Amping Audio Technicas, Specifically the W1000X

[Mercuttio]

Hey folks,
 
I've had my W1000X for about a month, and I think that the sound is an excellent direction for me. However, now I'm at a crossroads with my amplification decision.
 
I want to spend no more than $500.
I'm looking for warmth and tubes. I had a Melos for a while and loved experimenting with various tubes. 
It would be fantastic if the amp could drive both these (low impedance) and be relatively future proof for any high impedance headphones down the road.
 
Firstly, like anyone else right now, I'm looking at the Lyr. Overkill, given the power it outputs? Probably. But I do know that Audio Technicas love power, and it seems like this might be the best option for longterm flexibility. 
 
I've also been checking out:
 
Woo Audio 3, but it seems like it's much better suited for only high-impedance headphones.
Little Country 3, but there isn't a ton of really solid information that I can find, and what I have seen suggests it takes a very very long time to warm up properly. Love the design, but not thrilled about the 1/8" jack.
 
So, what do people think? Anyone have a favorite?
 
 

 

[wind016]

I think ATHs are extremely easy to power. I only use my Anedio DAC, but maybe my opinion is not generally shared

 

[Mercuttio]

Oh, I agree... they're very easy to power, which is great since I often use them with my PSP.
 
I'd really like to take them a few steps further though, and every time I've fed an Audio Technica more current, things have gotten only better.  Also, that's a hell of a DAC you've got there! 

 

[afrobat]

I'm in the exact same position as you right now. Same headphones and looking for an amp in the exact same price range haha. But, I'm also looking for a DAC upgrade. Someone posted this in http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/542064/schiit-lyr-shipping-impressions/495 earlier today in one of the Lyr threads which makes me think the Lyr might not be the best match for it.
 
Quote:

I've been trying out the Lyr with my K701 and W1000X for a few days now (my LCD-2's should arrive on tuesday!) and the initial impression is that the K701 improved the most, while the W1000X probably doesn't need the raw power of the Lyr. The K701 definately gained more control in the lower bass-regions, which has been my main gripe with it. I also noticed a slightly warmer tone in the treble region compared to my Heed Canamp, making a little less sibilant. Definately a good match!
 
The ATH-W1000X on the other hand, seems not to have gained much at all, except a little bit of noticable hum which was not present on the Heed or Benchmark. I admit most of my listening these last few days have been with the K701 since they seemed to have changed the most, so I have not given final judgement on the W1000X on the Lyr yet.
 
My main reason I bought the Lyr was for the LCD-2, so the K701 sounding better than ever is mainly just a nice bonus

 
I really don't like humming and is part of the reason why I want an amp upgrade, but maybe that's just me. I'll probably wait until there's a full review out for the Lyr before making a decision, maybe one from Skylab and have him put it on his tube/hybrid amp ranking thread.
 
Since I'm looking for a DAC as well, what I'm looking at might be different from what you're looking into, but, for what it's worth, I'm currently looking at the Audio-GD Fun, Audiotailor Jade, and Yulong D100. The Audiotailor Jade is OTL, but apparently it works well with low impedance headphones.
 
Apparently Audiotailor also makes a transformer based impedance matching box called the HPC-1, which is being sold at $80, or at a discount if you have the Audiotailor Jade. Apparently it is great if you have a tube amp that doesn't match well with lower impedance headphones so that might give you more options.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/389381/review-audiotailor-jade-vacuum-tube-headphone-amplifier/750#post_6245035

 

[Mercuttio]

Hrm! Good to know! Glad I'm not the only one in this boat. I've got a uDAC-2 right now that sounds very good with my W1000X, but I'm still well within the return window and the Yulong D100 might just be an excellent replacement / amplifier. I've hunted around a little, but I haven't seen any talk of it with ATH headphones; would you happen to have any info regarding that? Love the look of the thing for sure. 

 

[afrobat]

Unfortunately I have not seen much talk about ATHs and the D100. As of this point though, my getting the D100 is relatively unlikely. I hear great things about the sound quality, but I've seen quite a few threads and posts on build quality issues and horror stories about dealing with audiophile china. Given that I live in the states, returning it or getting it repaired is likely to be pretty troublesome.

 

[Mercuttio]

Ah, I just found a nail for its coffin:
 

[size=medium] Quote:

 
 
I did have one issue with my unit and that was with using the USB inputs.  I found that while switching between full screen apps (for example video games), the D100 would lose signal lock and put out a very loud, nasty hiss.  This seemed to only be a problem with my Gigabyte USB 3.0 board.  Going back to a USB 2.0 board on my wife's computer turned out to eliminate the problem.  Using optical output also fixes the problem.
 

[/size]


I plan on using this exclusively with my PC... one that has a Gigabyte USB 3.0 board. I suppose I COULD do optical, but I dunno... I really prefer using USB, and I worry about problems down the road when even my uDAC-2 can handle this without issue.
 
If only the Yamamoto HA-02 was half the price...
 

​

 

 

[afrobat]

Haha yeah. I use a laptop so usb seems to be another thing we share XD I really want to try a tube amp but there doesn't seem to be many options below the WooAudio 6 in price. I just recently found out about the Impedance matching box from audiotailor though so that could open up some options, maybe the Ming Da MC-84C07. 
 
I've been seriously considering an upgraded Audio-GD Fun lately. While I'm hoping for a tube amp, I feel that the Fun might be the best choice since it has a decent DAC, good receiver, and apparently quite a good amp. The customization choices make it pretty appealing too.

 

[Mercuttio]

Looking at the site and reading around, it sounds like it's relatively neutral... the Audio GD Fun, I mean. I'm looking for warmth, I think... has anyone mentioned it being warm? 
 
Also, what have you priced one out to be, with shipping? Their site is incredibly difficult to navigate without sending them an email.

 

[Bones13]

Just be careful looking for inexpensive tubed gear for Audio-Technica cans.  The same sensitivity that makes them easy to drive makes them show any hiss from an amplifier.
 
I love my Bottlehead Crack, but it will not work with your headphones well, although some of other amps there might, if you DIY.

 

[Mercuttio]

I've been checking out Bottlehead's S.E.X. I've heard it's quite good with low-impedance headphones, but I can't find any evidence of any use with an ATH. 
 
Also, I may look into Mapletree.. I remember that they sounded quite good with RS1's.
 
Quote:

Just be careful looking for inexpensive tubed gear for Audio-Technica cans.  The same sensitivity that makes them easy to drive makes them show any hiss from an amplifier.
 
I love my Bottlehead Crack, but it will not work with your headphones well, although some of other amps there might, if you DIY.

 

 

[afrobat]

Quote:

Looking at the site and reading around, it sounds like it's relatively neutral... the Audio GD Fun, I mean. I'm looking for warmth, I think... has anyone mentioned it being warm? 
 
Also, what have you priced one out to be, with shipping? Their site is incredibly difficult to navigate without sending them an email.

I'm going to be ordering from pacificvalve.us if I do get it. But if you order from Audio-GD it's the same price with the shipping cost. I'm thinking about the upgraded pacific valve version.
http://www.pacificvalve.us/AudiogdFUN.html
 
I really am unsure what exactly an OPA is or how it affects it, but the ones that people usually get are Earth and Moon. The Earth one is clearer the Moon, probably the one you're looking for, makes it warmer and is a bit "tubey-er". The OPAs are pretty cheap on the Audio-GD website so I don't think that should be a major problem. http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/diy/OPA/OPAEN.htm
 

 

[Mercuttio]

Huh! I'm really liking the modularity here. I wonder if this is going to be a good match for the 'phones? It seems like with the Moon could really be the ticket for me. Looks like a simple install, pop it in, connect the ground.
 
Quote:

I'm going to be ordering from pacificvalve.us if I do get it. But if you order from Audio-GD it's the same price with the shipping cost. I'm thinking about the upgraded pacific valve version.
http://www.pacificvalve.us/AudiogdFUN.html
 
I really am unsure what exactly an OPA is or how it affects it, but the ones that people usually get are Earth and Moon. The Earth one is clearer the Moon, probably the one you're looking for, makes it warmer and is a bit "tubey-er". The OPAs are pretty cheap on the Audio-GD website so I don't think that should be a major problem. http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/diy/OPA/OPAEN.htm
 

 

 

[afrobat]

If you are considering the Audio-GD Fun, I think this is a good review to check out. It compares the different OPAs. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/397691/audio-gd-discrete-op-amps-reviewed-opa-earth-opa-moon-opa-sun-v-2
 
With the addition of the Audiotailor Jade HPC-1 option, I'm going to look a little more into the Ming Da MC-84C07. It seems quite tubey, almost to a syrupy extent according to Skylab it seems, but still worth a look at. Especially because it looks gorgeous ^_^

 

[Mercuttio]

It sounds like the Fun with the Moon OPA is exactly what I'm looking for. I contacted the folks over at Audio-GD, and they quoted me a price of Version A plus the Moon and shipping for USD 435.30. Not bad at all! I'll probably think on it a bit for a few days, then order if I'm still feeling good about it. 
 
Am I to understand that you can not ground the OPA if you want to change the sound? Is there any danger in that?
 
I don't really like the idea of the HPC-1 between my phones and the amp, so I probably won't go that route.
 
Quote:

If you are considering the Audio-GD Fun, I think this is a good review to check out. It compares the different OPAs. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/397691/audio-gd-discrete-op-amps-reviewed-opa-earth-opa-moon-opa-sun-v-2
 
With the addition of the Audiotailor Jade HPC-1 option, I'm going to look a little more into the Ming Da MC-84C07. It seems quite tubey, almost to a syrupy extent according to Skylab it seems, but still worth a look at. Especially because it looks gorgeous ^_^