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Looking for first desktop amp. - Page 2

post #16 of 19
2/12/13 at 7:12am
Thread Starter 
Ya, JDS was one of the only ones I could find, they were actually the only company that came up wwhen I googled O2/ODAC.

Just for the sake of learning, would anyone care to explain to me the benefits of tube amps, and what exactly the tubes are used for? Im interested mainly because Id like to have a desktop tube amp like a Woo Audio WA6 or Schiit Lyr, maybe even a Woo Audio Firefly one of these days, should I decide to get some orthos.
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post #17 of 19
2/12/13 at 7:27am

Tubes are usually better than transistors in sound stage and 3D imaging.  All of the talk of warmth and smoothness is over exaggerated.  While that may be true in some cases, it's more of a function of the circuit and not the tubes themselves.  I have heard ice cold tube amps and syrupy transistor amps.  Tubes also have a little more liquid nature in the mids than transistors.  

 

If you want orthos, you'll want a hybrid tube amp or one with an output transformer.  OTL (output transformer-less) are best suited for high impedance headphones.  They struggle at times with low impedance headphones.  The Lyr, WA6, WA22, and EF5 are popular with orthos because they are hybrids or coupled with output transformers.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron94 View Post

Ya, JDS was one of the only ones I could find, they were actually the only company that came up wwhen I googled O2/ODAC.

Just for the sake of learning, would anyone care to explain to me the benefits of tube amps, and what exactly the tubes are used for? Im interested mainly because Id like to have a desktop tube amp like a Woo Audio WA6 or Schiit Lyr, maybe even a Woo Audio Firefly one of these days, should I decide to get some orthos.
Reply
post #18 of 19
2/12/13 at 8:03am

My 2 cents......take a look at this "starving student" amp for sale in these forums.  Trust me...you will be very happy with the sound of it.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/650018/fs-12au7-starving-student

 

--Dustin

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post #19 of 19
2/13/13 at 9:09am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the help guys, I think Im just gonna go with the M&M stack though. Seems like the most affordable option that includes both an amp and DAC that are both reliable, great sounding, and good looking. Should I decide to get some orthos Ill probably invest in a much nicer hybrid tube amp to power them.
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