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PS Audio GCHA and Beyerdynamic DT 990?

post #1 of 6
10/12/10 at 5:10pm
Thread Starter 

I have been hearing great things about the PS Audio GCHA.  Now that I have some money to spend, and it's half price, I was wondering if I should give a try.  Anyone tried the GCHA with the Beyerdynamic DT 990 (600 ohm)?  Do they pair well?  Any idea how it would compare to the headphone amp in the Peachtree Nova (my current setup)? 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro Headphones
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PS Audio GCHA Headphone Amplifier
post #2 of 6
10/13/10 at 4:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmf22 View Post

I have been hearing great things about the PS Audio GCHA.  Now that I have some money to spend, and it's half price, I was wondering if I should give a try.  Anyone tried the GCHA with the Beyerdynamic DT 990 (600 ohm)?  Do they pair well?  Any idea how it would compare to the headphone amp in the Peachtree Nova (my current setup)? 



The PS Audio amp does many things well. It has refined SS sound. The bass is nice but not reference quality IMO The treble seems a little rolled off and if I can site what I have found for me at least is the dynamic slam necessary to produce demanding music. But my reference is the CSP-2 Decware tube amp and I have had a hard time finding anything thaty is as musical and dynamic as my CSP-2. For 500.00 the amp is a contender in its price range and will post my review in a few days. In the end I decided my T1 and LCD2 is much better for me  with the CSP-2 than the PS Audio. I also have found in general I much prefer tube amps.


Edited by Frank I - 10/13/10 at 6:18am
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post #3 of 6
10/13/10 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 

"Frank I," thank you for your impressions of the GCHA.  I'm looking forward to your review.  

 

The reason I'm staying away from tube amps is having to replace tubes when they burn out, and the warm up time that is required to sound its best.  I don't always know when I'm going to use headphones (versus speakers) so I would rather not have a long warm up time.  I believe the GCHA is always-on when plugged in, so warm up time should be almost zero right?  I'm also worried that I might get into tube-rolling and end up spend more money than I planned!  

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post #4 of 6
10/13/10 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmf22 View Post

"Frank I," thank you for your impressions of the GCHA.  I'm looking forward to your review.  

 

The reason I'm staying away from tube amps is having to replace tubes when they burn out, and the warm up time that is required to sound its best.  I don't always know when I'm going to use headphones (versus speakers) so I would rather not have a long warm up time.  I believe the GCHA is always-on when plugged in, so warm up time should be almost zero right?  I'm also worried that I might get into tube-rolling and end up spend more money than I planned!  

I left the PS audio on so the warm up time is 0. Tubes warm up quickly usually in 15 minutes and I have tubes to roll but I am so happy with this combo that I have not rolled them as I feel this is the best choice for me at this time but when I get tired of it I can change the sound I cant do that with the PS Audio amp. Replacing tubes is a snap and I should be good for 2-3 years with these tubes so not an issue.
 

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post #5 of 6
10/13/10 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 

Unfortunately, the price of the CSP2 is more than I want to spend on a headphone amp.  Are there other tube amps that would pair well with the Beyerdynamic DT 990?  Maybe the WooAudio 3 ($495), or the Schiit Vahalla ($350)?  It seems like tube amps are better for high impedance headphones.  I have th 600 ohm version of the DT990. 

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post #6 of 6
10/14/10 at 5:08am

i read the csp2 is better than the wa3,  but im curious  how the csp2 compares to the wa6,   but only if the good folks at woo offer the preamp option on the wa6 like they do on the wa3.   ill bet the wa3 sounds great as a preamp.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro Headphones
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PS Audio GCHA Headphone Amplifier
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