[MusicBuffed]

Hi, I'm a newbie here. ;P And I'm looking for the absolute best solid state headphone amp that doesn't distort or taint the signal coming from my fully upgraded Schiit Bifrost dac. I have heard that tube amps tend to colorize the sound coming from the dac, so that's why I have decided to get a solid state amp instead. All I really want is an amp that simply amplifies the analog signal and transfer the signal to my headphones (Sennheiser HD600, AKG Q701, and an ideal warm-sounding headphone i have yet to find) I would say my budget is about 500 dollars. And you guys can give me suggestions that may cost more than 500 but 1000 dollars MAX. Period. I'll consider bumping up my budget a little if i like it. Thanks and all opinions are welcome!

EDIT: I need a high-impedance amp because my sennheiser HD600 runs at 300ohms.

 

[jackwess]

Welcome to head-fi! 
 
My personal recommendation: 
The Soloist SL. Suited for low/high impedance headphones, is able to power your Sennhs and AKg with ease. Does a fine job with some planars as well. If on the US it can be found for $550-600. 

 

[MusicBuffed]

Wow! It looks very solid and seem like a top-notch amplifier. I have the NHT Classic Three. Can it be plugged into this amp? Or do i even need to?

 

[MusicBuffed]

Also, if the answer is yes, can i plug my speakers in full-time and if i ever feel like using headphones, automatically mute the speakers?

 

[jackwess]

Nope, this is only for headphone use. There's a version for powered monitors. 
 
In this case, you need a unit dedicated to power speakers. 

 

[Noobmachine]

Welcome to Head-Fi! From what I've heard from demos, the Soloist isn't dead neutral, it leans more to the warmer side, so if you're essentially looking for a clean amplified signal one of the best tried and true options would have to be the O2 amplifier. Very transparent, and relatively cheap, so it isn't too painful swallow the cost and upgrade in the future if you don't find the sound to your liking. Maybe the Asgard 2 perhaps?
 
Those are just options I've tried and demo'ed but some people have commented on the Headamp GS-X being a very good, neutral clean amp, essentially a "wire with gain". You could look into that.
 
The thing is that most people tend to enjoy the colouration that is inherent with using amplifiers, and match them to their headphones, and sound is so subjective in the first place, the best case scenario would be for you to try out some amps on your own and choose one
 
Hope this helps!

 

[cel4145]

Would like an amp that has output for your speaker amp? Look for something like the Schitt Agard 2 or Matrix M-Stage that has line outs or pre-amp outs that you an run to your speaker amp.

 

[Lorspeaker]

Sylvania tubes.... come on, a tube is what a can desires
 
 
or find a Lehmann BCL in the resale mkt.
 
 
or an audiogd amp..pick your poison here :
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Products-EN.htm

 

[MusicBuffed]

It seems the soloist sl is a pre amp, does it mean it can be connected to a speaker amp? Are there any speaker amps that you guys can suggest?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  It seems the soloist sl has a pre amp. Does it mean it can be connected to a speaker amp? Are there any speaker amps that you guys can suggest?

 
You need a dedicated power amp, not an integrated amp (has its own preamp stage), or an older integrated amp with external connections between its preamp and power amp (so you can disconnect and then hook up the SL's preamp output into its power amp input). Due to Class D tech as well as DAC-amp (including speaker amp) designs dedicated power amps haven't been popular lately save for monster high-end amps for huge tower speakers - the addition of preamps in headphone system electronics however is more for integrating into an existing audio system or for hooking up active monitors (speakers with amps built into the cabinets). Technically, using active monitors means you still get two potentiometers in the chain as they have a gain control of some type on them, but the idea here is to put the volume control within easier reach (also, those gain controls were designed with a preamp prior to them in mind anyway, as with studio consoles).
 
Here's an example of a stereo power amp: https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/upa-200 (NOTE: this thing is too large for a desktop system)

Here's an active monitor: https://emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/airmotiv-5s

 

[rasmushorn]

For the AKG and the Sennheiser HD600 I recommend any amplifier from Meier Audio. The Meier amps pair very well with the HD600 and they easily compete with much more expensive amplifiers. When I had the HD650 and K701 I could not find any other amplifier than the Concerto that was able to drive the HD650 to sound as good as it does with the Meier amplifier.

That was just my recommendation based on several years of meets and comparisons.

And welcome to head-fi - sorry about your wallet.

 

[MrTechAgent]

Go Violectric 

 

[MusicBuffed]

   
You need a dedicated power amp, not an integrated amp (has its own preamp stage), or an older integrated amp with external connections between its preamp and power amp (so you can disconnect and then hook up the SL's preamp output into its power amp input). Due to Class D tech as well as DAC-amp (including speaker amp) designs dedicated power amps haven't been popular lately save for monster high-end amps for huge tower speakers - the addition of preamps in headphone system electronics however is more for integrating into an existing audio system or for hooking up active monitors (speakers with amps built into the cabinets). Technically, using active monitors means you still get two potentiometers in the chain as they have a gain control of some type on them, but the idea here is to put the volume control within easier reach (also, those gain controls were designed with a preamp prior to them in mind anyway, as with studio consoles).
 
Here's an example of a stereo power amp: https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/upa-200 (NOTE: this thing is too large for a desktop system)

Here's an active monitor: https://emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/airmotiv-5s

So essentially an external audio setup in my case would be: External Dac -> Headphone Amp -> Headphones  OR
                                                                                                External dac -> Headphone Amp -> Stereo Power Amp -> Subwoofer -> Speakers
If that's the case, is the xpa-200 from emotiva good enough? Because the specs seem to match: My NHT Classic Threes run at a peak power of 150 watts and has an impedance of 8 ohms.   

 

[cel4145]

Yes. The XPA-200 is very good for the money. Depending on the setup (how far away you are sitting) and how loud you like them, the Emotiva mini-x a-100

 

[Rhamnetin]

Here's another one worth looking into:
 
http://audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/C-2Class%20A/C2classAEN.htm