[davidmiya]

Just for the record:

The PPA (Ppl's Portable Amp) has been recommended. Hopefully a review or two will come out on this soon

 

[agile_one]

I was in similar situation as you, and opted for the Corda Prehead. Meier Audio is first class outfit to deal with, and Jan and Alex are the best for personalized service.

As I type I am listening to some jazz vocals (Patricia Barber, Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones ...) on er 4S's through a very nice META42 Home, and it sounds great. I also have Senn HD600's that sound great with the same setup. Sources range from Nex II mp3 to Laptop with Xitel HIFi link to a Krell kav 250CD player - admittedly quite a wide range.

I actually use the Senn 600's most, but the er 4S's are new, so I am familiarizing myself a bit.

My Prehead should arrive in a week or so, and I am anxious to do some a/b'ing with the META using both my Senn 600's and the er 4S's. Lots of fun ahead. I will be happy to let you know my impressions if you can hold off that long. If not, I don't think you can go too far wrong with the Prehead. Important features for me besides the given of great sound were the multiple inputs, and the pre-amp capability. I will be taking advantage of both.

Happy evaluating ... just remember, it's about the sound.

Gene

 

[davidmiya]

When you do get the Pre-head, would you post a few comments about the bass-extension/response as well as the crossfeed?

 

[Vertigo-1]

Quote:

Originally posted by tanfenton Why do you think that the veil is an amplification problem? Are you prepared to find that it might not be? NGF

Listen to this man. It's been said not even the Blockhead gets rid of the "veil".

 

[davidmiya]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 Listen to this man. It's been said not even the Blockhead gets rid of the "veil".

I suppose if you were to put things in perspective, I totally believe that the veil will never totally go away no matter how hard you try.

However, I do believe that there are varying degrees of "the veil." If you thought of the Blockhead as a light mist, my Meta42 would probably be a dense fog. It's all relative

 

[dvr]

I think looking for the "final amp purchase" is the wrong goal. I'd focus on finding a good deal on something used that you think you would be able to resell in a few months/weeks without losing much money.

If you see one of the amps on your list up for sale for a price that's below average, jump on it. If you don't like it, you resell it and try something else. If you can sell it for the same price, you will have rented a top-grade amp for a few months for only the cost of shipping & paypal.

By the way, I think Kelly's Prehead is up for sale now. I don't ever remember seeing one of those up for sale. Might be a good buy.

p.s. Nothing gets rid of the veil.

 

[grinch]

Quote:

Originally posted by tanfenton Why do you think that the veil is an amplification problem? Are you prepared to find that it might not be?

you don't know what you're talking about. the blockhead makes the veil only a half inch thick! it's truly incredible.

 

[davidmiya]

Quote:

Originally posted by dvr I think looking for the "final amp purchase" is the wrong goal. I'd focus on finding a good deal on something used that you think you would be able to resell in a few months/weeks without losing much money.

I tend to agree it's always nice to upgrade as often as you can without losing much money. However, I believe that upgrading is only half the story. See, there comes a point where improvements for the same amount of expenditure can be measured in mere fractions of a percent. For example, once you hit Gilmore v2 or PPA, then the competition gets you a measley few percent increase in sound quality for many hundreds more.

The principle behind getting a "final amp" would amount to pegging this upper limit for diminishing returns. Yes, you sacrifice the last few percent, but you save yourself a bundle and relieve yourself from the upgraditis that many of us here at Head-Fi suffer from.

I believe that it's a win/win situation. Of course, that's open to debate.

 

[davidmiya]

As a sidenote, I'm kinda scared to get a tube amp for fear of getting stuck in upgraditus. Upgrade tubes are always coming out. And I don't want to have to audition them or risk the urge to buy them. I know certain tubes sound great, but it's all about the temptation...

 

[dvr]

Quote:

Originally posted by davidmiya The principle behind getting a "final amp" would amount to pegging this upper limit for diminishing returns. Yes, you sacrifice the last few percent, but you save yourself a bundle and relieve yourself from the upgraditis that many of us here at Head-Fi suffer from.

Most of the people around here who buy and sell amps regularly aren't necessarily upgrading -- they're just trying something new. It's part of the hobby. They find a new headphone that interests them, then they need a different amp to achieve the sound they're after. And some people just grow tired of their current sound, regardless of the quality. (Think of Billy Joel cheating on Christy Brinkley. Think he found someone better?)

Most people who start this hobby do so with the idea they'll build the ideal system and leave it alone, but I rarely see this happen. If you search through the archives, you'll see posts from some of the site's most active participants where they say "my system is perfect, I'm not changing a thing", then you check their profile and find that not a single piece of that old system remains.

Also, the hard part about choosing an amp isn't picking the point to diminishing returns -- it's choosing the right personality. The RKV, ZOTL, and Prehead are all very good amps but sound very different. If you haven't owned a high-end amp, you might need to live with one for a while before you have a good sense of your tastes.

So my advice is "plan for change", because if you're like most people on this site, it's going to happen.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by davidmiya First off, I would say that I'm looking for an amp that fulfills the following criterion (or at least of them): 1) Has a decently large headstage/soundstage 2) Has decent amount of clarity and detail 3) Is musical, but doesn't sacrifice too much detail 4) Will rid my HD600's of that veil... 5) Is non-fatiguing.

If you could find a used (2001 or later) HeadRoom Maxed Out Home, you'd probably be very happy

(You could get a new one, but that would be a bit over your budget.) The best amps I've ever heard with the HD 600 are the Max and BlockHead, and although the MOH isn't the same, it's close enough for many people, and it does sound great with the HD 600.

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally posted by MacDEF If you could find a used (2001 or later) HeadRoom Maxed Out Home, you'd probably be very happy (You could get a new one, but that would be a bit over your budget.) The best amps I've ever heard with the HD 600 are the Max and BlockHead, and although the MOH isn't the same, it's close enough for many people, and it does sound great with the HD 600.

Got to second that!
I've tried a few amps, but end up sticking with my Headroom MOH / Sennhiser 600 / Cardas Cable set up.
I'd hunt for a used one if I were you.

 

[kartik]

How about something that looks like this!
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...t=philly+audio

 

[coho66]

i have a MOHR with stepped attenuators paired with senny 600's and an equinox cable....i can vouch that i very much enjoy listening to it and NEVER get fatigue...either audibly or physically. In fact i often grumble when i have to turn it off.

i will admit though i am interested in hearing a Prehead, HR2, and
Carlos Modded Headmaster with the rest of my gear; just for comparison/experience sake to see how well they component match instead. problem is i have no way of doing it without buying them and seeing as i'm currently in school that makes it hard to do.

 

[carlo]

david,

Number 1 on your list messes this up, but closest is the HA-2. I am of the opinion that the Sennheiser HD600 isn't good enough to show the amp's greatness. The Meier will, however, make the HD600 sound good.

Crossfeed on the HA-2 is interesting. When listening to "stereo" mixed originally in mono, there's more fill and guitars sound somewhat realer. I like the kinda on option most. The crossfeed on The Headroom Max w/ stepped attenuator sounded like a tube effects switch - warmer, fuzzier, doesn't sound as good as tubes. I personally think the Max is too good for it, and I would have hated it with the HA-2. I think the Meier crossfeed is pretty good.

HA-2 excels is the midbass and tonality, never too much or too little. Little cold at times. Since it is fast, clean, and punchy in the midbass, the deep bass just doesn't need to slow it down. HD600 accentuates the bottom and has a thick middle: I think you'll get the deep bass you want and it will be balanced with the rest of the spectrum.

Depending on what "decently large headstage/soundstage," know the Meier can't throw sounds real far; instead, it just layers instruments relative to one other in a close area. If big soundstage is your top priority, you need to make a new list - I'd guess the RKV would be on top, based on its reputation.