[chrispyduck1]

Hi im new here and would appreciate some advice, I have been into hifi for as long as I can remember and have built up a decent system but recently things have changed and I need to sell my speakers and amp and go down the headphone route. I currently use an Audiolab mdac with musical fidelity v link, my pc and an isol8 mains filter. Headphones are Grado 325e.
The Grados are a new purchase but realise now the mdacs headphone output isnt great. Now with a budget of £650 do I just buy a headphone amp or sell mdac to add to budget and get better dac with built in hphone output or sell grados and get very high end cans for use with mdac. Really puzzled as to best route to go. Any help would be great thank you

 

[Monsterzero]

Hi im new here and would appreciate some advice, I have been into hifi for as long as I can remember and have built up a decent system but recently things have changed and I need to sell my speakers and amp and go down the headphone route. I currently use an Audiolab mdac with musical fidelity v link, my pc and an isol8 mains filter. Headphones are Grado 325e.
The Grados are a new purchase but realise now the mdacs headphone output isnt great. Now with a budget of £650 do I just buy a headphone amp or sell mdac to add to budget and get better dac with built in hphone output or sell grados and get very high end cans for use with mdac. Really puzzled as to best route to go. Any help would be great thank you

You dont need to invest a lot of cash to amp the Grado 325e.
A Schiit Magni2 would work fine (99.00usd)

As far as which option to choose,thats up to you...If you like the Grado sound,then Id stick with the 325e as not too many headphones out there sound like a Grado....You might consider going higher up the Grado line,but again the Magni would work with most if not all Grados in that price range.
 

 

[chrispyduck1]

Do you think this would bring a significant improvement as I do love the Grado sound? Not thought of Schiit

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi im new here and would appreciate some advice, I have been into hifi for as long as I can remember and have built up a decent system but recently things have changed and I need to sell my speakers and amp and go down the headphone route. I currently use an Audiolab mdac with musical fidelity v link, my pc and an isol8 mains filter. Headphones are Grado 325e.
The Grados are a new purchase but realise now the mdacs headphone output isnt great. Now with a budget of £650 do I just buy a headphone amp or sell mdac to add to budget and get better dac with built in hphone output or sell grados and get very high end cans for use with mdac. Really puzzled as to best route to go. Any help would be great thank you

It doesn't take a lot of power to drive Grados properly, you even have to look out more for the output impedance than output power. You might as well just buy a different headphone then an amp if the MDAC can't drive it well enough.

 

[chrispyduck1]

It doesn't take a lot of power to drive Grados properly, you even have to look out more for the output impedance than output power. You might as well just buy a different headphone then an amp if the MDAC can't drive it well enough.

Its not a power issue as the mdac drives them well, I just want far better sound and would a dedicated headphone amp give me this.

 

[Monsterzero]

As Protege and I mentioned before Grados dont take a lot to drive,and as he pointed out RE: impedance differences is very true...I have an Alessandro Ms2e,which is essentially the same headphone as your 325e and when I try to run it thru a high voltage/resistance amp it gets all muddy in the bass dept.

When I plug them into my Magni 2 Uber they sound great.

I am not familiar with the specs of your DAC,but if youre not liking how it sounds thru that piece of gear than my point is you dont need to drop a bundle on an amp to get them to sound good.

If youre wanting to invest in amp to future proof yourself then I would investigate further up the Schiit chain,but if you view your Grados as a long term headphone,then the Magni will suffice. 

It could also be that they are being driven fine and you dont like the Grados...IDK...try driving them from a smartphone or a portable player and if the sound is similar then it could be that the Grado isnt for you.They do benefit from an amp,but many folks use Grados w/o an amp(my son being one of them)and have no complaints. 

 

[chrispyduck1]

Monsterzero thanks for the reply, pretty sure its not the phones as ive tried four different variaties at home before buying, plus the 335's sound much better plugged into my phone! I think you guys may have saved me a boat load of cash, I now have the task of finding a Schiit dealer in the UK.

 

[Monsterzero]

glad I could help

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Its not a power issue as the mdac drives them well, I just want far better sound and would a dedicated headphone amp give me this.

​Typically what you have to consider isn't outright power in mW but whether a certain amp produces enough % THD and dB noise at a given output level that gets a given headphone loud enough for the listener.

 

In the case of Grados since they won't tax amplifiers to get to the point where it would be piling on distortion nor noise, then practically any amplifier wouldn't, considering the high sensitivity of the Grados. However, while for example an OTL amp would have enough power to get Grados up to deafening levels despite having peak power at 300ohms rather than 32ohms, the problem with those amps is the high output impedance that EQs the sound. The effects however aren't uniform on all amplifiers: my NAD304 makes the SR225 sound like tin cans while my Little MkII boosted the upper bass. In short, yes, you don't need a lot of power, but short of OTL amps or other amps with high impedance, you can use practically any decent amp and you won't get them to a point where the distortion and noise due to cranking it up are already a problem.

 

In your case, short of getting a Little Dot MkII (which from a  technical standpoint isn't as good as the MDAC, not even just because it's OTL), what you can try doing for a lot less money if not free are:

​1. Reshaping the headband similar to the current headband shape of HiFiMan cans, that way you can wear them a little bit tighter without putting all the pressure on your upper earlobes.

2. Do the sock mod or tape mod.
 
Quote:

Monsterzero thanks for the reply, pretty sure its not the phones as ive tried four different variaties at home before buying, plus the 335's sound much better plugged into my phone! I think you guys may have saved me a boat load of cash, I now have the task of finding a Schiit dealer in the UK.

 

You have to figure things out here. Maybe your MDAC has a high output impedance (doubt it though) and like my NAD304, it comes out like a tin can. Or maybe your phone does but the effect is similar to the LD MkII. Alternately, there might be some kind of software EQ on the phone that you don't get when using the MDAC with practically any other source.

 

Just Googled the MDAC and its output impedance is less than 1ohm, so that's not your problem. It could be that the smartphone has a high output impedance or it has some kind of software EQ effect that works on all apps.

 

[VGoghs earfrmsc]

A chord mojo from Amazon can be heard for £400. If you dont like it send it back.

 

[chrispyduck1]

Thanks for all your help its been very informative, in the end it was the Grado's I was unhappy with. I have since had a rethink, sold the Grados and have now a new set of Sennheiser hd600's and an old Graham Slee Solo amp with some snazzy cables. This is the sound I was after, smooth yet detailed and excellent imagery, now to take a look at the pc. Thanks again