[iReally]

I have been lurking on this forum for about a month now and I finally feel I have read enough to start asking questions.

A couple weeks ago I got my first good set of headphones, the Grado SR80s. I have probably put about 100 hours on them (maybe just a little less) and I am really enjoying them. Now that I feel the headphones have been burned in enough to get a good idea of how they are going to sound, I am thinking about ways to improve on them. It is certainly not that I am dissatisfied with the SR80s, I am not considering getting different phones, but I want to improve the sound in any way possible. I am not new to audio, I'm a musician and I have been listening through a pair of Polk 5B Monitors for a couple years now. I am, however, new to headphones.

The ways I am using the headphones right now is by plugging them directly into the headphone output of my Macbook. My music is mostly MP3s encoded at either 256kbps or 320kbps, played through iTunes.

Overall I really like the sound of these headphones, but I would like to improve the strength of the bass and the overall "impact". I figure that the best way to do this is by adding an amp. I have been looking some at the cMoy amps, particularly the bass mod versions on eBay.

The music I listen to is extremely broad. However, some of the bands I am most worried about sounding good are: The Mars Volta, The Pixies, Phish, Notorious B.I.G., Pink Floyd, Neutral Milk Hotel (haha, I know, it's never going to sound good), Modest Mouse, The Beatles (especially Sgt. Pepper's), The Flaming Lips, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers (their stuff sounds kind of like its clipping or something..), The Shins, Sigur Ros, Thursday, The Beastie Boys, hopefully that is enough. All of this music sounds very good now, but I would love to hear more "depth" and feel more "impact".

What do you guys recomend? Should I be re-ripping all my cds in another format? Are there programs I should be using? Other inexpensive gear ($100 or less) that I should be picking up? Help put me on the right track.

Thanks!
Ian

 

[Jon118]

I always found that the SR-80s respond very well to an amp. I would suggest getting one if you want the best out of them, even a cheap cmoy like you mentioned will do the trick. Other than that it all depends, there are a few mods like the "basshead" mod, which involves putting electrical tape around the sides of the pads, or getting the "liberators", I don't know where to buy them, but I believe those basically open up the soundstage. 414 pads are also pretty popular, but I believe those are mostly for comfort, from my experience the bowl pads that your SR-80 came with should be your best bet for SQ. I'm sure someone will come in with something I missed, but those are all I know of, of those I would only get an amp, but I wanted to give you all the options.

 

[mfueger]

How much $$$ do you want to sink in either the headphones or an amp? Is your Macbook going to be pretty much the only source?

 

[headphonejunkie]

Maybe you should look at some DAC's. They can give you better sound than what is available form your soundcard.

 

[supakij]

I heard someone in Headfi (don't remember which thread) said you can improve Grado bass easily by putting a tape around the foam (pad).

anyway, getting an amp is much more proper way to do it.

 

[iReally]

Jon118,
Ok, I really like the idea of the cMoy (particularly the bass mod version on eBay) based on the price and the reviews I have read of it.

I have heard about the tape mod, but I really don't want to go that route because a lot of people say that the bass comes at the price of losing clarity and it doesn't seem like the proper way to do things.

I have heard of the "liberators" but I haven't really picked up on what they are yet. Can anyone explain?

mfueger,
Right now I don't really want to spend more than $100 on improving my set-up. I just bought the SR80s a couple weeks ago and I am a college student who is stingy with money. The Macbook is my primary sourse since I live in a dorm room. I power my Polk 5Bs with a old Sony STR-AV460 and I have plugged my headphones into that, but I prefered the sound straight from the headphone jack on the computer.

headphonejunkie,
Can you tell me more about DACs? I have read a little about them but I don't even know where to begin as far as deciding if that is what I want to purchase next or how it will impact my sound.

supakij,
Yeah, I think getting an amp is a better idea than the tape.

 

[Etrius]

I second the motion for a cMoy. Nothing beats it as a *cheap* but very significant upgrade for the SR-80's.

 

[kpeezy]

I was going through this same issue and I was recommended the Corda Move. Amp w/ built-in DAC. Probably would run a bit over $100 and I haven't personally heard it but it seems to be well liked.

 

[d-cee]

don't rule out pad rolling

different pads and the various mods eg the mega bass tape mod or quarter mod are very inexpensive ways to tailor the sound to your liking

and mods such as the tape mod are easily reversible

 

[iReally]

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. From what I have read so far online it seems like an amp is the way to go to get the most improvement out of my SR80s.

Does anyone reccomend against the cMoy (bass mod version) or think that my money would be better spent on something other than an amp? (such as a DAC)

 

[headphonejunkie]

On the subject of the DAC. I don't have one personnally but have read a lot of good things about them. With my 80's an amp helps but does not really make a substantial difference to me. That is why I was thinking that a DAC will give you better recording quality which would improve your listening pleasure. Good recordings have always made the music sound so much better and involving for me. I would have gotten a DAC myself but I can't use one at work which is where I do most of my listening.The corda MOVE could be a great thing to research. They are fairly cheap and it is small enough to take with you if are out and about with your laptop. I think the MOVE can be powered by the laptop. I would look into it further though.

EDIT; An amp does give my 80's more impact and such but sound quality does not improve greatly. That is why I suggested a DAC which could do both.Of course, I am using my amps as the source of my discussion.