[dspang]

Ok. I've got me 488 dollars of extra tax money I can "play" with. I have the grado sr60s and love their sound. Now as I've calculated it I can get me a cowon d2, the grado sr225, and an ibasso d2+ boa all together for 481 before shipping. I also have the option of the audio technica ath m50 coming in just under that at 409. What I'm wondering is:

1. Would the m50 go well with the ibasso?

2. Would the sr225's go with the ibasso well?

3. Should I say to heck with the ibasso and just get the cowon and the sr225's.

A dilemma I know.

Also: My sources will be the stock soundcard on my pc. The headphone out on my receiver. And of course the cowon d2, or a sandisk sansa fuze.

My musical tastes stay in the realm of metal, melodic death, hardcore, deathcore, rock, alternative, techno, trance, etc.

Any suggestions guys.

 

[cck5]

ok the 225I will sound amazing. as far as an amp because ive been hindering everyone in the forum about amps.

the advice i was given was
for amps. the rsa predator, rsa mustang p -51, pico amp, ibasso d2 but with rolled tubes, head 5 or xxs, corda 2move or 3move.

i was also told if your going to buy an amp for grados it wont benefit from a cheap amp. so plan on atleast spending 200 bucks on the amp.

 

[catscratch]

Ibasso? M50? I think with your budget you can do better. $480 is vintage Stax territory. You can get a used 2050 system for that, or a Koss ESP950, though that E90 amp is pretty terrible IMO and should be replaced as soon as possible.

I'd hunt around for a normal-bias Lamda with a transformer box, a vintage receiver to drive it, and then save up for a good source. Or a used 2050 system. Or even a SR-005a system, which, despite the dinky looks, can really floor you with its sound. Even an older SR-5 can really shine when driven well. Or for something completely different, a bass-light K340, together with a powerful tube amp, can take down systems costing much, much more. I had a K340/MG Head rig that cost $400 and blew away the SR-404 out of the SRM-007t.

Basically, I think you can do much better than what you've listed. But the SR-225 isn't bad either for your listening preferences, though I'd pass on all the iBasso and RSA portables and get a solid desktop amp, and a good source, further down the road.

 

[cck5]

i wasnt sure if he was looking for portable or at home.

RSA amps are awesome so dont forget about them..for portable purposes.

 

[dspang]

Yeah the amp thing is still up in the air for me. The whole amp world is so weird to me so I generally try to stick with cans that sound good un-amped. Would the 225's sound pretty darn good without an amp? I know they benefit but how much would I really be missing?

 

[cck5]

grados are easily driven. so not much. but an amazing amp will bring a better sound out of course.