I've been searching for integrated speaker amplifiers/integrated amps that doubles as a great headphone amp, and now I am the proud owner of two such pieces. There are other threads that have tried the same thing, but not all threads are easily found on this site - and I've tried to formulate the title of this thread in a way that is easily found.
THIS is the best list on head-fi so far. However, the user who started it hasn't been active for 2 years. I plan to integrate his list in this post in some way. Also see here , here, here and here
I'll contribute with the ones I've heard for a start. They are excellent headphone amplifiers.
TUBE AMPLIFIERS
SOLID STATE AMPLIFIERS
PREAMPLIFIERS
I intend to edit and update this post and include all good recommendations.
List editing in prosess...
THIS is the best list on head-fi so far. However, the user who started it hasn't been active for 2 years. I plan to integrate his list in this post in some way. Also see here , here, here and here
I'll contribute with the ones I've heard for a start. They are excellent headphone amplifiers.
TUBE AMPLIFIERS
- Leben CS-300 and CS-300XS - REF See massive coverage on head-fi
- Cary SLI-80 Signature - REF Cary Audio writes: "The headphone out of the SLI-80 due go through the whole tube circuit and are tapped off of the transformer outputs. After the transformers the signal passes through the headphone switch and then a couple of resistors, then to the headphone jack."
- VTL IT-85 REF
- Manley Stingray - Ref
- Luxman Tube SQ-38 REF
SOLID STATE AMPLIFIERS
- Creek 5350SE (and maybe also all Creek integrated amps?) - Creek Audio writes: "The headphone output on all our integrated amplifiers are supplied direct from the main amplifier stage via a large resistor."
- Lead Audio LA-200 REF
- Portal Panache - REF
- Lead Audio LA-200 REF
- Brinkmann Integrated Amplifier - REF
- Yamaha A-S2000 - REF
- NAD - REF
- Marantz 2385 Vintage REF
PREAMPLIFIERS
- Woo WA2
- Decaware CSP2
- Ray Samuels B52
- Cary Audio SLP03 REF
I intend to edit and update this post and include all good recommendations.
List editing in prosess...
- Leben CS600."As far as I know, THE best integrated amp I've heard yet that doubles as a headphone amp. You have to flick the switch on the front panel to have the amp work as a dedicated headphone amp, so that the sound is transmitted directly from the output transformers, no op-amp involved. Excellent tube-rolling possibilities, as it accepts EL-34, 6L6, KT-77, KT-88, 350B families of tubes. Less romantic than Cary, but clearer, pacier sound... but still has the liquid sound. Tape-out, Bass control, Mono switch"REF .
- Leben CS300 and CS300X. "The smaller sibling of the CS600. Made its reputation before CS600 as an excellent headphone amp. EL84-based. Puts out 15 wpc as opposed to 28-32 wpc of the CS600, so you definitely need sensitive speakers if you go with the CS300"REF
- Cary 300SEI . "Some prefer this amp to the Leben. Very hard to resist 300B tubes if you're a tube junkie, especially in single-ended config. If you're a chamber music listener, or solo vocals, you're in bliss. 15 wpc"REF REF2
- Cary SLI-80 (Mellow Triode, #22). Tube integrated amp, 40 wpc in triode, 80 wpc in pentode. 6550-based.
- Cary Xciter. Would love to hear this integrated amp, as it seems that Cary is really going for the youth market. Smart move. Uses 6L6 and KT-88. 5 wpc, so you should definitely pay special attention to speaker synergy. Interesting design as Cary opted for single-ended triode rather than push-pull topology.
- Opera Consonance Cyber-10 (TopPop, #2). Push-pull tube integrated amp, 2A3 tubes. 3 wpc.
- Moth Audio Si2A3 (Uncle Erik, #3). "3 wpc, tube rectified, 6SL7 pushing a pair of 2A3 into Electra-Print output transformers." Single-ended, Class A1, zero negative feedback.
- Portal Audio Panache (jonathanb715, #4). SS Integrated amp, 100 wpc into 8 ohms, 200 wpc into 4 ohms. Class AB. Dual mono design amp section. Headphone output path same as main output path.
- Marantz PM series integrated amplifiers (jonathanb715, #4).
- Glow Amp1 (Sherwood, #5). Single-ended pentode integrated amp, EL84-based. 5 wpc. Built-in DAC w/ USB input.
- Beta 22 (Sherwood, #5). "Can and should be" configured to drive loudspeakers.
- Sound Quest SQ-84 (SACD Lover, #9). Push-pull integrated amp, 6V6 tubes. 10 wpc; verson 2 puts out 15 wpc. Cap-coupled headphone amp, as builder believes cap-coupling sounds better than transformer-coupling with SQ-84.
- TEAC A-H500 (IceClass, #10). SS integrated amp. 50 wpc @ 8.5 ohms, 80 wpc @ 4.5 ohms.
- VTL IT-85 (Minimus, #11). Tube integrated amp. 60 wpc @ 8 ohms. EL-34 based. "Amplifier driven headphone output."
- Luxman SQ-N100 (Minimus, #11). Tube integrated amp. 12 wpc. EL-84 based. Built-in MM phono stage.
- AudioValve RKV Mark II (Old Pa, #13). Dual-mono, OTL design headphone amp. PCL 805/PCL 85 tube-based. "Screw terminals on the back for 3 watts RMS output."
- Audiolab 8000A (Milkweg, #15). SS integrated amp, 60 wpc. MM/MC phono input.
- Bottlehead S.E.X. kitDared MP7 (tako tsubo, #29). Tube integrated amp. 8 wpc. 6P3P. *tako tsubo recommends MP5, but it seems that MP5 is discontinued and MP7 is the latest reiteration.