[pirate]

The more I read about headphone amplifiers between $300-400, the more confused I become. Apparently this is a great entry point for a great amplifier, but all the amplifiers I'm looking at have their following, and each following seems to agree that their amplifier is a good buy. I am planning to get a pair of Sennheiser HD600 or 650s and am not sure whether or not I would prefer a SS or a tube amplifier (as I have not heard either). I would, however, like to buy an amplifier I would be able to enjoy for several years (wouldnt everyone?). The amplifiers I'm currently looking at are:

Perreaux SXH1 $300 (considering)
X-Can V3 $400
PPA $450-600 (considering)
Rega Ear $250
Singlepower PPX3 $400 (considering)
X-Can V2 Modded $??? (previously considering but can't find a V2 for sale even unmodded, ones on audiogon seem to last about 2 minutes max)
Maxed Meta42/Pimeta $200?

I know there have been many threads before on comparisons between these amplifiers but I found rather confusing. I know there are no definite answers, so maybe just throw in your vote and voice another opinion. If cost can be saved in getting a almost just as good amplifier for a cheaper price, I might opt for that so that would be a factor as well.

In addition, can anyone give a comparison between the different PPA makers including headsave, jmt, doobooloo, voodoochile, MisterX, larocce (sp), etc or at least a link to one

 

[bootman]

Source?

If you have a subpar source then a high end amp/phone combo might make you unhappy.

The Senns are easy to drive so anyone of your choices will work fine.

I've owned the xcan v2 and they did sound good with the 580s but not with any other cans.
The X3 looks promising and recently received a thumbs up in stereophile.
(for what its worth)

I have a maxed out meta which is ok with portable sources but it is really no match for a highend home amp.

From your list I would narrow down my choice to the singlepower amp.

I have heard some singlepower amps before (MPX3 and CPX3) and was very impressed.
I have little doubt that the PPX3 would be a killer buy for $400.

The SXH-1 has also received good reviews here but to be fair I have yet to hear one.

 

[pirate]

Yeah about the source... for now it will be from a subpar source... an Audiophase PCDP. SIKE, but it is a not so great source, the Pioneer DV-563A-S player, as I'd like to try out SACD for a change, and this is somewhat of an upgrade from my SD-SG11. I know I know, it's overkill for such a mediocre source, but I WILL upgrade the source in the future, but I don't exactly want to buy a whole lot of mediocre equipment knowing that I'd be upgrading every single piece. As the source is the most important (and most expensive) piece of the puzzle, I was thinking of settling for a mediocre one first, then upgrading just that one part as to avoid even more debt than upgrading everything again. The Pioneer won't sound... that bad... will it? It sells for $160-170 everywhere, but I can get a discount for it for $135, which I'm going to go for although I was previous looking at the Philips 963SA, but realized "Hey, I'm going to upgrade this anyways, lets go for something more in my budget." If/When I upgrade, I'll just switch it down for my dad to use as a better DVD player. So... I'm trying to find an amplifier I won't feel totally bummed about using for a couple years (hopefully) and a great pair of headphones (maybe the HD600... just to save money in the meantime) and these would probably eventually coerce me into buying a more expensive source

On the other hand, I could always settle for a maxed out meta42, but I think you all know what happens when you think about upgrading...

As far as the voting goes, it seems like it's dead heat between the Singlepower PPX and the increasingly popular PPA. Anyone have experience with both care to share their opinions?

BTW I'm a high school student making barely ~$400 a month while paying my dad $180 a month for crashing his car

with pretty much nothing saved up, so suggesting an excellent $1000 source (which is probably very good!!) for right now won't be doing me any favors. Don't forget high school expenses... you know what I'm talking about... cigarettes, alcohol, flowers, movie tickets, dates, etc as well as the occasional miscellaneous. The faster I shell out for a great audio system, the less I'll spend in the meantime. ($400 => $13 in one week, with only a $60 jacket to show for it)

 

[kentamcolin]

Where is the MG Head OTL?? With Senn HD600 or 650 this one should definitely be on your short list, especially since for your budget you could get a nice used one with great tubes and have cash left over to upgrade your HP cable.

 

[lan]

What type of sound are you looking for? Maybe somebody can make a better judgement on which amp is best for you then.

 

[PinkFloyd]

None of them, my money would be on the Chiarra / andante without a shadow of a doubt

 

[pirate]

I'm not sure I can really describe what kind of "sound" I like, but I can tell you the lower end headphones I have and which ones I like and don't like.

V6 w/ Beyers - don't like ("fatiguing maybe? didn't enjoy very much"), good detail but sounded just like another pair of headphones
Sony Eggo D66sl - liked a lot at first, then when borrowing from a friend found them to be a lacking in detail
PX200 - disliked the bass
KSC-35 - good but lacking detail
ER-6 - lacking some "umph" in the music and comfort, sounded boring
Sennheiser HD280 - awesome, although possibly lacking any force at all, wish i still had a pair
Alessandro MS1 w/ senn pads - great, reminds me of the HD280 but with more power behind the notes, but no soundstage as well

I don't know how much this will help at all, but there it is.

 

[bozebuttons]

I have listened to a jmt ppa,larocca ppa and ppx3 in my own system for a couple of weeks. I liked the ppas, the larocca being the better of the two.
But the amp I liked the most was the
PPx3, it stayed the longest in my system.
Headphone I used that seemed to work well with all 3 amps was the Grado RS1s.
I no longer own the senn 600s & will eventually pickup the 650s ,so I can't tell you how they would sound with senns.
The PPx3 is a bargin for the price and it felt right at home in my referance system.
Sony9000es/Mark levinson 360s dac combo.

 

[pirate]

leaning towards the Singlepower PPX3 now, where would I go about getting one of these? Also, how does the Chiarra compare? I think the Chiarra by Pinkfloyd is one of the most passively beautiful amps I've seen... on the other hand the PPX3 is recieving praise like no other

Haven't heard much about the Perreaux SXH1 or X-CAN v3 in comparison

 

[OakIris]

If you are interested in the Singlepower PPX3, send an email to Mikhail - info@singlepower.com He will answer all questions; he's very knowledgeable and makes a great amp. He doesn't have a Web site as yet, so email is the best way to contact him.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

.

 

[sacd lover]

An excellent condition gilmore v1 or v2 along with the singlepower ppx3 would be my choices. Especially the gilmores if you need your headamp to double as a preamp.

 

[pirate]

How does the Chiarra compare? Looks beautiful

 

[purk]

On my system, the PPA betters the Perreaux by a good margin. The difference between the Perreaux to the PPA is significant less than the Perreaux to the Maxed Out Meta42 though.


Purk

 

[AIM9x]

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=55222