Headphone Amplification

Recently I sent an e-mail to David Berning asking whether he has any intention to build a headphone amp and he offered to build me a 6V6-based amp for around $2K based on one of his low power (7 watts per channel) stereo amps. He would customize the amp to add a volume control, RCA ins, and a headphone jack. He says the final amp would sound better with low impedance headphones than high impedance headphones because it was originally designed to drive speakers. I know Berning is highly regarded for his power amps but don't know if that reputation extends to headphone amps. I know he used to make the his "micro ZOTL" headphone amp but it was discontinued a few yea…

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, community! I'm pretty new to this scene, and an even newer member of this site. I've bought my Denon AHD2000 and I love it. But someone told me to get an amp/DAC, so that it would sound even more amazing. So I have a few questions: 1) Will it make a remarkable difference? Enough for a even newbie like me can recognize? AKA Is it worth it? 2) Is the Audinst MX1 a good amp/DAC for my headphones? 3) If not, what substitute is out there within that price range? Edit:: Seems like I came to the wrong place. I kinda feel like a freshman accidentally entering a senior class. I'll head over to that OTHER headphone site. Hopefully I can be as professional as you guys on…

Which pairs better with the Denon d2000 in your guys' opinions, The Hifiman EF2? or the Audio-Gd Compass. I have no amp or dac, so these will serve as both amp and dac for me driving out of a macbook pro. Which do you guys recommend? Thanks for any help.

I'm looking for some advice on a new headphone rig for work. I currently have a 2004 vintage Total Bithead, 10-year old Grado SR-80s (with new pads), and a pair of Etymotic ER-4Ss. Output is from a Mac via USB, CDs not ripped files. I recently purchased a Slim Devices Transporter and Onkyo 9555 for home, and the quality of those two combined bury the Bithead with the Etys. (The Bithead has actually had issues from day one: background his and a slight channel imbalance which I never quite believed until I had something to compare it with. I'm also pretty sure it just deosn't have enough power for the Etys. It's always sounded pretty good with the Grados.) I'm looking for a…

I'm mulling over the options. The source will be a laptop, possibly a docking station with a Lynx Two in it. I'll probably order a headphone out of the Headroom options to go along with it. Any opinions? I'll probably be going with Home modules either way, and speccing the DAC as a flexibility option. What does the ~$1200 difference boil down to?

Can someone explain to me what constitutes a discrete op amp? Secondly, does this discrete op amp actually offer better performance than a typical op amp? KG, Nate .... anyone?

in the past few days;I made some T2 PCB and start DIY. The transformer I made using the pure silver line.But the delay starts is a trouble；I don't want to use it.

Hi! i would like to share my work with you. I made an dynalo amp powered by grlv power supply and a pcm1794a/cm6631a dac. Everything is totaly made by me. I also designed the pcb nd ordered it from JLCPCB. Amp offset voltage stays at max +-1mV and it is totally silent. Case is DOUK AUDIO. pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a6cbGFpN6s5EadR8DA_lb21ZFwOwzK4R?usp=sharing

I met Donald North over at an audio dealer's house a few months ago. Nice guy. That's the extent of my involvement with DNA. I guess this is his first headphone amp. I'll copy what he wrote me: When we met I talked about developing my own tube headphone amp. The design is now done and operational. I'm calling it the DNA Sonett. It uses the 6H30 dual triode with transformer loading for the audio amplification. Power supply is tube rectified using the 5AR4 and choke filtered. I played the prototype for Elliot and thought it sounded very good. I have also played it for some friends who liked it and placed orders. The audio circuitry uses no coupling capacitors or …

I am looking for an amp and would like to go with a portable(Zen Head, Mustang, ELO Mini3, etc) but would consider a desk-top for $2-300 if the sonic advantages were there. Do RCA inputs amount to better sonics or to the guts of the units decide that fact? And do desktop units have better parts, necesarily, than portables? The desktops units i'm considering are the new Trends, and any other that are priced $2-300. thanks

Short version: Do the 6SN7 tubes in the Woo Audio WA5LE (300B SET topology - see pic below) need to be matched? Long version: I am getting ready to sell my Woo Audio WA5LE to make room and money for the future BHSE. However, one of the stock "matched" driver tubes that Jack sent me with the amp (a cheap Tung Sol 6SN7gtb) was very noisy and tested much much lower than the other when I got it. Since I never planned to use the stock tubes, it wasn't a problem. Now that I am selling it, I am thinking of selling the amp with an option to buy the amp stock (without "upgraded" tubes) and so I feel that I should include one pair of cheap 6SN7 tubes. I do have another Tu…

To make a long story short, I was banned from SuperBestAudioFriends.org (eddie current fanboy club and circle jerk community) by their lord and savior Marv(Purrin) and ZeroFeedex(total bully, back when changstar existed he changed my avatar to an IRL photo he found online from when I was younger and changed my username to my IRL name. He also constantly kept changing my user status to derogatory statuses that were insulting, all for simply voicing my opinion.) I was banned because I posted a thread explaining a situation about an amp I purchased second hand from Eddie Current asking for help to get the issue resolved. I was called a scammer and a liar and immediat…

See the inside of that new ALO (Amphora) bullshit?

Wanting to know the differences between the SRM-252 Mk2, the SRM-252A and the SRM-001. Do all three uses the same amplifier circuit? I Know that the SRM-001 uses a switching supply that I assume that the table top models do not but are the circuits the same?

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…

Got any? I am probably gonna be doing it up with an ipod classic and am looking for a portable amp that will not only ensure enough voltage but also a flat frequency response. I know the ipod isn't flat accurate by any means but I have heard that the right amp can compensate for this.

Couldn't find based on a couple searches, but admittedly didn't exhaustively search. So if some kind soul can put away a shovel and answer me this, it'd be much appreciated. I sold off a brielfy-used Stax SRM-007t II when I got JP#'s exStatA. I had no issues with the volume controls, and L/R trackign was fine. Buyer doesn't have phones yet, nor someone near him with phones to borrow. But he noticed that the L/R volume controls behave differently. One rotates nearly 360 degrees ("normal"), but the other goes around and around. No mention of catches or clicks.....I also need to get clarification on which does what.... But wanted to throw this out here. Can s…

Hey Kevin: how is this amp progressing? Last I read you had build a proto and seemed happy with it. Was that last board layout tested? I'd like to give a hand testing if needed.

Just showed up today: stepped attenuator, four inputs, high/low gain switch First impressions: this thing is HUGE, and pretty heavy (18 lbs maybe). Usually when I see something online, it ends up being smaller in person. I honestly expected the Dynahi to be about the size of a PPX3 chassis, and its actually as wide as the Melos and a bit taller! I had a brief scare when I was trying to hook it up. The labels on the source selection knob on the front don't match up to the plugs on the back, so for a while I wasn't getting any sound. Now I have the ICs running into the DAC inputs, but my source selection knob is on tuner. Actually, the inputs on the back are l…

I just got a Dynahi and the amp makes a pretty loud sound when it turns off. Can this damage the headphones? The other option is to unplug the headphones and short the amp to ground, which can only be a terrible idea on an amp this powerful.

Always wondered what the differences were between the Beta and Dynahi and only knew one other person who truly articulated them. Just decided to get them both and find out for myself. I'll also throw in Justin's version of the Dynalo to make it more relevant. HeadAmp GS-1 w/ DACT Dynahi built by Fallenangel, w/ Gilmore PSU 3-channel Beta22 + Sigma22 dual chassis, built by SolderWorksAudio (fishski13) Rockhopper M^3 + Sigma11 (and another with STEPS) Headphones used: HD800, HE6, SRH1840, SRH940, HD650 and the recently sold K1000 and T1 (all but the Shures recabled) Source: JKSPDIF MK3 feeding a modded Eastern Electric Minimax DAC Cables (for anyone who cares): a…

Is it still possible to get a Dynahi built and if so how much would it cost? Or would it be wiser to just get a headroom desktop with max modules?

So give me the scoop. I love the Dynahi sound, but I've never heard the Dynalo. I read an old thread over at *website named censored by moderation team*, and it stated that roughly the -lo is intended for lower impedance phones, while the -hi is intended for higher impedance phones, but that really both low and high impedance phones seem to perform fantastically out of both. My Dynahi is just as kickass with my HD650 as my HP2. Has anyone ever done any lo/hi shootouts, or can make any general comments on their general sound signatures? Thanks for your time!

So many pretty (or not so pretty but just BIG) boxes out now that it is hard to know what to get. I am contemplating a partial return to dynamics. What are the top ten hubbub-causing high-end dynamic amps?