"Mad Dog" by MrSpeakers, modified Fostex T50RP review - Page 175

Theory is one thing.  It does not always equate to practical experience and preference.

"don't feel it is possible to reach equivalent quality out of great headphones with a cheap amp"

I would have to say no to this:  Adequate quality yes.  Optimal quality no.  Here the headphones would be held back and the amp would be the bottle neck. 

"as medium headphones and a great amp"

Here you would be able to reach the full potential of the headphones.  This is the most desired way IMO

Note:  this is not specific to the MDs or the HE-500s.  this is just in general.

Well, none in particular. The question was just whether you would feel OK pairing  $1k+ headphones with $200 speaker amp.

I would have though since it is only $200,00 AND being a speaker amp, it would lack the refinement of a $700,00 dedicated headphone amp.

In addition, the pairing with a high-end can such as the HE-6 would have revealed the lesser nature of the amp.

Is the miniX that good?

Wow - a LOT of noise comments about having to have a Lyr or other moderately high bucks amp to make the MD's work.  I call BS on this.  Seriously.

ANY headphone will sound just that bit nicer on an expensive amp.  Buy one if you want.  Don't buy one because you read here you have to have one to enjoy the mad dogs.  Head-fi gets caught up in this all the time.

The MD's drive nicely and play wonderfully from a HeadAmp Pico amp/dac combo.  I imagine they sound even better from a Lyr.  Again, if you want a Lyr, buy one because you want it, not because you need it to drive the MD's.  Sheesh, how about a reality check!

Driving to get the mail in a Ferrari F40 would just be a bitchin trip, but it aint so bad in my PT cruiser...

Note - I am not slamming the Lyr, other high end amps or the people who love them, I've had a couple in my head-fi career (Mister X Dynalo and a Headroom UDA, a couple of Apogee Duets, my Peachtree Nova, maybe others I have forgotten...).  I just strenuously disagree that an amp of this level is required to enjoy the MD.  I certainly don't have one.  Currently using an iBasso PB2, which has bit of power, but is a modestly priced portable amp.  I started out with a Pico Slim, as it is what I had at the time, and while it ran out of power just before ear damaging levels, it was definitely "OK" with the MD's.

OK, soapbox over.

I cycled between some DT770's (600ohm), HE-500's and the MD's with dog pads on a Schiit Magni (which should have the oomph for the dogs, at least, so says Schiit) and found the MDs to easily be my least favorite (although most comfortable). The MDs have more detail and flatter response than the Beyers, but just don't have any punch and are the least natural sounding to me. Ultimately "natural" is what I'm looking for regardless of how else they might otherwise outperform higher end cans. (IMHO - YMMV)

At the risk of being controversial: sure, the Mad Dogs are not easy to drive. I've tried them on a variety of amplifiers including the Lyr, Asgard, Magni, Pico Power demo, a variety of amps I can't even remember the names of at a local meet recently, my Denon amp's headphone outs and a few old speaker amps (from the headphone out, not speaker taps). Regardless of whether my impression of them changed to the point where they had a completely different sound signature or significantly outperformed themselves with a different power source (they didn't), the fact is this: if you have to spend more on the amp to get the sound out of the headphones, why not just get the better headphones in the first place? 

Figure this: I feel my HE-500s on the Magni is a much better listening experience than any I heard with the Mad Dogs. That rig is $800USD. I hear many saying the Lyr and Mad Dogs is a great combo (for example), I combo that would run approximately $750USD, and, to my ears, still not come very close to the first combo. So, even if the Mad Dogs DO come close, wouldn't it make sense to get easier to drive, more scalable headphones from the get go from a financial standpoint?

BTW- I'm not saying people should run out and buy HE-500s, I don't really care about the particulars, I'm simply pointing out that it seems like chasing the top quality from the Mad Dogs ultimately costs more than starting out with "better" headphones in the first place. Of course the 500s are open and if you're looking specifically for a closed can, this argument is moot, but I'm kinda surprise the quality/cost equation isn't considered more when the refrain "the mad dogs are not easy to drive" comes up over and over again.

I'm with you there. I initially liked the Mad Dogs and then I grew to dislike them very quickly. I can't seem to mention not (personally) liking them without someone saying they're hard to drive and that's the reason. Eh, I just don't care for them. That's me. The best amp in the world isn't going to change that.

Okay, so I admit I'm one of the one's here who goes on about how good the lyr is with the MD. And honestly, it might be a little bit of overkill to drive the MD properly to enjoyable levels. I justify the expense because I have other headphones that respond well with the lyr. If I was just putting together a setup for the MD, I wouldn't go out and buy the lyr just for it. 

I know that I tend to like hp's that are harder to drive, so the lyr is a good choice for me. You can certainly do quite well with cheaper amps and the MD's. 

Well, none in particular. The question was just whether you would feel OK pairing  $1k+ headphones with $200 speaker amp.

I would have though since it is only $200,00 AND being a speaker amp, it would lack the refinement of a $700,00 dedicated headphone amp.

In addition, the pairing with a high-end can such as the HE-6 would have revealed the lesser nature of the amp.

Is the miniX that good?

YES,,for the he-6's

I see you owned the Lcd-2s as well Did you try the miniX with them?

Wow - a LOT of noise comments about having to have a Lyr or other moderately high bucks amp to make the MD's work.  I call BS on this.  Seriously.

ANY headphone will sound just that bit nicer on an expensive amp.  Buy one if you want.  Don't buy one because you read here you have to have one to enjoy the mad dogs.  Head-fi gets caught up in this all the time.

The MD's drive nicely and play wonderfully from a HeadAmp Pico amp/dac combo.  I imagine they sound even better from a Lyr.  Again, if you want a Lyr, buy one because you want it, not because you need it to drive the MD's.  Sheesh, how about a reality check!

Driving to get the mail in a Ferrari F40 would just be a bitchin trip, but it aint so bad in my PT cruiser...

Note - I am not slamming the Lyr, other high end amps or the people who love them, I've had a couple in my head-fi career (Mister X Dynalo and a Headroom UDA, a couple of Apogee Duets, my Peachtree Nova, maybe others I have forgotten...).  I just strenuously disagree that an amp of this level is required to enjoy the MD.  I certainly don't have one.  Currently using an iBasso PB2, which has bit of power, but is a modestly priced portable amp.  I started out with a Pico Slim, as it is what I had at the time, and while it ran out of power just before ear damaging levels, it was definitely "OK" with the MD's.

OK, soapbox over.

I noticed a great variance in bass quality moving from amp to amp .... even just changing tubes in the Lyr.  May I suggest the pair you heard had a problem further back in the sound chain ....  (source material, dac, amp, etc)

Hey, I was wondering if anyone with a good knowledge of the interplay between amp "stats" and the md's could give me an opinion about how well they should be working?

That's from my Hifiman EF2A. I just received my MD's yesterday from a fellow forum goer, but...they don't sound all that great to me. Actually, I think I like my DT770's (80ohm) more. Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe I've just developed a...taste for the sound of the 770's, but after seeing people compare the mad dogs to such high quality can's, it makes me think something must be wrong in my setup; and obviously, after reading through this thread more and more, I think it might be the amp. This close to buying gifts for Christmas, the MD's gave my piggy bank a pretty good shake down, but I'm thinking about adding in a Schiit Magni after funding becomes available. Would it be a worthwhile step up?