Is this really all that's in an RA1?

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arainach /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly. Why people think something has to be complex to be good I will never understand.

It doesn't have to be complex, but it has to be good to be good.

At any rate, this is more a matter of sticker shock than anything else. The margins on this thing are outrageous.

 

[cotdt]

anything with an opamp in it is very complex, and far from simple. the opamp is an integrated circuit (IC) by itself. so not only is the RA-1 a cheap design, it's not even simple. but you're right, as long as it sounds good it's worth it.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh1325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you seen xin's amps?

Sorry but your post is unwarranted. First of there is the fantastic miniaturization achieved by Dr. Xin, then the free upgrades in the future that Dr. Xin provides, finally you get to see what you are getting instead of being covered in glue and wood. So IMO with Dr. Xin you are fully aware of what you are getting and its diminutive size.

 

[a shovel]

That supermicro is by NO way simple. You can't possibly imagine how much s is in that little thing..

 

[basmatirice]

note that that glue actually is supposed to do something for the sound. i think it keeps interference out or something. it's not regular glue.

 

[a shovel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by basmatirice /img/forum/go_quote.gif note that that glue actually is supposed to do something for the sound. i think it keeps interference out or something. it's not regular glue.

its quality glue that has both good dielectric constant and resonance control. very exotic, and could only be sourced at your nearest elementary school. Elmers Ultra High End Audio Liquid Resonance Solution was the name. Most extreme tweakers shorten it to elmer's glue.

 

[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know that Grado does not manufacture their own drivers, right? I think your post might mislead people into thinking that Grado has all the tools to wind their own drivers and such...

o rly

i thought i remembered seeing in a recent grado factory tour a machine that was used to wind the drivers or something...

 

[basmatirice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by a shovel /img/forum/go_quote.gif its quality glue that has both good dielectric constant and resonance control. very exotic, and could only be sourced at your nearest elementary school. Elmers Ultra High End Audio Liquid Resonance Solution was the name. Most extreme tweakers shorten it to elmer's glue.

i was being serious. tehre's some theory that surrounds the use of it. and it's probably why most DIY ra-1's don't sound like the real one.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by basmatirice /img/forum/go_quote.gif note that that glue actually is supposed to do something for the sound. i think it keeps interference out or something. it's not regular glue.

Do you seriously believe that?

I think the glue is there to keep people from finding out what exactly is inside the amp.

If there exists a magical interference blocking glue, I'm sure we (and by we I mean Patrick) would've piped up and done something about it already.

 

[NelsonVandal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen /img/forum/go_quote.gif A colleague helped me to build a RA1 for my Alessandros -a portable version with 2 9V batteries- and I get into liking this little amp. It sounds better than some other cheap SS I've heared. I didn't like the 4556 -too bass heavy and somewhat midfi-ish- and exchanged it against the 2132. But I must say, compared to my Millet, the RA1 lacks soundstaging, blackness & details.

No wonder with OPA2134. It sounds like mono compared to other opamps, unclear and undynamic as well.

 

[carlosgp]

Mmm... in USA a Heed Canamp is only a bit more expensive. You do not want to know the price of a RA1 in europe. I have seen it for more than 400€, about $540. If this is not a robbery, I do not know what it is. Bose level or worse.

 

[elrod-tom]

Yawn...another thread bashing the Grado RA-1.

Only uses $20 in parts...block of wood...simple design...yadda yadda yadda...

You know, if some of you guys had used the search function, you could have linked to other posts that said the exact same thing.

I'd suggest that all those "I'd never pay $350 for THAT" folks ought to consider just what it is that one PAYS for when one buys an amp. To my way of thinking, one pays for the way it sounds. In this case, the synergy with Grado headphones. So...if it sounds better at $350 than a similarly priced amp that contains four times the parts cost, which is the better buy? If it sounded the same as our hypothetical amp, would it MATTER which amp one bought? Wouldn't the value in that case be irrelevant?

Oh, and before anyone mentions DIY, I concede that of COURSE one can produce pretty much ANY amp from a schematic more cheaply than one may develop, manufacture, and market the same amp as a for profit enterprise. This is irrelevant to the discussion IMHO.

Forgive me my rant, but all this caterwauling about something that's been beaten to death around here is irritating...all the more so when it involves a man who has been a good friend to this site and this hobby.

If it sounds good, it is good...and that pretty much ought to be the end of the story.

 

[carlosgp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Forgive me my rant, but all this caterwauling about something that's been beaten to death around here is irritating...all the more so when it involves a man who has been a good friend to this site and this hobby. If it sounds good, it is good...and that pretty much ought to be the end of the story.

You have some reason here, but I think that as consumers everybody still have the right to express his dissatisfaction with Grado prices. I agree that bashing Grado without even having listened a RA1 may be too much. $350 in USA maybe is debatable. But 400€ (or more) in Europe for a RA1 is outrageous.

 

[granodemostasa]

eh... the tomahawk is very small and said to be simple in design... but no one bashes that... leave Mr. Grado alone. not that this shouldn't be known.. but that I don't think it's anything to really complain about.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlosgp /img/forum/go_quote.gif You have some reason here, but I think that as consumers everybody still have the right to express his dissatisfaction with Grado prices. I agree that bashing Grado without even having listened a RA1 may be too much. $350 in USA maybe is debatable. But 400€ (or more) in Europe for a RA1 is outrageous.

Pricing outside the US is based on a distributor network, and is higher as a result. This has also been discussed at length.