ERGO AMT (Air Motion Transformer) headphones

I was going to say 'wait for Duggeh to appear' but you found Duggeh before he got here.

expensive, rare, unusual, ridiculous-looking. Also heed Duggeh's warning that they'll need a better amp than the one Ergo makes to really sound their best. But yes, the Ergo AMT is one of the maybe 20 candidates for the ultra high end.

The review needs updating. Something I've been promising I'll get around to. You can read some more opinions of mine in this quite recent thread thread.

They are good, but they really are fussy bastards. The Amp 1 should only be considered a stop-gap measure. You've got to think K1000 type amp solutions and work from there. I regret I cant specifically comment on the Precide Amp 2.

You referrin' to me?

Probably.

Mistah Duggeh, would you say that the main struggle the Ergo AMT has is reproducing bass at what we'd call normal levels, with the same subjective quality as comparably-priced dynamics/electrostats?

No basshead is ever going to like the AMT ever. Bass is the most obvious thing that improves with better amps but so does everything else about the sound. The Amp2 has an EQ curve for the headphone built in as does the Amp1, and the filter box you are supposed to use (but which I generally dont) between the speaker amp and the headphone is to serve a similar purpose. Its a notch filter. Its made from crap parts though.

Quality is not an issue, what is there sounds great to my ears. But its a whole different kind of presentation. yes, its rolled off, but its low on impact rather than tone, a bit further along the road travelled from the dynamic bass to the electrostatic bass.

I cant tell you that it will either. I can say though that a good power amplifier sounds better than the Amp 1.


If the Amp 2 didnt sound better than the Amp 1 (and the Amp 2 has no TRS socket and is not designed at all with normal dynamic headphones in mind, even though Precide also make those) then why would they have bothered with it.

I suspect that the Amp 2 AMT combo would sound pretty nice. Someday I'll be able to find out personally.

So can you actually reterminate Ergo AMT to use it directly through power amp a la K1000?

I've been interested in a pair of AMT, but the price has gone up and they show up on used market about as often as hen's teeth.

You can and I can give the wire numbers to anyone who needs them.

I have mine terminated to 4-pin XLR just like the K1000. I use an XLR to Hirschmann (thats the name of the obsolete 6 pin connector they use) converter when I want to use the filter box. That's only until I build myself a better filter box though. Without the filter box I have an XLR to banana plugs tail.

If an amp does a good job with a K1000, then I would imagine that it would do a good job with the AMT. I cannot give my great big thumbs up to any amp except the Pass Labs Aleph M I currently use though. Which is by far the best amp I've tried with the AMT.

They only need 2 - 4 watts. So watch the volume dial at first.