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In Reply to: RE: Eddie Current Redtop Headphone Amplifier posted by Old SteveA on October 02, 2014 at 16:16:37
The better tube amps sound more similar than different to the better solid state amps, and visa-versa. An "uncolored" sound is the holy grail, IMO.Good tube amps inject a touch of vibrancy without sounding overly sweet and syrupy, good SS amps provide dynamics without sounding overly dry and sterile.
Edits: 10/03/14Follow Ups:
Yes indeed and you are very correct..While large amounts of 2nd order distortion may be desirable to some,it bloats a coloration that would steal the ultimate virtue of a top quality system which is reproduce the sound as it was played at the original source..Here are two fine examples of amplifiers that do the things we love.
"
Honest amplification is better than excessive 2nd order distortion anytime.
DNA, Decware, Wyetech...
For some reason I always seem to forget about Steve Deckert's amps & the
funny thing is many years ago I had one of "ZenHead" portable amp that I used w/ a Zune 120 that I'd loaded w/Burwen Bobcatted WMA lossless files that sounded just superb driving a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770s
I seem to recall that the Decware Headphone Amplifiers have an additional
provision for adjusting the gain so that you have greater range of volume control usage. I think it is just ridiculous that I run out of voluume range
adjustment at about 7 o'clock on the tube headphone amps I have if I decide
to use my HD800s
I've heard nothing but good things about the Decware headphone amp.The DNA Sonett SET amp is known to be a superb match for the HD800s, taming (what some perceive to be) the excessively bright nature of the HD800s without overdoing it in that regard. I would suggest giving it a try sometime, if possible. The Sonett really is one of those amps that combines a touch of tube vibrancy with SS-like control and composure.
Edits: 10/04/14 10/04/14
Thank You !
DNA had(has?)an amp called the "Stratus" that I believe was a bit higher than I wanted to go in price so I had forgotten how impressed I was with the
design. From what I've read on the Sonett page it looks like the volume issue is being specifically addressed.
(I'm just not sure how disrespectful it might be to Beethoven or
Rachmaninoff that I'm listening to their music through a "shiny baby blue"
headphone amplifier; I feel a little funny about that myself)
I wasn't aware of a "volume issue". Please explain.Mine is the Sonett One (balanced output dual XLR version). While it is slightly less powerful than the Sonett Two, I have never experienced a lack of power or any issues related to insufficient gain, etc... The amount of gain I'm getting is just about perfect for the headphones I've been using. Of course, I'm not using orthodynamic headphones that can be pretty hard to drive.
The Stratus really seems like a dream amp, but it is quite expensive. It has different sonic personality than the Sonett, I'm told. Some prefer the Sonett, others prefer the Stratus. I sure wouldn't mind owning both!
Edits: 10/04/14
It's not really an "issue" but I don't really like having only up to 8 or 9
o'clock on my volume control as the "max" I can go before things get louder
then I like to listen at. I would prefer to have at least up to 12 o'clock
(or half of available control setting)before I get to volumes that shorten my listening sessions & lead to "ear ringing"I have a much easier time driving my HFM HE-6s ("satisfactorily")then I do my HD800s. I like a lot of what I can hear from the HD800s,they're really not bright sounding through my Metrum Hex DAC,but they lack a bit of depth & transparency compared to my HE-6s. (So "depth" seems to translate to "dark sounding" to some people, I guess)
It probably comes down to the fact dynamic drivers hold on to the "fundamental" of a musical note slightly longer than a planar driver does maybe a microsecond longer than might be necessary
Edits: 10/04/14 10/04/14
The Sonett seems to be about perfect for the headphones I've been using the most (1/2 to 2/3 on the volume dial for my K701s). My next headphones will probably be HD650s - another great match for both of the amps I'm currently using. It is reported that the Sonett is a very good match for the HD800s.The HD800s shouldn't be "harder" to drive than my AKG K speakers are, it's just that the HD800s are such revealing headphones. Good tone requires a precise matchup in associated equipment.
Edits: 10/05/14 10/05/14
Yes, exactly !!!
The real "trick" is to find the amp that's not "cut from the same cloth" of all the other $800-
$1500 ('which in truth were "voiced" to appeal to listeners whose headphone listening to this point was limited to using any available "headphone input jack") HP amps.
The criteria for what you're looking for changes when you have few $k of "Power Conditioning" & several more $k of Audio components sitting in front of your HP amp.
Like every other component we use in this hobby tubes & solid state are only different
"Filters" that we insert in our systems to get to our desired "sound". Filters are either a necessary or unecessary thing depending on how,were & why they are inserted,
In all honesty I think I'm looking for a HP amp whose greatest strength is to give me the
proverbial "straight wire w/ gain" effect , that does'nt overstep that boundary (For an exceptional price, of course)
Check out the Asylum Trader. There's some reasonably priced amps listed that come fairly close to being the proverbial "straight wire with gain". I've heard or owned two of them listed there.
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