[bifcake]

Wilson,

The combo that I found that really sings to me is the HD 580/600 with an equinox cable and a Cary 300SEI Integrated amp. That's good stuff!!! Alas, we're talking close to $5k for the setup not including a source.

Rally, seems like evereyone's in agreement. The 225's are a way to go, but it's going to cost you some dough. If you decide to go that route, you may want to start saving some money for a decent amp. You won't hear a drastic improvement, but it will clean up the sound and open it up a bit. However, don't buy an amp unless you're upgrading your phones.

 

[Wilson M.]

What do you think I am? Made of money?

Yeah the 300SEI is nice but I know that if I went that route then I would HAVE to get Western Electric 300Bs and that really adds to the price tag.

 

[rally617]

Thanks for all the input guys! I guess I'll be saving for the sr 225's. I would like some amp recomendations to go with them.

"Why did you bring me here" sighs my wallet...

 

[00940]

if you're on a tight budget, get a temporary amp for your sr225, like a ra1 clone, cha47 or a szekeres (

) . Should run for far less than 100$ from a diyer and they're all well considered with the gradoes. They're also good enough to let you save money and time seeking a new source. Well, it's never finished

 

[bifcake]

Rally,

You have officially stepped into a barrel of poop now! The barrel is bottomless and you've begun sinking. There is no escape. Your money will no longer stay with you.

Having said that, onward to amp recommendations

An amp recommendation really depends on your budget. I'll start with cheaper amps and work my way up. Note that I will be recommending only commercially available amps. I'm not big on DIY.

I haven't heard anything out there for less than $150 that's worth having. You may want to look at the following amps:

Creek OBH-11 approx $150
Musical Fidelity Xcan V2 $200 or so
Heardroom Little about $270
Corda HA-1 a really nice amp. About $350
Grado RA-1 nice and clean, no frills amp about $350

If you're looking to spend more than $350, a new world of possibilities opens up to you, but then, you may want to upgrade your headphones and source first since that would take you into a different realm of audiophilia.

 

[rally617]

Ok. ITO of those who have listened to (potentialy all or some) of the amps listed in the two previous posts how do the production amps compare with the DIY's. It seems that the DIY's would offer more for the money.

I don't need extreme portability but battery option is nice...

 

[bifcake]

Commercial amps are consistent. There's also the warranty, so if you don't like it, you can send it back. DIY amps are custom made, so if you don't like it, you're stuck with it (unless you have a chance to preview it ). I also don't find the DIY amps to be cheaper than the commercially made amps. Re: sound, they sound the same as commercially made amps for the money. Note, I make that statement without having heard any of the Gilmore iterations. That may be an exception, but that's a $500 DIY amp.

Re: battery powered, the non-battery powered amps tend to sound better. Grado RA-1 being the exception.

 

[00940]

Regarding Bifcake statements about diy... Some well established diyers are quite consistent seeing the feedback. About price : there is not a lot of new commercial amps under 200$, none under 100$ (headroom airhead, porta corda, creek, that's it). And the ones there doesn't stand really well against a diyed one. For people on a budget, it's used or diy, and that's the same re: warranty and stuff.

In fact, the list I gave you is based on 2 factors : price and matching with the grado. Just make a quich search, there are plenty of posts answering your question.