[ismelllikepoop]

whats the best budget amp for the sr225's? I listen to mostly pearl jam stp and medeski martin and wood. How much of a difference does it make, and how does it change the sound? I used mostly the sr60's and the difference from those to the 225's seems moderate (from what I can hear, tighter bass and more clarity), but how much more would it change with a dedicated headphone amp?

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ismelllikepoop whats the best budget amp for the sr225's?

I would suggest the Gilmore Lite which is $249 preorder right now but I don't know what price range you consider budget. Could you give a ball park figure so we can talk you into something more expensive?

 

[ismelllikepoop]

Well, one amp I was "looking at" was the headsave homevibe, seems pretty inexpensive. There are also the used pimetas for $150 I see pretty often. I would have no problem with the Gilmore lite 2, it looks sweet (yes i am superficial), but that is definitely on the higher range money-wise. I am by no means an audiophile, but I definitely like a tight, controlled sound. (sorry if i sound vague, i dont really know how else to describe it).

 

[rayofsi]

clone?

 

[gpalmer]

Around here the Gilmore amps have generally been considered to have pretty good synergy with the Grados. Sorry I don't the budget entries well enough to make a suggestion.

 

[Unclewai]

A cha47 would work very well and is well under $100.

 

[swmtnbiker]

I've been listening to the Headsave Home-Vibe with Grado SR225s (among others) for the past few days and am very happy with the combo. The Home-Vibe gets along great with the Grados, and at $100 w/power supply it's hard to argue with the price. I'm diggin' it.

 

[tom hankins]

There is a DIY Gilmore dynamic and a Grado RA1, both under 200.00 in the gear for sale forum(amplifiers) right now. Either of these would do well with the Grado's. You might be able to shoot them an offer and get within your budget.

 

[gsferrari]

Grado RA1 / CHA-47 / PIMETA / Headsave's newest offerings (the vibe)

OR JOIN US AT www.ipodstudio.com and build your own amplifier for $40.00 !!!

Cheers

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ismelllikepoop Well, one amp I was "looking at" was the headsave homevibe, seems pretty inexpensive. There are also the used pimetas for $150 I see pretty often. I would have no problem with the Gilmore lite 2, it looks sweet (yes i am superficial), but that is definitely on the higher range money-wise. I am by no means an audiophile, but I definitely like a tight, controlled sound. (sorry if i sound vague, i dont really know how else to describe it).

I believe Norm (Headsave) uses Grados himself, but keep in mind that the Home-Vibe is unbuffered... I'm not convinced it's the best amp for low impedance cans, because it's unbuffered and thus can't supply a heck of a lot of current (resulting in potentially higher distortion). I also think it has more of a dynamic, energetic sound than "tight and controlled." Then again, for $85 it wouldn't be a serious gamble to try it...

 

[ismelllikepoop]

anyone know the difference between the newer gilmore lite and the old one? seeing that the old ones are going for ~200, and the other one can be preordered for $250. Seems like getting a brand new one with upgraded circuitry and features would be worth the extra $50. The grado's seem fine unamped, but I don't know how the sound quality would be different. I know this is vague and subjective, but could someone describe how it would change? Would it be a bigger jump than going from sr60's to sr225's? $200-$250 is a good sum of money, and the sr225's + amp = over $400 invested. Now that I think about it, I would want something that I won't really have to upgrade unless I have some serious excess cash laying around. Seems like everyone here buys a pimeta then upgrades. How are gilmore's compared to pimetas?
What are cha47's?

 

[Sovkiller]

And why not going for an RA-1 clone? This is IMO the best bet for a cheap amp, it is supposed to sound very good with Grados (in case you have not the money for an original RA-1 amp).....final cost is up to the parts you choose, and the circuit is extremelly simple to make, even there I know that would be some members that may have some boards around that they have in excess, as they had to order some, and need only one or two. In your shoes I would place an add in the for sale forum, asking for any clone, or any board to make it myself.....

 

[ismelllikepoop]

You guys suck, I just got finished selling off most of my fountain pen collection to raise some money, and now I want to buy more audio stuff.

 

[ismelllikepoop]

Oh yeah, one thing about the gilmore vs clones and pimetas etc is that it looks damn sexy to me. As asinine as that sounds, it makes somewhat of a difference to me.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ismelllikepoop Oh yeah, one thing about the gilmore vs clones and pimetas etc is that it looks damn sexy to me. As asinine as that sounds, it makes somewhat of a difference to me.

Believe me, you pay for a sexy look in the audio world though (and usually elsewhere too)...