[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 Im sure ill catch heat from this but the way i see it no one really likes me round here anyway. Amps color sound IMO, depending on the make or model you add. With an amp your gona add warmth (if its a tube) or its gona add bright (if its solid state) it all depends on what amp you use, just like it is the type of headphones you use. Its not gona just amplyfy the signal its gona color it.

I would agree with you-- alot of it isn't so much keeping it from coloring the sound, so much as finding how the amp coloration compliments the headphone coloration, source coloration etc. Then again, for some the object is to find the most neutral source, amp and headphones so that they minimize the need to find components that compliment each other with regard to coloration.

 

[aerius]

Since you imply you'll eventually get an amp, skip the 225 and go right for the MS2. Headphone upgrades, with the possible exception of the Senn 580 to 600, get you further along the path to goodness at the price levels you're dealing with.

 

[WmAx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justanotheruser I know the Grados don't require amplification, but how much does an amplifier improve the sound?

The real issue is how does an amplifier 'degrade' sound. Does your current amplification producing mesurable variation in frequency response or distortion that can be correlated to audible threshold levels as determined by established human perception testing? Do you hear hiss/noise or is their an a clearly audibly clipping/fuzz distortion under any circumstances? I don't see why one would need to spend in the 200 plus range that you suggested you are ready to spend unless specialized functions such as crossfeed processing are required or if you just want a cosmetically pretty amplifier. <shrug>

Just get the best headphones.

-Chris