ATH-W1000x + Musiland 02 US + What amp?

Hi all,

I just caved in and bought a pair of W1000x headphones for myself on a recent holiday. It's a wonderful pair of cans to my ears and I have only praises for it.

The problem however, is that I auditioned these headphones with the Luxman P-1u. Obviously, if I actually had the Luxman headphone amplifier, I wouldn't been here starting this thread.

I can't get the sound I was hearing from the Luxman P-1u with the W1000x out of my head. Back home after the holiday, I returned to my room and "setup". I listen to mostly CDs and FLACs with my laptop through the Musiland 02 US USB DAC. I miss the wonderful soundscape, neutrality and finesse from the Luxman.

The question is, how do I get a sound similar to that by adding on a amp into the chain that I have right now without breaking the bank (i.e getting the Luxman...)? My understanding is that a tube or good hybrid (or a very good SS like the Luxman) will tame the trebles and sibilance on the headphones which I sometimes do hear straight from the headphone output of my DAC right now but I'm not sure.

Please try to keep your suggestions relatively budget. I think I can only afford ~USD300 at the moment and will be using it in Singapore. I might also consider DIY (although I have no experience in it) and slightly more expensive setups if the synergy is even better and there is more value for money.

TIA!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ypoknons 

There are some designed for AT amps like the G&W F100 and the Higher Fidelity HAF01 you can look into. 

I think I have heard some good things about the High Fidelity HA-01 on the forums here about it mating well with the W5000 but the thread is very old. I'm also unable to find any links to the amp.

As for the G&W F100, do you mean the one that can be found here: http://www.headphonehk.com/HEADPHONE%20AMP.htm ?

Will you also by any chance have any comments about the T-2.6FT too?

Thanks for replying.
 

I'm giving the headphones another 100 hours before I EQ it for a flat response to my ears.

I'll seriously consider the Starving Student Millet Hybrid!

Quote:

Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter 

remember the dac/source also plays a role.  at the store they may have had the luxman amp connected to a very high end dac or cd player.  that would make it very hard 4 u to attain that same quality u experienced...

 Yes, I'm aware of that. The Luxman was indeed hooked up to an expensive (great?) Marantz SACD player.

I think quality, especially audio, is subjective. Good to report that I'm getting close to the sound I want anyways.

Should I be closing this thread because I've already found a suitable amp?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sokolov91 

M-stage matrix has a good rep and is super cheap... it is a chinese Lehmann clone which is like 4x the price.

 

Never heard it, but it seems to be a very popular, cheap-high-end SS design that a lot of head-fier love.

 

I know recommending without hearing is taboo, but oh well.

 

To be brutally honest though, I would suspect the change lies somewhere else, as I didn't find the W1000X to be particularly hard to driver, or amp sensitive. I have since sold them due to financial restrictions, but they sounded pretty much the same, and always good out of anything really...

 

Also, I thought the luxman was generally perceived as a "bright" amp. Kinda funny you are having issues with the highs at home.

I'm using a modified Lovely Cube (EXACT Lehmann clone and quality parts and semi-DIY) with LT1364 (which aren't exactly stable now so I'm upgrading to LT1028ACN8 soon) and I dare say my amp is better than the stock Matrix at least.  Through trying out different stuff for my LC, I also have to disagree that the W1000X are not amp sensitive (maybe to a less degree than other phones though maybe?). I know you sold them because of bla bla. I've posted on your thread too I think. t's too bad you had to sell them off...

The issues with sibilance that I had died down after burn-in (believe it or not). It's kinda strange that people are posting to this thread after I've got most of my system to sound the way I like already. I don't think the Luxman is bright, but it is indeed more lush than my current setup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bauerpower 

 Thats good news man.  Does that mean u can now tell a big difference between the M50 and the W1000X on your home system?

Yes, definitely! And the great thing is that I didn't have to spend a lot to do so. It just took time, a lot of reading, DIY and trying things out.