MiniWatt Headphone Adapter

oops, totally forgot to post that. this weekend, I hope! stay tuned.

okay, after a long delay, I finally got to listen, with two headphones, to the Miniwatt with the ALO-sourced headphone adapter. let me share some impressions. as a comparison amp (namely a good tube amp in a similar price range) I used the Audiotailor Jade. the two cans were a 600 ohm pair of beyer DT880s, and a new AKG model K702.

as my sig indicates, the DT880s are among my favorites, although most recently I've branched out a bit more again. I prefer the DT880 to the K702, because their well-rounded lower freq and their sense of space agrees with my listening preferences more than the accurate but somewhat lean AKG, which reveals more of the highs.

today, tunes included the recent compilation of HD tracks for head-fi, "open your ears" (which includes a number of different genres as most people here know), plus a few different recordings of the "four last songs" by richard strauss (had to have both a female voice and a full orchestra in the line-up), and the bach cello suites (which I know very well and like to play for comparisons as recorded by a few different musicians - bylsma, tortelier, schiff, queyras).

long story short: the Miniwatt with headphone adapter sounds great with the AKG K702, which seems a better match for it than the beyers. fed by an Oppo spinner, the Miniwatt revealed sparkling highs, flesh-out mids, filigreed details, with speed. the DT880s seemed to be a different camera lens, somewhat fuzzy and warm, with ample bass and less of the highs.

however, on the Audiotailor Jade fed from a laptop, I much preferred the DT880s with either tap. furthermore, here the difference between the AKG and Beyer sound was obvious, but mostly, I feel, because it does not bring out the best in the AKG. the Jade is a great match with the Beyers; the Miniwatt is almost as good with the Beyers, but for the AKG, the Miniwatt was superior to the Jade.

now, before you pillory me, this was a leisurely listening session, not a systematic review; obviously the two different sources and two different amps complicate the picture a little. but "flatmap" had asked in this thread what the Miniwatt might be best suited for, and here is my quick impression. the Miniwatt mates well with both cans, but I was surprised that it brings out more of the AKG goodness.

in short, my impression is that if you're a Beyer person and in the market for a tube amp that mates well with your cans, go with a Jade or a Woo; however, if you have other full-size phones and would like to try an inexpensive tube amp, the Miniwatt with headphone adapter is a good candidate, for sure. I would have wanted to listen to electronica through both amps with both cans for another flavor, but time is short, and this post so long overdue...

Quote:

Originally Posted by melomaniac 

long story short: the Miniwatt with headphone adapter sounds great with the AKG K702, which seems a better match for it than the beyers. fed by an Oppo spinner, the Miniwatt revealed sparkling highs, flesh-out mids, filigreed details, with speed. 

 

Just wanted to second the thought. I got one of the now discontinued adapters and agree completely with mm's note on the sound. It's a very good thing.

Question to mm, if you happen to read this: what impedance do you use when plugging in the adapter? I'm using 8 ohms, and can only turn the volume up to 9 o'clock or so.

Scott A.

Thanks, melomatic.  Really appreciate your assessment!

In a freakishly nice wooden case like an amphora perhaps?

Ken -

If you happen by this thread, same question I posed to mm. Does it make any difference which of the plugs I use on the back of the Miniwatt? I heard very, very little change going from 4 to 6 to 8.

(And if this reveals some hideous ignorance on my part, teach me what I do not know.)

tks,

s.

Can the HPA be used with other intergraded amps?  Also, I don't see it on your site.

As long as it is of similar power as the miniwatt, I would think so.  

I just got a reply from ALO that they still have plans to make their own Miniwatt HF adapter but they can not give any date as it isn't going to be soon.

We'll have to wait a bit longer