One amp, or multiple? - Page 2

Purists will say that an equalizer will either 1) ruin the artist's concept of the music, or 2) degrade the sound signal in the pathway.  Saying that, though, the "best approach" depends on the quality of the equalizer itself.  If all things are equal, I don't think it matters if you have a digital one or a mechanical one.  But, a poorly made one will be equally bad if it's digital or mechanical.  I'm sure recording engineers have no problem using either type.
 

Those purists most have dead neutral amp,sources and headphones/speakers if so
 

I have a total of three headphone amplifiers.

 

(1) The best one, by miles, is my Sugden HeadMaster.

 

(2) The next best one is a class A amplifier made in the UK in the 80s. It was sold under various badges at the time. Unfortunately it is broken at the moment and has been for ages, I never get around to fixing it. If I do fix it I will sell it because it is so outclassed by the Sugden HeadMaster and it has a problem in that it is not very powerful.

 

(3) The third headphone amplifier is my Pro-Ject Head Box II. This is a very reasonably priced amplifier and it put in a good job for the money. It is also quite powerful enough for my headphones.

 

I think that when I fix (2) then I will have two headphone amps and that will be enough. I like having two because I have one good friend who is very interested in the same music as me and we have dual headphone listening sessions, so two amps are useful for that. I give him the Sugden amp of course being the consumate host

Exactly.  I never claimed to be a purist!
 

Eric, you got a fire extinguisher handy?

Amplifer performance/value tends to be highly personal around here. Manufacturers almost tend to be cults of personality rather than simply people who assemble amps. People end up going with one and often move up through the higher models. It's sort of like getting into a particular clothing manufacturer or carmaker.

Me? It's no secret that I'm a fan of Moth/Eddie Current. I also like a lot of the DIY designers. But that's just me. You're going to find plenty of arguments on every side. The best way (and, again, showing bias ) is to build an amp or two. You'll start to understand what the designers are doing, get a handle on what the parts cost which will show you who is overcharging, and develop some distinct biases about construction methods.

I could go through what I think is overpriced or junk, but the Nomex suit is at the drycleaners and at the moment, I'm trying to wave down the waitress to bring me another cold one.