[sub2k1]

Let me start out saying that I am not an audiophile but wish I could be. I'm new to the club and need some pointers... For the passed 5 years I've been listening to Grado SR-80s which I enjoyed, especially after they broke in. I was very sad when this pair of headphones died on me and decided to invest a little bit more for what I hoped would be a much richer sound. I purchased Grado SR-325is after reading many positive reviews but I must say that I'm just disappointed.

I use two sources for my music, my laptop and my ipod. On both I've noticed that the mid-range seems overpowering while the lows are left sounding weak. While listening to lossless audio formats on my laptop and I hear clicks and pops when I turn the volume up to max which disgusts me when I consider what I paid for the headphones.

So I've come to the conclusion that perhaps my laptop audio was not designed for such nice headphones and decided to start looking into sound cards. After finding this forum I read a few posts arguing that getting a portable amp with DAC would be much more beneficial than just grabbing a soundcard. I need your advice, I'm sure I wasnt the first to ask this sort of question and I wont be the last. Can anyone recommend a good amp for the price-range of 80-120 USD? My laptop does not have optical or coaxial outputs, just USB. What is very important is that I find a nice amp that will bring out the best from my headphones while remaining cost effective.

 

[ClieOS]

NuForce Icon Mobile fits right in your budget. If you can spend a bit more, Head-Room's Total Bit-head is another choice. You should be able to find their review in the forum quite easily.