fishball79

Cheap... essentially, a 1m pair of silver interconnects braided like Kimber KCAG with Copper Eichmann Plugs would cost like what.. $100 or so only!

Oh hey this isn't too bad eh... Glass head!

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...908&category=14

Hey guys,

 

My grados are always being pushed off my tiny study desk and an idea hit upon me.

 

I need a Headphone stand.

 

The Stax one is rather pretty but its not for me grados and I'd want a design i can get a local carpenter to fabricate for me cheaply. Can you guys gimme some ideas and requirements for such a stand? Of course i'm biased towards one that suites grado headphones.

 

So far here are the requirements i can think of

 

Not be knocked over easily

Able to hold a pair of headphones without headphones falling off stand if knocked

Must be cool looking!

Facilities to keep wires tidily

Small Footprint

Easy to construct (Carpenters charge more by the hour than material)

Did i mention must be cool looking?

(Optional) Hold a PCDP and portable amp?

 

OK Philips SB890 owners can stop grinning cos i know you cans already have stands... *jealous*

Although this is a stand for me, im sure the ideas contributed will result in something that everyone might want. The SGHeadphones Stand!

Pure silver is never bright. If a system sounds bright with silver wiring its cos the components themselves are bright. Alot of budget SS cd players and amps are like that.

 

Where and how much did u pay for the silver wires? I checked out prices of 4N silver in Australia and its quite cheap... thinking of selling some back to Singapore for a slight margin to fund a stereo here... *thinks*

Etys or shure outdoors and headphones indoors?

Rameish,

 

Glad you like it. It seems to indicate the SR80 and SR225 being the most bang for buck as they a both are at the end of the least steep curve. This also assumes that the improvement of performance is linear and that our subjective judgement is also linear (equally critical and of praise as we compare better quality products).

 

In the end we are subjective creatures so one might truly believe the RS1s are worth the money despite it being able to buy 10 pairs of sr60... *shrug*

Heard the Audio Space player a long time ago when it first came out. Can't tell the darn difference between that and my old Denon 1650AR (or DCD2880). The AS player has got a lower noisefloor and is more detailed. Other than that it looks and sounds just like the denon. Weird huh

 

I suggest getting a good player that provides a good platform for mods. This means players with good transport and a solid chassis design like Philips CD9xx series, Pioneers, Teacs, newer Marantz cd players and such.

 

Certain mods are no brainers and will not have any negative effect on the sound. Better clocks, rectifier bridge and by passing noise inducing circuitry like the (hopefully) no longer used headphone output, variable output (Can be disabled in Denon players, older Marantz too as the HDAM is seperate from DAC)

Here's a schematic that will suit Grado headphone amps very well.

 

http://www.geocities.com/rubin_jpk/rubin/page_4.html

 

The schematic is VERY simple, utilizing one opamp for both channels and is battery powered.

Sorry to hear that. Never leave your stuff around unattended, esp if its stuff other students also 'want'. Lost two bloody good phones in camp $%^&*()*&^%$%^&*(

 

Maybe the thief would be dumb enough to sell it in school and you could catch him? Etys are very rare...

Rameish,

 

Well reviewed. Hope to see more of such quality in reviews here. I visually compared the sr60 and sr225, both look the same too. One difference though, the fine fabric that covers the inside of the case on the sr225 is purple whereas it is greyish green on the sr60.

 

Something i did when i was bored

 

http://www.fujifilm.com.sg/html/fotoView.p...698e5cfdde2db4d

 

This shows the price curve of all grado headphone models. It closely resembles a x=y square curve eh?

evil-zen,

 

That's why i'm building my own speakers and amp, certain aussie used hifi is more expensive than buying new in SG!

I would consider it a fruitful venture only to people who are on a tight budget and wonder if that extra amount of money for a higher end model would bring better performance. I would suggest adding lower end sources like cd player headphones output & portable devices. Ultimately it really depends on the goal of the 'shootout' and how large a target audience you are likely to receive.

 

Though i have not critically listened to any of the models, I feel I have a good idea of whats going on across the range. Grado Labs is after all a commercial company. Delivering such a large range of models in diff price tags was to target all market groups from the portable toteing audio concious teen to the hardcore can head. I'm sure what you get as you upgrade to more $$$ models are; Increased transperancy, wider frequency range, tighter bass, sweeter n sweeter highs, more details and more accurate sound stage.

 

The grado headphones will sound loud enough with most portables. Newer portable players esp MD players tend to sound softer than older ones.

 

I'm happy with a pair of SR225s with an old Sony DT405

JB Hifi in Brisbane City, Queen St Mall at Adelaide St

 

Sennheiser HD590 AU$350

Sennheiser MX400 AU$21.50

 

Thought those were good prices considering how expensive stuff is Down Under.

Am currently aiming for a Marantz CD4000 a friend is selling. Unless a good Teac, Pioneer or philips cd950 comes along the way... I'd get the CD4000 and mod it myself. The reason why i'm buying it is cos it's used as a platform by other co to mod n sell, must have a pretty good transport there.

 

Evil Zen,

 

Well its one minicompo vs another minicompo... but try finding a cdp, integrated amp and speaker that retails for under $1.5k that sounds better than the Denon. I think it wont be easy.

 

Gryphon,

 

NAD. Yuck.

My first tweak was a couple of books placed on top of the flimsy chassis cover of a Marantz CD63. Tightened up the sound, improved vocals but lost abit of liveliness.

 

Dearer price doesn't always mean better music. Most first time budget systems i heard of (including mine) makes only acoustical or audiophile recordings sound better than a minicompo. System synergy & room acoustics is seldom taken into account ... luckily cans people dont have to care much about speaker <->amp interaction as well as stereo <-> room interaction.

 

Still no reccomendations for a budget cd player that has the 'air guitar' factor?

Gryphon,

 

Heard CD63KI with rock... tahanable. What else would u guys reccomend? Please dont tell me Rega, Naim and similar stuff... BOH LUI!

Yeah I remember you Ablaze...

 

As for the CD6000 OSE, is this a mass order or is the price normally so? $400 would really bust my budget but I really like this player...

 

Mack & Gryph

 

Better late than never...

Hi guys,

 

Just found this forum and deicded to join. I've traded all my worldly possessions (namely, my stereo) to come over to brisbane for studies and had gotten a used pair of SR225s for use here. Actually I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD497s in prep for the 2 yr long studies but it wasn't 'enough'. Bear in mind my source was an OLD sony discman so it probably couldn't drive em well. Luckily, I manage to sell it off and bought the Grados only a few days before i flew.

 

Lucky me.

 

So that's all i have now. 200 cds, a discman and the grados. I hope to get some advice on reccomended BUDGET cd players and amps (and amp schematics) to match the grados. So far the only one (schematics) i found that probably is a no brainer match for the grados is the RA-1 amplifier. Also am currently looking at Philips CD930, Yamaha CDX493 and of course, marantz players.

 

Also, do anyone know where I can get replacement earpads for the grados? I got the newish donut type but found the SR60s' pads to be more comfy!

 

C h r i s t p h e r