Headphone Amps and Portable/Personal Stereo???

Keep it coming folks. Your advise is helping me!

I don't know about portability yet. I would not want to sacrifice too much in sound. I'd settle for semi-portable so I could share with some friends or listen WITH my wife (2 sets of phones simultaneously...maybe). I don't need walk-man like portabiltiy (or else I'd get a Walkman).

The battery powered has appeal because you don't have to worry about AC grunge but it wouldn't be portable with a standard CD player so it's seems portability might be a mute point if I go for quality.

Is there a mini-cd player or an excellent portable? How about a portable with a DAC? What lossless codec and what mp3 player? What software for cd transfer?

The main thing I'm looking for is world class sound at a bargin$$$...sitting in my lazyboy. That's why I spent as much as I did on the Grado phones. I really don't want to spend another $1000 though.

I just bought an Audio-Gd C-2C headphone amp following research though the Head-Fi site. Price was $335 plus delivery (from China). I'm utterly stunned by the sound quality through a pair of AKG 702s - significantly better than the Benchmark DAC which I tested for a fortnight. Audio-Gd have another model, the Compass, which has been designed in conjunction with 18 Head-Fiers who received test units. The Compass is a DAC, a headphone amp plus a pre-amp, so extremely versatile - has received rave reviews and could be another very good option at a promotion price of $258 plus delivery.

Eastern electric CD player can be had for about $650 used. That's all you will need. It has headphone jack and volume control.
Something else to consider for the future is an inexpensive vintage direct drive table and a Bellari VP-129 - same story of headphone jack and volume control. Chances are good you could put all of that together for under $1000.
Third, and possibly best, option is an old NAD preamp for $125. It will have a headphone jack, a multitude of inputs, a phono section, and you can run your computer straight into it. I did this for both my boys with Grado SR 325 cans and they love it. Great bang for the buck.

I went through the same process awhile ago. I did a great deal of research and settled on the Shanling PCD-3000A CD/pre/amp all in one small compact size. This CD player (not portable) has a built in headphone amp and comes with a full function remote. It retails for $500.00, and can be found for less. There are some people who are modifying these, and this might be something to look into in the future.

Also there is a twin amp unit that allows for greater power and dynamics. This too could be a future step, so this simple start could be something you allow to grow over the years.

I have been very pleased. I use it with Dennon headphones, it is next to my bed and I use it every night to shut my mind off and prepare to sleep.

Don't think of the RA-1 as a compromise because it is a battery unit.