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SS amp for AKG K701

post #1 of 75
5/16/09 at 5:13am
Thread Starter 
hi all, i'm currently using K701 with Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard and i'm enjoying it very much. i don't find K701 to be cold at all, nor they would lack musicality. soundcard uses Texas Instruments 6120A2 headphone amp, but i understand K701 deserves better treatment. so what would you recommend for 500$? i prefer solid state amps that are not overly warm, somewhere between neutral and warm, closer to neutral. and it should be clear upgrade over what i'm using now, otherwise no point in spending money

i could also use a pre-outs for speakers or at least a loop output, but these are not a must have. also something that is available in europe. thanks in advance
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post #2 of 75
5/16/09 at 7:21am
Hey, I'm also looking for a good amp

If you are using it from your PC you could look into the Meier Cantate, it has built in DAC.

I have posted a thread here, http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/mei...e-k701-424737/

awaiting replies
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post #3 of 75
5/16/09 at 11:11am
Don't you know Docet head-amp?
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post #4 of 75
5/16/09 at 11:32am
Is very very good for 701!
Docet HI-FI products
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post #5 of 75
5/16/09 at 11:34am
Try to audition the audio-gd c-2c
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post #6 of 75
5/16/09 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by insyte View Post
Try to audition the audio-gd c-2c
it looks like a great amp. but do you find its sound to be colored? i read the review here, and it was said it adds in bass and treble. do you experience this with your K701? is sibilance a problem for you or is it just fine? still it looks like a steal for its money, im very interested
Quote:
Originally Posted by axellone
Is very very good for 701!
Docet HI-FI products
i dont doubt that, but at 130€ can it surpass Audio-GD C-2c? good think is that i wouldn't have to deal with customs, which i really have no idea how it works. i have never ordered an item for >150€ from non-EU countries.
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post #7 of 75
5/16/09 at 2:31pm
Hello,
You might want to visit the British made Graham Slee site:
GSPAudio Support Community where they have various users testing their amps.
I have the Novo with the PSU1 power supply connected to my Mac via 3.5mm/RCA.
It has a pass through for my Bose computer monitors.
They are both hand made and had to wait a couple of weeks for them.
It's good for what I payed but have not tried it with AKG's yet.
Of course you won't have to worry about customs, etc.
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post #8 of 75
5/16/09 at 2:38pm
cantate.....it has a dac so if ur content with a mid fi setup it will serve you well.
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post #9 of 75
5/16/09 at 3:26pm
I never listen the audio-gd c-2c. But the couple docet/k701 makes you ask why spend more. And the docet can buy in the EU
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post #10 of 75
5/16/09 at 5:24pm
FWIW I heard the Aria with the 701 and it was very pleasing.
Cantate should be better from what i understand.
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post #11 of 75
5/16/09 at 5:34pm
Take a look at the Gilmore Lite/Dynalo, M^3, CK2III, and EC/SS.

All of them will give you much better results than the Asus Xonar. It took some poking around, but the soundcard puts out a maximum of 140mW. That ain't much.

For example, the Gilmore Lite/Dynalo will give you up to 1w of power, about seven times more powerful. You'll get much, much more power from the other amps mentioned, too.

The problem with soundcards is that a PCI slot runs on 3.3V or 5V or power. That just isn't enough to generate enough power to push full-sized audiophile headphones.
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post #12 of 75
5/16/09 at 5:44pm
Under $500 for the AKG K701 the best bet is a Heed CanAmp. Yes I have heard many other great sounding amps w/ my K701 (which I have owned since late in 2005) and no other SS amp has come closed to the CanAmp in its price range.
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post #13 of 75
5/16/09 at 5:53pm
The C2C is very close to neutral...much closer than your being led to believe...in fact a slight warmth is a good attribute to have for the K701 as I see it. Lot's of folks pair the 701's with tube amps...but that is another subject entirely.

I don't find the bass overly done (not even close) and I'm using HD650's with it. It has way more to do with quality of source....get yourself a decent outboard DAC along with that amp. The Asus card is a bottleneck to quality sound. It needs to be relegated to transport duties IMHO. My Auzen PCI card serves that same purpose now (ASIO driver) to a dedicated DAC (dacs) and amp(amps). The jump up in SQ when following this step was not subtle at all but rather large.

The Compass might be a better fit for you now unless you want to get a separate DAC and C-2C....as always with all the choices presented your wallet will take a beating here at head fi...it's inevitable

All if this is IME and IMO of course.

Peete.
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post #14 of 75
5/16/09 at 6:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
Take a look at the Gilmore Lite/Dynalo, M^3, CK2III, and EC/SS.

All of them will give you much better results than the Asus Xonar. It took some poking around, but the soundcard puts out a maximum of 140mW. That ain't much.

For example, the Gilmore Lite/Dynalo will give you up to 1w of power, about seven times more powerful. You'll get much, much more power from the other amps mentioned, too.

The problem with soundcards is that a PCI slot runs on 3.3V or 5V or power. That just isn't enough to generate enough power to push full-sized audiophile headphones.
actually, essence stx doesn't draw any power from pci-e slot. it takes power straight from psu via 12v molex. but i understand IC amp can't match good Class A amp.

now, Gilmore Lite/Dynalo or HeedCamp? it looks like a coin-toss. only if i could auditon them, hard to decide when buying unheard.

as for getting Compass, i don't think that would be much of an upgrade over Essence in dac section. there are people here who preferered later in direct comparison. it uses same dacs as equipment with price higher of magnitude, thick emi shield, switchable op-amps, multi-layer pcb. and importance of psu in dac process is overrated imo. people should give it an audience, its really a steal for its money
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post #15 of 75
5/16/09 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dex85 View Post
actually, essence stx doesn't draw any power from pci-e slot. it takes power straight from psu via 12v molex. but i understand IC amp can't match good Class A amp.

now, Gilmore Lite/Dynalo or HeedCamp? it looks like a coin-toss. only if i could auditon them, hard to decide when buying unheard.

as for getting Compass, i don't think that would be much of an upgrade over Essence in dac section. there are people here who preferered later in direct comparison. it uses same dacs as equipment with price higher of magnitude, thick emi shield, switchable op-amps, multi-layer pcb. and importance of psu in dac process is overrated imo. people should give it an audience, its really a steal for its money

Seems you already have all the answers you need or are willing to accept...good luck

Peete.
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