Do the Grado 60 or 80's benefit from an amp?

[walls]

I was thinking of trying out one of these but was wondering if there would be any benefit at all running them off of my LD2++. Thanks!

BTW, I listen to mostly metal/rock but do venture off in other directions from time to time.

 

[intoflatlines]

Couldn't hurt.

 

[PieRat]

I have the SR80's and my Ipod sounds way better with just using a Cmoy, so I would say yes, it really helps fill out the audio spectrum.

 

[GreatDane]

Many Grado users like tubes. I have mixed experiences...it depends on what type of music. Lately I've been liking SS with my 325i.

I don't know how Grados pair with a LD amp(impedance wise). What other amps do you have?

Buy them and try it for yourself.

 

[facelvega]

Yes, with a portable player, an amp will really make a noticeable difference. A cheap amp will do, though, don't go crazy with such entry-level phones.

ps, I should say that I speak from experience, I liked my old SR-60 much better for portable use once they were amped with a simple Go-Vibe V5. It really filled out the sound.

 

[mikeymad]

I guess that the basic question is are the 60 and 80 'good enough' to warrent amplification.

You bet cha....

The 60's were my first 'real' headphone (not throw-away that comes with the player). I must say that the first time that I amp'ed them it really did suprise me how good these phones could sound. Very close to full range and with depth.

They are worthy of an amp.

Cheers,

 

[ataraxia]

Yes, but it doesn't scale as well as some other headphones, e.g. Sennheiser HD650.

 

[Punnisher]

The difference on my portable players vs. my Sony ax-520 amp is night and day.

I have the SR60. I almost crapped my pants the first time I listened through my amp.

 

[kramer5150]

most definitely, but thats relative to my unamped sources.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by intoflatlines /img/forum/go_quote.gif Couldn't hurt.

the wrong amp CAN hurt... real bad too IMHO. Pick an amp with excessive gain, or 32 ohm instability and you could have a real hiss/hum monster or worse yet it'll spit out DC transients and cook the voice coil.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif the wrong amp CAN hurt... real bad too IMHO. Pick an amp with excessive gain, or 32 ohm instability and you could have a real hiss/hum monster or worse yet it'll spit out DC transients and cook the voice coil.

I think he was assuming that the amp would have the appropriate gain.

In that case, I have found that an amp can't hurt. I even use a go-vibe with regular px100s.

 

[ZepFloyd]

what amp would suit the SR-80's well? I was looking into the Pico but with the USB/DAC option its near $500, not sure I wanna drop that much...any suggestions?

 

[intoflatlines]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif the wrong amp CAN hurt... real bad too IMHO. Pick an amp with excessive gain, or 32 ohm instability and you could have a real hiss/hum monster or worse yet it'll spit out DC transients and cook the voice coil.

Yeah but I was figuring that the OP would be thinking about a "regular amp" (Cmoy, LD, mini, etc) and not some electrostat amp

 

[dbcoder]

So what if you are using SR80s out of a Creative Audigy SE's headphone jack? Would amping the line-out be a big difference?

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZepFloyd /img/forum/go_quote.gif what amp would suit the SR-80's well? I was looking into the Pico but with the USB/DAC option its near $500, not sure I wanna drop that much...any suggestions?

check out the amps forum. There are several good options below $100.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbcoder /img/forum/go_quote.gif So what if you are using SR80s out of a Creative Audigy SE's headphone jack? Would amping the line-out be a big difference?

You'd want to use the line out, not the headphone out. It would make a difference, but not the kind of difference you'd get between an amped or unamped portable player. I wouldn't bother amping it unless you're going to move up to a proper home amp.