....Help me decide what my next purchase will be. (under probably $500 but that can be flexible.) I'm going to make this thread a comprehensive 'inventory' of reasonably priced -- and perhaps a few a bit over my self-imposed idea of 'reasonably priced' -- tube or tube/SS hybrid head amps.
Jump past this long winded intro and get to the list...
Short background...
I'm new to this hobby. This is as a matter of fact, my 1st post, though I've been lurking and reading a good deal here and other places. I've spent gagillions of dollars on stereo and HT equipment. I have very very nice 2-ch and 5-ch (soon to be 7-ch) setups. But driven by a desire to have 'nice' sound @ work while I program, I recently decided to try a head amp. And I bought a Little Dot II+. Youza ... nice!
I have old (from the 70s or early 80s) AKG K240 phones, 600 ohm that I leave @ home. I find the LD II+ needs an "11" on the volume dial to really drive them.
At work I have B&O Form-2 phones that are about 7 years old, and Senn HD477 phones I received for free from Crutchfield on purchase of a Sony HT system for my wife's den (we have 3
) a few years back. I'm surprised by the sound of the latter after having listened to the 240s all weekend as comparison.
I drive all of them with an iPod G5 at work and several inputs @ home through a mixer. I also plan on buying some "very high end" headphones now. Anyone selling AKG 340s?
(just kidding ... kinda serious tho) There's a bunch of new ones on my list.
Here's the dillema and my reason for asking your opinions...
I bought the LD II+ for work, but it was oh so tough to part with it from my home and bring it in here (work)! I decided I need another amp @ home to make me happy! so.... Do I buy another Little Dot II+ for home, or another tube head-amp? [probably Chinese for the value proposition]
As an example, the G&W T2.6F Amplifier is intriguing and oh so tempting. I might consider spending up to about $500 for something, but again, that can be flexible. But I won't be $$$ snobish and worry about just spending $150 for the cost of the LD II+ again either. The reason I'm leaning towards the G&W T2.6F vs. the LD II+ at home again is the AKG 240s need a good amount of power to drive them. The LD II+ has 0.6mW output and G&W is rated @ 1W.
So, would -love- to read all your thoughts on the crop of tube head amps out, mostly of the Chinese variety I guess for the value end of it, but I'm open there too of course. I do want to stay with tubes however. I'm no tube biggot, but for this I'd like to stay with tubes.
Perhaps as guidance, list the brand and what you liked about it, and how you compare its audio quality in relation to its price for the valude proposition. I'll start.
thanx everyone for reading and your posts if you do.
Jump past this long winded intro and get to the list...
Short background...
I'm new to this hobby. This is as a matter of fact, my 1st post, though I've been lurking and reading a good deal here and other places. I've spent gagillions of dollars on stereo and HT equipment. I have very very nice 2-ch and 5-ch (soon to be 7-ch) setups. But driven by a desire to have 'nice' sound @ work while I program, I recently decided to try a head amp. And I bought a Little Dot II+. Youza ... nice!
I have old (from the 70s or early 80s) AKG K240 phones, 600 ohm that I leave @ home. I find the LD II+ needs an "11" on the volume dial to really drive them.
At work I have B&O Form-2 phones that are about 7 years old, and Senn HD477 phones I received for free from Crutchfield on purchase of a Sony HT system for my wife's den (we have 3
) a few years back. I'm surprised by the sound of the latter after having listened to the 240s all weekend as comparison.I drive all of them with an iPod G5 at work and several inputs @ home through a mixer. I also plan on buying some "very high end" headphones now. Anyone selling AKG 340s?
(just kidding ... kinda serious tho) There's a bunch of new ones on my list.Here's the dillema and my reason for asking your opinions...
I bought the LD II+ for work, but it was oh so tough to part with it from my home and bring it in here (work)! I decided I need another amp @ home to make me happy! so.... Do I buy another Little Dot II+ for home, or another tube head-amp? [probably Chinese for the value proposition]
As an example, the G&W T2.6F Amplifier is intriguing and oh so tempting. I might consider spending up to about $500 for something, but again, that can be flexible. But I won't be $$$ snobish and worry about just spending $150 for the cost of the LD II+ again either. The reason I'm leaning towards the G&W T2.6F vs. the LD II+ at home again is the AKG 240s need a good amount of power to drive them. The LD II+ has 0.6mW output and G&W is rated @ 1W.
So, would -love- to read all your thoughts on the crop of tube head amps out, mostly of the Chinese variety I guess for the value end of it, but I'm open there too of course. I do want to stay with tubes however. I'm no tube biggot, but for this I'd like to stay with tubes.
Perhaps as guidance, list the brand and what you liked about it, and how you compare its audio quality in relation to its price for the valude proposition. I'll start.
Quote:
| I don't know "too much" about all this, and my headphones aren't all that great so I don't know if I am even qualified to give an opinion .... but the LD II+ is doing a phenominal job at buffering and amplification between my iPod and phones -- even with 'low impedance' ones that an iPod is supposed to be able to drive well. It is making -=music=- in the subtlest of sounds in those all important place: a) between the notes. b) and those long running subtle notes/tones that commonly weave a complex pleasing melody playing to a beat several times slower then the primary beat of the music, but are often on the verge of hearing, or perhaps better put at the edge of one's awareness until you key into hearing into the music. I find it is uncovering these melodies and nuances I had not heard before, or perhaps heard only as 'noise' with all of these headphones or through my car stereo (the latter, when I plug my iPod into it) when driven directly by the iPod. It allows me to hear into the music so much better. And I'm happily able to do that at much lower volume levels now too! |
):
(walking 3 dogs in NYC in the rain sux) Hoping this weekend will be dry. ..maybe even go to Central Park with'm...
