Headphone amps do sound different


Most of you will say Duh. But I keep buying more and more expensive headphones trying to get a better sound. Brought a Grado 125, then to a mid-price Audize, then to Grado 1000. Improvements, but still not there. For other reasons not related to headphones, I upgraded to a Class A integrated. When I did finally plug in my Grado 1000’s - there it was. Magic! The sound was clear, open and musical, like a Wet blanket removed. The soundstage was so wide it was as if I was not even wearing headphones at times.

So, that’s my story, I’m sticking to it. Please, no one tell me about some separate headphone amp that will improve it even more.....
128x128deadhead1000
Ok, I promise not to tell you about the LTA MZ2.  Congrats on the big sonic jump.  BTW, which integrated do you have?
Not knowing what integrated you have, it's hard to say, but generally speaking, a dedicated headphone amp is going to give you even more joy.  There are some integrateds that have very good headphone amps that are more than an afterthought.
It’s the Luxman 590AXll, first Class A I’ve owned and It’s such a huge improvement over some old Mcintosh I had. Thanks soix...