Hear is my situation: I have a Grado RA-1 Headphone Amplifier, and a pair of Grado HP-1's that have functioned flawlessly for 19 years, with only one exception. After about 10 or 15 years, one of my drivers went out. For repair, my headphones, aka “cans,” were sent directly to Joseph Grado, who was retired and living in South Carolina. I had the honor of speaking to him directly after he had diagnosed the problem.
So, now, five or ten years later, I have had no problem at all with my Grado cans. But now here is my first question: Of those of you who know your way around this issue, what do you think about me mating this DAC with my Grado HP-1's and my Grado RA-1 amplifier?
A totally portable system is tempting, because I opted for the completely DC version of the Grado RA-1 Amplifier (note that this amp has never given me any problems during the 17 years I have owned it). I chose this version because according to Grado, it is slightly superior to the the AC version of the amp. However, Grado mentioned that almost no one would be able to notice the very subtle difference. I listened to both and, as one might expect, I could not knot ice the difference, no matter how hard I tried.
But still, in the end, I decided to buy the DC version of the amp, thereby sentencing myself to a lifetime of buying two nine-volt batteries every month or so. Still, I am happy with my decision because, even though my decision was silly when I made it, it turned out that, after a decade or so later, new technology was invented that allowed me to carry my entire music collection around with me. So, with just my iPod, along with my Grado amp/headphones combo, I can walk down to the beach here in Honolulu, and listen to a Mozart concerto as if the Cleveland Orchestra were right there, performing in front of me, playing while suspended over the waves.
After buying my first iPod, I was amazed at the quality of the sound I received from the combination of my iPod, plugged into my Grado HA-1 Headphone Amplifier, with my Grado HP-1's plugged into the amp. All of this is totally portable, yet gives excellent sound. I suspect that, if I were to add this DAC, along with a battery or whatever is necessary to power it without A/C, I could retain this ability to walk to beautiful places and listen to beautiful music. I also suspect that the quality of my sound would be significantly improved.
Of course, as surprisingly good as it sounds, my existing portable system is far from perfect. The slight harshness of jitter is audible, even though its presence detracts very little from the amazingly good sound of my set-up, as is. Never-the-less, I cannot stand the fact that I could be hearing significantly better sound by including a good DAC.
I am sure that there are DACs out there that are far superior to the DAC within my computers and iPods. So, it seems like this particular DAC would be a large step upward in sound quality, should I insert it between my Grado HA-1 Headphone Amplifier, and whatever digital sound source I might be using.
My next question is, is this above assumption on my part correct, or would I not notice the difference of including a DAC? I am pretty sure everyone will agree with the former, but I feel compelled to include the latter, because maybe I have become so enamored with what I have read about DACs, I have subconsciously eliminated the possibility that a DAC would not improve my sound as much as I think it would.
My next question is: Would this DAC be sufficient to improve the music heard through my Grados to the point where any additional money spent on costlier DACs would be wasted because I would be unable to detect any improvement over this DAC? On one hand, while I am willing to pay for quality, I am also not so gullible that I would be willing to waste money paying for theoretical "improvements" in sound that are undetectable to me or any other person whose career is not spent comparing the tiniest differences between six-figure audio systems.
My final question is: If I am willing to pay for improvements in sound quality, even if those improvements are small, but audible, would I be wasting money by paying for other, more costly DACs, or are there other DACs out there that produce sound of a quality so much higher than this DAC that it would be worthwhile to buy them instead of this DAC? In other words, is this DAC good enough so that one could make a logical argument that this DAC represents "the point of diminishing returns?"
Thank you to those who have waded through this long, long post. And thank you even more to anyone who is willing to respond to this long post and give me some guidance in my impending purchase of a DAC that, hopefully, represents a logical, but not excessive, addition to my existing equipment (as you might be able to tell, virtually all of my listening is done through headphones).