Hi! The below eMail was obviously sent to a Mac/IOS eMail list but thought I'd send it again as oters may be able to use the information contained herein.
Though this eMail specifically mentions Mac and IOS devices its not too difficult to adapt and use with a Windows PC and so on. <snip> Hi! This eMail is not a review as such, rather its a discussion on points you should bare in mind when using an audiophile pair of headphones with a Mac or IOS device though I would like to focus your attention to a particular set of Headphones to begin with and I'll briefly describe these and why I mention them at all. You don't have to pay a high price to enter the audiophile market for headphones these days and the Grado Labs SR60I are living proof of that, these headphones have won the Stereophile magazines Audiophile product of the year award and a simple Google search will find you the review of the cans. The Sr60 originally came into being 20 years ago and they have remained the same in the SR60I version though the cable has improved. These cans are an open and on the ear type design and are comfortable to wear, without any doubt these are the cans I would prefer over any others I have here when it comes to listening to music the way its meant to be heard. I paid $120.00 for a pair of Grado SR60I cans so I bought a bargain. So how to get the best out of these phones? Well they work just fine with an iPhone or a Mac however the SR60'S require a little power to drive them so you may find that - in noisy environments - hearing the audio through these cans could be a problem. If this becomes an issue then a Headphone Amp is recommended and you can find a good range of these at good audiophile shops such as <http://www.addictedtoaudio.com.au> Even if noise isn't a problem a headphone Amp is worth having, most models have their own DAC - Digital Analogue Converter - this is the chip that converts digital to analogue sound for your phones - and the DAC in these amps is so much better than that provided with your iPhone or Mac thus you're going to enjoy that superior sound that these phones can produce. There are many different DAC/Headphone amps available including the type that plug into your iPhone using a dock connector, the other end has a socket for the cans to connect to. Some of these amps have extra controls such as transport controls to control your music, an extra high quality microphone for taking calls on your iPhone, variable volume control and so forth. The Headphone amp can range in price from around $30.00 upwards so do your research well before deciding on your final purchase and - if possible - listen to some of the amps available, you'll notice a difference though not so much on the higher end models. The Headphone Amp is usually self powered, that is to say that - in the case of the iPhone - the amp draws its power through the dock connector, or in the case of the Mac the amp - depending on the type used - is usually powered by either the Mac's USB port or its own power supply. I encourage you to try the Grado SR60I cans along with a separate DAC Headphone Amp if you're able and I'm quite sure you will notice a difference the the quality of what you hear from your music so it will all be worth the while. For those of you who are using a pair of audiophile cans etc then all I say is, thanks for your time and may the good music continue. <snip> ********** Dane Trethowan Skype: grtdane12 Phone US (213) 438-9741 Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598 Phone Australia (03) 9005 8589 Mobile: +61400494862 Fax +61397437954
