beginner looking for new amp+heapdphones

[whatisthematrixx]

I'll start off by introducing myself since I'm new to the head-fi community.
I'm a 17 year old who has been browsing this site extensively for the past few months and have been intrigued to a great extent by everything discussed. I desire to someday be an audiophile with a so-called "golden ear" despite the cost of this hobby.

My first purchase of high quality headphones were the atrio m5's which I love paired with my ipod. I also have an older pair of dnon ah-d750's which I use when listening to music at my computer.

I really want to get great headphones and an amp to match them, preferably a tube amp. I have been researching a ton and feel like the grado/alessandro ms2i's would be a good match for me. I have also been considering the little dot mkIII or the darkvoice 336i amp. I have not read anything that says the amps will be good with grados so I am skeptical to jump in and purchase them. I also don't really have an income and somehow convince my parents to get me things, but this doesn't happen very often. I received a good amount of money for high school graduation and would like to spend some of it on this but save some for college...

Anyways, what do you guys think? Do the ms2i's only work well with solid state amps or will they work well with some fairly cheap tube amps?

 

[GreatDane]

Welcome to the gear buying frenzy that only a Headfier could appreciate.

It seems like you're on the right track. I like my Grado with tubes but I'm not using what you mention and haven't heard either so I'm a real big help

Happy Listening

 

[spacecoyote]

Grado SR225 + tube warmth = being hit in the head with a large gold brick while floating in the upper atmospheres of Jupiter

If you do get a solid state amp I would suggest an Eddie Current EC/SS. They are made one at a time here in the US and were specifically engineered for the Grado "color". The same person who makes the EC/SS also distributes a really cool piece of audiophilia called "The Lunch Box II" tube amp, the "II" is an update to its predecessor that now has a low impedance switch to work with cans like the Grado's, and it's under $250.
Welcome to the Occupation!

 

[whatisthematrixx]

Ughh I can't decide on anything... The 225's look good but they seem to be only for rock-ish trebly music, and I listen to a wide variety of music. I listen to primarily classic and indie rock, but I'd say 30% of the time it's somethign way different, like hip hop, classical, or world.

I've been looking into the Senn 650's or possibly the AKG K701's. I really don't know what to do since I was pretty set on Grados or Alessandro's and then after reading more it only complicates my decision. I feel like I need two headphones.. a grados and either a senn or akg.. and I suppose I could get both, but I really wanted to save some money.

And now back to my reason for posting in the amp section...

I recently discovered the Yarland P100 amp and like that more than the darkvoice 336i based on things I've read+looks. But I like the looks of the little dot mkIII... Now even though I know looks aren't important, I still like to take them into consideration. And now that we are on the topic of looks, I love the way grados look even though many from what I've read regard them as not so pretty compared to other headphones. But I like the old school style.

Sooo any thoughts?

p.s. thanks for your quick responses!

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

MS2i + LD Mk3 is not a bad setup at under $500. I would wait till some review of the Mk3 has come out before I commit to it, though. LD has had some QC issues in the past. The LDII++ is also a good beginner tube amp at a very attractive price (and is largely bug-free).

What are you using as source?

 

[whatisthematrixx]

I read a review of the MKIII and it looked decent, but I suppose I should wait for other reviews first before deciding on this amp.

For a source I'll primarily be using an audigy 2 zs platinum pro external sound card, but I'll also probably be using my ipod with a line out connector.

Edit-I'm also considering using a DAC if the sound coming out of my sound card isn't too good, maybe the beresford one, but from what I can hear now it's not that bad.

 

[spacecoyote]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatisthematrixx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ughh I can't decide on anything... The 225's look good but they seem to be only for rock-ish trebly music, and I listen to a wide variety of music. I listen to primarily classic and indie rock, but I'd say 30% of the time it's somethign way different, like hip hop, classical, or world. I've been looking into the Senn 650's or possibly the AKG K701's. I really don't know what to do since I was pretty set on Grados or Alessandro's and then after reading more it only complicates my decision. I feel like I need two headphones.. a grados and either a senn or akg.. and I suppose I could get both, but I really wanted to save some money..... Sooo any thoughts? p.s. thanks for your quick responses!

I listen to mostly jazz and a little rock'n'roll and I own both Grado SR225's and AKG K701's, the Grado's get used ~95% of the time, and I have a tube amp (a custom modded three-of-a-kind) that is ideal for both sets of cans. It's not that I don't like the K701's, quite the contrary, it's just that I absolutely love the Grado sound so much.
I don't think it matters which color pill you take, as long as you have Grado's every color tastes good

 

[whatisthematrixx]

How do the 225's compare to the MS2I's? I think I remember reading that the grados did not pair up well with the Little Dot MKII... So does that mean they won't work well with the MKIII? I also am definitly considering getting a DAC now, but there are oh so many to choose from

 

[spacecoyote]

Quote:

How do the 225's compare to the MS2I's?

I am not sure, the Alessandro's are tweaked a little so I don't know. I do know that you can't go wrong either way. If anything I would think that the SR225 is more versatile than the MS2i because of the latter's metal chamber, the metal may impart a sharper edge that would be great for gaming and Electro but not so great for someone with more dynamic musical tastes.

EDIT: It might be best to take this conversation to the Headphone Threads and do a topic search for any old SR225 vs. MS2i threads, that way you would get more specific input about headphones. And if there isn't an old thread to resurrect, start a new one!

EDIT i : I checked, no old threads, so start a "SR225 vs. MS2i, please compare" thread or poll or something along those lines, I'm sure you'll get some decent feedback.

 

[whatisthematrixx]

I also searched for that and came up with no results, I guess I'll just have to start that thread. So basically to sum this thread up, any tube amp will work decently with Grados that aren't complete pieces of cr*p? Pretty much every tube amp in my price range is manufactured in China, but I've already narrowed it down to ones that have gotten fairly good reviews on this site.

 

[spacecoyote]

I don't know if every tube amp would sound great with Grado's but for under $500 you are limited.
I base a lot of my purchasing decision on how good customer service is before I even buy anything from a manufacturer/retailer/vendor and I gotta say Craig Uthos (owner/builder of Eddie Current amps and importer of the Lunch Box II) is one straight-up guy. The EC/SS is a solid state amp that is well worth the $429 and was designed for Grado's.
If I knew then (when I was eager for a tube amp for my Grado's but limited to spending $500) what I know now I would have bought the EC/SS first and then done furthur research while saving the proper purse to invest in an audiophile/reference grade tube amp like a Singlepower, Ray Samuals, Zana Deux(!), Yamamoto, etc...Because once you buy a tube amp you will start tube-rolling and from there....let's just say I have pa-lenty of tubes to last a few lifetimes with the amp I am currently using, and the money I spent on tubes alone I could have bought more gear (I just sold some tubes to fund a new source!). And in the end, if you go this route, you will have both a proper affordable solid state amp and a tube amp you can brag about. Before you commit to a hasty decision on a tube amp for the sake of a tube amp I might suggest you look up the Eddie Current site and perhaps email Craig if you have any questions. Six months ago I was in your boat, I emailed Craig and he reccomended if I really wanted to synch up my Grado's and spend under $500 that I wait for the EC/SS to be built. I didn't and bought a tube amp (which is completely modded into a whole new level or Audiophilia and I absolutely love, but only after spending more $ on mods than the amp cost). While the tube amp was being hot modded I bought the EC/SS.
Think about it, upgraditis is a disease that affects 99.9997% of Head-Fi'ers worldwide, there is no cure.

 

[whatisthematrixx]

I really appreciate the thought you put into your responses spacecoyote! I understand where you are coming from with the customer service factor and I can't agree with you more. The only thing I don't understand is why definitely start with a solid state amp? I'm starting college in september and most likely won't have any money to get any really good equipment. Upgrading will probably be just tubes and headphones. I think if I get a good tube amp now with decent customer service, I'll be set for awhile. I fear I have already caught the upgraditis disease and I've barely touched the surface of the head-fi world.

I ordered the MS2i's no more than 10 minutes ago and am anxiously awaiting their arrival.

I am also now highly considering the Little Dot MKIV SE as seen here: http://www.little-tube.com/forum/for...sp?TID=91&PN=1

I think this amp looks amazing and has some great hardware in it, along with some good customer service to back it up if it does not perform up to par.

 

[spacecoyote]

^It definately seems like a solid piece of gear, and the LD amps have been around long enough to know they are dependable.
It's not that I would start with any ol' solid state amp, just the EC/SS for its Grado synergy. Since you are on your way to school you won't have much extra cash for a while, so if you had a solid state amp you wouldn't be tempted to spend money on more tubes.
Then again the LD costs less than the EC/SS so with the money you save on the amp you could afford to roll a few, tubes that is.
I say go with your gut.

 

[whatisthematrixx]

Ah now I understand, well I can't help but be drawn to the LD MKIV SE... but if I am not satisfied with it or have extra money I will definitely look into solid state.

Thanks so much for all your help! You really helped me a lot in making my decisions

 

[wae5]

I think you've made wise and thoughtful choices which are far better than the ones many of us made when we started here. The LD MKIII stands on the shoulders of giants and is Mr. Yang's way of showing us he can design and make an amp without the flaws that sometimes mared his previous endeavors. I take him at his word and have ordered the MKIV. My hat's off to you for appreciating classical music. It's my music and, unfortunately, it's dying here in the States. For 1,000 years Classical Music has played a fundamental role in Western Culture. Who can say that about soul, rock or blues, etc.? Thank you for picking up the torch that helps keep this precious, irreplaceable tradition alive.