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Amp for AKG K701

post #1 of 53
2/15/10 at 11:05am
Thread Starter 
Ok so i'll be getting the K701 headphones and i've heard you can earn much sound quality by getting a good amp so I was thinking about either the:

MiniMax:
Beezar.com

or

Little Dot MK111
Little Dot Amplifiers • View topic - Little Dot MK III Tube Headphone Amplifier / Pre-amplifier

or any other suggestions you might have
Price: About 200 dollars

Thanks in advance
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

AKG K701 Studio Headphones
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post #2 of 53
2/15/10 at 3:52pm
If you can build the MiniMax (it's a kit that needs to be put together), take that. The Little Dot is an OTL tube amplifier, which is unlikely to be powerful enough to drive the K701. You should also take a good look at this amp that's up in the FS forums.
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post #3 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmanGeorge View Post
If you can build the MiniMax (it's a kit that needs to be put together), take that. The Little Dot is an OTL tube amplifier, which is unlikely to be powerful enough to drive the K701. You should also take a good look at this amp that's up in the FS forums.
Yeah, I'd rather build a kit myself than buy a finished one.
So you think the MiniMax is the best kit for the price?
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post #4 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:26pm
I used to own 701s and used a Little Dot 1 + hybrid to power them. It was a nice match for <$200.
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post #5 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuke View Post
I used to own 701s and used a Little Dot 1 + hybrid to power them. It was a nice match for <$200.
So it had enough power? Have you also tried them with an amp with more power?
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post #6 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:31pm
You should check out the CTH also.. There is no kit available, but you can get all the parts from Mouser and Digikey. It drives my K601s very nicely, and from previous discussions, they are harder to drive than the 701s. If you are interested, this little beastie is a tube rollers dream, with a configuration that allows for multiple heater voltages. Check out the CTH builders and the CTH tube tweak thread. it can be built for around $150 plus shipping.
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post #7 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrSlim View Post
You should check out the CTH also.. There is no kit available, but you can get all the parts from Mouser and Digikey. It drives my K601s very nicely, and from previous discussions, they are harder to drive than the 701s. If you are interested, this little beastie is a tube rollers dream, with a configuration that allows for multiple heater voltages. Check out the CTH builders and the CTH tube tweak thread. it can be built for around $150 plus shipping.
I checked it out it really does sound great but I can't find the list of materials or any building description.

Would be much easier if it was a kit tho..
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post #8 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:41pm
The designer can't post this, since he is a Member of the Trade (MOT) but I can,
The Compact Tube Hybrid Amplifier
It's got everything you need, very detailed construction, tests, and a BOM you can cut and paste into the order form at Mouser (where you can get 95 % of the parts)
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post #9 of 53
2/15/10 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrSlim View Post
The designer can't post this, since he is a Member of the Trade (MOT) but I can,
The Compact Tube Hybrid Amplifier
It's got everything you need, very detailed construction, tests, and a BOM you can cut and paste into the order form at Mouser (where you can get 95 % of the parts)
Aah, now i see it..

Well i'm still pretty sceptic, i've never owned a tube-amplifier before, and this one sounds like a pretty advanced one since they recommend tube rolling..
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post #10 of 53
2/15/10 at 7:31pm
I actually don't recommend the Little Dot I+. It warmed up the K701, but in my opinion did it at the expense of a lot of detail retrieval. Not the best match to my ears. I think lots of the DIY options (MiniMax, CTH, CKKIII, or M^3, for starters) would be a good bet, though. FYI - the MiniMax is also a hybrid amplifier with tubes, just like the CTH. A good hybrid design can be excellent with these headphones, though.
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post #11 of 53
2/15/10 at 7:34pm
I can attest that the beezar.com MiniMAX is a great amp for the K701; it's fast, precise and powerful. You can also roll tubes with it, though not as many different varieties as with the CTH.

By the way, both are hybrid amps, meaning a vacuum tube input stage and a solid-state output stage.

cheers!
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post #12 of 53
2/15/10 at 10:08pm
Can you go over that $200 mark by any chance? If so, how much?
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post #13 of 53
2/15/10 at 10:11pm
From what I've read, K701s pair better with solid state amps than tube amps. Just something to keep in mind.
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post #14 of 53
2/16/10 at 12:34am
^I think this is true if the tube amp is OTL, but the best sound (to my ears) I've heard from a K701 has been from transformer-coupled tube amps.
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post #15 of 53
2/16/10 at 1:30am
I'm really happy with the MF V8p, but this is over your price range. So I'll recommend the Corda Headfive which was 97% of the sound and performance of the V8p for around $200 on the sales forums. Nice bass, excellent power and wonderful detail.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

AKG K701 Studio Headphones
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