Grado Reference Headphone Amplifier
June 25th, 2010 by Rob N
OneCall is pleased to announce that the Grado RA1 Headphone Amplifier is now in stock! The truth is, the headphone output in most receivers is adequate at best. If you have invested in quality headphones, in all probability you are not hearing what your headphones are capable of. The RA1 will deliver the warmth, clarity and depth of a good tube amp.
The RA1 is compact, 5 inches wide, 5.5 inches deep, and 1.5 inches high – and elegantly encased in solid mahogany wood. Connectivity is easy. It will work with anything with line-level output to RCA analog input. It has a 1/4 inch headphone input, but a 1/8 inch adapter can be used for mini-buds.
The RA1 is available in both a DC and AC version. The DC version requires two 9 volt batteries that will drive the amp for up to 50 hours.
You will get optimal performance from the RA1 when used with Grado headphones, but other brand headphones will also have noticeably better performance. The RA1 HG (high gain) may be a better choice if you are using a headphone from another manufacturer or headphones with an impedance of 100 ohms or more.
The only complaint I’ve found on the RA1 is that there is a “thump” when you turn off the amp. Hint; take off the headphones first.
