[Darksyde]

Quote:

You guys are killing my wallet....I'm now leaning towards the SR-225s.   

 
If I'm going to step it up with some premium cans, my biggest concern now is my sound card.  Not sure what kind it is, but it came stock with my 7 year old PC.  When listening to my digital files, I hear a lot of hiss and it can sometimes skip.  Any suggestions?

Film yourself smashing it and put it on youtube.
 
But seriously, the uDAC (around $100, I think) gets rave reviews here and would act as both your source and amplification.
 
Cheers!

 

[matz2]

Went to my local audio dealer and walked out of the store with the 225s.
 
Will the uDAC help with the hiss and skipping I am hearing?  I already own a NuForce Icon Mobile that apparently has a built in DAC.  I must admit that I am a noob and don't know much about DACs, sound cards, amps, etc.  I just know that I really appreciate clarity in my music.

 

[barleyguy]

Quote:

Went to my local audio dealer and walked out of the store with the 225s.
 
Will the uDAC help with the hiss and skipping I am hearing?  I already own a NuForce Icon Mobile that apparently has a built in DAC.  I must admit that I am a noob and don't know much about DACs, sound cards, amps, etc.  I just know that I really appreciate clarity in my music.

 
Congrats on your 225's. 

The Icon Mobile has really good synergy with the 225's IMO.  I'd try that with the USB cable and see what you think.
 
The uDAC is just slightly better than the Icon Mobile.  It's a little bit crisper, but also a touch thinner sounding.  I don't think it's a big enough step up to be worth an upgrade, at least as a headphone amp.  It does make a much better standalone DAC for feeding another amp, but that's not relevant until you get into larger amplifiers.
 
The Icon Mobile shouldn't have any problems with skipping or hiss.  If it does, there is likely something else wrong.

 

[zero7525]

Quote:

The Icon Mobile has really good synergy with the 225's IMO.

Woah, Woah, hold on. I don't know about you, but the nuforce icon mobile is a pretty bright amp. With an aggressive headphone like a grado, it seems like it would be a match made in hell. I recommend getting a slightly warm amp like the ibasso T3 (which is also in the price range of the icon mobile).

 

 

[beachgeek]

My first & favorite MS1i
 
alessandro ms1i for $99 at http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html
 
I love them!
 
My Sony 1061 X drives them, but it drives everything so far.  These are low impedance cans so not hard to drive them.

 

[barleyguy]

 
Quote:

Woah, Woah, hold on. I don't know about you, but the nuforce icon mobile is a pretty bright amp. With an aggressive headphone like a grado, it seems like it would be a match made in hell. I recommend getting a slightly warm amp like the ibasso T3 (which is also in the price range of the icon mobile).

 

 
Matz2 was saying that he already owns the Icon Mobile, so the price compared to a T3 isn't much of an issue.  Also, I own 225's and the Icon Mobile, and really like them together, which is where my opinion that they have good synergy comes from.
 
(As a side note, I'm using HD414 pads with the 225, which makes them less bright than with the bowls.)

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Woah, Woah, hold on. I don't know about you, but the nuforce icon mobile is a pretty bright amp. With an aggressive headphone like a grado, it seems like it would be a match made in hell. I recommend getting a slightly warm amp like the ibasso T3 (which is also in the price range of the icon mobile).

 

You sir are correct.
 
I did not like the Icon Mobile / Grado pairing at all (bright + bright = really bright). The uDac 2 is a much better choice as it's slightly warm.

 

[matz2]

Add another Grado fan to the list.  These 225s are simply amazing.  Only have about 20 hours on them so I can't wait to burn them in even more.  Thanks for the recommendation! 
 
Now I just need to figure out this pc/sound card issue.  Could it be a resource (3GB RAM) or a cordless mouse & keyboard frequency issue?  I'm still getting alot of skips when listening to my digital files...using iTunes and winamp for flac.