Headphone Amplification

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…

Hi, I need some advice. I have a Metric Halo ULN-2 which I use for recording and as a DAC-unit with my Mac, through S/PDIF from my M-Box 2, which works fine. I am currently considering buying some high quality headphones to do as much work as possible with a headset, since I can't make much sound where I live. I was thinking about buying a pair of HD 650, but have read serveral places that some people doesn't think it works too well with the ULN-2 headphone amp because of too high impedance. I don't have much experience with headphones. Does anyone have an idea what I could connect between my ULN-2 and a pair of HD-650 to make them sound as good as they can? Some ki…

Hi, Check this 12000 euro amp out. There are so many $10k amps popping out these years. They come from workshops. Actually, I doubt if they are really worth the price. (I am only able to upload 3 pics.) Angstrom Audio Laboratories is back at it again with a statement level Headphone Amplifier of uncompromising standards. MSRP $13,750. Power Output 3,5 watt per channelDual Mono Power Supplyweight 35 KgFull Regulated Power Supply 12 Tubes( 6 x channel)2 ECC802S input/driver stage per channel2 6CG7 double triode in triode composite Circlotron operatingResponse Frequency 12 hz to 150 KhzOutput is in CurrentOutput impedance 10 Ohm to 3 KohmDistorsio…

Possible production of new units. I am working on Craig to do a special "limited" run of the full size Zana Duex like I have. This would be for 10 to maybe 15 "hard in the books" commitment of people. He would point to point wire each and do one at a time with the possibility of some very limited assembly line type of thing going on. This amp has to be done by him personally to be correct. A one man operation. If you are last on the list it could be some time. Price is a guess at this point anywhere from $1500 to $1800. He thought he could do them cheaper but probably can't. Disclaimer: I am not an employee or partner of any kind to Eddie Current. I make nothing on this.…

Wow, a few minutes at this site is like a slap in the face after spending a lot of time at head-fi. Apparently I own the ultimate "hella shitty" amp, the PA2V2. I always thought of this as a temporary solution, necessitated by my purchase of an ALO dock connector (also apparently crap), and for $60, why not? It seems that there is some consensus here that portable amps are kind of silly, and do nothing to improve SQ, esp. if your source is a DAP. As my source will be either a laptop or iPod (maybe iMod?) for the foreseeable future, and I need my gear to be portable (out-of-the-reach-of-children portable, room to room and home to office portable, not walking around…

it's incredible the virtues of this amp are putting my head to rest , and ears to pacifically drool over it. this amp is easily the best amp I've come across , it's absolutely linear smooth outraugeoulsy extended at both ends , it gives the most effortless presentation , while keeping the bass solidly firm and never an inch out of the picture . It's solid state , but other then this it's difficult to tell it has transistor related character , which is a very good thing . It does a very nice job with ps-1 finally . Bass and bass to mids frq.s region are both very smooth and very well rendered ; there's a great sense of deepness , coherence and authoritative con…

Hello everyone, it's been years... (for anyone that remembers me anyway) I am researching what amp best suits my somewhat bespoke needs, and thought there might be some useful opinions here, especially since I've been rather out of it for ages. To cut a long story short, about one year ago I suffered an accident that damaged my ears, the result being that I have severely reduced dynamic range in my hearing. Though my sensitivity is normal and frequency response is good (i.e. little to no hearing loss), my pain and distortion threshold has been lowered to around 80dB. This means that for real music listening (classical in my case), I can manage with a level that …

Long time lurker, first time poster... I've managed to assemble the following rig, however, since I haven't been able to attend any meets, my purchases have been based solely on other's opinions. My current setup is MF a3.24 -> Opera analog -> RS-1s/HD650s What would be the most cost effective way to upgrade? I'm happy with my current cans, so an amp upgrade is probably in order. Would a se b22 be a significant step up?

Does anyone here know/remember the specs on the Moth EC2a3? Trying to determine the headphone and speaker output impedance.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/ Not a bad review but I wish the reviewer did a better job at reviewing the B-52 as a headphone amp rather than pre-amp. I'm wondering how well does the B-52 handle the R10, Qualia, and L3000.

Well, I was supposed to get my new balanced McAlister Audio amp Sunday morning... turns out that the faceplate guy had issues with the green sublimation process. I decided to get the amps name in a forest green colour. Should have just left well enough alone! But then again, maybe not! I get a call from Peter on Sunday afternoon. He says he has been listening to my amp, and while it sounds incredible, he decided that he wants to go a little more 'over the top' with it. A man after my own heart. So, it looks like there will be 4 more tubes, for a grand total of 13... as well as two more metal can capacitors. He says that it looks like a BEAST. I can't wait to se…

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.

I'm waiting to hear back from Stephen from Rockhopper audio about a possible home B22 trial. While I wait, can anyone comment on comparing tubes to a B22? I have a Woo Audio 6 SE so any direct comparisons would be great. As far as music goes, I listen to almost everything (no country) but right now I'm mostly listening to folk and indie rock. Thanks in advance!

I posted this on head-fi a while back and thought it might be interesting reposting it here for the ones who haven't seen it and just to post something interesting... I already forgot what was in it so I'll have to reread again I guess, it's very long: "Audio Power Amplifier Fundamentals Introduction The term amplifier is very generic. In general, the purpose of an amplifier is to take an input signal and make it stronger (or in more technically correct terms, increase its amplitude). Amplifiers find application in all kinds of electronic devices designed to perform any number of functions. There are many different types of amplifiers, each with a specific purpo…

AFAIR, there is a diode after each 9v battery, and two sets of caps between V+ and ground and V- and ground each. There is a series resistor inside each 9V rechargeable lithium battery, as I recall, but I can't figure out why they won't work with the SR-71. Any ideas why?

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I never thought I'd get a tube amp but it looks like I am. I know nothing on the subject but really need a crash course. Is there a good resource out there that I can read?

I bought a CEC HD53R for exactly 40 000 Yen in Japan (which is around $370 USD), to pair with my Edition 9s. While it does sound nice, I have some lingering after thoughts... Unfortunately I only found one reference to this amp in this forum. I'm hoping somebody with experience with the HD53R can help me. For it's price, did I make the right choice? Are there any other headphones that magically synergizes with this amp?

link Disappointed in the lack of 1x, but I have to admit, I like the price point. It's within what I can recommend to muggles, I would just like to know if it's any good, first.

I guess dCS decided that headphone-based systems are now worthy of their time: https://shop.dcsaudio.com/products/lina-system Figured most people would be interested in the amplifier so I put it in this section: DAC includes crossfeed EQ (didn't look into whether it was software/hardware), compute module on the side for either Roon or whatever dCS decides to do in-house. Looks like a scaled down version of their ubiquitous Ring DAC External clock lets you use the DAC with OCXO's instead: Full system cost seems to total 29,150 USD. Price aside I think the casework is pretty cool, I saw esoteric do similar things with some of their new …

Hi I am going to build energizer for Orpheus and Stax with LL9202AM. For Stax I will copy PSU Bias from T1. I wonder if I can use the same kind of PSU from T1 for Orpheus (with lower voltage of course)? I think so, but it could be very expensive mistake if I am wrong ... Any advice? http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/9135996783_0911380a26_o.jpg

Well here is some fresh meat for the peanut gallery. I got this off our resident gear whore Tyrion a while back in a gear swap. The Berendsen IPA 80 is from Germany and retails for about $2000 but they recently pulled out of the US market. From the website and visually there are three transformers one for the pre and one for each side of the amp. They talk about the power of the amp coming from ring emitter transistors ( I have no idea what the fuck that is). I will say this cleanly slays the Krell 400xi I owned briefly and thought sucked. The main bonus this amp presents in a killer headphone amp that is so ergonomically challenged it has me questioning the designers…

Until now, I've been using the included GE 8CG7s in my 007t. Today, however, I received a set of Japanese-made B&K 6CG7s and swapped those in place of the GEs. I then went through the re-biasing procedures (akin to trying to enter a revolving door in the middle of a tornado). Now for the problem... With the pot turned all the way up, I'm barely getting any volume. This is compared to the ear splitting volumes the 86G7s put out at about 9 o'clock. Are the tubes bad, or did I not bias them properly?

Yo...whadya all think of the headamp AE-1???

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