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Looking for Good Amp Under 650$

post #1 of 8
2/6/12 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 

Hello, I am very new to the world of audiophiles and I am looking for a good all rounder headphone amp. I'm trying to make one relatively definitive purchase that will only need to be upgraded in 6-7 years as I have very low income. I am currently using an old speaker pre-amp to drive my HD 558s which will eventually be upgraded to something HD 650 level. I will appreciate any help you can give, thanks in advance!

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post #2 of 8
2/6/12 at 2:25pm

I'd try to find a good price on a used Woo Audio WA6 (new $620), and use the difference between that and your budget cap on tubes.  I've only heard the WA6-SE, but if the WA6 is close to the WA6-SE, you should be very happy with it.

 

http://wooaudio.com/products/wa6.html

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post #3 of 8
2/6/12 at 2:29pm

I think the Music Hall 25.3 DAC / Amp would work well for you.  I have listened to the 25.2 and found it quite musical.  My Ultra Desktop did sound better, but the 25.2 / 25.3 is more than half the cost.  It has a 1/4 inch headphone out on the front.

 

Here is the page for it:

 

http://www.musichallaudio.com/detail.php?p=68

 

Depending on how far you can stretch your budget this Micro Stack from HeadRoom would be another great option.  I know the headphone reviewers use this setup a ton and having the DAC separate from the Amp is almost always a good thing.

 

http://www.headphone.com/packages/headroom-micro-amp--micro-dac-package.php


Edited by NA Blur - 2/6/12 at 2:36pm
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post #4 of 8
2/6/12 at 2:39pm

If OP isn't planning on getting a new headphone amp anytime soon due to budget, a good tube amp may be a more flexible choice given how cheap it is to tune the sound signature with tubes.

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post #5 of 8
2/6/12 at 3:09pm
Thread Starter 

I was not expecting replies so soon! Anyway, I will check those out also what are the general sound related characteristics of those amps? I am a bit of a bass lover and I am looking for something to improve the clarity of My HD 558s. 

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post #6 of 8
2/6/12 at 7:42pm
I recommend the HiFiMan EF5, it's my favorite in its price range. It'll drive just about any set of cans on the planet with ease. Being a hybrid, the benefits are that it has a more clean, detailed sound than most tube amps, but is a little more "laid back" and smooth in the mids and highs than pure solid state. IMO, it's one hell of a bargain at $399, and I've seen some like-new ones on this forum going for $250-300.

http://www.headfonia.com/hifiman-ef5-review/
http://head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=30
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593481/hifiman-ef5-like-new-all-originals
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post #7 of 8
2/6/12 at 9:21pm

If you are keeping in the senn family for the future, their cans are easy to drive, specially with otl amps.  Check Woo audio and bottlehead crack.  So good with hd650.  For me tubes are more fun than ss.  One can always sort of change the sound a bit to our liking.  So i recommend a tubed amp.  I believe theres a crack in the for sale forum.  Make sure u use 5998 tubes other might sound good but i always keep coming back to them.

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post #8 of 8
2/7/12 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NA Blur View Post

I think the Music Hall 25.3 DAC / Amp would work well for you.  I have listened to the 25.2 and found it quite musical.  My Ultra Desktop did sound better, but the 25.2 / 25.3 is more than half the cost.  It has a 1/4 inch headphone out on the front.

 



X2

With Opamps its like a new machine. 

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