Grado RA1 Headphone Amp Review

2008 Update: We'll soon be adding some reviews of some Creek Headphone Amps. We still like the Grado amps, and if Grado's are you're main listen, they're worth checking out. But the Creeks are good amps as well . They have a little more output power. And they have a pass-through which depending on your set-up, can make for easier connecting. More to come....

2004 Update: We’ll keep our original review below, but wanted to update the information a bit. A year or two back, Grado came out with an AC version of it’s RA1 headphone amp. Basically, the same amp with a power supply. It is AC only and you cannot use batteries with it. The idea is, if you don’t use your headphone amp portably, but rather in the same place all the time, you can save money on batteries, (two alkaline 9v batteries are not cheap... especially if you use your amp a lot). Sound quality wise, almost identical to the original battery version. I could hear a bit of that AC hiss at super high volume with no music playing, but at normal listening levels with music playing, I had no complaints.

High Gain model: Grado's standard RA1 amps are low-gain models. They have a very clean sound and they are fine for driving Grado's, especially if you are connected to a line-out, (they don't necessarily do that well connected to the headphone jack). Grado now has another model. Realizing some people may want to use this neat headphone amp with other brands of headphones that are more power greedy than the very efficient Grado headphones, Grado added some power to the out put of their AC version of their headphone amp. In our brief listens, we found there’s virtually no difference except that it has a bit more power. The extra power is not necessarily needed to drive Grado’s, but if you’ll ever be driving another brand of headphone, (say for example a Senn, HD595, or the AKG K601 or K701), the High Gain Grado amp may fill the bill. And BTW, we like the extra power for the Grado's as well!

Original 1999 review:

Having had use of this esoteric headphone amp for several months, I thought it was about time I say a few things about it. First, let me describe it. The amp is housed in a wooden box, mahogany to be exact! I am assuming Grado feels this amp will be purchased by those of you who own or want to own their RS-1 and RS-2 headphones, which both have their transducers housed in mahogany. I have been testing the amp with Grado SR80’s, SR125’s, SR225’s, SR325’s and Sennheiser HD580’s and HD600’s. The dimensions of the box are 5” x 5.5” x 1.5”. The front has a volume control, standard size 1/4 inch headphone output, and a power LED. The back has a pair of gold RCA inputs and a simple toggle switch for on/off. A compartment on the bottom houses the two 9 volt batteries which power the amp, (requires a flat head screwdriver to access). Grado says the battery life is approximately 40 to 50 hours and can power two pairs of Grado headphones with the appropriate splitter.

A note on batteries (2004 update): We normally use rechargeable 9v NiMH batteries with the Grado amp with no problems, (saves a ton of money spent on batteries over the long haul). But there are some who would argue that the rechargeable don’t provide as much power as do alkaline batteries. This may be true. But we’ve found Grado headphones are so efficient, that to us, the lesser power of the rechargeables doesn’t noticeably hurt the sound quality. Finding a recharger that charges 9v batteries is not all that easy, nor is it that easy finding the rechargeable 9v NiMH batteries. The folks at Listening Station found a source for these products and will try to keep some in stock. Here’s a link: Listening Station

For those of you unfamiliar with headphone amps, their intention is to provide a higher quality connection for higher quality headphones such as Grado or Sennheiser. Many inexpensive amplifiers use very cheap parts to include a headphone output on their unit. Many amplifiers, (including some very expensive ones), do not even include a headphone output. And for those of us who like the best sound possible from a portable unit, (CD, Minidisc, or cassette), most of the units these days are providing very little amplification to the headphone output to provide longer battery life. Since very few companies make headphone amps, they are not cheap! This baby will set you back $350.

Whether you are seeking better quality sound with a headphone amp, or just looking for an output to plug your good headphones into, Grado’s amp is very unique due to it’s battery power source. I have found that good headphones can be very revealing, not only in exposing details in the recording, but also in any extraneous sounds picked up in the amplification process. For several years, I have owned and enjoyed a headphone amplifier produced by Audio Alchemy, (no longer in business). But during quiet passages, I could always hear a slight hum due to the power source. Being a dealer for this product, I tried several units, and they all had the same hum. Using batteries for the power source eliminates this hum, even with very revealing Grado headphones!

Another plus a battery power unit provides is portability. Though I rarely use my portable CD players for truly portable use, (walking, exercising, or working on chores), I do enjoy having the best sound possible where I want it. Whether it be in the living room, family room, bedroom, office, out on the deck, or at the cabin, operating a headphone amp on battery power allows me to conveniently give a boost to the weak output on my portable CD player. (One note on portable players; be sure you use a line out rather than a headphone output as the signal is not being modified by the cheap electronic circuits or volume controls found on most portables.)

Grado states that their headphone amp is ideal for powering Grado headphones, nothing is said about other brands. I believe they are saying that since Grado headphones do not require as much power to drive like some other brands of headphones, Sennheiser for example, a battery powered amp is not going to be dogged by frequent battery replacement that may be ensued if using the amp with other brands. In my testing of Sennheiser’s HD 580’s and 600’s with the amp, I have found that though the power seems to be sufficient to drive these headphones, the higher level at which the volume control needs to be set indicates to me that the battery life is likely to be reduced. Also, since the Sennheisers are not as revealing as the Grado’s, the hum from an AC power source is not as noticeable. Therefore, the advantages of a battery powered amp become less important with the Sennheisers. Unless you truly want to run on battery power to be more portable, another headphone amp with stepped up power may be more helpful in driving Sennheiser headphones to a higher quality level.

It’s the sound stupid! This is my favorite saying when it comes to comparing audio products. Whether or not a product has more bells and whistles, is more comfortable or looks nicer, means very little to me. Higher quality sound is what I strive for. This is the main reason I am so enamored with Grado headphones! I compared the headphone amp with my Audio Alchemy Headphone amp, an old Yamaha receiver with very good headphone outputs (both connected to a Music Hall CD player), a newer but inexpensive JVC integrated amp, an inexpensive Sony home CD player with a volume controlled headphone output, a five year old Panasonic portable CD player, and a new JVC portable player. Except for the elimination of the AC hum, I did not notice much difference in sound compared with the AA amp or the Yamaha receiver. But both of these products have proven to me in the past to posses a higher quality sound. I did find compared to the JVC amp, a slight improvement in sound quality. The Sony and Panasonic CD players produce surprisingly good sound when driving efficient Grado headphones. Though I could hear a slight improvement with the headphone amp which has quite a bit more power to drive the headphones should I be listening to any challenging recordings. The amp really shined compared to the new JVC portable which I bought because it still offered a dual DAC, (most portables these days are using the cheapest DAC, single 1 bit, available). The headphone output on most portables these days barely produce enough power to drive good headphones. In fact, the JVC portable barely drives the cheapy headphones which came with it! Hooking up the Grado amp to the line out of the JVC portable improved the sound quality more noticeably than the other sources.

Should You Get a Headphone Amp? This is more a question for you to answer. Headphone amps are primarily for those of us looking to get the best possible sound out of our audio equipment. Obviously, if your stereo lacks a headphone output, you need one. But if you have what you perceive to be a decent headphone output, you will probably be pleased with the results you get just by plugging in a pair of efficient Grado headphones. If after awhile you feel the power driving your Grado’s seems to be a bit lacking, (in other words, you have to turn the volume control all the way up), you might consider a headphone amp. Finally, if you perceive the quality of your equipment is marginal or you have a battery conserving portable, a Grado headphone amp should improve your headphone listening to a higher level!