Headphone Amplification

Hi. I'm looking for a good value amp in the under 800$ price range. I have been adviced to get an HR-2, a Gillmore Lite and M^3. While I am not sure I want to spend 850$ for the HR-2 (plus I've read some constrasting opinions about it), I'm seriously considering the Lite with DPS and M^3. I like the fact that the former is only transistor based, but it has been described as hyperdetailed and somewhat piercing in the highs by more than a few people on Headfi. Considering that I can't stand sibilance/harshness, I am not sure if I should go on with it. I read here that the M^3 is on the "warm" side. I am not sure if I am going to use Sennheiser HDxx or Denon D5000 with it. …

Untill now I read only severe negative posts for SRM-727II. But I still can't find anywhere concrete opinion what's the problem with this Stax amp. I see most people own SRM-007tII, SRM-006t and even SRM-717 but not the 727 How many of you had the opportunity to compare 727II with another amps?

Hi, After scaring the shit out of me (as someone coming from headfi, many of the topics here are very "enlightning"....), you gotta tell me "the truth" about my amps ;-) I have a RSA Hornet, and although i`ve never quite got all the fuzz about it over at headfi, i thought it was ok (i have to add, that i did buy it used for a very good price. The retail price always seemed crazy to me...), some of the comments here about RSA products in general caught my eye: "Safety hazard, errors in the layout, a.s.o". So what?s the truth about the Hornet? What are his faults? Where does it stand performancewise for real? My home amp is the Corda Aria. I always liked it a lot …

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?

I'm debating which amp I should get. Right now, I have a home based Pimeta. I would like something warmer though. Which of these amps should I get? I only use Grado headphones (sr225 and sr100) thanks

At what point should you start to worry about how hot your amps (and other components) get? For example, my HR Balanced desktop runs hot, as expected, and so does the Desktop Power Supply. Further the DAC1 also runs pretty warm, which is also expected. Regardless of the fact that it is expected, it still concerns me. Should it? At what point do you consider the heat as a sign of a problem, or the imminent cause of one. Er, aside from fire that is.

With my feel HP 200SE tube mosfet hybrid amp, whenever I have my headphones pugged into the low gain jack, every now and again the left channel fades out to a whisper. If I turn the amp off and then turn it back on it corrects itself and won't fade out again that listening session. I know that amps are complex but is there an obvious reason why this would be happening?

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…

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?

Anyone have any good combos they would like to recommend? Currently using Russian 6N6P as driver and Sylvania 6922 as output and a EZ80 in the power supply

Hi guys, I'm looking to buy a new portable amp. I am owner of an iBasso P2, but it's a bit too big and I'd rather having more battery life. The P2 is very spacious and detailed, but has a slight midbass hump: some people seem to love this added "warmth", but I'd rather having a more neutral amp. I am interested in a Pico, but I wonder if there are any other good alternatives for the same price/size. I'm not thrilled by Xin amps, since an used Supermicro (only one I might be interested to) sells for more than a Pico, and for the same price I would get a latter. Are there any other portables (at a reasonable size) that can compete against the Pico? I know Skylab love…

Can any HE90 owners suggest a 'budget' amp for driving a pair of these headphones? There are a few Stax SRM-007T on Yahoo Japan that won't plunge me further into horrible debt ($600-ish). How would they do? This is really only until I can save up for something a lot nicer. Cheers, Wai

Here's Step 4 of my 12-Step Plan: How To Stop People From Laughing At Your Amplification. Step 1 was simple: Join the head-case forum. Be polite and humble. Try not to cry too much when people laugh at you and post mean things. :'( Step 2 was to refrain from posting too much at head-case, in case someone points out your inadequate amplification. Sure, it's good, clean entertainment for everyone but you don't want to be the butt of the jokes all the time. You can continue posting at Head-Fi as much as you want, your posts will blend in nicely with all the other idiot posts there. Step 3 was to divert attention from your amps by posting exclusively about headphone…

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

My gear is in my sig. I am very happy with it, and should probably just leave it at that. But that's no fun. So I could use some help focusing on what my next amp will be. This purchase likely is well in the future, but I'd like to start the search now. My first thoughts are either a balanced b22 or something real tubey since I don't have much experience with tube amps. I guess the sound sig I am after would be on the warmer side. Budget needs to be south of 2K. Any thoughts?

After talking with somebody fairly extensively about the topology and circuitry of the amp, seems it's like a PPAv2 (or any other PPL amp), but slightly tweaked. What's the consensus around here for one? Is it worth the asking price over a PPAv2? What are the sonic differences between the two? I've heard a Lisa, but not the PPAv2...just wondering if it's worth supporting the DIY community or supporting somebody who doesn't really hold back his designs to the DIY community. http://www.esnips.com/doc/837045c1-25a0-4004-b933-7b9f9c842bc0/LISA-III-New-Front-Panel-019 I like how slender the new Lisa is, as it's not TOO bothersome to carry around. Carrying around that …

not sure if this warrants a completely new thread, but i'm hearing this "bing" noise whenever i touch my volume knob. is this normal or should i get this looked at? i did just switch in a new gain tube, so i'm not sure if it's that.

Not too sure if anyone's seen this design before but it seems pretty amazing http://headwize.com/ubb/showpage.php?fnum=3&tid=7227 What do you think guys?

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

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…

My Rockhopper Audio β22 has arrived! I have to re-arrange and adjust my rack shelves since I didn't leave quite enough vertical space when I last adjusted the shelves. Well, I'm going to go set it up now!

I couldn't decide if this was a DIY thing or not, but I'm going to post this here since it also involves tube-configuration questions and most folks might not read a DIY thread. So my lawyer has purchased an MPX3 that includes the 5687 adapters. As a part of my yearly retainer I will be attempting to add preamp outputs to this amp. The question came up during negotiations as to what the best tube combo would be given that this device will be much more preamp than headphone amp. So what say you, masters of the SP domain? Also, can anyone come up with a plausible reason that I can't just tap the headphone output for the preamp output? I've read other SP modding thread…

I've been intrigued by this unit for some time and figure it would be a nice office source/amp and perhaps serve as a backup should something happen to part of my main rig. I know the dac is well respected, but how does it do as a headphone amp? How do the 650s sound straight out of the XLR outs on it? The other option I'm considering is Justins new mighty might but that's several months off. Guess I could wait, but patience is not my strong suit. Btw, what do the Mini DAC's go for on the used market these days? Rarely see on on 'Gon, but they do turn up occasionally. If anyone has extensive time with the apogee, I'd appreciate your thoughts and comparisons to other amps/…

Hi guys! I've done some extensive researching in the past few days to find an amp that would be a good match for Senn HD600 and I've pretty much settled my choice on the M^3. The problem is, there seems to be an incredible number of configurations and upgrades possible and I'm no DIY guru so it's hard to know exactly what I want and what's the best I can get for the price I want to pay. I want to spend about 500$-600$ and my source for the moment is a modest M-Audio Transit USB (next upgrade after the amp ). What's your suggestions for the parts? Also, I need to find a builder, so I'll take your recommendations on that.

I'm just wondering how big the worldwide market for portable headphone amps is. In october I bought my first - a Tomahawk, and it's serial # 697. With reading the various hifi websites, I'd guess that the Tomahawk has at least 30-40% of the market, or it did until the Pico / Predator came out. I live in London and have never seen anyone else with a portable amp, despite the fact that millions of commuters use portable audio. I've actually seen more Ultimate Ears 10-pros (1) than headphone amps! Of course this is hardly empirical; I've never met anyone else with Etymotic phones and I know they are relatively popular. By that very rough estimate, there would be 2000 - 30…