[jonathan c]

Agree with @Shamburg! The GS3000e works well with most h/p/a; is fantastic with Grado RA-1 and with Woo WA6SE!

 

[PhenixS1970]

I can really hear the potential of this setup. This is why Grado has me hooked for life (oh yes I have had my Audeze, Utopia etc. but just nothing to my ears compares to the joy of listening to a Grado…..).

 

[movinIron]

Overkill? Nah .... I was wondering if you could add more

Definitely! Even better cables, digital enhancers like Jitterbug, iSilencer+ (There are many others)
@ Knee Deep In Epoxy: Love your setting
(Even if I had never heard of the Little Bear…)

 

[Shane D]

Got my new foam order today. What a difference! Silvian (Beautiful Audio) sent me a FULL selection of foam. I instantly picked the "stiffest" white foams and put them in. Wow! They are now just like brand new BA pads. They are as deep as Shipibo pads, but they compress nicely to give you a comfortable experience with a great sound. Some pics attached are pads with new foam and old foam. And then just the naked foams. The yellow ones are almost three years old.

To break it down, the whites are slightly different in terms of stiffness. The grey ones feel like Grado pads: stiff and nasty. But I wonder how they would feel inside BA pads. Hmmmm.
The black are just the stock ones that come with the pads. My originals are all stretched out for some reason and these look so different.

This whole weekend will be dedicated to A-B'ing GH2's and Hemps with these pads.

If you have an old pair of BA pads, refoam them!

 

[jonathan c]

….tyres at a NASCAR pit stop…🏎…?

 

[movinIron]

Anyone recommend and amp to get the best from Gs3000e

Many thanks

Depends on how you hear.
And then on how much you want to spend.
As for me it‘s always about detail first, location second, precision third.
Don‘t need the most impressive bass or smoothest highs. Nothing euphonic necessary.
And I definitely don‘t like emphasis.
An absolut vinyl guy, needing analog in and at least daily switching the DAC (today it‘s the Mojo) and cabeling (Nordost), I‘m not interested in an amp, dac, cable or phone sounding warm or cold.
Thinking of it just as it‘s character, the rest is making it‘s class, it‘s quality.
That about the guy who is writing this.
Ignoring balanced and DAC, just for SE amp:
Less then 200,- ? Think about the ifi Zen Can.
300,- ? Lake People G103S mkII or a used Lehmann Rhinelander, which is incredible with Grados.
(both are around 250,- . Later I changed the (good) wallwart into a Dodocus UBoxP 24V (250,-). It scaled audible.)
There are several pretty good amps around 500,- and 600,- but I found the Abacus Cuffino declassifies them all for at first 600,- , now regrettably 700,-.
But it looks like… let‘s say a little DIY.
With Grados it would have been the perfect amp. It‘s by working principle the fastest amp available. Perfect transients, location, realistc stage, it‘s not even a cold sounding one. But… there is a fourth topic?/ priority? I sometimes love to listen to.
That makes the RS1e one of my favourites. Sound coloration. For that it is absolutely essential to give the single tone it‘s time to fade out, maybe die away… even if other instruments and of course voices are still active. Even with the GS1000e, which is overall the better headphone, you really need to focus to hear that: With very (very!) long running sounds the cuffino cut the sounds a nearly inaudible, tiny, nano little bit to early. My oldest son, my daughter and I can hear it, none of our friends could make it out. Bird and RS1e don’t work for me with that combination. (Fascinating: They do digital with BurrBrowns and Wolfsons. Can‘t make it out anymore. My impressions: BBs sound so dry (they definitely do!) they cut it, before it really ends. Wolfsons sound very dynamic, warm, energetic, they maybe do a little more than necessary or there really is. Switching digital filters may change that and it‘s just my experience. As always, YMMV)
Back to the topic, I strongly recommend the Cuffino - it‘s unbelievable good, maybe even end game, if it‘s 2 limitations don‘t matter to you:
- there are (a few) amps having a better … fade out?!
- don‘t try driving a Susvara or K1000 with it. (LCD-2/Sundara work perfect!)
If this matters, let‘s change to 900,- (sometimes you can find it at 800,-). It‘s the Lehmann Linear.
This one is the perfect match with every Grado.
Even balanced it is hard to find a match. I tried/ compared every Grado I heard with that one.
There is one amp I like a little more just for it‘s features, the SPL Phonitor 2.
And just one that sounds ‘better‘. Hard to compare, cause it’s completely different.
deeper soundstage, even darker background (linear is dead silent, but this one really feels like a black hole) and powerful enough to easily fry the headphone.
The MalValve Head Amp three. But now we are talking about 6300,-
I had the chance to listen to 3 different versions of this thing, the latest also with the GS2000e and GS3000e.
Can‘t describe it. The Auralic Taurus was the most dynamic headphone amp I heard before. Now second place. The Cuffino had the fastest transients. Now second place. Eternal Arts… (can‘t remember the label, sorry) had the widest soundstage. Should I say it?
Every single note feels glowing, maybe supercharged. And that might explain the black hole effect. It can‘t be more silent than the Linear, because that amp is dead silent. It’s the difference between sound/ no sound.
There is nothing emphasised, cold or warm, nothing artificia. Just pure, brutal, but 100% controlled power. You have instantly 65 milliwatts, instantly 200 milliwatts, instantly 0 watts or instantly 8 watts.
Like having a perfectly tuned supercharged V8 under the hood.
(And I‘m a rotary guy)
Nothing harsh or stressing with this amp, not even listening to an audiobook.
I did with the RS1e. But you might not like some of your 80‘s CDs any more.
Or may need a more forgiving DAC. Same with Cuffino or Linear.
One last thing, from my preferences description it may appear the other way round, but I really prefer the GS3000e over the PS2000e.
It was fun to write it down and I hope this can help or causes further exchange in my favorite thread.
(And I solemnly swear, being no member of the trade, just a freak for head-fi stuff.)

 

[movinIron]

… mischief managed!

 

[majo123]

Depends on how you hear.
And then on how much you want to spend.
As for me it‘s always about detail first, location second, precision third.
Don‘t need the most impressive bass or smoothest highs. Nothing euphonic necessary.
And I definitely don‘t like emphasis.
An absolut vinyl guy, needing analog in and at least daily switching the DAC (today it‘s the Mojo) and cabeling (Nordost), I‘m not interested in an amp, dac, cable or phone sounding warm or cold

Very true. .... it totally depends on you and your tastes and pairings.
In general i like a warner more analogue sig with the grado and like R2R dac amp with them, then with something like lcdx I possibly would prefer a more neutral tuning say 9038 dac amps (in general implementation is key) ......can't speak for just amps as I'm a portable guy on the whole.
At the moment I just have R2R but have a 9038 dac amp non portable coming in about 2 weeks, maybe this one will be the one I prefer with the grado but at the moment I just love the analogue smoothness of R2R ....its like a meet in the middle digital meets analogue.

 

[TheRealDz]

Very true. .... it totally depends on you and your tastes and pairings.
In general i like a warner more analogue sig with the grado and like R2R dac amp with them, then with something like lcdx I possibly would prefer a more neutral tuning say 9038 dac amps (in general implementation is key) ......can't speak for just amps as I'm a portable guy on the whole.
At the moment I just have R2R but have a 9038 dac amp non portable coming in about 2 weeks, maybe this one will be the one I prefer with the grado but at the moment I just love the analogue smoothness of R2R ....its like a meet in the middle digital meets analogue.

Well said, sir!

Which 9038 DAC do you have coming?

 

[majo123]

As an example i owned Tr-amp with ES9038Q2M chip, this is an excellent dac amp and very very good for the money can wholly recommend it , I also know a few on here love it with the grado but for me it's too cold and metallic with some of the grado , NEITHER of us are right or wrong it's just our audio preference and the Tr-amp is definitely a fantastic device.

 

[majo123]

Well said, sir!

Which 9038 DAC do you have coming?

Sabaj d5

 

[Delmonaco]

I would go with SR80e if I was you.
If you are used to the brighter RS-1X the 60x will be much darker and the difference in character might not be what you are looking for.

The SR80e is very unique, it laks the full bodie, balanced sound of the amazing SR325X but it is so good with its... I would say... wierdness. So crispy, detailed, sharp edges. The midrange has a dirtiness with a bit of warm. It had everything to be a headphone, but it's wonderful and unique. Not perfect, but what a personality. I began again to treat mine like a treasure.

 

[movinIron]

The SR80e is very unique, it laks the full bodie, balanced sound of the amazing SR325X but it is so good with its... I would say... wierdness. So crispy, detailed, sharp edges. The midrange has a dirtiness with a bit of warm. It had everything to be a headphone, but it's wonderful and unique. Not perfect, but what a personality. I began again to treat mine like a treasure.

What a description!
I definitely don‘t get it a 100%, but … it‘s just cool.

 

[majo123]

Well said, sir!

Which 9038 DAC do you have coming?

Still need to check out some of your R2R recommendations .... haven't forgotten just busy with other gear at the moment but I definitely will be.

 

[Delmonaco]

What a description!
I definitely don‘t get it a 100%, but … it‘s just cool.

Hahah, sorry for my poor english and crazy sentences and lak of words. "It had everything to be a BAD headphone, but it's wonderful and unique." I should said.