Headphone Amplification

I have a Stacker II due around the end of January. This is a hybrid tube amp that goes well beyond the already excellent Millet and SOHA/ SOHA 2 hybrid amps. The Stacker has a true high voltage tube gain stage attached to a discrete transistor output stage .... and in my case a tube rectified power supply. I cant get enough of the SOHA/ JISBOS hybrid or maxxed Millet Starving Student with my woodied Alessandros .... the sound is delightful. Here are some pics ....

For a long time now I've wanted to go balanced, but never really sat down and looked at all the offerings. As far as the big names go, there's the RSA Apache, HeadAmp GS-X, RudiStor NX-33, Headroom Balanced Desktop. Right off the bat, the Apache and NX-33 are knocked out of the running based on what I've read about the manufacturers here. Also, a small thing I've noticed: While the Headroom Balanced Desktop and GS-X have tabs to release the XLRs, the other two don't. Does this mean the XLRs don't lock as they should, or is there some other mechanism to hold them in place? As far as price goes, the GS-X is a little rich for my blood, and the Balanced Desktop can n…

in general, do any specific brands stand out among others when it comes to cheap receiver headphone amps? i'm looking for an inexpensive remote-controlled video switching device and a cheap used receiver seems to fit the bill... i remember reading a while ago that the pioneer elite series supposedly have discreet amplification for their headphone out... basically, i'm looking to spend a couple hundred bucks at most and the only thing i care about is that i can switch video sources, so i thought i'd try to narrow it down by something i do care about... i realize most or all will suck compared to a decent separate headphone amp, but i'm just looking for any that s…

I am in the market for a headphone amp in the $300 price range. I own a pair of shure e4c's. I believe they are 29ohm earbuds. I do not plan on buying an upgrade headphone anytime soon. Anyone have any advice? Will these earbuds be a good fit with this amp?

Hello everyone, I'm thinking about buying an electrostatic amp and I'm leaning towards the KGSS because of my general dislike of tubes and the fact that when you change the tubes you can change the sound etc. I prefer to have such things under control (barring damage, SS is the same now as it is in a year). That said if the BHSE is only uses the tubes for the high voltage swing capabilities and is entirely transparent then maybe that's a better bet. On paper it has a lot more voltage swing etc. At least initially I will be using the Koss ESP950s but I figure I'll end up with O2s as well. They'll all have to go though my correction process and then I'll see if el…

I'm beginning to compose my "short list" for a head amp. One of the amps I've been looking at is the Cary SLI-80 and the F1 version only sold by Upscale Audio Cary Audio SLI-80 Signature F1. I'm somewhat concerned about the scorching heat these amps are reputed to produce and not convinced the F1 upgrades are worth it for headphone amp use. I have not had an opportunity to hear one, but understand the sound is not for everyone, but I don't know exactly what that means. The overall design seems to be good and it has been around since 1997. It has stood the test of time. Is anyone willing to comment about this amp and/or the F1 upgrade?

I've posted my complaints in the other head-forum but no adequate responses or even any guidelines have been written. For the last month I hear a conciderable increase of the highs of my O2mk2. Somehow the highs "opened" and become more shrill and noticeable, some squeaky and ticking sounds protrude above the whole sound "picture". I mean sounds like the sound of a harpsichord or the movement of the fingers over the quitar's neck, or some "parasite" sounds which are found in all acoustic records. It sounds to me like sharp peaks in the upper frequencies range. Before this transformation the sound of the O2mk2 was smooth and laid back without anytning annoying and distrac…

Well I just got done doing tests on the HD650 using my ECM8000 measurement mic and dummy head and room EQ Wizard (that some of you have seen). I kept the mic and headphones in the same spot and tried the following: HD 650 running Balanced from the GS-X (of DAC3 Balanced) HD 650 running SE from the GS-X (of DAC3 Balanced) HD 650 running SE from AE-2 plugged in with wall wart(off DAC3 SE) HD 650 running SE from AE-2 running off battery (off DAC3 SE) I attempted to volume match all 4 configurations but ended up having about .3 db (at 1kHz) variation that I could take out using the software so they all have the same value at 1kHz. Attached are the frequency response…

Anyone tried this amp? So far only positive opinions appeared on the other site and that it has great synergy with ATH-ESW10JPN. At the moment it is 299$ (excluding shipping) and comes with 12AU7 RCA Cleartop NOS tube. Should I give it a try? Thanks.

Hi, I want to find a headphone amp which have pre-amp funtion with balance input, any suggestion? What is the model name? thx

So I'm going to be getting some Sennheiser HD650s soon, and I'll be plugging those into a Pioneer VSX-80TXV receiver, which is going to be connected to my computer that has an HT Omega Claro+ sound card. But I don't have any amplification for the headphones. My budget for an amp maxes out at 200, which I realize isn't a lot, but is there still an option at or below that price that will still net me a sizeable improvement in sound quality?

I have had my HeadAmp Gilmore Lite + DPS for over three years now, and I have never given serious thought to replacing it. It drives all my cans to a satisfactory level, except of course the TakeTs. Earlier this year I had designs on going balanced, but four months of house renovation has ensured I won't be bankrolling that any time ...ever, really. I'm now content to live in the single ended solid state world, but.. I am in need of an amp with more than one input. In spite of my recently acquisition of a Quad 99 CDP-2, and its variable outputs, I could benefit from the GS-1's preamp outputs as well. I see a lot of Beta22s changing hands around here. Most are mad…

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.

I'm a bit slow on the uptake, but I just noticed the Balanced Home amp is discontinued. So is the Millett Desktop Hybrid and both Max amps. The Balanced Home was my favorite "all-in-wonder" solution for DAC/amp/preamp. It covered all the bases and did so pretty well. I suggested it to a friend of mine in the antique business (who ended up going with speakers, the cretin.) The Max products were never in my price range, but their existence amused me. Anyone know what HeadRoom has in the works to replace these models? Maybe Tyll can get off Daisy long enough to enlighten us.

Some of you may remember me gabbing on about getting an office rig. Well, we're moving into the new building next week and I'll have the space for one finally. I was planning on waiting awhile, but as Mr. Nate Maher, Nugget Audio's kingpin, had this little beauty sitting around with nowhere to go, it's mine now! I think it was originally meant for Mike, but since he's slow to answer those pms, he just plain loses out and now he'll have to wait for the next one Purdy, huh?

I just fired up my spanking-new Rockhopper M3 (Thanks, Stephen!). Power is good. My k701 almost sounds bassy! My k271 almost has slam! My crappy music sounds slightly less crappy! There is still treble! I'm not even drunk yet! I have a half fifth of Gentleman Jack on my desk! If I had only known what this could sound like I'd have ordered one a year ago. I really hope this doesn't mean a β22 is in my future.

website The short write-up in December's issue of Hi-Fi Choice says, "...by using CRT technology, these valves can be run at a lower power and offer significantly improved lifespans." That'd be the part that got my attention.

In the ongoing battle against the flying squirrel infestation in my house (that is not a joke) I have been emptying out the attic spaces upstairs. My house has a Gambrel roof, that lends itself to an awful lot of storage space. That means after 33 years in the same family, there is an ungodly amount of crap up there. Mixed in with the other detritus, I found this: Sorry about the lousy shot, I didn't have time to futz around and get a better one. My father dealt in antiques, including radios, and sometimes he'd get a collection of tubes. I am recalling some much bigger boxes full of tubes, but I don't know if he still had them when he died. This box might be …

so i received this amp yesterday and i plugged it in last night in the following order. 1. put bendix 6080 tubes all the way in the back 2 sockets. 2. put the sylvania 6sn7 tube in the front. noticed that the metal base was slightly loose and could be moved a wee bit. 3. attached the necessary cables and then turned it on with the headphone plugged in. 4. listened to music. the gear loop is very simple and as follows. lenovo laptop (line out) - mini - rca cable - sp extreme - hd 650s. problem that only occurred last night if i even tap the amp lightly with my fingernail it sounds like it would if i were inside a tube and someone were tappin…

Does anyone know about this? I didn't know Craig was working on one. Is it SS or is there tubes in it? Zana Deux Micro sneak pic! - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Intro As mentioned in my previous review of the Shanling PH3000, I'm really no longer writing reviews, but I recently had an opportunity to check out the Woo Audio 6. Thought I might as well write a review of this amp too while I was at it. Like the Shanling PH3000 review, this too was accelerated - all listening here was also done in 4 days, so this can be considered more of a mini-review than a full-length one. Associated Equipment Power cord: Black Sand Silver Reference MKV Digital source: Plinius CD-101 RCA interconnects: Analysis Plus Silver Oval Comparison amplifier: HeadAmp Gilmore Lite (used only as a reference point of contrast) Headphones: AKG K7…

Intro Some here may know I quit reviewing audio gear some time ago, which still holds - there were several reasons I gave that up but there are still a few components here and there that have piqued my curiosity. So when an opportunity to spend some time with the Shanling PH3000 came up recently, I jumped on it, and rather than keep my findings to myself, I thought I'd also write up an informal review since this amp isn't well-known. I want to add here that my listening with the Shanling was accelerated given the short span of time I had with it - only 4 days. Past reviews I've written were done over weeks (in some cases, even months) so this review should be consid…

I'm wondering why blind tests are not done over at headfi. I've listened to a lot of portable amps and I dont understand the ratings and rave reviews some receive over other. Between my ppa2, pimeta and mini3, I dont think I can reliably pick out which amp I'm listening to at any given moment. It leads me to believe that the prettier the amp is, the better some folks think it sounds. On the other hand, maybe I have tin ears.

FS: Aristaeus - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

knowing u guys are interested in the schematic for this amp so i went around begging people in other forum for this, finally got it is this the correct schematic for that amp?