[Orpheus]

there are many reasons to use the preamp between your headphone amp:

1. source selection (if you got a turntable or whatever)
2. optimum signal level to your headamp (yes, a signal can be too loud OR too soft for your headamp, no matter if it has a volume knob or not)
3. balance control (if your preamp has it)
4. using an effects unit, such as a crossfeed or eq, then being able to apply the effects to all your headphone amps at a centralized location
5. and if you believe in that kind of stuff, no degradation of the signal for your speaker amps or whatever, since you won't be going through the loops of your headamp
6. basic volume control: i have three headphone amps currently, and each performs better with different levels of input signal. thus, you need a preamp to tailor the signal level to each headamp.

there's plenty more reasons too...

anyway, back to the subject, the perreaux rocks.

 

[Sean H]

All good points and I can't argue with you.

So you like the Perreaux then? Sounds like it!! I still love this little amp. Do you find it has the ability of sounding rich, full and natural in presentation but also very detailed and clean? Good little amp.

 

[Stoney]

Quote:

and if you believe in that kind of stuff, no degradation of the signal for your speaker amps or whatever, since you won't be going through the loops of your headamp

Huh? Where did you get that? Suggests to me you aren't following the conversation very closely. Nobody suggested any loops.

Plus, your aside about "belief" tells me you may discount what others hear when it conflicts with your belief system. Listening tests -> working hypotheses -> more listening tests.... "Beliefs" (for OR against something) have nothing to do with it.

As for all the other reasons you list, some are specious, but you can do whatever you like. I only disagreed about your claims that were downright false or misleading, including that headamps are "designed" to go on the output of preamps, or that CD players can fry (or overload, as you reworded) headphone amps (assuming proper design... no, they don't). You haven't changed my mind.

 

[Orpheus]

Quote:

Huh? Where did you get that? Suggests to me you aren't following the conversation very closely. Nobody suggested any loops.

you were suggesting to use the parralleled outputs on the perreaux. i call those loop outputs. i dunno. maybe that's the wrong term. but anyway, you're suggesting to connect a preamp to the outputs of your perreaux. so, if you believe that routing signal through a preamp degrades sound quality, you also suggest that routing signal through your perreaux also degrades sound quality. so, i am saying that most people would probably prefer to run the headamp after the preamp, sharing the same signal that your power amplifiers get. this is rather than, in a way, treating your speaker setup as 2nd to your headphone setup.
Quote:

So you like the Perreaux then? Sounds like it!! I still love this little amp. Do you find it has the ability of sounding rich, full and natural in presentation but also very detailed and clean? Good little amp.

yes, i like it a lot. sure is refreshing to use it after all those tube amps. don't have to deal with noisy tubes... no tube rolling... no noise. it's great. my bro had a corda before, and it was the same way--dead silent. i love that--when you turn up any piece of equipment all the way and hear nothing. that is a big plus in my book.

sound-wise, you know me, i ain't the type to characterize amp sound or cable sound. however, i can say that this amp feels damn good. i trust the sound coming from it--and that's most important to me.

the only thing i have ever heard bad about this unit is the volume control. there is a report on the web somewhere about the difference in channel levels at 1/2-3/4 volume rotation i believe--the dude said that the channels are quite uneven, not just measurably so. i would change the pot, but there's no space in there, and the pot's mounted to the board. lame. would love to get a good alps pot or something in there. but other than that, it's the perfect amp. i wonder how it compares to the Grace.

 

[Stoney]

Quote:

you're suggesting to connect a preamp to the outputs of your perreaux.

Wrong.

Maybe you should stop drinking egg nog when you read head-fi.org. ;^)

 

[Orpheus]

sorry, forgot... you said "tape outs." anyway, my preamp doesn't have tape outs.

i tried egg nog latte at starbucks the other day. it kinda sucked. maybe it made me stupider.

but anyway, i still disagree with you. different headamps respond better at different input levels. i'll leave it at that then, since this thread ain't about wiring systems.

anyone wanna compare the grace to the perreaux?--i'd love to see that. or even a max or blockhead. ...i'd like to see more solid-state comparisons. but i have a hunch that even this "cheap" perreaux might still outperform its more expensive competitors.

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally posted by Orpheus anyone wanna compare the grace to the perreaux?--i'd love to see that. or even a max or blockhead. ...i'd like to see more solid-state comparisons. but i have a hunch that even this "cheap" perreaux might still outperform its more expensive competitors.

Well, that's what I have been saying all along, for months now. The amp simply performs like amps double it's price, easily. You aren't going to see many comparisons because people aren't willing to take a chance on it, what with the hum issues with some units and low impedance cans and simply for the fact there are a number of people here who won't give it the time of day just because it costs $350. I guarantee you if this amp retailed for $695 I could name ten particular individuals on this board who would "suddenly" give it some attention. The Perreaux does so much right for such an affordable price. I digress, I only whine like this because if only people knew... Glad you like it.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sean H Well, that's what I have been saying all along, for months now. The amp simply performs like amps double it's price, easily. You aren't going to see many comparisons because people aren't willing to take a chance on it, what with the hum issues with some units and low impedance cans and simply for the fact there are a number of people here who won't give it the time of day just because it costs $350. I guarantee you if this amp retailed for $695 I could name ten particular individuals on this board who would "suddenly" give it some attention. The Perreaux does so much right for such an affordable price. I digress, I only whine like this because if only people knew... Glad you like it.

I totally agree on that, what is weird is that people had tried the Grado RA-1, MGHead, same price amps, many people BTW, and just a few had taken the chance of seriously audition our Dinky Knob.......the hum was a past issue, and it was not the only one with problems, how many we had on the MGHead, even I know of at least 2 on the Emmelines, and about other few on the Gilmores, and people keep on buying them, why? Customer service? Nah!!!!Perreaux's is also very good, why then? IMO because all of them retails for the almost the double, well anyway Sean, we got it, we told them, we know what it is able to do, so if they are missing this little amp, was not becasue nobody told them, seriously I'm considering getting another one, as soon as i confirm that there is absolutelly no problems with the new ones.....

 

[Sean H]

Ah, well, we've influenced some I guess.

This is kind of interesting, the SXH-1 is going to be on Stefan Audio Art's "Recommended Components" list and a mini review is forthcoming!

http://stefanaudioart.com/RecommendedComponents.html

Obviously James Serdechny likes the amp!! I know he's a big fan of the HD600 and of course he makes his Equinox cable, I guess maybe he might say I'm doing something right with my system!

I'm going to email him and see what the deal is.

 

[Sovkiller]

I have not heard it paired with the HD600, but if sounds as with the CD3000, we gonna have a lot of thankful members in the HD600 hordes

 

[emelius]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sean H Ah, well, we've influenced some I guess. This is kind of interesting, the SXH-1 is going to be on Stefan Audio Art's "Recommended Components" list and a mini review is forthcoming! http://stefanaudioart.com/RecommendedComponents.html Obviously James Serdechny likes the amp!! I know he's a big fan of the HD600 and of course he makes his Equinox cable, I guess maybe he might say I'm doing something right with my system! I'm going to email him and see what the deal is.

i've been checkin' that site for 'bout 2 months now...someone might want to remind the guy

...he's updated the site a few times since originally puttin' that as well...

 

[Orpheus]

hmm.... i'm not as ecstatic anymore.

for a moment i thought i got a perfect amp--$1500 Grace performance for $350. but alas, it is not perfect:

i just tested it with some etymotic 4p's. 27 ohm impedance. and yup, the hum is there. it's annoying. also, at about 11:00-4:00 there is a small amount of hissing. probably just barely audible with any other headphones, but since the 4p's isolate so well, it is loud enough to cause concern. i also tried it with sony 888lp ear buds. not sure of the impedance, but it hums about the same amount. i also tried with sony 7506--and i'm not sure on the impedance. some places say 63, some say 30 or something like that. not sure what's correct. but i don't hear it with the 7506's, hd600's, and hd280's. just the ety's and ear buds. and it's loud enough to be too annoying when there's silence or near silence.

this is strange since audio advisor was supposed to fix this issue. i even talked to the tech after he did mine.

i am very dissappointed. i need to test further with grados... but maybe perhaps the grados aren't as sensitive as the ear buds and the ety's, and don't have the isolation, thus no one ever complained. i dunno. i did by the way test on 3 different outlets, with the inputs shorted as the tech instructed.

i need to find someone with grados or cd3000's to come over and test this unit.

 

[Sovkiller]

You know if this is the new version, or the same old one fixed? If is the old fixed one, I posted some time ago that the mod was not solving the problem, and in my particular case it even create one.
I think it will work from 32 ohms up, for very low impedances it shows that problem, but wait, it was on the old version, did you open the amp, if you do, please just check if it is revision 0.3 or 0.5, if it is 0.3, it is the old one fixed, just return it, and ask for the new one, if is the 0.5, they mess it up again and IMO, they do not have clue of what they are dealing with.....

 

[Orpheus]

it's a 0.3. and when i opened it, i found he changed out 4 resistors.

you mentioned you had the same thing done and it didn't work. did you trade it for a 0.5? is the problem totally fixed? what was that new problem it created?

i hope so... this would have been a wonderful amp if it weren't for that dang hum. incidentally, if it means anything, when i used the adapter changing the 4p to a 4s equivalent, the hum goes away. i think it's about 100ohms.

 

[Sovkiller]

I returned it for a refund, as they do not have the 0.5 at that time yet, read my first post and there is a copy of their email, just return it, and tell them you want the new revision 0.5 andthat Clinton told you that, that was what he told me....this should be silent....according to them....