Headphone Amplification

I have no engineering or design background, so these may be stupid questions, but that's never stopped me before. Can you tell what an amp will sound like from the amp's design? Often times, somebody says that "Amp X is poorly designed" -- does that correlate to sound? Kevin Gilmore, whose opinion and judgment I value and trust probably more than any other designer in this field, may be able to answer this question best. Sometimes you see him saying that something is a poor design, or a very simplistic design, etc. Can you assume that such an amp will not sound as good as a well-designed one? I have a feeling the answer is no, but if it is yes, what are the best-…

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See from Tyll's recent IF post Pete & Todd are at it again. On the other side of things, sadly the Peak & Butte are no longer listed on Apex.

Hi, I'v been a long time member on Head-Fi, and decided to check out this forum (for a number of reasons). After reading multiple threads here, it seems there are a lot knowledgeable people here concerning the AKG K1000. I have 2 K1000's, one is hooked up to a Unison Audio Unico, which I find a great combination. I'm looking for a cheap amp, to set next to my iMac, so I can use my other pair with my computer at night. I read multiple recommendations, Class-T Amps, old Marantz and Panasonics (PX950 etc.). I searched, but they were actually quite expensive now on ebay (650euro+ ). I have a bass-light pair, so a little more bass on the amp is appreciated, maybe a bi…

...not only that, it does iPod. Digitally. link

I am running a WA6SE maxxed (09 bulid) I also use Senn HD -800s. I am using a pair of rca 6ew7 big bottle and a EML 274B mesh plate. I ordered a EML 274B, but I didn't specify mesh or solid. I was sent solid plate. Used the EML 274B solid plate for one night and exchanged it for a EML 274B mesh plate. However I did really like the solid plate, great overall tone and soundstage. When I first got the EML 274B mesh I was disappointed. I now have about 26 hours on it. The 274B has improved but the soundstage is still not on a pair with the solid plate. My question is will my mesh plate improve or should I go back to the solid plate or get the EML 5U4G-Mesh? …

We’re launching a new company – Eksonic – along with our new amplifier called Aeras. Launching an audio company is something I’ve had in the back of my head for many years and I’m proud to be able to bring a passion to market. I've been building my own version of the DIY T2 for quite some time now and have long hoped to capture the spirit of the beast in a smaller single chassis design that's more accessible to many. We think we've accomplished that with the Aeras. Aeras is the result of endless hours of circuit design and analysis, brainstorming and many iterations of prototyping and testing. Our initial users have had great things to say about…

Well I just got confirmation from SPL USA today that they are going to send me a SPL Phonitor for me to do a review on Head-Case and the other site. Good stuff, all I need to do is give them a CC# as collateral. The only issue I see with this is the fact that the amp has a 9 ohm output impedance which it seems to me would cause some weird responses with low impedance phones (unless their impedance doesn't vary much). I probably won't get it for a couple weeks but hopefully I'll get it before Christmas.

Made an impulse buy for this intriguing 300B SET, which is turning out to have great resolution and bass definition for a 300B SET, through speakers, headphone amp, AND driving electrostats via Stax transformer! https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-27-elekit-tu-8600r-amplifier-kit 1126191526a by drjlo2, on Flickr

What do you think about a $3000 woo amp? http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa5.html Anyone at the meet listen to it?

Hi tube gurus... so I'm www surfing for various "preamp" tubes and running into the usual trendy-hot flavors telefunken, mullard, brimar, amperex...etc. Some as much as $100-160 each from various NOS and used sellers. And then I see EVERYWHERE, an underlying seemingly abundant surplus of GE tubes going for a fraction of that, like $6-7 each. In general, then just how bad are GE tubes?... are they really "that" bad that people are literally giving them away? What have been your experiences with them and what amp, source or preamp are/were you using them in? thanks!!

FS: RSA P-51 Mustang - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio pictures say it all. i mean hot pink...really? question 2 - who the hell makes that case?

Raffy is looking for a pair of TS 5998's for his SP and I have a pair that are supposed to be NOS. I would be happy to help him out but I don't know how to test these on my tube tester. I have a B&K 747B. I tried testing them with the 6as7 settings but they both test low this way. Since they are not equivalent to the 6as7's, I am not so surprised (I think this has happened with every pair of 5998's I have tested this way). So can anyone help me/us out? Pretty please.

Why do some amps have two volume controls? My HeadAmp KGSS has two volume knobs. I always set them at the same setting. I would prefer one knob and not have to set the volume twice or use both hands at once. They are stepped attenuators so it isn't too difficult to do so, but one knob would still be more convenient. Is there a reason for this?

hi everyone, i m torn between building an ehha and an aikido and the lack of info about them(especially aikido) has led me to ask for a comparison between the two. i d be using the ehha with a sigma22 and the aikido would be broskie latest octal lsa/hpa all-in-one(because i have a couple of sylvania and rca 6sn7 doing nothing in my wardrobe). comments on any aikido amp would be welcome as well. i m opened to other tube amps but those two seemed the best to me as far as i looked. if it can help i have a beta22 and a dual darkvoice 336i that you can compare with. any input would be appreciated

Hey all, first of all, I've searched. Now, picked myself up a CA Azur 840C yesterday and want an amp to match. I'm using modded Denon D5000's. I tend to prefer SS over tubes as I'm a detail/analytic freak. A rule of thumb I assume holds is that the amp doesn't cost more than the source, so that limits the playing field to $1500-ish, which is more than ridiculous for an amp mated to a $1500 source IMO. I was thinking used GCHA, but want to know what others suggest. No op-amps here preferably, unless the circuit is well designed, and designed for said op-amp. I looked into a B22, but don't know who I can get to build one. I'd DIY it, but don't know wher…

Was looking over at HF and saw this: Styleaudio's Topaz and Emerald DAC/AMP Sale!! - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio :palm::palm:

http://www.erzetich-audio.com/deimos_prestige_headphone_amplifier http://www.monoandstereo.com/2014/09/erzetich-deimos-prestige-headphone.html?spref=tw&m=1 "We wanted to go beyond and make something that really stands out from the point of electronics, sound, design and prestige. This project has been developed under the name POS."

I very much like the "truth" of the K-701s and I also love the smooth sound of WWII era 6SN7GT tubes as outputs in my SP MPX3 Slam SE. So, I have needed to find hi-gain input tubes. The 12AV7 family of tubes work pretty well as inputs, but they lack the gain to drive the 701s really well, I think. So, in my experimentation I have gone up as high 5751s with good success, but recently settled on the 12AT7WA (Brimar, Sylvania, and Raytheon) as an input with Raytheon 6SN7GT flat black plates, NU Grey Glass, and Sylvania Bad Boys as outputs. Try this tube as an input with the 6SN7GTS. The various models all sound very different, but this combo sounds very good with K-701s. …

I have recently bought an Onkyo C-S5VL SACD player and WOO WA6 with EML 274B rectifier (about 2 weeks). My Headphone is HD-800. Today I decided to for no good reason try the headphone jack on the Onkyo which has internal amplification (with actual volume knob for headphone out). To my surprise going aback and forth I could not discern major difference between Onkyo and Woo. I tested these on several 24 bit recordings that I have. I also tried my Denon receiver headphone out but this time the sound was simply horrid. Is something wrong with my setup? Or Onkyo internal amplification that good. This post is by no mean to criticize WA6. I am just trying to ge…

So much for a cheap amp upgrade... As the topic says, I'm now trying to decide between the Singlepower PPX3 SLAM and the Mapletree Ear+Purist HD. I would have to find the Singlepower amp second hand to be able to afford it, probably in Canada (a long shot but I can wait). The Ear+HD is not worth buying used since I can get it tax-free here, and I seriously doubt I would be able to buy it second hand from a Canadian. They would likely end up being about the same price. As I said in the previous thread, I currently own RS-1s and UM2s, and I will probably be picking up some Senns or Beyers in the not-too-distant future to see how I like them. However, RS-1s are my prim…

My contribution to the madness...just finished yesterday: Take one of these: Put one of these on it: Build this: and this: plug them in and.... viola! Eventually I'll get the two ground channel boards for the single-ended capabilities, but for now it's balanced heaven.

I found a post by "morphsci" listing his ES-1 options in his thread titled "Custom ES-1 about to find its new home" on that other site. 1). Power Transformers Plitron Custom Toroidal 2). Cardas Silver Solder surcharge 3). Cardas Audio Wiring 4). Audio Note Silver Foil in oil coupling capacitors 5). 4 Channel GoldPoint Attenuator 6). Solen Plate Voltage Input Capacitor 7). Black Gate Power Capacitors Stage I . Black Gate Cathode bypass capacitors ES 9). Dual Umbilical cord upgrade for maximum separation 10). Quad Regulators for maximum separation Other than these options, plus maybe some extra inputs and preamp outputs, what other options would be nice to ha…

I tried to collect some pictures of the super popular high end headphone amplifier Riviera aic10, wishing for some engineering insight and professional assessment.

Over on an other forum, there are 210 pages of posts from people who are wiating 6-10 months for amps made by Xin and then sending them back to get modded and waiting another 6-10 months. I have these questions: 1. Has anyone heard an Xin and what do they sound like? 2. What do they cost? 3. Is this an amp for which there are no close substitutes at the price, and that explains why people are waiting so long? (Sort of the SP explanation for waiting)? 4. If not, then why are they (or you) waiting so long without doing anything about it?