[daveDerek]

some perennial favorite amps, particularly for grados, around these parts seem to be the mapletree ear and the melos sha-1 gold, with grados own ra-1 as a reliable alternative choice. i'd like to hear more about the specific qualities of these different products as well as thoughts about how they stack up to one another. also, with the ra-1, how different do you find the ac vs battery pwrd versions? is the melos better, worse, or just different than the mapletree? what happens when you start with modifications? how reliable are these units and how high maintenance are they? what kind of tube life, or battery life with the ra-1, can you reasonably expect? how well do these amps work with other cans, low, medium, or high impedance? how are other melos (pre)amps eg. basic sha or 211? i'm sure you folks can come up with some other points for discussion too. have at it folks!

 

[mrarroyo]

For home use my all time favorite is the Mapletree Ear Purist + HD. It has a very clean, detailed sound, with a punchy and articulate delivery. Another nice amp would be the Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 which can be had use at half the price of a new Ear Purist + HD.

By the way if you run a tube amp 2 hours everyday the tubes should last about 7 years. This is a conservative approach using a 5,000 hour tube lifespan. Some tubes will last significantly longer.

Finally if you are looking for a SS home amp you may wish to consider the Heed CanAmp. Good luck.

 

[adhoc]

Actually on/off cycles do more damage to a tube than actual use. With daily use, I'd say about 5 years, tops.

 

[daveDerek]

ok fanboys, melos or mapletree?

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek ok fanboys, melos or mapletree?

I have not heard a Melos so I can not compare them.

 

[Jahn]

I'd love to chip in, but I've never heard a Mapletree! I've never heard an AC RA-1 unit either. Come to think of it, I never heard a Melos SHA-1! But hey, for the battery RA-1, it combos nicely with the RS-1, some kinda funky synergy that maintains plenty of speed and attack and airiness, just like a good solid state amp should. Ain't no slouch in the bass either. The Melos SHA-Gold, either stock or modded, is on another planet however. The RA-1 doesn't use tubes - the Melos does as a solid state/tube hybrid. If you get a crap tube, it will go on you at any time (Curse You, Pink Russian 6N1P!) but a nice beefy NOS 7308/6922 10,000 hour tube should last you years.

 

[analog'd]

I've owned and loved a number of Melos amps used with Grados. I am a bit concerned these days vis a vis repairing a Melos if necessary, but I may be wrong - perhaps there are still ways to get it done properly. I considered buying one recently to move back to tubes, but loved my HR2 so much that I only gave it up to get another RSA amp - the Raptor. It blows away every Melos I've used unless lushness is the only criteria. (even then Ray can adjust the bias on the raptor to make them as warm as you like). anyway, I would seriously try to grab the Raptor for sale here now. there is no question that you could resell if you wanted to, but you won't want to.

the ra1 is not in the same league, nice as it is for the money. at least mine wasn't.

never heard the mapletree.

 

[sacd lover]

Excluding the MPX3 SLAM, I dont think there is a better sounding amp under $1500 than the Singlepower SLAM PPX3 .... especially with the Senn hd600. Whats nice, IMO, is this holds true with a number of other first rate headphones like the AKG 701, Beyer dt880, Grado sr-225/ HF-1 and Senn hd595's. The SLAM is a great sounding amp period.


http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=ppx3+slam

 

[DRSpeed85]

The headfive sounds pretty nice with Grados if ur into heavy instrument based music like classic or jazz.

 

[mach46]

the eddie current EC/SS performs extremely well. unforturenately like many of us new to the headfi community i dont have a wealth of info on many amps. but from reading some of the impressions from other more seasoned headfier, this is a solid contender. i own this amp and listen to it paired with grado's 325i all day at work, its non-fatiguing and delivers loads of detail. previous to its arrival i had my grado ra-1 (dc) in its place. the EC-SS has a richer more hearty presentation. its definitely prefered over the RA-1. the RA-1 is stunner. its very quick not as quick as the EC-SS. with all things being equal with RA-1 is 350 and the EC-SS is 400 the EC-SS is the all day everyday choice. i have heard the melos/grado RS-1 combo and it was flat out jaw dropping. with out an A/B comparision when i had the chance to give the melos/grado a listen this combo was second only to the singlepower es-1 stax combo at a local meet.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn I'd love to chip in, but I've never heard a Mapletree! I've never heard an AC RA-1 unit either. Come to think of it, I never heard a Melos SHA-1! But hey, for the battery RA-1, it combos nicely with the RS-1, some kinda funky synergy that maintains plenty of speed and attack and airiness, just like a good solid state amp should. Ain't no slouch in the bass either. The Melos SHA-Gold, either stock or modded, is on another planet however. The RA-1 doesn't use tubes - the Melos does as a solid state/tube hybrid. If you get a crap tube, it will go on you at any time (Curse You, Pink Russian 6N1P!) but a nice beefy NOS 7308/6922 10,000 hour tube should last you years.

can the melos use a 6dj8?
how different are the modded units from the stock sha golds, and are these just parts upgrades or circuit redesigns?

 

[braillediver]

Check around but I believe the Melos is a tube eater.


Mitch

 

[kramer5150]

that EC-ss is getting a lot of attention in that other thread. At the $400 mark it appears to be a very good value too. Keep in mind that OP amp rolling can be a lot cheaper than tube rolling.

the EC-SS, and PPX3 are is tugging HARD at my christmas bonus this year.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver Check around but I believe the Melos is a tube eater. Mitch

what about it guys, is this a problem with this hybrid unit?
and the mapletree, does it have a smaller appetite for glass?

ra-1 dc users, how is the battery life or does this get to be a significant operating expense?

 

[mach46]

the ra-1 has a more warm sound, but doesnt have the depth of soundstage and detail of the ec-ss.