have absolutely no idea about that. Typically Grados are very efficient headphones, so not sure how much they'd benefit. Hopefully someone else can help you out there.

 

[johnp9723]

Quote:

If you're talking about inside listening without portability, I absolutely love my Schiit Modi DAC. You don't need much more than that, in my opinion. As for amping the RS1, I have absolutely no idea about that. Typically Grados are very efficient headphones, so not sure how much they'd benefit. Hopefully someone else can help you out there.

Those Schiit's look real nice and the price is great! Thanks for the reply.

 

[zorin]

You would need a tube amplifier. Maybe Alo Audio Panam. The tubes help to tame the shrieky upper middle and high frequencies peaks and ringing of RS1 at 2kHz and 5 kHz. See 2k and 5k ridges on the graph below. It leads to 'listening fatigue'. Also headphones with these kind of treble peaks are less safe for your hearing health and should not be used for long listening sessions. link - http://www.head-fi.org/t/659210/stick-a-fork-in-me-im-done-dr-says-no-more-headphones
 

The image thanks to 'Purrin'. - http://www.head-fi.org/t/566929/headphone-csd-waterfall-plots/195#post_7785810
 
What music do you listen to ? These headphones will not be good for classical large orchestral music. The RS1's soundstage/the spacial presentation of music is small. Good for jazz, rock and small ensembles/groups music.

 

[zorin]

Quote:

   Hi fellow Head-Fi'ers,
I am new to headphones as I just picked up some new Grado sr80i's with L-Cush pads. These are my first real headphones. I really like the sound, it amazes me how the sound seems to be all over the place instead of just seeming to come from one source. So now I'm thinking I want to get the rs1's and be really amazed but before I do that I still think I have a lot of room for improvement from the source as I'm only using an iPhone 5 to listen to my headphones. I do have a Yamaha Aventage amp but only have a regular Sony Blu-Ray player that I use mostly for watching movies. I tried running my Grado's with the receiver but I didn't here much difference and I think thats possibly because the blu-ray player isn't as high end as the receiver which still isn't real high end but higher than average.
 
So I'm wondering what I need to buy to get the best sound out of the headphones? Should I buy a nice cd player with built in dac's that has a headphone out and just listen to it that way or run it through my Yamaha receiver? Or is that receiver not very good for headphone listening and I should buy an integrated amp? 
Are there cheaper alternatives to buying a high end cd player and a high end integrated amp? Like maybe just buying a portable dac to just play music from my iPhone or is getting a desk top dac a better option? Or is there another option I'm not even thinking of or don't know about.
 
Bottom line is How do I get the best sound possible out of a pair of headphones with out dropping several thousand dollars?

 Check this amp and this thread 
- http://www.head-fi.org/t/649097/woo-hoooo-wa7-fireflies
- http://www.head-fi.org/t/651556/a-tale-of-two-tube-amps-the-woo-audio-wa7-and-alo-audio-panam
- http://www.head-fi.org/t/643701/looking-for-a-tube-amp-perferrably-dac-without-exposed-tubes
 
Also, see my other post. 

 

[Koerhijo]

If you're getting Grados, I'd expect some level of 'fatigue' due to the nature of the Grados themselves. To 'tame' them seems counter-productive. That's just my two cents. If you want a pair of headphones that are smooth and fluid, don't get Grados. That's like ordering a Big Mac meal with a Large Fry, then ordering a diet soda to 'watch your figure'.

 

[joseph69]

Grados are an excellent headphone! Especially if you like what you are hearing! Also if you are listening out of your blu-ray into your receiver and didn't hear much of a difference from the iPhone, you most probably will not benefit from a different amp. Is the sound at least different from the iPhone as compared to your home audio equipment? I listen to my 325is's through either a Sony 6,7, or 801ES (I have all three models) into a Meridian 203 DAC into an Adcom GFP-710, and it sounds beautiful. Do you like the sound that you are hearing out of your home system? If you do, you should probably just consider purchasing a DAC like another Head-fier recommended.
Also I wouldn't be so quick to spend 7 times the amount of your 80i's, they are not going to be 7 times better. Give the 80i's plenty of play time, and I'm sure you will love them more and more. Besides the sound signature from the SR models to the RS models differ, and like I said before if you like what you are hearing stick with it, the RS model may not be for you.

 

[johnp9723]

Thanks for the reply's guys. I didn't listen to them out of my stereo for very long but I have been listening to them out of my macbook pro and the sound is alot better than my iPhone. I think the first thing i'm going to do is get the Schiit Bifrost dac and either the Schiit asgard 2 amp or the valhalla i have read lots of good stuff about these. Then after I really get used to my headphones I will maybe try some higher up Grado's or other brands. I am really liking the Grados so far and they seem to be getting even better. I have listened to them every day since I bought them and have about 20 hours on them so far.

 

[Koerhijo]

Not to be 'that guy', but the Schiit Bifrost and Asgard 2 are overkill for these headphones. Rather than spend $600 on equipment, buy a Magni/Modi and buy a few other test headphones to find your signature sound. Then worry about your equipment for those. The Magni/Modi are excellent in their price range, and can power many headphones under $500 fairly well.

However, the choice is up to you. As for those the Asgard 2 and Bifrost, they are indeed highly recommended.

 

[johnp9723]

Thats good advice thanks. I know i dont need that high end of stuff for my sr80i's but im figuring that i will be able to hear the best these headphones will put out and then i can decide weather or not i want to upgrade to higher end headphones and by that time i will have plenty of time listening to my sr80i's so i will have a good baseline to compare the new headphones to. I'm especially not worried about the power because my iphone can power these adequately but if i did go with higher end headphones in the future with high impedance than i will be good to go. Plus i'm really happy with the sr80i's right now and havent even got used to them yet and i haven't listened to my entire library yet on them or any sacd's because i dont have any but am planning on buying some. 
So you really like the modi? how much better do you think the bifrost is compared to the modi? do you think the bifrost is worth the extra money? I know the modi only samples at 24/96 and the bifrost goes to 24/196, again i dont have hardly any experiece with comparing either so you might be right and i would be totally happy with the modi. I know my wallet would be but then I'm worried that i will like it but still be wondering how much better the bifrost is and end up buy that later so instead of buying both just get the bifrost right from the get go? 

 

[stacker45]

I you want to upgrade your source, and want a player that pretty much does it all, check out the Oppo BDP-105, it seems to offer a lot of bang for your buck.
 
Oh!, and good call on the SR80i, these too have a great price vs performance ratio.

 

[johnp9723]

I have looked at the Oppo 105 but heard that the headphone out isnt that great. Plus its twice the price of the Schiit bifrost and asgard 2 combo. But that would be a nice upgrade to my home theater. Maybe i'll read some more reviews about it since its been a while since i looked into that disc player.

 

[Koerhijo]

Honestly, DAC's (until you go WAY into hardcore money) offer very little upgrades between each other. The two main things that they offer is input options and higher-priced ones are able to be upgraded. You won't see much bang-for-your-buck with DACs, and unless you want to go beyond USB input then you don't need much more than the Modi. I would still go with trying other mid-fi headphones and finding the style of sound you like. I love Grado sound too, so I'm not saying that it sucks and you need to change. BUT! Different headphones offer VERY different sounds, and so it does well to compare headphones now and find your 'style' before you throw down thousands of dollars into a headphone that doesn't quite do what you want it to.

My $.02

 

[davidsh]

Also, the valhalla would props be a bad idea to buy. It is made for high-impedance cans - not very future proof.
 
Start slow, get something like the modi/magni and see if you can try/buy some different cans that are decently priced. The rs1 might not even be the headphone for you!

 

[johnp9723]

Ok thanks guys.