[Dawgfish]

Actually tube amps and low impedance phones can be a great match provided the tube amp has an output transformer. The issue is most pure tube (not hybrid) headphone amps are output transformer-less (OTL) in design due to the high cost of a good output transformer. In the case of the OTL tube amps, they perform much better on higher impedance (150 ohms and over) and not so we'll on low impedance and low efficiency phones. This is exactly what you experienced driving your AFCs on the Little Dot Mk3.

I have an output transformer tube amp (a Primaluna Prologue 4 using KT120 power tubes for about 40 wpc) that I use in conjunction with a speaker connector to 4-pin XLR balanced adaptor to drive many low impedance phones. It drives everything I throw at it with authority and ease including the notoriously hard to drive Modhouse Argons. Granted it should with 40 wpc on tap! Lol! It sounds incredible driving the Aeon Flow Xs.

 

[roskodan]

If you are looking to increase the dynamics of the og Aeon Flow Closed, and want to stay solid state, get an amp with higher output impedance and good power at 32 Ohm and under, like the Audio-gd amps have. And, or, use PEQ.

 

[Daiyama]

Any of the Audio-gd amps? They have quite a variety of amps.
Thanks

 

[Sonic Defender]

If you are looking to increase the dynamics of the og Aeon Flow Closed, and want to stay solid state, get an amp with higher output impedance and good power at 32 Ohm and under, like the Audio-gd amps have. And, or, use PEQ.

Why would you want higher output impedance?

 

[Sonic Defender]

Any of the Audio-gd amps? They have quite a variety of amps.
Thanks

Depending on where you sit on the debate over measurements you may want to reconsider that. Audio-gd amps, the ones that have been measured over at Audiosciencereview measure poorly. The debate comes in where some people claim that they have this "special" sound and despite measuring poorly from a technical standpoint, that they sound good.

 

[Daiyama]

Ok, I was not aware of that. I will think about that.
May be I try it in amore general way. What should be the minimum power of an Amp to driver the AFC very well.

 

[roskodan]

Nothing to do with "some people" or "special" sound. It's about impulse response, dissipation of energy. Long story short, if a headphone sounds "edgy", it can be due to over damping. A higher output impedance will help in that regard by under damping the driver, resulting in a less "edgy" sound signature. And planar drivers won't suffer from the possible drawbacks of under damping like coil drivers, as long as the amp has enough current delivery. Basically the low impedance of the Aeon, will make it a "current driven" system, with just a relatively small increase in output impedance needed.

Long story here: "Musings on Headphone Amplifier Output Impedance".

One can make an output impedance adapter as well, and use it with any amp / headphone.

Or the best solution, use PEQ with any amp that can deliver good current at 13 Ohms. Per se or in addition to critical damping.

 

[Evshrug]

Thank you
Gary

My Spotify playlist for testing audio equipment, I know it is not Tidal but it has 20 hrs of some pretty amazing demanding tracks.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YgTnMSELTarWcQOBUQF33?si=lgHX8TnjS3qMmy_GQv8pUQ

Hey Gary!
I’d love to check out your playlist, but the link doesn’t work for me. Head-Fi even supports an embedded Spotify sample player:

Maybe it’s something to do with a Spotify region outside the US?

 

[roskodan]

Just bad link. Try this (same link, copy paste):

Looks like it's recognized now.
"open.spotify.com/playlist/3YgTnMSELTarWcQOBUQF33?si=lgHX8TnjS3qMmy_GQv8pUQ&nd=1"

 

[Metalingus]

I have rt version of this and it’s not bad. Use magni heresy, modi 3+. High gain 9-10 o clock. Portable design with 1W current needs, lol.

 

[roskodan]

The two versions are quite different. The original definitely needs a bump in the bass with PEQ. I actually preferred it over the new Aeon 2 Closed, because it was easier to EQ.

 

[Daiyama]

Frequency response is important but not all.
Where there no other advantages of the AF2C due to updated driver?
There is a steep slope between 6 and 8 kHz withe AFC. The AF2C looks much more even, nearly no EQ required......
Would be great if you also had the Noire in this comparison.

 

[roskodan]

Looks like it because it's not normalized, if you look from the 1kHz point to the 6kHz peak, it's roughly the same rise in dB. The major difference would be the A2C starts rising earlier from 1kHz up, has a 8kHz bump, and a bass shelf under 200Hz

 

[Sonic Defender]

Nothing to do with "some people" or "special" sound. It's about impulse response, dissipation of energy. Long story short, if a headphone sounds "hot", it can be due to over damping. A higher output impedance will help in that regard. And planar drivers won't suffer from the possible drawbacks like coil drivers, as long as the amp has enough current delivery. Basically the low impedance of the Aeon make it a "current driven" system.

Long story here: "Musings on Headphone Amplifier Output Impedance".

One can make an output impedance adapter as well, and use it with any amp / headphone.

Or the best solution, use PEQ with any amp that can deliver good current at 13 Ohms.

Yes, my bad, I had a big brain cramp and for whatever reason thought this was a dynamic driver, even though I knew that before. Anyway, my mistake.

 

[roskodan]

I rephrased it. Hopefully it's more clear now.

A higher output impedance will help in that regard by under damping the driver, resulting in a less "edgy" sound signature.