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(Cheap) Amp for D2000?

post #1 of 11
11/13/11 at 9:40am
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for a cheap amp for my Denon AH-D2000. Right now it's running from the integrated amp in my X-Fi Forte and sounds good and the volume is fine but I find highs are a little harsh and figured I could warm them up with a tube amp. I do have a budget, I promised my wife no more gadgetry this year but she'll buy me an amp for Xmas, so $150 - $200 to my door is about my max. So far I'm seeing:

Little Dot I+ - Seems to be a perfect match for the low impedance Denon's but I'm thinking about HD650s next year and that combo may not work too well.

Little Dot mkII - Seems like a great little amp but how well does it handle the Denons I understand they are fussy.

Little Dot MkIII - Same as above, stretches my budget to the absolute max.

Indeed G3 - an intriguing little amp, googling returns some really good impressions from rock grotto.

Sense G3-T7 - Earmax clone, some good impressions but not a lot of info.

HiFiman ef2-a - on sale, how does this match up with the Denons?

Fiio E9 - This was my original idea, but after doing some (too much really) reading I'm leaning away from solid states. The idea of tubes is more appealing.


I'll be running it from the analog out of my Forte, a DAC isn't needed but if one with a decent spdif in was an option, it wouldn't be a bad idea. I game and appreciate what the Xfi does so USB isn't something I'd consider using.
Thanks for any advice.
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post #2 of 11
11/13/11 at 9:48am
Thread Starter 
I forgot to add that my musical preferences are so over the board that it's hard to pin down a sound to hunt for. I could go from Led Zep to Mos Def to Tool to Norah Jones in a single listening session.
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post #3 of 11
11/13/11 at 10:23am

The E9 is the popular choice here for budget amps.

 

I can only comment on the LDI+ which I enjoyed using for the last 2 years, but after owning the DACmini for the past month or so, I've come to appreciate the soundstage and detail you get from pure solid state, more analytical gear.

 

For what it's worth, I also own a NuForce Icon Mobile which is good for amping in a fix.  It's a performer for it's price bracket, but nothing more.

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post #4 of 11
11/13/11 at 12:59pm

Those little single tube headphone amplifiers, shipped from China, make a good "gateway drug" to the world of tube amps.

Indeed G3 are the ones I would recommend, as they have listened to feedback from customers (Rockgrotto) and improved their amps.

But they do seem to charge the most.

As there are 20 different sellers, on eBay, you might find something almost as good for less money.

Like the ones (including Indeed's G3) who have installed a delay so you do not get that pop when turned on.

My Indeed broke after less then two months, but I was handling it kind of roughly during transport between houses.

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post #5 of 11
11/13/11 at 1:05pm

I've heard the Denon 2000 with Asus's Xonar Essence ST, sounded great.

Good luck.

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post #6 of 11
11/14/11 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 

If I switch gears to look at solid states, how is the Matrix M-Stage? is it worth $100 over the E9?

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post #7 of 11
11/14/11 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blotto80 View Post

If I switch gears to look at solid states, how is the Matrix M-Stage? is it worth $100 over the E9?



A few people here have claimed it sounds good with the Denon DX000 line.  The good thing about it is that it'll be good with other headphones if you decide to buy more in the long run.  The bad thing is most audio equipment has an owner span (not to be confused with life span) of 2 years.  So in most cases you'll probably mostly use it with your current cans.  I'm the type of person that thinks you should always go for the best your budget can afford if you can, but does it necessarily need that much power ... no.

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post #8 of 11
11/15/11 at 4:40pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blotto80 View Post

If I switch gears to look at solid states, how is the Matrix M-Stage? is it worth $100 over the E9?



The advantage of the E9 over the Matrix, is that you can buy the E7 and have a nice dac. 

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post #9 of 11
11/15/11 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 

Not too interested in a USB DAC as I do a ton of gaming and don't want to lose the positional features of my Forte.  I pulled the trigger on the HD650s today.  Wasn't planning on it, I saw a fantastic price and my mouse just kind of clicked "Checkout" by itself, or at least that's what I'll tell my wife. I think I'm going to get the E9, cheap and decent. 

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post #10 of 11
11/15/11 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovleylady View Post
I've heard the Denon 2000 with Asus's Xonar Essence ST, sounded great.

Good luck.


I would say any headphone sounds great with a Asus Xonar Essence.

 

 

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post #11 of 11
11/16/11 at 9:21am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blotto80 View Post

Not too interested in a USB DAC as I do a ton of gaming and don't want to lose the positional features of my Forte. 



It was just a possibility you know? tongue.gif

Enjoy your cans. 

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