[hpnut]

So, I am looking to buy my first desktop amp to drive my AKG K712's. Up until now I have only used a portable amp (XDUOO XD-05) which I like for the convenience, but now I need something I can use at my desk at work.

Are there any pro's / con's with either the rHead or the EL amp in driving my headphones? Specification wise they seem pretty comparable so I am very interested in your thoughts on this. The Arcam is heavily discounted and actually a bit cheaper so I am leaning towards that.

Thanks very much for any thoughts / opinions on this.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Are there any pro's / con's with either the rHead or the EL amp in driving my headphones? Specification wise they seem pretty comparable so I am very interested in your thoughts on this. The Arcam is heavily discounted and actually a bit cheaper so I am leaning towards that.

RHead runs in Class A so if you have to push it, at least you won't get crossover distortion. If it's cheaper and can fit on your desk (it's considerably bigger than the ELamp) then might as well go with that, but double check the warranty policy. If it's on sale and you still get the same kind of warranty as when it was selling for more before then no problem.

 

[hpnut]

Thanks for the heads-up on the warranty, didn't think of that! Investigating now..

 

[hpnut]

Warranty is a non-issue; the unit has full warranty. There is however something strange in the specifications. Not sure if it even matters, but it seems significant:
From Arcam homepage:
Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): 98dB at 2V output, 32Ω load

From (older) reviews:
Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): 109dB at 2V output, 32Ω load (eg https://audioprimate.blog/2017/02/1...ck-brick-of-audio-goodness-worth-building-on/ and https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ar...-a-analogue-headphone-amplifier.21589/reviews)

Also THD+noise has doubled (0,001->0,002, I can only imagine this is insignificant though)

I'll contact Arcam directly, see what they say. To me it looks maybe there has been a revision of the internal components.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Warranty is a non-issue; the unit has full warranty. There is however something strange in the specifications. Not sure if it even matters, but it seems significant:
From Arcam homepage:
Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): 98dB at 2V output, 32Ω load

From (older) reviews:
Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): 109dB at 2V output, 32Ω load (eg https://audioprimate.blog/2017/02/1...ck-brick-of-audio-goodness-worth-building-on/ and https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ar...-a-analogue-headphone-amplifier.21589/reviews)

Could just be from new measuring methodologies that were applied later. 98dB doesn't seem all that good for a $499 amp but if you're getting it for a lot less than that then go for the rHead.

Also THD+noise has doubled (0,001->0,002, I can only imagine this is insignificant though)

I'll contact Arcam directly, see what they say. To me it looks maybe there has been a revision of the internal components.

If the SNR is lower then likely that prompted recomputing the THD+N total percentage.

I'll contact Arcam directly, see what they say. To me it looks maybe there has been a revision of the internal components.

Possible considering the price drop but I'd still bet that something changed in the measurement methodology more than the amp itself.

 

[buonassi]

I haven't heard the EL but, I just got the rHead a few months ago and love it. Power, perfect channel balance, and fast clear transients. A noticeable step up from my Asgard 2.

 

[hpnut]

That's reassuring! I am still waiting on Arcam to get back to me on the numbers mentioned above. Again, probably doesn't matter that much in an audible sense. But I would like to be clear on what I'd be getting. Do you still have your packaging/manual?If so, does it mention SNR?

 

[buonassi]

My literature says the same. But 98 db is bigger than the dynamic range of a CD. You'd be hard pressed to hear it my friend.

numbers aren't necessarily indicative of sq I'm afraid. Something I learned as I went higher up the chain.

Besides that's only one measurement at 32 ohm load and 2 volts. Which is deafening volume level!

 

[simperinsamperi]

That's reassuring! I am still waiting on Arcam to get back to me on the numbers mentioned above. Again, probably doesn't matter that much in an audible sense. But I would like to be clear on what I'd be getting. Do you still have your packaging/manual?If so, does it mention SNR?

Did you ever get a response from Arcam and did you end up getting the amp?

 

[hpnut]

Did you ever get a response from Arcam and did you end up getting the amp?

Yes, they came back to me on that, here's what they said: Thank you for your email. There was originally a misprint on the website which did not represent what was in the manual (also available on the website). Once we spotted the error we corrected the website to match what was in the manual and is the correct spec.

So I guess that means the lower numbers are correct. In the end I did not get the amp but not because of this.