[kugino]

for $1000, half will go towards the rs-1. $500 for an amp/dac (or just amp)...i might think about the pico. the amp section is good enough to drive the rs-1 well, and the DAC is very good.

even when you do decide to upgrade the amp "in a few years"

you can still use the pico as a DAC/pre-amp, which is what i used it for in between my imac and signature 30/k1000 setup while my opus was being built. just a thought.

if you just want an amp, i would take a serious look a the gs-1. drives the rs-1 beautifully...and the amp is also very versatile.

 

[beez]

hmm, lots of good advice... i'd be ok with just getting the amp and the phones, which i could do if i got the rs1 and the woo 3+, but the problem is i don't have any DAC at all. how important would getting a dac be? could i hold off on that for a while or would it be dumb to get the rs1 and woo 3+ without a dac. i'd rather get two high end things now and worry about the third component later than get an average dac and an average tube amp and have to upgrade both sooner.

 

[XXII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beez /img/forum/go_quote.gif hmm, lots of good advice... i'd be ok with just getting the amp and the phones, which i could do if i got the rs1 and the woo 3+, but the problem is i don't have any DAC at all. how important would getting a dac be? could i hold off on that for a while or would it be dumb to get the rs1 and woo 3+ without a dac. i'd rather get two high end things now and worry about the third component later than get an average dac and an average tube amp and have to upgrade both sooner.

If it was me, I would go for a good DAC + average amp...

 

[knopi]

Sorry about that becose I dont heard DAC by MHDT Labs so I just think for example Paradisea, it is not technically great product for example big signal distortion and other wrongs.
You can consider new Casea Lyra wich will ready in march/april , it will DAC/AMP combo (1 analog and 1 digital input)...yeah I know it is company by Czech rep. but it is great company.

 

[beez]

ugh i'm torn. i'm not sure what to do. i really don't think i wanna go above 1k right now. as much as i'd like to have a tube amp right now, would i be better off just spending like $200 on a decent DAC? i can do that and hold off on the amp for a little while, or maybe just go with one of the little dot series? as much as i'd like to go with the woo 3+ it's kind of making me push my budget a lot farther than i should. and the fact that i dont have a DAC at all is making me reconsider the amp part right now...

 

[wang0215]

i think ra1 is suitable for grado's headphone. because of the source is macbook, maybe a better DAC is nessary.you buget is 1k. LOL. you have a lot of choice.
i think the dac-1 u is good enough.

PS:"a nice night of poker "lol

 

[beez]

i hate this hobby.

i'm just as lost as i was before. seems like i'll have about 500 dollars after the headphones to spend on an amp and DAC. should i split it evenly between the amp and DAC? this is so confusing... so many options and no idea how to allocate my money...

 

[Ampersand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wang0215 /img/forum/go_quote.gif you buget is 1k. LOL. you have a lot of choice.

Not if the Rs-1 is included in the $1000 budget. I was assuming it was. Maybe the OP can clarify. If the $1k does not involve the Rs-1s, then he has alot of options. OTOH, new Rs-1s (the OP mentioned he wanted new) will run ~700, leaving just 300 for amp and dac.

If it were me, and i only had $300 for amp and dac, I'd just hold off.

I'd suggest getting the Rs-1s, plugging them directly to your headphone jack in the mac, and enjoy for now. The Rs-1s are fantastic, and will still sound extraordinary through the headphone out. Piece your system together slowly. Buying cheap stuff now won't satisfy you for long. Save up for each component one at at time.

Good luck, and enjoy. This is supposed to be the fun part

 

[beez]

haha thanks. yeah the approximately 1k includes the rs1s. i'm looking around for some used ones- i'm kinda looking the buttoned look. i think i'm probably gonna spend about 200 on a decent DAC, i'm thinking the keces 151, and then save up some more money till i can get the woo 3+ a little down the line, maybe in a few months or so. will these 3 have some nice synergy?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beez /img/forum/go_quote.gif hey all, here's my story: i discovered head-fi a few months ago and have been reading a few hours every day. got grado sr60s for christmas to replace my bose qc1 (gift from a few years ago), played around with modding them and love them. i got a pa2v2 and like that a lot too. i've since been fascinated by the hi-fi world and now i'm looking to upgrade my system after a nice night of poker yesterday. i listen to music exclusively out of my macbook. since i like the sound and look of the grados, i'm thinking i'm gonna go straight to the top (pretty much) and get the RS-1. i think they're beautiful looking phones and if they sound half as great as grado fans think i think i'll be happy. i'm open to other suggestions though too. i listen to a lot of acoustic stuff, rap, indie stuff, some rock, some techno. pretty wide range and for the most part have liked how my sr60s have handled most things, especially vocals and acoustics. tube amps seem really interesting and sweet looking to me, and the whole tube rolling thing seems cool so i think i'm gonna go with a tube amp. i've looked at the little dot series and some others, but since i dont know much about amps even after extensive reading, a lot of it goes over my head. i'll need a DAC too since i listen only from my macbook, but since there are so many out there i'm kind of lost in that area too. so basically i'd like some suggestions for a set up with nice synergy around $1000, including an amp and DAC. i kind of have my heart set on the RS1 but as i said i'm open to suggestions. thanks

Assuming the $1000 is for RS-1, amp and DAC? Apogee Duet firewire DAC for Mac has excellent synergy with all Grados, and is an excellent DAC and headphone amp for the price. The Duet can serve as an excellent DAC to as desktop amp later. Second choice for Grados in terms of sonic synergy is an RSA Predator USB DAC, where the DAC is good but not as good as the Apogee while the amp's sound is very good with RS-1 and other Grados. If you want a USB DAC that is as good as the Duet's DAC, and want more power than the Predator the choice is the Headamp Pico which is only slightly less warm with Grado than the Duet and Predator but still excellent. And the Pico DAC section is good enough to use the amp as a preamp to a full size amp later as well.

If you are talking $1000 for just the DAC and amp which don't need to be portable with the macbook, I would get a Woo WA6 and Headroom Micro DAC or Apogee Duet as DAC (f you want to save money on the amp, a head-direct EF-1 amp or Millett Starving Student amp).

 

[beez]

thanks a lot for the response, larry. i was kinda hoping you'd chime in at some point with some advice. i actually just completed a purchase for a keces 151 DAC, the price was right and it's gotten some solid reviews around here. so i think now i'll just have to look into an amp. any advice on which tube amp would go nicely with the keces and rs-1? i'll probably be holding off for maybe a month or so at least before i can spring for the amp, but i'll probably be looking at around $500 or so. did i make a good choice with the keces? it was $200 shipped.

 

[Acix]

KONTROL 1 :NATIVE INSTRUMENTS : Products : AUDIO KONTROL 1

Apogee Mini-DAC :http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/minidac.php

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beez /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks a lot for the response, larry. i was kinda hoping you'd chime in at some point with some advice. i actually just completed a purchase for a keces 151 DAC, the price was right and it's gotten some solid reviews around here. so i think now i'll just have to look into an amp. any advice on which tube amp would go nicely with the keces and rs-1? i'll probably be holding off for maybe a month or so at least before i can spring for the amp, but i'll probably be looking at around $500 or so. did i make a good choice with the keces? it was $200 shipped.

I have heard good things about the Keces, just haven't heard one. Amps that I have heard and really like with Grados in order of price include the:

Millett Starving Student ($100-200 depending on build yourself or not),
Head-Direct EF1 ($299-399 depending when on sale),
TTVJ Portable Millett Hybrid ($450),
Woo WA6 ($585 - $1200 depending on mods),
Melos SHA Gold (discontinued, $1500-1800 used)
Zana Deux ($1800-$2200 used, not sure new)

In your price range I would look at the EF1 or TTVJ, and if you get the Woo you at least should add the $110 pseudo dual power supply to the $585 base price, and later add a Sophia Princess rectifier for $150.

The TTVJ has crazy synergy with every Grado I have tried on it, just with a little less detail than the Woo or higher level amps, and the soundstage is slightly bigger than the EF1, while the maxed Woo is even above that. I haven't spent enough time with my son's Millett Starving Student amp to compare to the other amps, other than to know it was like heaven with Blutarsky's Grado PS-1 at the 11/1 colorado head-fi meet. None of these will disappoint.

 

[beez]

thanks, some good choices there. i was looking at the little dot series, which are a fair amount cheaper, and the little dot I+ hybrid stands out to me. after switching out the tubes, will this amp be almost comparable to some of the above? the reason i ask is because if there isnt that much of a sound difference, i could pick up one of the little dot amps now and have a nice set up and be done. or should i just hold out and go for the EF1 or something?

i dont think i'm gonna wanna spend another 3-400 for a little while so it's either little dot now or i'll be listening without an amp for a few months. but if i'm almost wasting money and not doing the RS-1 justice with the I+ or something i'll just hold out. but spending around 250 or so right now would keep me under my 1k budget. not sure how that magically came together and worked out but it did. (RS1-$550, keces 151- $200)

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

With a $250 budget for amp, look at the whiplash audio Millett Starving Student Hybrid then, I have the same kit from rds (same build list) and it is great with Grado for the price ($180).