It's an adapter that adds impedance to your headphones. I got mine from this guy. ETYMOTIC ER4P TO ER4S RESISTOR ADAPTOR (3.5MM PLUG) - eBay (item 290323795596 end time Jul-12-09 05:27:43 PDT)

You can order any impedance you want for no additional charge. I haven't notice any loss in quality using these either.

I added the Elekit TU882 to this survey:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...embled-434829/

Also, I want to note: IMO, the amps ranked from #7 on down are all pretty close in terms of overall sound quality. That is NOT to say they sound the same - they sound very different, but in terms of overall performance, there are not huge gaps there. That is why it's important, if you are using this list as a guide of any kind, to read the whole review of any amp you're considering, and to seek out other people's reviews and opinions as well.

Rob, enjoyed reading your review of the TU882! IMO as you and others have read it is a heck of a good sounding amp at a heck of a good price. I sure hope they sell a lot because each of their owners will be happy campers.

I hate repeating myself but organic and involving are the two words I would use w/ the TU882. I will say that although it is utilitarian looking that is a good thing specially as an office rig, thus less likely to get stolen.

Glad you liked it as much and I will close by saying that it is easy to make a great tasting wine for $200 a bottle, but much harder to do so for $20.

Congratulations Victor and the rest!

Hey Soundlab, thanks for all the time and effort you have put into your many reviews and this list - they are very helpful.

If you have the time and inclination, I have some questions about the Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT that you have listed, but didn't review. You mentioned it on another thread just recently and it got my curiosity. I am not sure if this is Antique Sound Lab's official home page or not, or if the amp has changed much since you had yours (ANTIQUE SOUNDLAB) but I notice it seems to have two sets of RCA jacks on back, and two sets of headphone jacks on front. The pictures there are so tiny and dark though that I can't tell what's what.

Is one set of RCA jacks on back a pre-amp out?

Do the transformer coupled outputs still have a nice tube-enhanced sound for low-impedance cans (I have among others, the Denon D5000s)?

Finally, if one set of the rear RCA jacks is not a pre-amp out, could one of the front headphone jacks be used that way?

Although all of my headphones are currently low impedance, I know I am going to want to get some high impedance phones to try out sooner than later, and at the same time I want to experiment with sending tube-enhanced-sound (TES?) to my JBL powered monitors. Or am I looking for the impossible in an amp in this price range that can do it all?

Thanks in advance.

I believe the second set of outputs are indeed preamp outputs on the ASL amp. And yes, the transformer-coupled outputs still provide tube-type sound.

I added my thoughts on the EF2: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/6179650-post590.html

Thanks very much for the great reviews! It is exactly this kind of help that gives us new audiophiles the help we truly need to sort the the seemingly endless variety of amps out there!

I am curious, is there any reason that there are no balanced rigs in your reviews? Did you not find them to be in the top 21, or was this just a review of the SE amps that are out there?

I ask because I am dying to go balanced. I am currently using a Millet Max hybrid, SE, of course, which I truly enjoy with my DT880s. However, all of the amazing things that fellow head fiers describe about their balanced rigs has my curiosity peaked.

I am thinking of going with the Little Dot MKVII+, or maybe even the MKVI+ tube hybrid, which is also balanced. However, your reviews have me wondering if the balanced is really worth it or not, as it limits the field as far as amps go, either SS, or tubes.

Thanks for taking the time to answer this, I appreciate it!

Matt

It really just happened to work out that way. I have a similar list like this that is just Solid State amps, and there are numerous balanced amps on that list. But I have never had a balanced tube amp to review - note that with one exception, all of the tube amps on my review list are really "budget" tube amps - that is what I have had access to to review, either through loan or purchase.

Great list of reviews Skylab, interesting and informative reading.

OK, well maybe in the future there will be opportunity to review some balanced rigs in the future. I am currently interested in the LD MKVI+, as that is a very low cost balanced tube hybrid from a reputable company, with several good reviews that I have read. However, since Little Dot does not send out their gear specifically to be reviewed, it is hard to find and compare them as easily as most other amps. Which is where a review by you, or another experienced reviewer here would be invaluable to me, and perhaps others in the market for a low cost, balanced, hybrid tube amp.

I am purchasing a Little Dot MKVII+ this month. I was curious if you have ever had a chance to listen to it or not. I know that it is spoken of highly by others on here, yet a few of the more experienced head fiers have sort of dismissed it as not being a very good product.

I am very fortunate and thankful to be able to afford an entire rig, including a new LD DAC_1, LD MKVII+, and a DT880 600ohm balanced (next purchase). I personally am on a fixed income, which leaves me with a little disposable income each month. I know others are blessed enough to buy what they please, and thus have a much broader and intimate knowledge of the higher end gear that tends to be out of reach for a guy like me. With that in mind, I think I will be quite happy with my LD rig. I just sold my Keces 131 MKII in order to purchase my LD MKVII+. I enjoy the LD DAC_1 more than I did the Keces.

On that note, I thank you, and all the other head fiers, for sharing your experiences and expertise with the rest of us. I especially like that you have a desire to help those that are looking for lower mid fi and up. It is really a joy to be in this hobby with so many of you experienced head fiers looking out for us new ones, and each other, by continually sharing your experiences and observations with us.

Your quick response speaks for itself!
Take care,
Matt


Quote:

Skylab, just checking to see if you were ever able to get your hands on a Mapletree Ear+ HD Super II or any other from the line. I am strongly considering one to pair with my incoming T1 based on MacedonianHero's strong recommendation. Any thoughts on the subject? Is there one from your list that would make more sense for a T1 for just under 1K? Thanks again for all your posts. This site is much better because of them. Stumbling onto this tube amp review and your 37 portable amp roundup really opened my eyes. 

Sorry - I have not.

Thank you Skylab again for all your hard work. I think I spend the most time reading your posts here...
 
This is A LOT of information for a newbie like me to digest. Pardon me if it's obvious, but which of these amplifiers will be most suitable for "easy to drive" Audio Technica headphones? I find the output from my DAC/amp with my W1000x too grainy and the highs too hot and very much more congested than I remember how they sounded from a Luxman P-1u (which I can't afford ).

Thanks for the kind words AspenX.  Can you ask your question again in the W1000X thread, and provide a price range?  Thanks.

Thanks for replying! I guess I'll bring the discussion to the W1000x appreciation thread.