singular
Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 1, 2009
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Been doing a bit of reading and there seem to be a number of contenders. I've got a nice little cmoy which does the job, but all the threads on here have got me interested in trying some tubes out for myself. This will be primarily for listening to jazz/classical/acoustic guitar/folk.
I have some Grado RS2 headphones and also took the plunge and have pre-ordered the HF2. I haven't had a great deal of experience of different phones, but from those I've tried I certainly like the Grado sound the most and I think it suits my preferred music type the most. My sources are WAV files from the computer through an iBasso D3 as a DAC, or also a recently purchased Pro-ject 1.2 TT with Cambridge phono stage.
I don't want to spend a large amount of cash - say up to about £300/$500 so I guess kinda entry-mid level. Maybe a bit more for something which will be perfect.
So far the front runners are;
Woo Audio WA6 - from what I read works well with Grados, looks stylish (which is important let's face it...), nice sound across the range. Price is a little more than what I wanted to pay - particularly if I factor in shipping - they don't seem to have UK distribution.
TRANSCENDERE S5 - seems good from the limited number of reviews I've seen, some concerns over tube/build quality? Being able to drive a small set of speakers would be a benefit as this would be set up in my home office.
Pacific Valve Ming Da MC 84C07 - potentially not great with low impedance Grados, may require some tube rolling to get the best out of it for these phones. Nice price though and also has the advantage of driving some small speakers.
Earmax Pro - Really like the look of these neat little fellas and the few (seemingly old?) reviews I've found are all glowing. Couldn't find any specific mention of how they pair with Grados. Again, quite a bit more than I was intending on spending and they don't seem to come up second hand - perhaps that's a good sign...
I'm not hung up on brand new, if anyone has any screaming deals they'd like to offer me on something suitable I'm all ears (so to speak...)
Any advice, guidance, or recommendations for other alternatives greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sam
I have some Grado RS2 headphones and also took the plunge and have pre-ordered the HF2. I haven't had a great deal of experience of different phones, but from those I've tried I certainly like the Grado sound the most and I think it suits my preferred music type the most. My sources are WAV files from the computer through an iBasso D3 as a DAC, or also a recently purchased Pro-ject 1.2 TT with Cambridge phono stage.
I don't want to spend a large amount of cash - say up to about £300/$500 so I guess kinda entry-mid level. Maybe a bit more for something which will be perfect.
So far the front runners are;
Woo Audio WA6 - from what I read works well with Grados, looks stylish (which is important let's face it...), nice sound across the range. Price is a little more than what I wanted to pay - particularly if I factor in shipping - they don't seem to have UK distribution.
TRANSCENDERE S5 - seems good from the limited number of reviews I've seen, some concerns over tube/build quality? Being able to drive a small set of speakers would be a benefit as this would be set up in my home office.
Pacific Valve Ming Da MC 84C07 - potentially not great with low impedance Grados, may require some tube rolling to get the best out of it for these phones. Nice price though and also has the advantage of driving some small speakers.
Earmax Pro - Really like the look of these neat little fellas and the few (seemingly old?) reviews I've found are all glowing. Couldn't find any specific mention of how they pair with Grados. Again, quite a bit more than I was intending on spending and they don't seem to come up second hand - perhaps that's a good sign...
I'm not hung up on brand new, if anyone has any screaming deals they'd like to offer me on something suitable I'm all ears (so to speak...)
Any advice, guidance, or recommendations for other alternatives greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sam
