Headphone Amplification

Anyone get a chance to listen to the Peachtree Grand pieces at RMAF (or elsewhere)? I'm looking for a dac/amp that'll do 24/192 over USB and this appears to be a contender. The design intrigues me because it permits user selectable signal routing via tubes or SS. I'm open to other hardware suggestions for a solution to 24/192 over USB. Trying to hold the line at $5K USD Peachtree Grand Integrated High resolution DAC ESS Sabre32 9018 - supports 24/192 asynchronous USB input Hybrid tube preamplifier - uses two 12AU7s High efficiency amplifier - 400 wpc stereo Galvanic Isolation State of the art headphone amp - signal is run through the tube stage [no mW spe…

What is the general consensus on running the Headamp Pico as a preamp in a system?

This maybe a very stupid question but I'd like to ask it anyway. I'd really like to have a small and portable dac/headphone amp and I'd also like to be able to use it with mah stereo, for various reasons; the obvious being that I'm not made out of money and would like less electronic gear in my apartment. Are there any valid reasons to think this would be a hysterically bad idea? enlighten this noob please That being said, I'm aware that the signal is being amplified obviously but is it THAT bad? are there any sane alternatives? The stereo is an ageing Sony 730ES and a pair of JBL 4408's so don't tell me I wont benefit from a detailed dac

So, would it be possible to have the gain lowered on a Pico so those with IEM's can enjoy more of the amps sonic characteristics? I would also like to have more volume control for IEM's. What I have gathered from home amplifiers (ex. Macintosh) is that the less gain and more volume or (the other way around) really has a dif effect on sound. Is it possible to change this or is the gain set in stone? I really think you can get a better taste of the sound of a headphone amp When the gain is set propperly for your headphones. Witha portable like Pico, I think users will usually use the same headphone. Way back 7-8 years ago, the META42 and penguin builders always asked wha…

Sorry, cannot wade through the lovefest thread. - How big is it - Custom paint? - Where do I get it from and product details in a single webpage if poss. Thanks

Done by a 3rd party who happens to own both units. Someone I trust who has no hammer to pound with. I see no reason not to post this, as it should be clearly duplicatable by just about anyone. http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/picovspredator.htm

I bought a Pioneer A-27 Integrated Amp a few months ago and sent it to Hamad at Amplifier Surgeries to have it rebuilt. I and others here have had Hamad do wonderful work on Pioneer M-22 amps. Since I will be using this amp sometimes with headphones (but mainly driving my Sound Lab speakers) I asked Hamad to check the headphone circuit to make sure it is optimized as much as possible. He indicated he would and asked what headphones I was using so he could "check to see if the resistor network can be matched for my headphones". The hard part is I don't know which headphone to have this amp optimized for. The dynamic headphones I use are the LCD-2, HE6 and HD800. I l…

My M22 will not power up. I worked fine earlier in the day yesterday. I shut it down for an hour and it would not power up again. I took off the bottom and the fuse seems to be intact. Did not see any issue with the power cord connection inside. Any suggestions on where to send for repair? Thanks.

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?

First of all. Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. I've read many thread about the differences between the Woo Audio 3 and the Little Dot MKIV SE . I'm pretty new to the world of high fidelity audio equipment. About 3 years ago I bought a pair of Sennheiser 202's and later that year I upgraded to HD555's. I greatly enjoyed the 555's and started researching the next step up the chain. About a year ago I finally saved up enough money to purchase the HD650's and a Little Dot MKIV SE . I love my amp, but recently I've been itching to upgrade to something better and that's why I come to you. I'm currently using a Little Dot MKIV SE with the …

Yes, this could go in any one of several forums, but the amp/preamp choice is probably the heart of the matter, so here it is. I find I do almost all of my listening -- headphone and speaker -- at my desk now, so I'd like to upgrade my current (and, I admit, quite adequate) setup to something with a little more polish. I'm very happy with the Duet and the Senns, so those probably stay. Source is Apple Lossless from the iMac -- secondary goals are simplicity, reasonable component footprint and (again, I admit) good looks. So far I've looked at: -- SE tube head/power amp (Cary SLI-80) to passive monitors (Dynaudio Audience, Totem Rainmaker or similar) -- SE tube h…

Relatively new around this forum, Ive lurked before but thats chnging now. Looking to OP amp roll my PPA. Its running with a 24V ELPAC. Would it benefit from a better P/S? What are some BASSY, open sounding OP amps for it? I have some OPA2107s, can those just drop in? thanks!! Garrett

Please post a picture of your SR71a completely immersed in water. Does it refract light differently than the Predator?

Well I was a little bored last night so I opened up my PrimaLuna Prologue One and was very impressed by the point-to-point wiring so I took some pictures. Lower res versions here: http://head-case.org/photos/thumbnails.php?album=6

Hi, I'm looking for a portable headphone amp with good imaging, high detail and a very fair reproduction of the source. My budget is roundabout $400. I was considering one of the offerings from Ray Samuel until I read the opinions here. Instead do you have any particular recommendations? I've heard good things about Graham Slee's voyager, would that be a good choice? This is all baring in the that I'm limited to closed phones because I'll be monitoring input sources - perhaps oneday I'll invest in the etymotic H4s's. Cheers

I thought it was about time my cheap ass got a cheap headphone amp (I wouldn't be so cheap if I wasn't so broke ) and due to the overabundance of orthodynamics in my collection I need something with a good bit of powah, so far the only ones I've found that are both cheap and powerful seem to be the Darkvoice amps @1w. I'm thinking the little Figaro or 336. I've heard and liked the 336 but heard not the Figaro and that one is cheaper and looks less vulnerable to my clumsy ways. Anyone here heard one and have an opinion of it as a smallish and cheap workaday amp or others similarly priced ($200 inc shipping) with enough juice to run orthos?

Well, for whatever reason, I had gotten sick of the Par-Metals case I had housing my PPA v2 + STEPS. I had wanted to do something with wood, but could decide what. I had picked up some Zebrawood for another pair of woodied Grados, but was unhappy with working with it in round shapes. So I decided it had come time to use the wood for the PPA's new enclosure. Before: After: I'd have to say it came out better than I could have expected. Needless to say, it hasn't changed the amp's performance... it drives my HD650/Zu just as well as before. But it is a hell of a lot more fun to look at!

I know these are both DIY amps and they all have different sounds depending on how theyre built, but I'm looking for a warmish SS amp with a good amount of bass for my 225s that delivers enough current to open the phones up. I'm trying to spend as little as possible (under $300 but hopefully around $200) and usually DIY beats commercial amps in terms of bang per buck. So which amp should I get?

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…

With the PerfectWave on the way, I now have a balanced source. My KGSS is balanced as is my McCormack DNA 1 (will be shipped for repairs Monday). I'm looking for a pre that will allow me to go balanced out to the McCormack and use a balanced loop out to the KGSS. The only one I can find in the under $2000 price range is the BAT VK-5i. Wyred 4 Sound has a preamp with 2 balanced outs. I emailed them to see if they could make one of them a loop or tape out. I know that BAT gear is supposed to be excellent so it is a possibility. I am curious if someone else knows of any other in the under $2000 range. Thanks

I have a two speaker system and I'd like to incorporate a STAX setup into it. I'd like to continue to use my preamps remote control, and I want to use my preamps XLR output vs. my Rec Out's because well, I'm just funny like that. Is there a preferred way to adjusting the two volume controls when using a preamp and STAX amplifier? I know the 717 & 727 have a volume bypass switch, but I'm trying to open up my options to what amp I eventually get. Thanks

Heh...I JUST found this place. I had a uestion about the predator, and there hasn't been an answer. I'm thinking it won't be answered because my suspicions are right. That and any negativity (even if contructive) towards RSA is frowned upon over there. Apparently not so much here, so I'll ask here, lol. Here's the post I made, and it hasn't gotten a response yet: -------------------------------- I have a question about the gain. You say the gain is set at 11 in high. An iPods line out is 1vRMS, which is 2.8vpp full scale(volts peak to peak, according to Vinnie on various threads). Wouldn't you need ATLEAST 32 volts to have a gain of 11 on an iPod so you don't…

I got my mayflower O2+ ODAC last week. My primary headhpones are the 600 ohm version of the dt880s and I also tested my old ath-m50's. The audio quality is really poor. Sounds dirty and there's distortion where there shouldnt be. When I plug into my onboard audio the audio is crystal clear using the same audio file(FLAC and 320kbps music). Basically my onboard sounds better in every situation. I've made sure the audio quality is set to 24/96khz. I've tested it with my source volume at 50-80%. I've even done all these steps ive listed above on my friends computer with the exact same results. His onboard sounded better, and his mobo is 3 years older than mine. I dont have a…

I caught this off of Ryan's review -- when did this come out?

I am not sure which forum to put this question, whether the headphone or amp section. Which electrostatic headphone works best with the SRM-T1S? I now have the KGSS and the SR-007 for it is coming. I also have the T1S and want to optimize it's musical presentation at a second location. I really don't what the time or money to play around with all the combination of these headphones. I am inclined toward the SR-404, any comments. This is after reviewing lots of threads and personal rankings. I prefer the sound of the SR-Gamma Pro to the SRX-001 Mk3 normal bias. thanks