[Intrigue]

What is your favorite amp (power, integrated, pre, receiver....) with an excellent headphone output?
Someone mentioned Fisher 400, Marantz 2250B......
Your pick would be? (year, brand, model, price...)

 

[mkmelt]

Favorite vintage amplifiers for use with headphones:

Receiver (tube) - Fisher 400

Receiver (solid state) Marantz 2235B, also 2230 (any of the 22xx series receiver make good headphone amplifiers)

Integrated Amplifier (tube) - Dynaco SCA-35 (But only with high impedance phones such as HD-580/600)

Integrated Amplifier (solid state) - Marantz 1060, also 1070

Vintage amplifiers I would try if I had the room for more gear:

Scott 222 or or 299 series (tube) integrated amplifier

 

[00940]

once modded, boyelroy reported good results with an harman kardon 930

 

[tmesis]

Sort of as a follow-up from another thread...

Many of the above seem to be going for budget prices on various auction sites. Would they satisfactorily drive high impedance phones like HD580/600s?

Also, I understand that vintage Marantz units have oxidation issues? Any thoughts on the above models as home headphone amps?

I got struck with childhood nostalgia when I saw a photo of a Marantz tuner...

 

[john_jcb]

I have a Fisher X-202-B Amp and it has a very good headphone out. When using the HD-600s I can only turn it up to 2 out of 10.

 

[mkmelt]

Would they satisfactorily drive high impedance phones like HD580/600s?

Yes, all of the units I noted work especially well with high impedance phones such as the Sennheiser HD-580 and HD-600

Also, I understand that vintage Marantz units have oxidation issues?

Not sure what you mean by this. All vintage gear can benefit from having the controls and switches cleaned and lubricated.

Any thoughts on the above models as home headphone amps?

I use my Fisher 400, Dynaco SCA-35, Marantz 1060, 1070, 2235B and 2230 units with Sennheiser HD-600 headphones. While they each sound a little different, they all provide some very fine sound.

 

[Jonny Quest]

I have a marantz 1060 and a pair of HD600's also. I think it sounds great.

 

[hottyson]

Could you describe the sound of your receiver headphone out compared to the sound of a headphone amp like a meta?

 

[mkmelt]

If you want more information about the sound of a particular combo, please be more specific as to headphone and amplifier or receiver.

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally posted by mkmelt please be more specific as to headphone and amplifier or receiver.

Beyerdynamic DT-880 / Marantz 22XX
vs
Beyerdynamic DT-880 / Meta or PPA

How is that?

 

[mkmelt]

I have only heard the DT-880 phones connected to a Supra tube amplifier. With this amplifier, I liked the sound of the Senn HD-600 much better.

The one time I auditioned a Meta with my Senn HD-600, the Meta was not able to reproduce much bass. The Meta may have needed fresh batteries, so I can't be sure this was not the problem.

The Marantz 22xx series receivers do not all sound the same. The earlier models (generally ending in '0') use a quasi-complimentary amplifier design that uses coupling capacitors in the output stage. Most of my experience comes from listening to the model 2230 receiver which shares this same type of quasi-comp amplifier design with the model 1060 integrated amplifier. I have used this combination with Senn HD-600 and Koss Pro-4AAT phones (both high impedance phones) with very good results. The amplifier is highly detailed with very good sound stage and ambient information. The very lowest bass (below 40Hz) is slightly rolled off due to the coupling capacitors, but the sound is so clean I am willing to give up some low end response for what is otherwise a great sounding amplifier.

The later 22xx receivers, generally ending in '5', use a different amplifier design. This is a true complimentary amplifier with direct-coupled outputs (no coupling caps in the output stage). My 2235B receiver is this type, and has more extended deep bass than the earlier 2230 and 1060 integrated. The sound of this receiver is also smoother overall than the 2230 and 1060. The 2235B receiver offers very non fatiguing listening, however this model is not as good at revealing detail as the earlier components I noted.

The model 2226 and several other later 22xx receivers use yet another amplifier design, this one employing MOSFET output transistors. MOSFET transistor amplifiers are known for their smooth, tube-like sound. However, many types of MOSFET transistors are no longer manufactured and replacements can be difficult to find if your amplifier or receiver needs repair.

All of the vintage Marantz 22xx series receivers and 10xx integrated amplifiers work well with high impedance phones, so the Beyer DT-880 should work well with any of these components.

 

[ppl]

I used to have a 2250B prior to it getting stolen and it was Direct coupled and Complimentry output stage. Like all receivers of the past the Headphone output is nothing more than a pair of resistors off the Power Amps output. Most of these resistors are from 150-470 ohms and so any headphone you connect to them are going to have frequency response deviations that mimic the Headphone's impedance curve. The lower impedance headphones will produce more frequency Peaks and valley's than Higher impedance phones. One of the reasons i made my first Dedicated headphone amp while in High School was i did not like the sound of my then Koss PRO-4AA's out of any receivers Jack of that era. what these receivers did give is substantial output swing potential so dynamics were good however for quality I just could not get into headphones with just a Receiver or Preamp of that era. so I made a dedicated Tubed Headphone amp based around some old radio Tubes and this made quite a big difference.

It is true that since these old Receivers are Built alot better than the ones made now and also since thay are available dirt cheep you can get quite a bang for the Buck however the Primarry reason to seek out one of thes old Gem's is for the Phono section and FM Tunner both of these are not given much thought now days. The Power Amp sections in some of these units were quite good but still lacking compaired to good High end Amps. the power supply's were also alott better then. Kind of silly to look inside a new AV Receiver claiming 100 watts X4 and see a power transformer you can hold in one hand and Capacitors that normaly would be used in a good 10 watt amp.

 

[hottyson]

PLL,
Thank you very much for your post. It was VERY informative and exactly the details that I was looking for.