Question for idc, etc.....

[ziggy47]

Hi idc, or any other helpful peeps, due to your vast experience of all things head-fi, can you tell me what you think of the Pro-ject Head Box 2, is this a decent headphone amp ?
Or would something like the GS Novo be worth the extra ?
Any other suggestions ?
I will be using it for my Goldring NS1000's at present, but I will be buying Grado SR80i's or Allesandro MS1's soon, any suggestions which are better ( subjective, I know).
Any positive advice greatly received, cheers Richard.......

 

[idc]

Hi ziggy. Sorry, but I am not going to be much help here. Auditioning headphone amps is very difficult as few hifi dealers tock them, so I have heard neither Pro-ject nor the Novo.

As to which is better between the Grado and Allesandro, same answer as above, except I have heard the SR80s and love them for the dynamics.

What I can say for certain is my expereince of headphone amps and headphones means I would expect a far bigger difference in sound between headphones than amps. So I would look at the two amps price, specs and any warranty as much as reviews of their sound to help decide which one to get.

 

[Anonymous]

Same as idc here - you will gain far more from a great pair of headphones than from an amp. I did previously own the Head Box 2 as my first amp but got a bargain on Ebay with my Grado RA1. I would suggest you get the Grados/Allesandros first and see how you get on - they can be driven quite easily by any source, I often run mine straight from iPod with excellent results. If you definitely want to go down the amp route I got mine from Superfi and they were more than willing to let me audition alongside a Creek model.

 

[ziggy47]

Thanks chaps, will try to fight the "bug" abit longer...lol.......Richard

 

[Sizzers]

I cannot recommend the Pro-Ject which I still have buried away somewhere: bass far too muddled and muddy IMO.

Can I recommend the Novo for a further £150? Possibly, but then again I paid £150 for mine second hand and at that price well worth the money. I had ordered a Fiio E9 at £90 until I came across the Novo and cancelled the order. Worth a look I think after all I've read up on it and I still intend to give it a punt in the future.

As mentioned, the Grado's are really easy to drive so depending upon the quality of your headphone jack you may well not need an additional amp (and they sound great too!)

 

[ziggy47]

Cheers sizzers, well that's put me off the Project, thats for sure, anyone have an opinion on the Creek OBH11? Thanks........

 

[ziggy47]

Cheers sizzers, well that's put me off the Project, thats for sure, anyone have an opinion on the Creek OBH11? Thanks........

 

[ziggy47]

Oh and by the way the MS1i's are ordered...........wait to see how these sound using my system...........for now, lol........Richard.......d'oh! ( you know who you are !!!! ).

 

[GeoffreyW]

If you'd like some mood lighting with your music, Ziggy, you could consider the Little Dot Mark 1?

 

[ziggy47]

Hi Geoff, where did you get your replacement Grado bagel pads from?

 

[GeoffreyW]

Hi, Ziggy, I got mine from Analgue Seduction, Peterborough.

 

[ziggy47]

Still waiting for the MS1's............great......

 

[Olli1324]

Out of interest, where did you order your MS-1s? I ordered mine fromm ebay (international delivery) and I seem to recall they took just over a week to arrive, I think.

Are you converting them to MS-1000s?

 

[ziggy47]

 

[ziggy47]

 

[ziggy47]

Hi Olli, I ordered the MS1's direct from their website, on 20/03/11.
After about 10 days I recieved this email.
"We received your order. Right now the MS1i is on back order. They are in production, but there were some unexpected production delays. We should have a better idea of shipping time within the next 1-2 weeks. Very sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience. You will be notified via email when they ship."
Apparently they sent an email advising of shipment in middle April......still waiting.
Oh well....all good things come to those who wait....my friend who ordered a pair a month before me, recieved his approx 2 weeks after. So I think I've just been unfortunate, but I'm happy to wait for such good value headphones.
Regarding your comment about the MS-1000 conversion, do tell more.....
Cheers Richard.....

 

[GeoffreyW]

Hi, Ziggy, it looks like MS 1000s require some DIY mods to your MS1s. Perhaps it's something to leave until you have plenty of listening hours under your ears?

 

[Olli1324]

The mod is simple enough - you need to aquire/machine the 'spacers' (I built mine out of plastic), glue some damping material on them (I used an old jumper cuff!) and then slip on the GS1000 jumbo pads. You do have to glue the spacer directly to the cup so it isn;t so easy to reverse, which is one problem. The jumbo pads were also quite difficult to get hold of - I think I got mine from ebay. A guy used to be making the spacers, but I don't think they are available anymore so you may have to make your own (so you will need a lathe) unless you can find someone to make them for you.

I find them more comfortable than have pads directly on the ears, and there are improvements in bass and soundstage. Nothing earth shattering, but certainly an improvement. What always gets me when I put them on is just how light they are - I tend to use Audeze LCD-2s for all of my listening which are extremely heavy. I find the pads are a little scratchy, but that may mellow down after much use and softening in warm water.

There are detailed instructions availble over at head-fi - if you need them and can't find them PM me and I'll link you.

 

[ziggy47]

Thanks for the info, I think for now I shall just enjoy the MS1's, as they are...yes they have finally arrived.
Happy listening to all.....