[Loquah]

  So, a brief comment on the A20 amp with the T1 headphones (as promised)...
 
It's gorgeous. The build quality is fantastic. Just turning it on, or plugging in your headphones is a little kinesthetic event, that gives you a subtle jolt of pleasure. The whole experience is reminiscent of getting in an expensive German sedan, slamming the door ("the sound... just so"), easing into the leather seat ("so comfy it's unremarkable"), pressing the "on" button ("a diesel so smooth you can hardly tell it's on") and slipping it into drive (<snick>).
 
That being said...
 
It's a $500 amp. I was expecting a vast improvement over the $120 Vali that I am otherwise using to drive the T1's with. It's probably just me, but I'm not hearing it... and after all I'm the one who's paying. It's not due to the quality of the source material (high quality FLAC), nor the DAC ($500 NAD D1050) or the headphones (T1). In fact, it's an amp that is specifically built to match the T-series headphones, and has gotten great reviews for the synergy with them.
 
I'm going to give it a week, because I really really want to like it better than the Vali, but at the moment I'm tending towards returning it before my cool down period of 14 days is up, and just sticking with the Vali until I notice it's limitations.
 
I'd be VERY interested in hearing your impressions of the Vali with T1s, or just of the Vali with high quality headphones in general. Perhaps I'm just missing something. 
 
TL;DR: The quality is outstanding, but in my opinion the Vali is really exceptional value for money, and a surprisingly hard amp to beat this side of $500.

 
Definitely give it some time, dduck. I had a similar experience upgrading from the Bottlehead SEX to the Bottlehead Mainline. My initial impressions were a bit "meh", but as I spent time with the Mainline, its subtle excellence really shone through. The very best amps are often the most unremarkable on first listen because they balance all the sound so well that we don't notice what they're doing. Cheaper amps often have coloration or characteristics that make them more intriguing on first listen, but the better amps will often be better across a wider range of source material and genres over time.
 
Having said all that, I haven't heard the Vali or A20 so it could be a case of the Vali being an excellent value option.

 

[dduck]

   
Definitely give it some time, dduck. I had a similar experience upgrading from the Bottlehead SEX to the Bottlehead Mainline. My initial impressions were a bit "meh", but as I spent time with the Mainline, its subtle excellence really shone through. The very best amps are often the most unremarkable on first listen because they balance all the sound so well that we don't notice what they're doing. 

 
Thank you for your perspective.
 
I'm giving it a couple of days to get used to it, then will switch the Vali back in. That way I will probably be able to tell if I am missing something. 
 
Still, it's a lot of money to tie up in something that isn't an obvious improvement. Going from the HD650 to the T1 was, but this - I'm just not so sure.

 

[MJS242]

  So, a brief comment on the A20 amp with the T1 headphones (as promised)...
 
It's gorgeous. The build quality is fantastic. Just turning it on, or plugging in your headphones is a little kinesthetic event, that gives you a subtle jolt of pleasure. The whole experience is reminiscent of getting in an expensive German sedan, slamming the door ("the sound... just so"), easing into the leather seat ("so comfy it's unremarkable"), pressing the "on" button ("a diesel so smooth you can hardly tell it's on") and slipping it into drive (<snick>).
 
That being said...
 
It's a $500 amp. I was expecting a vast improvement over the $120 Vali that I am otherwise using to drive the T1's with. It's probably just me, but I'm not hearing it... and after all I'm the one who's paying. It's not due to the quality of the source material (high quality FLAC), nor the DAC ($500 NAD D1050) or the headphones (T1). In fact, it's an amp that is specifically built to match the T-series headphones, and has gotten great reviews for the synergy with them.
 
I'm going to give it a week, because I really really want to like it better than the Vali, but at the moment I'm tending towards returning it before my cool down period of 14 days is up, and just sticking with the Vali until I notice it's limitations.
 
I'd be VERY interested in hearing your impressions of the Vali with T1s, or just of the Vali with high quality headphones in general. Perhaps I'm just missing something. 
 
TL;DR: The quality is outstanding, but in my opinion the Vali is really exceptional value for money, and a surprisingly hard amp to beat this side of $500.

 
Hey, wait a second, I recognize your gear from a recent /r/headphones post ... and that's when you know you're done for the day. 

 

[dduck]

Hey, wait a second, I recognize your gear from a recent /r/headphones post ... and that's when you know you're done for the day. 

Yep, i have xposted some of this at Reddit, nice spot

Get off the Internet and settle in for the Superbowl dude! I'm off to watch it at Hard Rock Café Copenhagen, and it's local time 9:30 PM here

 

[pdrm360]

Does anyone know how the Crack/T1 synergy is in compare to the WA2/T1?

 

[JamieMcC]

  Does anyone know how the Crack/T1 synergy is in compare to the WA2/T1?

WA2/T1 I cant help you with. However I can say that the Crack/T1 is a super combination I am listening to it now. You can also mod the Crack easily which make the Crack/T1 combo simply sublime.

 

[MoatsArt]

How much have you spent on Crack mods? How much would you spend on boutique caps, attenuators etc for a $279 amp? Would a $1,200 Crack beat a stock WA2 or Mainline? Food for thought as I am about to walk the modded Crack path again to drive my T1s.

Cheers

Nathan

 

[Swolern]

Loving my Beyer T1 I purchased new a couple weeks ago. Man what a drastic change in SQ after proper break-in. One of the most drastic break-ins I have heard!! I have it pair with my Asus Essence One solid state amp/dac and boy does it deliver! The Essence One really brings out the low end for some gorgeous clean & tight bass. Mids and highs are spot on and silky smooth. Im coming from a Sennheiser HD800 and have a Fostex TH-900 incoming. Ya i have been on a audiophile buying spree lately, lol. Hopefully it will slow down after this. 

 

[punit]

Will join T1 Club in about 3 weeks. The Beyer dealer here does not carry T1 in stock only orders them from Beyer against advance payment (not enough demand i guess). So I placed my order today, up side is he gave me an amazing discount to compensate for the wait.

 

[dduck]

   
Definitely give it some time, dduck. I had a similar experience upgrading from the Bottlehead SEX to the Bottlehead Mainline.

 
Well, the decision has been made: I'm sending it back. 
 
I bought it direct from Beyerdynamic, and their service - like their engineering - was perfect. Not a problem, very smooth.
 
I will putter over my dinky Vali for a while, then make up my mind whether I should go big (A1!!!) or go home.

 

[JamieMcC]

How much have you spent on Crack mods? How much would you spend on boutique caps, attenuators etc for a $279 amp? Would a $1,200 Crack beat a stock WA2 or Mainline? Food for thought as I am about to walk the modded Crack path again to drive my T1s.

Cheers

Nathan

 
Hi Nathan, I have spent about $100 so far on caps etc for my Crack and am over the moon with the results over the stock Crack which is highly rated in the first place. And its also been a whole lot of fun. 
 
I have been putting some thoughts down on each of the mods to the crack with my impressions on the results on my build page over on the bottlehead forum if you are interested. Impressions have been made listening with the T1's and HD650's
 
http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,5284.0.html
 
Parts list
 
Valab 23 step ladder Attenuator $30
 
JFX Premium Metallized Polypropylene Film Capacitors 100uf 250v 2 x $32
 
JFX Premium Metallized Polypropylene Film Capacitors 2.2uf 250v 1 x $3
 
Jamie

 

[Loquah]

   
Well, the decision has been made: I'm sending it back. 
 
I bought it direct from Beyerdynamic, and their service - like their engineering - was perfect. Not a problem, very smooth.
 
I will putter over my dinky Vali for a while, then make up my mind whether I should go big (A1!!!) or go home.

 
No interest in going for something DIY? There's amazing bang-for-buck to be had, but I understand it's not for everyone.

 

[dduck]

No interest in going for something DIY? There's amazing bang-for-buck to be had, but I understand it's not for everyone.

Nah me and soldering don't mix

I can get the A1 for $900 from France and I can swing the money so that's always an option. The WA7 looks nice, but I'm starting to think that tubey tube amps are not my thing.

I'm looking into auditioning the A1 locally but that's hard to swing when you know you would be buying from abroad. Not really fair to waste a local dealers time.

 

[gazar]

I love the way the T1 has a certain sparkle on the treble side. It has a bit of magic, the way the mids stay right up front and the lows are soo much there, but never boomy or blown up integrates really well with the great clarity up top, makes a great combo. Its all right there, all you gotta do is resist the urge to sing along.
 
To me, if your a young guy/girl you might find them a wee bit sharp, and sticking a valve or 2 in the chain , might tame them just  enough to compensate for your bat like hearing.. Middle age guys with a concert or 2 behind them, naturally loose a few of the upper frequencies... Still its they way they balance things out in a very pleasing manner, you just do not get that mixture of treble fatigue, over powering base and heavy, sweaty headphones that you just want to wear for 1-2 hours max.  I like them, more than just a bit.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

How much have you spent on Crack mods? How much would you spend on boutique caps, attenuators etc for a $279 amp? Would a $1,200 Crack beat a stock WA2 or Mainline? Food for thought as I am about to walk the modded Crack path again to drive my T1s.

Cheers

Nathan

WA2 with maxed tubes is better imo. The crack is a nice amp but havent heard with t1