Headphone Amplification

Hi tube gurus... so I'm www surfing for various "preamp" tubes and running into the usual trendy-hot flavors telefunken, mullard, brimar, amperex...etc. Some as much as $100-160 each from various NOS and used sellers. And then I see EVERYWHERE, an underlying seemingly abundant surplus of GE tubes going for a fraction of that, like $6-7 each. In general, then just how bad are GE tubes?... are they really "that" bad that people are literally giving them away? What have been your experiences with them and what amp, source or preamp are/were you using them in? thanks!!

I've recently purchased the C&C BH from ebay and it doubles the perfomance of the JDSLabs C421 for almost half the price. It's a top amp. Battery last 80 hours from a single charge! I can't wait to put my hands on the $300 C&C XO2 for an A/B. As we proceed I'll let you know more details about this little gen, that beats amps that cost twice as much. It has the performance of $300 amps, with the resolution/detail/clarity of much more expensive amps. If you live in the USA you can get it for just $99 and odds are that in your country you don't pay customs tax. I think the same applies to Australia. The C&C BH is a BIG BIG BIG step up from the FiiO E11. I…

Hello Everyone This is my first post here. I have done some research about T1 troubles here and didn't find any topic about hot trafo. In my opinion this trafo is too hot but I don't have another SRM-T1 to check. I have removed tubes and then trafo is only warm - seems ok. Picture shows where I put temp sensor (blue wire). Did anyone had similar problems? P.S. I have just bought SR-Omega with Mk1 driver and SRM-T1 - amazing sound My previous system was SRM-727 and SR-507 and it wasn't so good.

I own a pair of Transcendent Sound Beasts and would like to power the H2+ with them. Will this work well without the TR2? Thanks in advance to anyone who might know.

I am thinking of selling the Stello stack in my office (HP100 and DA100) and just using the Pico Dac/amp there with the AD2000. The Stello stack is probably better but most of the time I am working (or at least pretending to work) so I don't think I will really notice much of a difference. The thing I don't want to deal with is plugging and unplugging the amp when it needs to be charged. I think the Pico stops charging the battery when it is full and runs off the PS so I don't think there will be a problem keeping it plugged in, right? The only thing I thought of is that a rechargeable battery seems to discharge over time so it may often be discharging a bit and then …

Got an email advertisement today introducing a new line of Samsung hybrid amps. Here is a link to the product page: http://www.samsung.com/us/2012-vacuum-tube-amplifier/?cid=smc-nahq-mult-0702-10000079

Currently just a pic on the home page, but looks like Craig's getting into the 'stat amp market: http://www.eddiecurrent.com/ Edit: OK, so google points to discussion about it on the other site including (as would be expected) some of the usual suspects here, so to the stool in the corner with a pointy hat for me and a note to self to check the other place before posting startling revelations that everyone already knows about.

When using Normal Bias Stax SR-Lambdas, or any normal bias stax can; can the sb energizer, paired with a great amp, deliver sound on par with a stand alone stax amp? Or will it always be lacking? example: Pair a fully restored Fisher 400 tube amp -> srd-7sb -> sr-lambda (normal bias) What level of sound can you expect from this? would the performance be on par with anything modern or classic? and is the srd-7sb the weak link here? is the standard srd-7 preferred? I have been pondering this, as it can be much easier, and less costly to find and restore an old tube amp then to buy or build a new amp. The Fisher for example is a well regarded amp. is …

Has anyone experience with the Audio Consulting MIPA Stax Amplifier from Switzerland? Battery powerd spec as follows Product Features This is a 100% battery amplifier suitable to drive all Stax headphones Mipa power amplifier 30 w per channel , battery powered Silver Rock level transformers suitable for all Stax headphones Silver Rock TVC volume control 3 inputs Polarisation of membranes performed by batteries Price CHF 18`500.00 in Wood/oil, CHF 15`400.00 in Black Copper versions available http://www.audio-consulting.ch/?Products:Amplifier:MIPA_Stax_Amplifier

Not much info, but... http://j.mp/HSsiUj Seems to be amp/dac combo?

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…

Hi everybody at Head-Case forum! It's a pleasure to finally join you as well. ) Lately I've been checking out the Woo Audio WA6 tube amplifier. Does anyone here have any experience with this product and care to share some impressions/experiences? How does it sound and compete with other amplifiers? Does it sound very tube-like, for example very colored and veiled? Is the tube-upgrades worth the money, both rectifier- and drivertubes? Does anyone have any experience in tube rolling? I really like the properties of transistoramps, and I currently have two, but I really want to try out a quality tubeamp. Which tubes would you recommend to achieve a sound si…

why all the agro? stax didn't make two seperate designed boxes i know this can be done to eliminate the stepup blue cube and run a us ul power cord the rca plugs can be changed to new ones. other mods are also possible

Eyeing some Quad 22L2s to replace 12L-as. Really love actives as the less components the better in my book, but if going with an external amp (I haven't seen encouraging signs of ~$2K floorstanding actives) does anyone have a suggestion for a smallish unit that would power the 22L2s? Pretty out of my element with speakers. Was originally eyeing the Parasound Zamp v.3 as nearly everything else I have is half-rack, but if I'm not sure it will be up for the task from the numbers (if reading correctly). Even up for altering the speaker pick (Shelly's choice of RX6s is also tempting from reviews), but my limitation is they and the amp would be best if sold by Amazon (gift cert…

Copying KG and Birgir's posts from the Stax Huddler thread

I missed this. Appears to be on sale at Audio Advisor now for $1295. 3-pin and 4-pin balanced out seems cool. Haven't read the specs yet. I assume it has that Canadian sound. BHA1_BROCHURE.pdf

So I chose to buy the AKG 450, however I saw a review that said these headphones should be listened with a 320kpbs and my music is only 256. Will it really be a big deal? Would buying a portable amp for it fix it? I also listen to classical. Also, what amp should I buy? I am looking for under $70 I thought about the Fiios E11. Any other reccomendations? Please help!

Any suggestions on an inexpensive low powered (10W) speaker amp? I'm looking to use it with the Audio Nirvana speakers I built a while ago. I was thinking maybe a T-Amp.

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…

Hi, I'v been a long time member on Head-Fi, and decided to check out this forum (for a number of reasons). After reading multiple threads here, it seems there are a lot knowledgeable people here concerning the AKG K1000. I have 2 K1000's, one is hooked up to a Unison Audio Unico, which I find a great combination. I'm looking for a cheap amp, to set next to my iMac, so I can use my other pair with my computer at night. I read multiple recommendations, Class-T Amps, old Marantz and Panasonics (PX950 etc.). I searched, but they were actually quite expensive now on ebay (650euro+ ). I have a bass-light pair, so a little more bass on the amp is appreciated, maybe a bi…

Hi All, I have had my MAD HD Super for a while now, and I am very happy with it. I am not very versed in circuit design for audio, but I am curious by nature. Upon first glance, I gather that it is a simple but effective lower powered circuit. Since I know many here are very skilled in this area, I am curious about your thoughts about the design. I have no intention of replacing it; rather, this is me asking for a layman's explanation for how it works and how it compares to other similarly priced tube amps. I have attached the User's Manual in case anyone is interested in looking at it. I have never seen it on Dr. Peppard's website, but his regular HD Manual ca…

I am trying to wrap my mind around what must go into a solid-state amp to explain a $4250 sticker price. I understand that chassis costs are often one of the largest expenses, but I look at that chassis and it seems many DIY amps on here are more impressive in that regard. It's certainly far short of the RSA A10, looks-wise. Unless there is a few ounces of platinum inside, this seems pretty outrageous. Or am I missing something?

Hey look, our products are so great we encase our 'special sauce' in a red enclosure so you can't really see what's in our amp. The mystery is what makes it sound so divine! I reckon if you open it up you'll find something like this inside:

I have an audio itch that needs scratching! So I have been looking for an inexpensive balanced DAC with a balanced amp built in. I found the Audio-GD for $500 plus $71 S&H and although most may have not listened to this unit I would appreciate if "on paper" the claims by Audio-GD are sound and make sense. http://www.audio-gd....1/NFB10.1EN.htm If you all have a potentially better alternative I would appreciate hearing about it. Cost is a major issue, I would "feed the monkey" by selling a few items. Thanks.

So our Rotel 1068 processor is starting to give up the ghost. I need to buy another processor or receiver. I have external amplification I am happy with so a processor is preferred. Since these things seem to change daily I am looking for recommendations. Does not have to be latest gen but at this point I do want HDMI switching. Looking at $1500 approx. although less is always nice.