SPL Auditor or Musical Fidelity M1HPA for T1?

Out of the limited number of amps I heard with the T1, back when I owned the T1, I thought the SPL Auditor was a fine amp for it. Maybe not the best, but definitely good.

Have you considered the Avenson Audio Headphone Amp? I wrote a review of it here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/531228/review-schiit-audio-asgard-avenson-audio-headphone-amp

There's also the TTVJ Apex Peak, slightly over your budget though.

If you don't mind DIY, you might be able to get a unbalanced B22 for under $1K via the FS forums, which IMO would be the best amp for the T1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmf22 

Asr,

The Avenson Audio Headphone Amp sounds like a good choice, and I like the idea of having a crossfeed.  Good price too.  Since getting into speakers, my headphone system became my secondary system (I use it only about 2 hours a day) so I don't want to spend too much on it.  That's why the $1000 limit.

 

I've read that the WooAudio 2 and Decaware CSP2+ are excellent match for the T1.  I could stretch my budget a little if it is that good (but the Decaware costs less at $900 and has a lifetime warranty).  My only concern with tube amps is that I often don't plan my listening sessions so I may leave the amp on for a long time (or turn it on and off multiple times) throughout the day.  Will that shorten the life of tube amps? 
 

 

The general rule is to turn off your tube amp when not listening. It will prolong tube life. Leaving it on is putting hours on the tubes. just shut it off when not in use.  If you like the T1 you will love it with the CSP2. I have tried many different amps and its always where I end up. It my permanent amp for the T1.

What made you you come to that conclusion :) The V200 and Auditor is totally different sounding so don´t think they are straight competitors. Personal preferences is what will decide plus what type of headphones you run them with. Those I know that has the m1hpa is happy with it. I think one is selling his though since he gone Stax.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmf22 

UPDATE:

I've been doing some more thinking and research and decided to go with a solid state amp.  It looks like the M1HPA is not as good as other amps in this price range, but Violectric V200 is a good competitor to the Auditor.  Anyone heard both with the T1?

I have the V200 with the T1 and in my opinion it's a bit too much warmth and there is a bit too much detail loss. But yeah it is very musical and prat is good as well and it is also smooth but there's just some coloration to certain frequencies that makes them all sound the same. At first i thought it sounded nice but i started to hear that coloration all the time and it was getting on my nerves so i've decided to order a different amp. 

Basically i wanted smooth but neutral so i'm trying out a Phoenix which should arrive in about a week give or take. I'm sure they can be found in your price range second hand.

Can't comment on the Auditor though i initially considered it but went with the V200, in retrospect it might have been the better choice soundwise but that pass through sealed the deal for me since i also want to use my dac for the speaker setup.

Coming to the thread a bit late, but to address your original question I have owned both the SPL Auditor and the M1HPA and used them both with Tesla T1 headphones.

My preference was definitely for the Musical Fidelity amp.  The Auditor is a fine piece of equipment, but it just didn't sound "right" with the Teslas.  It created a very large and open soundstage and had formidable grip on bass (good things) but it also had a peculiar "distant" quality to the sound (bad thing).  Subjectively, although the music was excellently reproduced it somehow lacked presence and there was a constant urge to turn the volume up so the music would have some slam.  No matter how loud it was played, the Auditor always sounded frustratingly recessed.

The M1HPA had a less expansive sound, but in all other respects it was excellent.  A very "analogue" sound.

I no longer have the Tesla headphones, having switched allegiance to Stax, but having tried out a half dozen different headphone amps with the T1s the Musical Fidelity was my favourite.  It was the most musical and fun match for the headphones.  The other amps I owned, over a period of 12 months, were the SPL Auditor, Lehmann Black Cube, Violectric V200, Schitt Lyr, Creek OBH-11, Audio GD Fun and Talisman 3.  All great amps, but to me none had the same synergy with the Teslas as the MF amp.

Interestingly - the Creek OBH-11, a relatively inexpensive and not very highly regarded little amp, was surprisingly an excellent performer with the T1s.  It's not the equal of the other amps I've listed, but it punches well above its weight and dollar for dollar is a great bargain.

Well IMO the V200 doesn't do the T1 any justice. The sound signature of the V200 goes well with the T1 as it's a warmer sounding amp but the amp itself seems to run out of steam early when powering the T1. I had to turn up the pre-gain to +12db to get decent levels with the T1. IMO the gain shouldn't be touched. I found that the amp can quickly run out of steam and clip at around a little over half volume. Raising the pre-gain induces the clipping even sooner as it's just boosting the signal up. Also since the amp is warmer it tends to smear some details and once and a while the added warmth is too much.

Now I own the SPL Auditor and I must say it's a darned good amp. It drives the T1 effortlessly and the sound is so neutral and linear. I really do love the sound of the Auditor quite a bit. I don't know if you like neutral or warm sound but the Auditor can be tuned via op amps. You could roll some variants in and get a warmer sound for sure. 

The WA2 is a great amp and drives the T1 perfectly as well. It sonic signature is lush with stronger bass and somewhat reserved highs. It's more around the V200 signature but warmer than that. This adds a lot of authority to the bass but I really don't like adding more than is needed. If you want something similar sounding and also powerful then try a WA3 amp. It's plenty powerful for the T1.

The M1HPA does a good job of driving the T1 but is not ideal. It doesn't muster up a big enough voltage swing and the headphones can start clipping when pushed to hard. Otherwise for other headphones it's quite good and optimized for 32Ohm loads. I find the X-CANV8P to be the better amp in this regard.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmf22 

UPDATE:

 

I've been doing some more thinking and research and decided to go with a solid state amp.  It looks like the M1HPA is not as good as other amps in this price range, but Violectric V200 is a good competitor to the Auditor.  I've read the V200 review thread and like that the V200 has great bass and overall a "musical" amp, which I like.  From the reviews and impressions I've read of the Auditor, I get the impression that the Auditor is more analytical compared to the V200.  Some people also thought that the Auditor sounded thin and has low (lack of) bass, but nobody said anything like that about the V200.  I also like the V200's pre-gain controls and it's ability to drive low as well as high impedance headphones (in case I want to get other headphones in the future), and not having to use XLR-RCA adapters. 

 

Anyone heard both V200 and Auditor with the T1?

WOW they sold out of them fast then because I got mine from them an they had like 50 of them coming. It must be a popular amp for  sure!
 

Indeed give us some impressions when it get to you. For sure it should blow you away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmf22 

I ordered the Auditor from Front End Audio last week.  They didn't have it in stock and had to be shipped from Germany.  I was told it takes about a week from SPL Germany to SPL North America in California, then about a day or two to get to me (I'm located less than 30 miles from SPL North America).  I'll post some impressions when I receive the Auditor.

The Phonitor/Auditor is good as presenting the sound as it is. It's great in that its neutral character will make different headphones indeed sound different, and it never seems to run out of steam. You will hurt your ears before that time. As mentioned by cascode it will also lack punch...if both music and headphone is lacking in punch.