[pureofheart]

Hi,

I need your help on recommending any of the above amps.

My headphones are Grado RS-1 and Sennheiser HD600 w/equinox cable. Music taste; basically anything but rap, country, jazz. I listen mostly to pop, rock, christian, classical...

I have read the review of the Grace 901 on stereophile(big fault IMHO is that they did not compare it to any other headphone amp) and also the one by 88Sound on headfi>amplification equipment review(pretty good).

I would like to know how the Grace 901 will compare to the Gilmore and Sugden since I am planning to purchase one of them.
Also, where is the best place to get the best deal on each of them.

I would like to also include the EarMax Pro in the evaluation.

Hopefully, somebody out there has had the chance to compare all four or at least three of the amps mentioned to help me decide.

The Grace Design 901 is relatively new and according to stereophile, it is a great professional product but maybe not necessarily an audophile quality product - am I wrong here?

so, will it be the grace 901, gilmore v1, sugden or earmax pro.

btw, how can I order the new gilmore v2? is the V2 the same as the gilmore premier headphone amp. in www.headamp.com

Thanks to you all in advance.

 

[markl]

I would rule out the EMP. IMO, it will have trouble driving anything but HD600s. It's a very finnicky amp. You need something more versatile.

Have you considered a used Melos? Drives everything well, any impedence. The Grace also has a DAC in it. Do you need a DAC? No idea if the Grace has a good DAC vs. your source (what is it?). Otherwise, you are paying for it in the Grace, maybe another amp would be a better value.

Mark

 

[pureofheart]

Hi Markl,

Do you recommend the Melos over any of the amps I've listed? The problem with the melos is that making too many mods. will probably not sound like a Melos anymore and also the reliability problem is a big issue.

have you had a chance to listen to the grace 901? it seems to be a good headphone amp.

What would you recommend over the grace 901 for the same price as the 901?

I know your feeling about grado headphones but I have read that the EMP was designed to handle headphones such as the grados. Also, I included the EMP since some prefer the sound of the EMP's over the sugden.

thanks

 

[markl]

Quote:

Do you recommend the Melos over any of the amps I've listed?

The Melos was made to drive the older grados, so they are good with low-impedence cans, plus it has enough power for high-impedence cans like HD600. Sound quality is great at its price. Of course Melos is out of business but Melos Audio Restorations is around to fix your unit (maybe not the best most economical service, though). There's even a chap here (carlo) who mods Melos's with fancy parts upgrades, if you are so inclined.

I reco it over the EMP for reasons stated. I don't think it puts out much power and couldn't drive my Ety ER4S's when I was auditioning those. Regular Earmax won't even drive the HD600 for which it was designed. I loved the sound of the EMP with the HD600s, but I remain skeptical of its ability to properly drive anything else, but I listen fairly loud to a lot of more intense rock 'n roll.

Haven't heard the Grace or the Gilmore or the Headmaster. Corda HA-2 might also be an option for you, it's in your price range. Haven't heard it either, but many people here seem to be fond of it. Price-wise you're also knocking on the door of a ZOTL, too, another great versatile amp worth looking at.

Mark

 

[pureofheart]

IMPORTANT NOTE: ANYONE INTERESTED IN VOTING. I MADE A MISTAKE AND ENTERED EARMAX PRO TWICE.

PLEASE TREAT THE SECOND ENTRY OF THE EARMAX PRO AS IF IT WAS THE SUGDEN HEADMASTER

IN OTHER WORDS,

1 EARMAX PRO
2 GILMORE
3 GRACE 901
4 SUGDEN

SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION.

BTW, CAN ANYONE FIX IT FOR ME????

THANKS

 

[Jim R]

I can't help you with a direct comparison and I can't give you any ideas on how well the EMP drives the Grados but I can tell you this, the EMP + HD-600's is a sweet combination. I wouldn't throw this one off the poll quite yet.

 

[jpelg]

You do realize that the Grace is two to three times the price of the other amps you mention, right?

BTW, it (the Grace 901) is a wonderful headphone amp that can power Grados, Senns, and even the AKG K-1000, very well. It is expensive, but you just may be done upgrading though. I have not heard the Earmax, nor have I directly compared the rest all at the same time. But if I had to say, the Grace is the better of all.

 

[pigmode]

Real tube goodness. The main thrust of SS design is to emulate the tube sound.

 

[RVD]

I think your best option would be to just stick with the Maestro that you already own. I have listened to both the Sugden and Gilmore and preferred the Melos to both. I also prefer the Melos to the Max. I think the only one that might beat the Melos is the Grace, but I have not listened to the Grace. The Grace I think will just give you a different sound not a better sound.

 

[JaZZ]

The EMP drives Grados (and low-impedance phones generally) very well and to high levels. Paired with SR-225 and SR-325 the sound is excellent. Not to speak of the HD 600: it's a dream combination.

 

[aeberbach]

The Grace is pretty amazing - I can't see myself ever buying another stereo headphone amp. The Melos is now strictly a preamp. I haven't tried a Gilmore and have used a Sugden only briefly.

 

[pureofheart]

RVD
have you made any modifications to your Melos. it seems Carlo is the master of the melos. I did the upgrade from MAR and don't know if it will worth having Carlo do the upgrade for me.
Will I notice an improvement? how much improvement?


aeberbach
do feel so strong about the Grace 901? it seems it may be your favorite headphone amp. Have you had the chance to compare it to other amps. like the melos and others...


btw, I am by no means not considering the EMP. The reviews are great by all reviewers I have read. What I will need to consider is that since I already own a tube preamp(Melos), would it be worth getting another one. BUT, yes I want one but also a solid state.

pigmode
so are you saying go for the EMP

 

[RVD]

Quote:

have you made any modifications to your Melos. it seems Carlo is the master of the melos. I did the upgrade from MAR and don't know if it will worth having Carlo do the upgrade for me.

My amp only has the MAR mods, not the Carlo mods. I have been considering getting mods done by Carlo for awhile, but funds have not been permitting. I honestly don't know how much of an improvement you are going to get with Carlo's mods as I have never listened to one of his modded amps. If I had to speculate I would imagine the improvements are great as Carlo adds some really nice parts to the Melos. Again this is pure speculation.

 

[88Sound]

I didn't vote because it depends. What follows are only my opinions and they are definitely subjective, not the opinions of everyone. All of the amps you have chosen are hard to try and return unless you get to audition them at a head-fi meet.

I currently own and listen to regularly the Grace 901, EMP, and Gilmore V.1 with DACT stepped attenuator. I have never heard the Sugden. I listen to mostly Jazz old, new, fusion, etc, and some rock, rarely classical.

The only amp I've ever heard that can drive an RS-1 to it's full potential is the Grace 901, this amp phone combo is excellent. That is until I heard the Gilmore V1. The Gilmore also has the current capability to drive the RS-1 properly. So which is better?

Both amps are very musical sounding, not your typical solid state sound at all, not harsh, not granular, capable of great dynamics. The Grace has an onboard DAC. The Gilmore can be used as a preamp. So what about the DAC? If your source is less than stellar the Grace DAC will probably sound better to you than the analog inputs. For example.... with the Pioneer DV47A as the source the Grace DAC sounds better to my ear, more detailed, 3D, better soundstage. With the Marantz DV8300 it's another story, the analog inputs sound better. So the better the source the more likely the onboard DAC will not matter to you.

The build quality of the Grace is excellent, from the fit & finish to the operation of the controls top notch. The Gilmore V1 has that DIY look. In direct listening tests using the same power cables and interconnects the Grace wins every time to a stock Gilmore. The Grace is more transparent, slightly better yes but preferable to me in every case.

Add a DACT to your Gilmore and now things really start to get interesting. The DACT increases the trasparency & soundstage and lowers the noise. At less than $600 for parts this makes the Gilmore the buy of the century. I slightly prefer the Gilmore in this configuration to the Grace with the HP-2's which I normally listen to but with the RS-1's I'd probably go with the Grace. The Grace sound is slightly more refined and that matches well with the RS-1's, the Gilmore is slightly more lively and that matches well with the HP-2's.

What about the EMP? The EMP sounds just wonderful to me with the W2002 & W100 but I prefer either the Grace or Gilmore with the RS-1's. Wonderful tubey goodness yes, but a might underpowered and fairly easy to distort. This has a lot to do with tube choice and how loud you listen.

I didn't mention the HD600's because I don't own them anymore, but if my memory serves me well all three above mentioned amps will drive them fine.

One last thing, as far as driving the AKG1000's the Gilmore will work, the Grace is better, but the RKV is definely better that the other two in this regard.

 

[RVD]

Quote:

and Gilmore V.1 with DACT stepped attenuator.

That reminds me that the Gilmore I compared to the Melos also had the DACT attenuator on it. I totally agree that the Gilmore/DACT is one hell of a deal.