need amp help

[Sean T. Ryan]

just got into the headphone thing thanks to you guys. after reading the board for awhile, I went with Allesandro ms-1 and Sennheiser 580. now I want to get a reasonably cheap amp, <$300. I listen at home 90% of time but with wife and kids, circumstances require about 50-50 between portable type listening (sony discman) and home unit (basic consumer grade receiver).

i use the Senns with the receiver and the ms-1 with the portable (sometimes I'll use the ms-1 with the receiver). I have to turn the volume all the way up on the discman to drive the ms-1. i like both phones depending on my mood and music however, i like the senns better. i listen to classical, jazz and when I listen to rock it's almost always live grateful dead with some zappa, dylan, phish, beatles, stones, who, kinks, etc. thrown in.

would appreciate your suggestions as i have already learned a great deal from you guys. again, i'm happy with both phones and actually like the grado-senn differences (ie-complete neutrality in the senn-grado wars)

 

[sacd lover]

There are usually some good deals on the for sale forum around this $200 price. That may be the best place to start. However, I suggest going up to the $300 price point and getting a new gilmore lite. Gilmore amps were designed for grados so they will have plenty of current for the very similar Allesandro headphones. The lite is also an excellent match with the senn 650's I use. The lite has a nice loop out feature, fine build quality, an upgradeable power suppy for the future, and best of all; sounds excellent with the std power supply and just about any headphone. I have used the gilmore amps with all the grados but the sr-325, the beyer dt770 and dt880, sony cd3000 and the senn 650's. The gilmore amp design sounded very good to me with all of these headphones except the cd3000. I dont seem to like the cd3000 with any set up though. I did not address portable amps because I know nothing about them. If you listen at home 90% of the time, most of the time, a good home amp with a strong power supply will likely drive your headphones better and save you money on batteries.

 

[Sean T. Ryan]

thanks for the gilmore lite rec. also got private message recommending the xin supermacro. any thoughts on the comparison?

 

[nanahachi]

hey there

you might want to consider a nice PIMETA or lower-end PPA. The former will be less expensive and are often found powered by 9V batteries (which might be nice if you transport the amp and dont want to lug a separate powersupply/wall wart). Check with a builder like JMT for an amp that can be built to suit your needs!

You can probably find a new or used PIMETA for 100-200. While the DIY amps have lost the hype surrounding them, they are still great amps. If you can stretch your budget, the Supermacro ($250 for basic version, see the Earsonic sponsor link at upper right) has been getting good press. The gilmore Lite has been around for a while, so if you do a search you will find LOTS of info on it.

good luck