Hey Peter,
You know what? That makes complete sense.
However ....This is where the
But....comes
I searched a little more and actually found some positive reviews paring Grados (and other brands) w/ the Asgard. Steve Guttenburg on CNET raves about the Asgard and Valhalla (man, he REALLY likes them) and references the 225 paired with the Asgard or the Valhalla. He writes: "
The Valhalla or Asgard, teamed up with Grado's excellent SR225i headphones ($200) are a great way to discover high-end sound on a budget".
The Valhalla sounds good, as well but, it's an extra $100. And, the Asgard is about $150 jump from from the Little Dot (plus the shipping from China). I'm in the process of upgrading my entire audio system including stereo (currently just have a low end Sony shelf stereo unit with Ipod dock from Best Buys-little more than a glorified boom box).....and I can't go crazy on any one item. I'm trying to make well-informed, conservative choices....piece by piece. I also like the fact that they are made in America and like to support small American businesses. Hopefully, I can buy one amp that is of good quality and will last a long time.
Fact is, currently I do most of my headphone listening on an Ipod anyway. Well, I do listen to music while in a computer room. But, Listening to HP's at a dedicated listening spot is going to be a new way of listening to music. I'm so used to listening on the move even in the house. But, that's with Klipsch ear buds and an Ipod. This is going to take my listening to a new level. I'll just have to see how much time I actually spend plugging in in a situation where I'm sort of tethered to one spot.
Apparently, the Magni is brighter than the Asgard-probably too bright for bright cans, and since Grados are bright and aggressive to begin with kind do double down on those qualities, whereas the Asgard/Valhalla are, I don't know...have better mids and lows or whatnot-pardon me-I'm still learning the vocabulary! I'm just an old school rock guy that is dealing with a pretty big learning curve and want some really good sound!
Cheers and thanks for your help,
Mark