Topic: is that high-end in your pocket?

[Nick's Picks]

or are you just glad to be here?

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/headroom-amps/the-micro-line/

way cool

[BobW]

or are you just glad to be here?

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/headroom-amps/the-micro-line/

way cool

I don't know Nick, $300 for a PIMETA /Chu-Moi- style, Omp-based amp seems like mucho fluff.

How much have you auditioned it ?
Run a pair of Senns or Grados from them ?  What about the AKG K1000s?

I doubt that this could drive low-sens speakers well enough to rock my world.

[Nick's Picks]

are you familiar w/anything that these guys build?
it wont suck.  i'm sure it smokes anything out there with a headphone jack on it.
i'm sure the DAC is the meat, and that the amp will provide enough clean gain to drive anything out there.

there was a picture in this months stereophile of some big-wig editor listening to these through his Senn cans...and he was in his "happy spot".  i bet they do a blurb review next month

[George]

I owned this combo (aka the stack) before it was released widely to the public.  Headroom made 20 of them for sale  on head-fi and they were snatched up asap.  The dac/amp did drive my hd-580's beautifully, but i purchased it so i could use the stack with my rio karma on the go, but the dac does not work via usb with portables, so i sold mine off.

Great stuff indeed though.  Hopefully one day in the near future i'll have a portable source that has a optical out.  When my Rio Karma dies i'll definitely try to get my hands on a dap like the iriver H100 series that feature a opt out.

Nick, i'm glad you're into this stuff...you're like a head-fi nut.  Do you hang out over there?  You would love it i imagine with all the talk of gear and reviews from people who are willing to invest their time and money in new gear.  Many head-fiers also set up meets where everyone brings their gear and they audition all types of gear/headphones.  It's a great way to expose yourself to new gear.

I think the pic of the stereophile guy was Wes Phillips if he was bald.

[Nick's Picks]

honestly....
i'm not that into headphones.  I keep up...and I like headroom stuff (owned the airhead once and was impressed)...i've been through a bunch of cans, with my best being Beyer DT-250s (best by reputation, but I thought they sucked) and the ER4P.  I've listened to some nice stuff...Jason Sobels tubed headphone amp and Grados were pretty fucking awesome.
most of all...I like LOUDspeakers.  I like to feel it.  it excites me when a cresendo builds and the furniture i'm sitting on starts to react as well.  :+)

speaking of...
I am about to plunk down a WHOOPING $20 for some Sennheiser sealed cans that headroom says are the bomb unless you want to spend a lot more.  I said..."i'll spend more than that on higher up models if its worth it", speaking in regards to other senn models.  The sales guy said not to bother.
So...the order goes in.
this model:  http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-201.php

[George]

honestly....
i'm not that into headphones.  I keep up...and I like headroom stuff (owned the airhead once and was impressed)...i've been through a bunch of cans, with my best being Beyer DT-250s (best by reputation, but I thought they sucked) and the ER4P.  I've listened to some nice stuff...Jason Sobels tubed headphone amp and Grados were pretty fucking awesome.
most of all...I like LOUDspeakers.  I like to feel it.  it excites me when a cresendo builds and the furniture i'm sitting on starts to react as well.  :+)

speaking of...
I am about to plunk down a WHOOPING $20 for some Sennheiser sealed cans that headroom says are the bomb unless you want to spend a lot more.  I said..."i'll spend more than that on higher up models if its worth it", speaking in regards to other senn models.  The sales guy said not to bother.
So...the order goes in.
this model:  http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-201.php

Ah, that's cool man.  I know once i live in a house my money will be diverted to a kick speaker rig.  I've been reading about the hd-201's recently on head-fi.  Someone posted a thread about the synergy between his 201's and a turtlebeach thumb soundcard.  Interesting stuff, but i have often found based on personal experience that people who fluff certain equipment often exaggerate their findings.  I'm happy with my electrostatic cans, maybe that kind of stuff would be up your alley...and oh, sorry about your wallet   

Tubes+Grado's...sounds like an interesting combo for sure...what kind of amp is it?

[Nick's Picks]

paging Jason Sobel.....

[krebsy]

Are these guys known for good products? I'm really curious about that DAC. I've been thinking of getting a DAC, and this might make a good budget item for me.

[JasonSobel]

Tubes+Grado's...sounds like an interesting combo for sure...what kind of amp is it?

my headphone amp is a Grace Design 901, but it's solid state, not tubes.  Nick probably got confused because most of the day, we were using the 901 as a DAC/preamp and then went into a tube amp (Carl's BAT VK-60) to drive Nick's speakers.  This thread summarizes our listening party pretty well:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=41121.0

Regardless, the Grace 901 > Grado RS-2 sure is a sweet combo.

[Nick's Picks]

actualy, i was having a flash back to Staggers headphone amp.
I knew you had the Grace.  just a bit of a mindfart.

[George]

Tubes+Grado's...sounds like an interesting combo for sure...what kind of amp is it?

my headphone amp is a Grace Design 901, but it's solid state, not tubes.  Nick probably got confused because most of the day, we were using the 901 as a DAC/preamp and then went into a tube amp (Carl's BAT VK-60) to drive Nick's speakers.  This thread summarizes our listening party pretty well:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=41121.0

Regardless, the Grace 901 > Grado RS-2 sure is a sweet combo.

Ah ok.  I've read some comments about the grace being used to drive cans at head-fi as well.  I wonder if anyone over there has tried that combo.