Headphone Amps and Portable/Personal Stereo???

I just bought an Audio-Gd C-2C headphone amp following research though the Head-Fi site. Price was $335 plus delivery (from China). I'm utterly stunned by the sound quality through a pair of AKG 702s - significantly better than the Benchmark DAC which I tested for a fortnight. Audio-Gd have another model, the Compass, which has been designed in conjunction with 18 Head-Fiers who received test units. The Compass is a DAC, a headphone amp plus a pre-amp, so extremely versatile - has received rave reviews and could be another very good option at a promotion price of $258 plus delivery.

Eastern electric CD player can be had for about $650 used. That's all you will need. It has headphone jack and volume control.
Something else to consider for the future is an inexpensive vintage direct drive table and a Bellari VP-129 - same story of headphone jack and volume control. Chances are good you could put all of that together for under $1000.
Third, and possibly best, option is an old NAD preamp for $125. It will have a headphone jack, a multitude of inputs, a phono section, and you can run your computer straight into it. I did this for both my boys with Grado SR 325 cans and they love it. Great bang for the buck.

I went through the same process awhile ago. I did a great deal of research and settled on the Shanling PCD-3000A CD/pre/amp all in one small compact size. This CD player (not portable) has a built in headphone amp and comes with a full function remote. It retails for $500.00, and can be found for less. There are some people who are modifying these, and this might be something to look into in the future.

Also there is a twin amp unit that allows for greater power and dynamics. This too could be a future step, so this simple start could be something you allow to grow over the years.

I have been very pleased. I use it with Dennon headphones, it is next to my bed and I use it every night to shut my mind off and prepare to sleep.

Don't think of the RA-1 as a compromise because it is a battery unit.

The RA-1 is basically a CMOY, which you can find all over ebay for about 30 bucks. If the wooden enclosure means a lot to you go for it, but I'd personally never buy an RA-1. I'd recommend looking for something like a used Gilmore Lite.