Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Upgrade Path?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Upgrade Path?

post #1 of 15
5/8/05 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
I'm currently enjoying my home rig, which consists of a Rotel cd player, a Gilmore Lite with upgraded psu, and Sennheiser HD650's. But I feel the amp is missing something, I can't quite put my finger on it. Eventually I will be swapping the Rotel for a Meridian G08, so I'm on a quest for a good solid state amp with a budget cap of $1000. I'm thinking of a maxed out PPA with adjustable bass boost, any suggestions?
Reply
post #2 of 15
5/8/05 at 11:42pm
Do a search on the Gilmore GS-1. It is supposed to be absolutely superb for $750. Also, the HR-2 by Ray Samuels has an excellent reputation for around $875.
Reply
post #3 of 15
5/9/05 at 12:36am
i would go either maxed out ppa from mr. x for about $500ish. or an upgraded veda dynahi ec for $900ish. simple as that.
Reply
post #4 of 15
5/9/05 at 12:45am
For a solid state amp under $1k I think the Dynahi is the best choice it is better than a "maxed" out PPA and yep I've owned/heard both.
Reply
post #5 of 15
5/9/05 at 1:06am
Why are you opposed to tube amps?

With Senns, I bet that's where you'd get your most bang for your buck.
Reply
post #6 of 15
5/9/05 at 1:23am
I think you are cool with the gilmore to be honest with you, its pretty transparent and neutral, but it may be voiced in a way which sounds off to you, to me its voiced a little bit on the bright side of things. All of the recommendations so far are all good, i would stick with the gilmore and go for another can.
Reply
post #7 of 15
5/9/05 at 1:27am
What about a separate DAC? I don't know anything about dedicated CD players. How good is the one in Rotel/Meridian?

Also, if you get another amp, can I have your Gilmore?
Reply
post #8 of 15
5/9/05 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovesocks
What about a separate DAC? I don't know anything about dedicated CD players. How good is the one in Rotel/Meridian?

Also, if you get another amp, can I have your Gilmore?

That's an avenue I hadn't thought about exploring, and no you can't have my Gilmore!


Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27
Why are you opposed to tube amps?

With Senns, I bet that's where you'd get your most bang for your buck.
I had a tube amp, I rolled all kinds of tubes and never got a sound I could enjoy, so I sold it.
Reply
post #9 of 15
5/10/05 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AuroraProject
That's an avenue I hadn't thought about exploring, and no you can't have my Gilmore!
Poop, but I meant would you sell it? If so, can I call dibs?
Reply
post #10 of 15
5/10/05 at 11:41am
I'm using a Meridian w/ HD650 and my HR-2 is very tough to beat with those components. I have (and have had) other amps but I really don't see the need to spend more than the $875 if you're going to be happy with solid state. It's a superb amp that will reveal all the detail you could want. It also works great w/ low Z phones too in case you decide to try some different headphones later. Ray and Todd both offer a satisfaction guarantee so not much risk there. My gut feeling is that your true bottleneck at the moment is the Rotel rather than the Gilmore Lite. I'd be tempted to get the Meridian first and then the HR-2.
Other SS amps I've heard and liked were the Headroom Max and the Corda Prehead. Both are a little out of your price range new but should be findable used in your budget. Both of those have Crossfeed where the HR-2 doesn't but I'm extremely happy with my HR-2 in a very similar setup to what you are putting together.
CPW
Reply
post #11 of 15
5/10/05 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpw
I'm using a Meridian w/ HD650 and my HR-2 is very tough to beat with those components. I have (and have had) other amps but I really don't see the need to spend more than the $875 if you're going to be happy with solid state. It's a superb amp that will reveal all the detail you could want. It also works great w/ low Z phones too in case you decide to try some different headphones later. Ray and Todd both offer a satisfaction guarantee so not much risk there. My gut feeling is that your true bottleneck at the moment is the Rotel rather than the Gilmore Lite. I'd be tempted to get the Meridian first and then the HR-2.
Other SS amps I've heard and liked were the Headroom Max and the Corda Prehead. Both are a little out of your price range new but should be findable used in your budget. Both of those have Crossfeed where the HR-2 doesn't but I'm extremely happy with my HR-2 in a very similar setup to what you are putting together.
CPW
i concur. The gilmore really isnt the bottleneck in your rig, wait until you get the meridian and see how it goes.

I can attest to my hr2 and meridian G07, ray voices his amps with meridians, to me the meridians simply sound amazing on his amps and it totally shines through on the HR2, so the synergy is definitely there. However, wait and see how it goes with the gilmore and meridian and if not, you can check and research some options.
Reply
post #12 of 15
5/10/05 at 4:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpw
I'm using a Meridian w/ HD650 and my HR-2 is very tough to beat with those components. I have (and have had) other amps but I really don't see the need to spend more than the $875 if you're going to be happy with solid state. It's a superb amp that will reveal all the detail you could want. It also works great w/ low Z phones too in case you decide to try some different headphones later. Ray and Todd both offer a satisfaction guarantee so not much risk there. My gut feeling is that your true bottleneck at the moment is the Rotel rather than the Gilmore Lite. I'd be tempted to get the Meridian first and then the HR-2.
Other SS amps I've heard and liked were the Headroom Max and the Corda Prehead. Both are a little out of your price range new but should be findable used in your budget. Both of those have Crossfeed where the HR-2 doesn't but I'm extremely happy with my HR-2 in a very similar setup to what you are putting together.
CPW

Thats not a bad idea either, upgrade the source and then maybe the amp.
Reply
post #13 of 15
5/10/05 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpw
I'm using a Meridian w/ HD650 and my HR-2 is very tough to beat with those components. I have (and have had) other amps but I really don't see the need to spend more than the $875 if you're going to be happy with solid state. It's a superb amp that will reveal all the detail you could want. It also works great w/ low Z phones too in case you decide to try some different headphones later. Ray and Todd both offer a satisfaction guarantee so not much risk there. My gut feeling is that your true bottleneck at the moment is the Rotel rather than the Gilmore Lite. I'd be tempted to get the Meridian first and then the HR-2.
Other SS amps I've heard and liked were the Headroom Max and the Corda Prehead. Both are a little out of your price range new but should be findable used in your budget. Both of those have Crossfeed where the HR-2 doesn't but I'm extremely happy with my HR-2 in a very similar setup to what you are putting together.
CPW
What he said.
Reply
post #14 of 15
5/10/05 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PATB
What he said.
I concur
Reply
post #15 of 15
5/11/05 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovesocks
Poop, but I meant would you sell it? If so, can I call dibs?

Sure, if I decide to sell it you'll be the first to know.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Upgrade Path?