Preface: Nothing too technical here; just wanted to give my impression as someone that had to "downgrade" from the HE-400's recently and has tried dozens of full-sized cans. I have had these things only a week, but with my experience I can quickly tell what they are and can do. Setup/review: Did my standard headphone test I do with them all (it's low end focused, but that is a huge thing for me in headphones; also these track do have acoustic elements and I know EXACTLY how they should sound and will test the low-end limits of cans easy) and all...

I bought this after having the Schiit Asgard for a month with my HE-400's because I felt they were worthy of more power: I was spot on. I was very hesitant to dive into an amp twice the price that looked the same, but that tube/solid state combo, combined with the sheer power it delivers is nothing short of amazing.   I bought these exclusively for my HE-400's, but they should be a top amp for most high end headphones. The pre-amp function was a big seller for me as they turn my 2.1 computer system into something very unique.   Compared to...

The title is not exaggerated either, but of course to get the HE-400s to that level you need at least a decent DAC and a tube or hybrid amp like the Schiit Lyr to even hear what they truly can do. Otherwise most amps will will work just fine with them! I have tried them with my Schiit Asgard solid state amp for weeks, but felt they need more that 1watt per channel (the Lyr has 6!). The gain in sound quality is extreme enough for most people probably, but as you get to really appreciate these cans, you will want to get everything out of them...

First off, when I got this thing it was a lot bigger than I was expecting. This is a hefty unit that's built to last and gets hot but not too much.    Turning on the mini switch in the back results in white LED (very rare to see a white LED on electronics, this is a huge plus for me). The knob feels solid, textured, and encourages you to play with it!   I might mention this is the first time i've ever owned a proper amp, i'm coming from a Asus Essence ST with built-in headphone amp which doesn't hold a candle to to this. I am however still...

I have a feeling these are pretty amazing headphones, but they tell me the open design isn't for me, or at least not in that form (denons).

Good luck getting a perfect pair of these with a lasting amp. But an amazing buy and way loud enough for most situations.

I owned the HT Omega Claro Halo card a week before this, mostly for the headphone amp. I RMA'd it for this one and WOW am I glad I did. Even though they use the same hardware, the headphone amp on this one is at least twice as loud. It powers my cans almost as loud as I would want them too, it does a amazing job. This is a extremely good choice for headphones and replaces the need for more expensive equipment!