[dadracer2]

Linn Klimax DS Organik with susy dynahi.

Do you have to build the Dynahi yourself? I've never even seen one so cannot comment on the sound. It is a class A amp though isn't it? I still feel there is some kind of special relationship between a good 300B amp and the HD800S over anything else I have heard to date.

 

[smodtactical]

I've tried a variety of SS and valve amps with the HD800 and then HD800S and I don't think you want to add too much warmth otherwise you will lose some of the special HD800S character. My preference is for a SET amp which does give some warmth but a magical midrange.

You use ha300 with it ?

 

[minimus]

Anyone pair 800S with a really warm amp that made it sound rich but still involving?

The Apex Teton is the best amp I have heard with the HD800S. With certain tubes, like an RCA 6SN7 input tube, it can be made to sound warm and engaging, though not syrupy.

DNA Audio amps are also known to pair well with the HD800s, but the build times for DNA amps are quite long right now.

I would not assume a SET amp by design will make the HD800 sound “warm”. Any amp designed around a 45 tube, which is a single-ended triode, will not sound warm, for example. It’s a very linear-sounding tube. My EC 4-45 is a SET amp that sounds great with certain headphones, but is a bit bass-shy and adds zero tube warmth, so it’s not the best match with the HD800.

 

[dadracer2]

You use ha300 with it ?

Yes indeed and it powers my speakers too!

 

[Whazzzup]

sooo, bet no one picked chord TT and gsxmk2 sourced by antipodes DX, pity

 

[dadracer2]

The Apex Teton is the best amp I have heard with the HD800S. With certain tubes, like an RCA 6SN7 input tube, it can be made to sound warm and engaging, though not syrupy.

DNA Audio amps are also known to pair well with the HD800s, but the build times for DNA amps are quite long right now.

I would not assume a SET amp by design will make the HD800 sound “warm”. Any amp designed around a 45 tube, which is a single-ended triode, will not sound warm, for example. It’s a very linear-sounding tube. My EC 4-45 is a SET amp that sounds great with certain headphones, but is a bit bass-shy and adds zero tube warmth, so it’s not the best match with the HD800.

I haven't heard either, but is the Teton looks interesting. I think swapping the tubes earliest in the circuit will always have a bigger influence on the final sound. Does EC still exist by the way?

Some valve amps are warm and have limited bass extension which seems to add to that character. Many valve amps don't have much warmth at all and I think these are the ones that pair better with the HD800S.

 

[helljudgement]

Does EC still exist by the way?

Craig is currently doing a run of studio b amps. Tonally it is a warm sounding amp but not overly so and my favourite amp pairing with the hd800. If you are looking for a warm sounding amp I’d highly recommend getting this. Also a great match with all dynamic drivers headphones I’ve tried such as utopia and verite.

 

[dadracer2]

Craig is currently doing a run of studio b amps. Tonally it is a warm sounding amp but not overly so and my favourite amp pairing with the hd800. If you are looking for a warm sounding amp I’d highly recommend getting this. Also a great match with all dynamic drivers headphones I’ve tried such as utopia and verite.

Do you have the 300B version?

 

[musicinmymind]

Craig is currently doing a run of studio b amps. Tonally it is a warm sounding amp but not overly so and my favourite amp pairing with the hd800. If you are looking for a warm sounding amp I’d highly recommend getting this. Also a great match with all dynamic drivers headphones I’ve tried such as utopia and verite.

Which Craig you are referring to?

can you pls give full name.

 

[helljudgement]

Do you have the 300B version?

Yes that is the version I own.

Which Craig you are referring to?

Craig Uthus the founder of eddie current.

 

[dadracer2]

Yes that is the version I own.


Craig Uthus the founder of eddie current.

Excellent, that’d be my choice of EC if I didn’t have an HA300 already!!! It’s just warm by a small margin and perfect with the HD800S. There seems to be a synergy with the 300b valve and the HD800S. Even back in the days of the David Mahler massive headphone comparison he recommended 300b amps for the then HD800.

 

[musicinmymind]

Excellent, that’d be my choice of EC if I didn’t have an HA300 already!!! It’s just warm by a small margin and perfect with the HD800S. There seems to be a synergy with the 300b valve and the HD800S. Even back in the days of the David Mahler massive headphone comparison he recommended 300b amps for the then HD800.

There are many 300b amps available in market, are you referring to 300b amp by Craig Uthus?

 

[dadracer2]

There are many 300b amps available in market, are you referring to 300b amp by Craig Uthus?

In part yes, the studio B from EC. That is not my amp though.

 

[Bonddam]

My favorite amp on the cheaper end is my Little Dot LD-Y2 300B $2700. Really kicks the holographic aspects of my HD8xx. Problem with Little Dot is no real US Dist. the US Dist is in China. This made Mike from Woo Audio laugh talking to him yesterday.

 

[minimus]

I haven't heard either, but is the Teton looks interesting. I think swapping the tubes earliest in the circuit will always have a bigger influence on the final sound. Does EC still exist by the way?

Some valve amps are warm and have limited bass extension which seems to add to that character. Many valve amps don't have much warmth at all and I think these are the ones that pair better with the HD800S.

My understanding is that Craig Uthus of Eddie Current is doing one last run of the Studio B amp, but otherwise he’s retired. I suspect he will continue to help troubleshoot his amps, since he’s very responsive to emails, but I‘m not sure if he has made long-term arrangements to service his amps if they ever need to be repaired.

The two EC amps I have owned did not add much tube warmth at all. EC amps just never had a reputation for warmth. The 4-45 excels at creating an amazing soundstage, but isn’t warm-sounding in the slightest. I previously owned an EC Super 7, long out of production, that sounded great but wasn’t warm either. Maybe an EC amp based on the 300B would check that box, but I would ask Craig first.

The Teton adds warmth to the midrange depending on which input tube you use and has fantastic bass extension. Anyone who thinks the HD800S is inherently bass-shy should hear them through the Teton. Though it’s an OTL amp with a high output impedance, it sounds great with all headphones I’ve tried - including the Focal Utopia. Some people think the Teton is overpriced at $5K, but after owning at least a dozen headphone amps in the last 15 years, my feeling is that the Teton is worth the price.