Tubed Headamp for Grado RS-2 ?

This is my 2 cents for what its worth.
I am a very satisfied owner of Grado RS-2's and have tried many other headphones. I directly compared the Sennheiser HD600's to the Grado's in a dealer's showroom and have compared the HD580's to the Grado's extensively at home. The Sennheiser's seem to have a little more fine detail and slightly more extended bass. The Grado wins easily for overall enjoyment and relaxation. I am using the earpads from the Grado SR 60 (eg the comfy pads) on the Grado's which I find comfortable. In fact, I find the Sennheisers to be less comfortable (they feel like they clamp your head after about an hour or so).
I am not using an exotic headphone amp. I am using a lowly NAD receiver which so far has beaten out an Audio Alchemy, MF X-Can's (V1) and Earmax headphone amps. I paid $200 new for the receiver 8 years ago and it has a radio and drives speakers, something a dedicated headphone amp can't do. I have heard the Headroom amps at a hifi show and did not find them better than what I have. This is primarily because the tone controls on the NAD let me tune the sound to fit the 'phones, while the headphone amps tend to sound leaner. The output of the NAD has no trouble with high impedence 'phones like the Sennheiser.
My approach has been that everytime I get the urge to try another headphone amp, I take the money and upgrade my cd front end. If I were to try another tube headphone amp, it would probably be either the MG Head (the build quality, or lack of, scares me a little) or a used Melos SHA, if I could find one.

Wow you guys are great. Today everything is sounding much much smoother with great detail. What i think is that i started to evaluate without anything burning in. I just recieved the Grado combo the day before i posted and only had a few hours on them. Also i'm using a brand new silver ic that i won on auction back in Oct of last year for only 72. The cable is a ZuCable silver ic and according to ZuCables website, list for 550. I never tried the cable as it sat in the closet since Oct. This cable seems to be surprisingly very good. Edgy at first but now its very very smooth with excellent detail and dynamics. I suspect that i was experienceing the effects of the new silver sounding forward and bright and harsh. Today its a totally different sound. The RS2/RA1 are great sounding. The Classe ssp50 is the best processor i ever heard for 2ch music. I auditioned the likes of Theta, Krell, Ead, Proceed and the Classe ssp50 did 2ch the best and i believe the only one that actually had a true analog pass thru for 2ch at the time. So the ssp-50 is definitley not any kind of weak link, its actually a very strong link. You gotta hear the main system thru the all Classe and Aerial 10t, pair of Rel Stadium II set-up. This i believe is also another reason why i was not impressed with the RS2/RA1, the main system sounds so good that the little can setup sounded like a transister radio compared to the main system. Anyway thanks for all the fantastic input and time spent to help me. Today the RS2/RA1 combo is exciting me with very good enjoyable sound. I decided on the RA1 because its portable and i can use it on the road. Also the dealer i purchased the combo from (Quest for Sound, 675 for RS2/RA1 incl ship) gave me the option of going with the RS1 (100 more, 775) if i decide to exchange from RS2 to 1. From what was said, i should opt to go with the RS1. The RS2 does sound pretty good though. I'm actually listening to the combo as i type and their sounding better and better as more time passes. I would recommend this headphone/headamp to anyone looking for great dynamic, detailed, smooth sound from a headphone/amp. Now, one last question, is it really worth the extra 100 for the RS1 ? What is the difference in sound ? Thanks to all, you have been much help.

Mike,
My Grado RS-2's took several weeks of run in until they sounded their best. They sounded a little dark right out of the box, then got brighter and then smoothed out. They also lacked dynamics when brand new. I think the RS-1's may have a slightly larger earpiece, which should equate to a little more bass and the RS-1's may still come in a nice looking wooden case. The RS-1 may also come with an extension cable. The prices you are quoting for either combo are good deals.

Thanks Joe, yes Quest for Sound (Stephen) did give me a great deal. I also picked up a Panasonic SL-CT570 portable CD for only $88 incl ship (List 170) from www.onecall.com to use on the road. The 570 has some great reviews, one of the best sounding if not the best for a portable.

.... ahh you didn't mention that the Grados weren't run in yet! Of course, that's why they sounded harsh -- especially with yet to be broken in silver cables. Give that cable a hundred hours (at least) to smooth out and I'm sure you'll like them even more. My Sony SCD-1 sounded like a $200 CD player until after about 300 hours (well, actually it wasn't that bad.)

Anyway, since I posted, my Placette line stage preamp arrived and now I'm anxious to A/B it against both the Classe and my First Sound Passive Pre - the lsoer going to the dogs at eBay. The maker of the Placette thinks his class A headphone amp with the Vishay resistors is the best (this is one of the few preamps with a headphone jack). We shall see, as I think it's up against some tough company in the RA-1 direct out from the SCD-1.

Your praise of the Classe 50 processor is encouraging for me, as I'm trying to build a better HT system around some good solid state stuff. As I have the Classe 301 (2 channel) being delivered next week and am currently bidding on a REL Stadium II -- I'm curious to know the rest of your HT setup -- i.e. which Classe amps? I presume all the speakers are Ariels? (I'm jealous already). Did you also look at the Classe 75 processor? Please share with us your experince in this regard. Thanks, Lorne