Would like to apply. :) Location - Mumbai (bandra) Headphones - Sennheiser HD650, Yamaha YH-100, Yamaha HP-2, Coolermaster Pulse-R, IEMs - RHA MA350i, Audio Technica Sports3, Soundmagic ES18 Portable source - Xaiomi Mi3, Sandisk Fuze Reviews...

Hi, I use an Ibasso P3+. Ibasso has a newer P4 which is much more powerful. Its availabe for $250 + shipping. They ship via UPS.   The P3+ is a very nice amp and I preferred the upgraded version (different OPAMPs) to a Pico Slim I tried. However a Pico Slim was substantially smaller.

From someone who uses a Portable amp almost daily I would think this really doesn't need an amp but if you really want that last 10% increase in SQ its worth trying a good quality portable amp like the Ibasso P4 or a nice RSA amp.   The E7 is not a great amp and frankly I doubt it will...

For me its got to be a dbel84 modded YH-100. Beautiful treble and midrange and really fast footed bass. That I managed to find one for $250 + shipping to India made this a freaking steal !!! Tried the Thunderpants as well but I prefer the more revealing YH-100s.   Only problem is that its 20...

^^ The MS II is a DAC and not a headphone amp. However for a relatively easy to drive headphone like the HD598 an amp isnt really required.   The MS II is available on Amazon.com   About your second query I haven't heard anything in that price range so I cannot comment.  ...

^^ Well the lyr is a tube hybrid rather than a pure tube amp like the Valhalla. For instance I have an EHHA which is also a tube hybrid but frankly it sounds very much like a solid state amp rather than have that 'tubey sound'   I don't have much experience with amps so I cannot comment much.

If you can stretch till $149 I would suggest the Music Streamer II (MS II for short). I have the E10 and the MS II and while the E10 has a far more powerful amp that can drive even my orthos, the MS II is simply better in practically all aspects with soundstage being the most noticeable...

Honestly as much as I love the HD650s. ( They were my first real cans and I still love them even now) I still don't think they do classical too well.   The rolled off treble is probably to blame but I didn't find that I particularly liked its classical performance.   An amplifier will...

Hey I had a HD600 in my home for around a week and I did quite a bit of testing with it. Comparing the sound directly out of my mobile phone (no amp whatsoever) and then connecting it to my desktop setup (Music Streamer II DAC --> EHHA tube hybrid amp) I did not detect a terribly huge...

I would suggest a Music Streamer II DAC. Its a slightly bright DAC that goes well with the slightly laid back signature of the HD650.   The amp I use is a DIY Cavali Audio EHHA amp. The problem is thats a DIY amp so you either have to have the skills to build it or buy it from someone who...

^^ Both are pure amps.   @OP - I have tried a Fiio E10 and it was pretty good. Its not as good as the $149 Music Streamer II (pure DAC) but it has a smoother midrange and it can drive any headphone you throw at it without any problem. It costs just $80 including shipping so its pretty well...

You know I always thought that using a headphone amp makes a night and day difference and after reading this thread I did a quick AB test of running my Sennheiser HD650 straight out of my phone and then connecting them to a Music Streamer --> EHHA amp and you know what ? There wasn't that huge a...

I have used a fair share of budget amps and while they are good, they simply cannot compete with a more expensive amplifier. I have an Audio GD Compass and that can drive everything I throw at it including inefficient orthodynamics.   However the same headphones and source sound noticeably...

Received my pair today and I have to admit my impressions kinda mirror yours down to the T. I had a hard time getting them out of the box and looking at the cables I frowned. However on first listening I became awed by their sound and I kinda stopped what I was doing. I faintly remembered seeing...

Yes, the HD650 can really wow you when you upgrade to better stuff. :D The worst part is that it scales even better with better gear so if you buy a better DAC/AMP it will sound even better. Bad for the wallet. :P

If you stayed in the US I would have definitely said go for the Valhalla but since you are in Brazil chances are shipping will be equally expensive with both the Valhalla and the Little Dot. From reading peoples opinion both companies have good customer service. The biggest drawback of the...

Quote: Not sure about that but IMO at this price point considering the quality of source, amp and IEM it doesn't make sense to pay so much for what will definitely be a very small increment in the sound.   Getting an amp for an Ipod is recommended as most Ipods I have heard give a...

Location:  Bombay, India   Portable Sources: Sansa Fuze, BlackBerry 8330,   Desktop Sources: Musicstreamer II   Portable Amps: Ibasso P3+   IEMs I own: RE1, RE262, Microsonics Epic X, Brainwavz M3, Sherwood SE-777,   Headphones I own: Sennheiser HD650, Yamaha YH-100 orthodynamic

^^ No its a tube hybrid so it can work very well with low impedance stuff.        

The Indeed *might* power your K701. However the E9 *will* power your K701 decently as it is designed to offer loads of current for low impedance headphones like the K701 and its well within your budget to boot. :)   While I dunno the technical differences, basically tube amps come in many...

The D4 had approximately the same power output as my P3+ which was insufficient to drive most big cans. So that should be dropped off the list.   The D10/D12 is also in the same boat as it had similar power output as my P3+   The D6 is supposed to be able to drive the K701s but I dunno...

Depends on your budget.   You do get some well made Tube hybrid and Tube OTL amps but a lot of them are badly made crap.   I have personally heard the $199 Maverick A1 and found it quite competent.   It wont beat my EHHA tube hybrid but for the price it could drive my demanding...

The K701 are inefficient low impeadance headphones. So you need portable amps that can provide sufficient current to drive them properly.   At the $300 budget I can think of only 2 amps that can possibly do that-   Ibasso P4+ (Can deliver 1000 mW + 1000 mW @ 32 ohms with the right OPAMP...

^^ Yes thats the nice way to describe the sound of the MS2 and I wouldn't disagree with you there. :)   But cables ? Ah lets not get into that.

Well I have the cheaper MS II DAC and all I can say is that I really love it. Better than my older udac 1 and compass DAC by a fair margin. I could barely differentiate between all my earlier budget DACs used - Hotaudio MKIV, Govibe DAC, uDAC 1 and Compass DAC. However the MS II is a noticeable...