Headphone Audiophiles - Page 21

It's now been two weeks with the Woo WA3 + my HD650s.

My short review:
the woo opened up the headphones more than I could have imagined. I've switched out the tubes a few times, and settled on sylvania 7236 + phillips JAN 6922s. Noise floor is zero, bass is perfect, mids/highs are amazingly clear. The woo blew me away, switching to those tubes from the stock tubes was almost as big a change.

Overall, 100% impressed. I'll never upgrade again...

I completely agree. I have a Woo Audio 6SE and I love the synergy with my HD650 and my HD800's. I have read on other forums that the HD800's are a little bright for some people. I think the combo of the HD800 with a good tube amp may tame some of that.

I'm in the process of ordering a Meier Corda Jazz, but I have to say, those Woo amps are pieces of art! Great looking gear you guys have there

I can't say much about Etymotics other than that I've heard they too are good.
The Trip 10's are blowing me away.

@Summa
I bought mine on Amazon de (Germany)

When I had my WA6SE maxxed and using the HD800's, the best tube combo I could find was the nos RCA 6EW7's chrome dome tipped (1964) and a EML 5U4G.
Added the extra bass/speed/tamed the high end and gave a nice even sound-stage for the HD800's.

Thanks Sillysally for the advice . I have looked at the Emission Lab tubes, but I have not pulled the trigger yet. Where is a good place to buy tubes? I am currently using the Sophia Electric 274B mesh and a pair of Sylvania 6EW7's.

With the EML compared to the Sophia, I would notice more bass? That would be good news because I use my computer to bump the bass a little with my HD800's.

John

The Princes is a nice tube, but just to dry, smaller sound-stage and not as musical as the EML 5U4G mesh plate. The Sylvania 6EW7 is a nice tube but not the bass of the RCA 6EW7 nos chrome dome 1964, and a better fuller sound-stage with the RCA.
If you really want more bass out of a rectifier then you might want to try a EML 274B mesh plate, its not my cup of tea because the bass is a little to flabby for my tastes. Plus its not as musical or as fast as the EML 5U4G mesh, but the EML 274B mesh does have a very big sound-stage.

I have had all these nos tubes in my WA6SE and a lot more.

As usual, reading the manual explains it all. ;-) Thanks. I never got too deep into it. I did download it from the CD.

Since the system I use the HD 160s with is centerpieced by a TV which gets turned off when not in use, the headphone base station eventually figures out that the audio has gone away and turns itself off.

Agreed. Also, the freedom of wireless headphones is not to be dismissed. When the music source can't be itself portable, they are the next best thing.

I used a pair of the analog Sennheiser wireless phones for several years. Their audible artifacts became more irritating as time wore on. With the 160s AFAIK there are no longer any audible artifacts traceable to the wireless link at all.

The range is about as good as the analog phones, which means that I can walk into adjacent rooms, but not the rooms attached to them.

Hi, I was wondering if you are getting that amp primarily for the Grado Sr80's? The reason I ask is I am considering SR60 or SR80 and one of the things I read was that SR80 needs an amp much more than SR60 which is fine without too. I have no idea if this true though. Do you feel the SR80's really need an amp and would benefit largely with one? Thanks.

And I have a more general question about headphone amps. Are most headphone amps significantly better than using the headphone of a receiver? And if they are does that usually include the less expensive headphone amps too? Or is using a receiver for a headphone amp fine? Thanks again.

Hi Roark: I'm still pretty new with this too, actually, so I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability given my current level of knowledge

My approach was to try out several of the entry level offerings from a few of the headphone companies I was most interested in. I was hoping maybe the "house sound" of one of these companies would connect with me, and then I figured if I heard what I was looking for in an entry level model, the chances were better I'd spend my money more wisely in terms of a higher level one. I don't have the budget or the opportunity to buy all sorts of higher priced headphones and then move what I dont' want to keep, but I can do it with the less pricey ones. Well, as you can probably tell from my earlier posts, I connected big time with the Grados and as of today my plans are to move into a PS500.

The thing with the amp is that I wanted something of good value, preferably of either American, Canadian, or German design, and from a company with an excellent track record. I had some email conversations with Jan Meier and also went back and researched the feedback others had on his products over at head-fi.org, and the guy just seems like the real deal to me. I chose the Jazz because it fits right into the sweet spot in terms of price, and since I'm still new in this hobby I didn't want to spend a ton on an amp. I wanted something that seemed to have good synergy with a wide range of headphones, too, cause I plan to do what many others seem to do and not just settle with one product. Others seem to have one or two main pair, and then from time to time they buy/sell/trade other gear, as well. So I wanted an amp that could drive just about anything and one that had some versatility.

The Grados, from what I understand, will be fine when driven by an iPhone or an iPod (or whatever), and I've found this to be true. However, they are supposed to still have a little bit left in the tank that can be revealed when paired with a little more current, and so far I have to say I've found this to be true. I like the way they sound with my little Fiio E11 portable amp and I've truly enjoyed listening to music with this combo over the past few weeks. Lastly, I also wanted an outboard amp so that I can run my lossless files from my laptop into it. The iPod downsamples lossless files when you play them, and I wanted to be able to take advantage of the full resolution of my music library.

I can't really answer the question about the receiver, cause I dont' have any experience with that. But I know that there are a lot of people in the hobby who do that, so I know that's one possible way to go. HOpefully others can chime in and help with that question

Hope that helps some!

1.) Grado SR-80s do not need an amp. I played around with my old set and in my amp/dac vs a simple phone / laptop it's really not a significant difference at all.

2.) Depends on the receiver to be honest. Most cases an amp/dac dedicated will be better. I find my current receiver has a decent headphone output compared to my other hardware and past AVR. Then again, it was a $1000 AVR.

If these PS500 are Grado, that's a *big* 6x step up (money) from the Grado SR80i headphones that you just got.

The Grado PS500 gets 6 solid 5 star reviews from owners on amazon as well as some followup comments on various ear replacement pads to try (Grado and other). Be sure to read that.

I'll look for your post comparing the PS500 to the SR80i.

Thanks, that's what I'm hoping I've been drooling over the 500s when I read these reviews on them...I've been following the feedback on them over at head-fi.org and I have yet to read a negative comment about them. I've also had a few email exchanges with Grado over the past week or so, something I like to do in order to get a feel for how responsive a company is, and I've really been happy with their feedback and help.

I'll definitely post some thoughts when I get hold of em

I auditioned the PS500's a few months ago and thought they sounded great. Would have purchased them, but for me, the "on ear" headphones just weren't comfortable long term. That's personal fit issue, so if you aren't bothered by your current Grado phones, it probably won't be an issue.

I ended up buying the PS-1000's - no complaints

They pair very nicely with a Woo Audio 6SE - the combination has me listening to more two channel music than I have in a long time. I'm sure the PS-500's will do the same for you!

Pardon me while I finish wiping up my drool...

A Woo 6 with the PS1000s? Wow...I can't even imagine how amazingly beautiful your music must be sounding right now!

I know what you mean about listening more often than before. I've always had some pair of cheap headphones or ear buds around, but rarely, if ever, used them. But since getting more involved with this area of the hobby and especially after discovering Grados, I find myself really getting excited about my listening sessions.

Jack Woo builds some AMAZING looking amps, and although I have yet to have the pleasure of hearing one, I can imagine they are spectacular. How do you like the Grados with tubes? Have you used other amps prior to the Woo 6?

PS. I see you're in Philly...no wonder why you have such excellent taste in audio Proud Temple U grad here...I miss Philly!!

Wow- I drool over the Grado PS series!

I have yet to try a Woo amp, but it's on my bucket list.

To try to answer someone's question, I have a pair of SR-125's and the iGrado's. While it's great that all Grados can be driven easily, I notice an improvement even with these "budget" headphones when driven by even an inexpensive amp-as opposed to directly from a laptop, etc.

I do love my RS1's!

http://theenthusiastblog.com/2012/02...1i-headphones/

I love hearing from other Grado owners!

The thing I've noticed with the Grado folks is that they tend to keep their Grado cans around longer than most of their other phones. A lot of people in this hobby obviously play around with different headphones from time to time, but it seems like people tend to keep their Grados. I'm sure I will be the same way. I could easily sell my SR80is right now and have an extra few bucks toward the 500s, but I love them too much to sell them.

And I agree about the amp, Chip...I have a little Fiio E11 amp that I paid like $60 for and I LOVE it. The Grados sound more than fine when I drive them with just my iPhone or iPod, but I prefer to use the Fiio with them. I always thought Fiio was "cheap" in terms of quality, but I've revised my opinion. They are inexpensive, but not "cheap" at all. I love how I get over 12 hrs of battery life and that it charges via the USB.

I never really used to use my computer for watching tv, but now that they have past episodes online for streaming, I tend to use the laptop to get caught up here and there. I watched "Touch" on the Fox website a few days ago with the Grados and I couldn't believe how amazing it sounded. Dialog was crystal clear, sound effects were amazing, and I felt like I heard every little detail of the soundtrack. It was just a very impressive experience and I can't wait to do it again

Music sounds kinda OK with the PS-1000's and Woo amp

I listened to the 1000's through a few other amps, though not long enough to be able to provide any decent opinion of how they would compare to the 6SE. That said, I'm not looking for anything to replace the 6SE and probably won't be for a long time. I did spend several weeks using my AVR's headphone amp while waiting for the Woo and subjectively, the Woo does make a difference in the level of detail and overall sound character - whether it's the different amp or the change to tubes I can't say, but very much like the results.

I'm going to borrow a good solid state amp for a weekend - interested to see how it compares.

Let me know what you think of the 500's when they arrive, and if you're back in Philly, bring em by and see how they sound through the 6SE.

You should borrow a SS amp. The Woo's are amazing, but from all accounts and times I've listened, the Grado lineup just doesn't take as well to tubes as to SS. Senn's and Woos are a match made in heaven however.

The musical fidelity m1-hpa is a fantastic SS for the Grado 1000s, it was what I heard them on.

I've heard the same regarding solid state and Grado, although reading through the PS-1000 thread on head-fi, it seems like the PS series may be more "tube friendly" than the other Grado lines.

My whole plan around the 1000's and the Woo was to avoid upgradeitis. Never thought about the possibility of having multiple amps though

There goes the wallet again....

Tube amps (OTL) have very low damping factors due to their high output impedance. That's why they don't work well with low impedance headphones.

Senns and Beyers are a much better choice with them.

Hey, I'm always looking for an excuse to get back to Philly! Too bad SEPTA doesn't reach all the way down here to Georgia! lol

Nice home theater setup!
I read you have the same problem as I do, the wife and late night viewing.

After looking into the sound proofing, I came to the conclusion that it can't be done at least for a reasonably cost, and maybe not at all.

imo I have found the solution to this problem. I got a Smyth Realiser and went to AIX sound studios and got copy's (PRIR's) of there 5.1/7.1 room acoustics and speaker systems for the Realiser. The only time I use my 7.1 speaker system is when there is more than me viewing, that's how good the Realiser is for well mastered Blu Ray movies.

My headphone/Realiser system.
Oppo BDP-95>Realiser>W4S DAC>Stax SRM-727 amp>Stax SR-009 headphones. For well mastered MCH home theater audio it doesn't get much better.

I read an article about that Smyth Realiser not long ago...that is one of the coolest concepts I've ever seen! If I didn't love Maggies for HT, I would strongly consider a headphone rig for movies. Hell, I've become completely infatuated just watching movies and tv shows on my laptop with my Grado SR80is...if I get this much enjoyment from that, I can only imagine how amazing your set up must be with the Realiser and the Stax cans!

I just recently purchased Klipsch Image One headphone . I'm having an issue with sound when I use an extension cord, it's really bad, but when I plug in direct it's great. Just wondering if I can use an extension cord with these phones?

I've never ever used headphones (I've used dozens and dozens over the past 50 years) that were affected by a good headphone extension cord, but I've had a ton of broken headphone extension cords.

If you have the ability and equipment you can check the cord with an ohm meter and if you can solder you can put on a new connector (cords usually break around the connectors and most connectors are permanently attached and can't be re-attached).

Otherwise, try a different cord.

How many have heard the new Klipsch Mode40 noise Cancelling headphones? I have never heard of Grado before this thread. I do have a 15' Grado extension hooked up to my Denon A100 receiver. I have to say I am enjoying the Klipsch Mode 40s right now. Just wondering if anyone has compared the M40s to Grado and what I am missing? I know the Klipschs just came out so probably no comparison between the 2 as of yet but figured I would ask anyway.

Wow, those Mode 40s are COOL looking! Wish I could be of help, but I've yet to hear anything from the Klipsch line.

I just ordered a pair of BeyerDynamic DT880s to play around with. I am madly in love with my Grados, but before I spend big money on a higher end version, I want to play around a bit more and hear a few other options.

I also just picked up a Digizoid ZO, which is a really neat little device. If you search on youtube you can see some demo videos that sort of give an idea of what it does. I've been using it with my Etymotic IEMs and the sound has been fantastic.

Let us know more about the Klipsch once you spend more time with them!