[PAM005]

- Audiovalve RKV mkII
- Bryston BHA-1
- Linnenberg Audio SPA1
- Burson Soloist
- Nagra MPA with adapterbox
- Schitt Mjolnir (but this last one I did try at at friends place, I haven't owned it)
 
OK, a lot of US brands I haven't tried, but they aren't that widely available in Europe.

 

[LarsHP]

- Audiovalve RKV mkII
- Bryston BHA-1
- Linnenberg Audio SPA1
- Burson Soloist
- Nagra MPA with adapterbox
- Schitt Mjolnir (but this last one I did try at at friends place, I haven't owned it)

OK, a lot of US brands I haven't tried, but they aren't that widely available in Europe.

Did you get to hear any of these side-by-side?

Also, what is your impression of Soloist compared to EF-6?

 

[DutchGFX]

What would u say is the best amp for these under $1000. I have the 5Le and I have tried soloist and lyr and Emotiva. The soloist has the best tone, but not enough headroom. The Emotiva is much to warm. I would prefer a bit more analytical like the Soloist.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

What would u say is the best amp for these under $1000. I have the 5Le and I have tried soloist and lyr and Emotiva. The soloist has the best tone, but not enough headroom. The Emotiva is much to warm. I would prefer a bit more analytical like the Soloist.

 

  Maybe it's that gamma2 that's warm?
 
I got my F1 for $1K.  Then sent it to Nelson Pass to upgrade it to the F1J for $500.  Al together $1.5K.  However, you'll need some kind of pre amp.

 

[DutchGFX]

:blink:   Maybe it's that gamma2 that's warm?

I got my F1 for $1K.  Then sent it to Nelson Pass to upgrade it to the F1J for $500.  Al together $1.5K.  However, you'll need some kind of pre amp.

Truthfully, I would be very surprised if it was the gamma. Maybe I'll upgrade my DAC before selling all my amps and crap. Would that be a good plan?

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Truthfully, I would be very surprised if it was the gamma. Maybe I'll upgrade my DAC before selling all my amps and crap. Would that be a good plan?

That would most definitely be a good plan.  I didn't find the a-100 warm at all when I had it.  I found it just as neutral as the Schiit Mojo - I had them side by side at one point.  

 

[philo50]

Quote:

Did you get to hear any of these side-by-side?

Also, what is your impression of Soloist compared to EF-6?

I have both....the EF-6 is better than the Soloist in driving the HE-6,HD-800 and T1....not so big a difference with my LCD-2.2....and the Soloist is not a slouch with any of them.....

 

[preproman]

Quote:

I have both....the EF-6 is better than the Soloist in driving the HE-6,HD-800 and T1....not so big a difference with my LCD-2.2....and the Soloist is not a slouch with any of them.....

 
 
How you like that Octave mk2?  I was thinking about getting the HEX..
 
Can you give a few impressions on it?  

 

[philo50]

Quote:

 
 
How you like that Octave mk2?  I was thinking about getting the HEX..
 
Can you give a few impressions on it?  

love the Octave mk2....have the usb version and it is the first dac I have owned that does not really benefit from my Audiophilleo2,sound is just as good if not better....dac is very resolving with a slight earthy and tubey  sound....extends well both up and down....its a keeper....I am straight headphones so the extras on the Hex are of no interest to me but I understand it is fantastic....

 

[preproman]

Quote:

love the Octave mk2....have the usb version and it is the first dac I have owned that does not really benefit from my Audiophilleo2,sound is just as good if not better....dac is very resolving with a slight earthy and tubey  sound....extends well both up and down....its a keeper....I am straight headphones so the extras on the Hex are of no interest to me but I understand it is fantastic....

 
 
Cool, the HEX should have the same house sound then.  I was worried about highs / treble roll off, and not being well extended.  You seem to think it is - Great.  
 
What extras?

 

[PAM005]

Quote:

Did you get to hear any of these side-by-side?

Also, what is your impression of Soloist compared to EF-6?

Agree with philo50. EF-6 is much better driving HE-6 than Soloist. It lacks power to drive HE-6 at it's best. And yes, i did have BHA-1, EF-6, SPA-1 (i still own) and intergrated amp at same time. BHA-1 has same problem as Soloist. It's not that powerfull to get full potential of HE-6. But in general it was a pretty good sound amp. But not for my taste...

 

[LarsHP]

Okay, I find the Soloist very capable with the HE-6, but thought it would be interesting to read how it fares in a direct comparison to the EF-6. I would expect a warmer tone for example. So, detailed impressions EF-6 vs. Soloist would be welcome.

Versus my Master-6 it sounds slightly less resolving and also slightly less warm in the mids. But in terms of bass and dynamics I don't hear anything suggesting it lacks the juice to drive it.

 

[potterma]

Quote:

That would most definitely be a good plan.  I didn't find the a-100 warm at all when I had it.  I found it just as neutral as the Schiit Mojo - I had them side by side at one point.  

 
Did you post any of your side-by-side impressions of the a-100 and Mjolnir?  Very interested in this comparison!  Love to hear your thoughts on how they stack up next to each other.

 

[preproman]

Sound wise I would take the a-100 over the Mojo with for HE-6.  It has more juice (it's a speaker amp).  It controls the bass better, the sound stage is more expansive.   For a headphone like the LCD-3 - I'll take the Mojo.  It's a better fit, plus the LCD-3 does not have a very high celling like the HE-6 so a headphone amp in this case would be better.
 
I have not heard the EF-6 or the Dark Star.  That being the case, I would not pick any "headphone amp" that I've heard over the a-100 for the HE-6.  Only other speaker amps.

 

[potterma]

Quote:

Sound wise I would take the a-100 over the Mojo with for HE-6.  It has more juice (it's a speaker amp).  It controls the bass better, the sound stage is more expansive.   For a headphone like the LCD-3 - I'll take the Mojo.  It's a better fit, plus the LCD-3 does not have a very high celling like the HE-6 so a headphone amp in this case would be better.
 
I have not heard the EF-6 or the Dark Star.  That being the case, I would not pick any "headphone amp" that I've heard over the a-100 for the HE-6.  Only other speaker amps.

Nice, thanks!  Now I'm really glad I went the A-100 route.  Should be in house by Wednesday, or so!