[Arash]

I recently bought a pair of AKG k612 headphones. I'm thinking of buying an amplifier since sometimes the max volume on my laptop isn't quite enough. I found a few threads on this issue already but they were a few years old and some of the amp recommendations aren't available for purchase anymore, and also there have been some new amps since.
The two amps I'm thinking of are Hifiman EF2A (also includes DAC) and Schiit Magni 3+. I've read in a few comments that EF2A matches well with AKG k612 sound-wise, but I could find it only on ebay, secondhand, for about 100 euros. The price for Magni 3+ is 135 euros at the moment. If buying Magni 3+, I'm thinking of trying to use it without a separate DAC, unless I hear distortions (I'm not quite sure whether a separate DAC is needed).
If anyone has any recommendations for a good amp for AKG k612 (between the two above, or something else), that would be very appreciated. Thanks!

 

[PurpleAngel]

I'm not knowledgeable about the Hifiman EF2A.
With something like the Schiit Magni, you can always add a DAC at a later date.

 

[Arash]

I'm not knowledgeable about the Hifiman EF2A.
With something like the Schiit Magni, you can always add a DAC at a latter date.

Yeah, if I get the Magni, I'll buy it initially without also an external DAC to see how it sounds.

 

[Joe Garfield]

The Magni is a great little amp. It’s probably the last solid state amp I will buy. However for AKG I recommend the Vali 2. I have the K712 and AKG is a bright headphone. I actually pulled out all 4 of my DACs and 3 amplfiers last night and decided which pairings I like best. AKG paired best with warmer DACs and amps. The Vali 2‘s tube opened up the sound stage even more, smoothed out the treble, and made the sound more liquid and lifelike to my ears. It’s not much more expensive than the Magni and it’s totally worth it in my opinion.

It’s nice being able to independently change amps and DACs. The Modi Multibit DAC is phenomenal and probably the last DAC I will buy. It’s warm, open, smooth, and again pairs great with AKG.

 

[Arash]

The Magni is a great little amp. It’s probably the last solid state amp I will buy. However for AKG I recommend the Vali 2. I have the K712 and AKG is a bright headphone. I actually pulled out all 4 of my DACs and 3 amplfiers last night and decided which pairings I like best. AKG paired best with warmer DACs and amps. The Vali 2‘s tube opened up the sound stage even more, smoothed out the treble, and made the sound more liquid and lifelike to my ears. It’s not much more expensive than the Magni and it’s totally worth it in my opinion.

It’s nice being able to independently change amps and DACs. The Modi Multibit DAC is phenomenal and probably the last DAC I will buy. It’s warm, open, smooth, and again pairs great with AKG.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Vali 2 was another amp I was actually thinking about today. It seems like tube amps are perhaps a better choice for my AKG; another amp I have seen recommended in this forum for AKG is ef2a which is also a tube amp.

 

[Joe Garfield]

I personally think tube amps are a better choice for everything, but that’s subjective opinion. The nice thing about Vali is that it’s tube hybrid and the particular design is not very ‘tube sounding.’ It’s like it uses just enough of the tube benefits to smooth out the digital artifacts without allowing the tube to color the sound too much. I feel that it adds a lifelike and natural tone to things like violins and string instruments, and still works great with electronic music where it adds dimension without slowing things down. Some people who love tube amps say Vali sounds too much like solid state. But if you’re looking for one amplifier that works with everything, I think that complaint becomes a compliment.

 

[Arash]

I'm looking further into Vali 2. It seems like people changing the tube after purchasing the amp is not uncommon. Does the tube make a big difference, and should I be looking into also buying and trying out different tubes if I buy Vali 2? (I understand it's part of the fun with tube amps)

 

[Joe Garfield]

There are different thoughts to this. My suggestion is to treat the Vali as if it were a solid state amp for now, and save money for a good DAC.

The Vali has a tube, and changing the tube does change the sound to a certain degree. If you like to tinker, experiment, or optimize things then you might want to try different tubes. But my recommendation for Vali was based on the stock configuration (stock tube.) It's not a bad tube, just give it 2 weeks to warm up.

My experience: side by side, the Vali with stock tube sounded more natural, fuller, and slightly more 3 dimensional than Magni. I eventually changed tubes to a highly recommended but relatively affordable Amperex (Dutch) tube. When listening to Hillary Hahn's Mozart violin sonatas with piano accompaniment, I noticed that the sound was even more 3 dimensional, and the violin gained this really rich resonant life - it was so realistic it was almost scary. But I play piano, and I started to notice that this tube sacrificed some of the finer details and I couldn't distinguish piano tones as well. So it was a trade off. Eventually I went back to the stock tube because I feel it's the most accurate representation. I also tried a couple other tubes. I think I spent $100 on tubes and ended up back with the stock tube. I won't say it's money wasted, because now I'm into full tube amplifiers and have an idea of what to expect, and maybe can sell the tubes I bought to get some money back.

Depending on what your sound card is, upgrading DACs can have as much or more of an impact on sound than changing tubes in the Vali. And take a look at the Modi Multibit - its like the hybrid tube amplifer version of DACs. It has similar effects of being warm, open, natural, and 'analog sounding.' When I compare my K712 with Vali+Modi Multibit, it compares very well to my full tube amplifier. You could easily spend $100 usd on tubes and that's almost half the cost of Modi MB.

 

[Arash]

Thanks for your help. I ordered Vali 2.

 

[Joe Garfield]

Awesome! Let us know how you like it

 

[Arash]

I will!

 

[Arash]

Update: So, I've had Vali 2 for a couple of days now, and I'm very satisfied with it. I haven't had much time to spend on it yet, but I'd say the sound going through Vali 2 is somewhat fuller and better overall. The volume does get loud enough (if needed with the high gain mode). I'm still not sure about getting a DAC right now; the sound doesn't seem distorted. I'm thinking of getting another tube with a warmer sound signature to try though.

 

[silent-circuit]

A good quality DAC will probably give you a better result than tube rolling, at this point.