The whole price/performance thing of tubes versus solid state is really apples and oranges. Tube amps are just different than SS amps. A tube amp can do things that SS cannot and vise-versa. The EC-01 I sampled for a few weeks outperformed any SS amp I've heard in that price range, with my HD650's. As for tube life, yes eventually they do burn out but not quickly. And, many of the tube variations are readily available cheap. Tubes can last from 2,000-10,000+ hours depending on the type. Check to see what tubes you will be needing first. Even at 4 hours or more per day I doubt you'll be using up tubes more than every couple years. Is that really an issue? You're more likely to buy new tubes for different sounds as tube rolling becomes a fun hobby in itself. As for shipping, if you're going to be shipping this thing back and forth regularly then that might be an issue, but otherwise just make sure it's packed well (double boxed!) and it shouldn't be a problem. Heck, if you're travelling that much just buy a RSA SR-71 and bring it with you in your pocket and shipping will never be an issue!
If you know what headphone you like most, then buy an amp that will make that particular can sing. I personally favor Sennheiser HD600 & 650's and those cans love tubes. For the jazz I listen to they are delightful. If you're more into Metallica and Grado's that's a different story. Also, is this a dedicated headphone amp or do you need it to be a preamp to work with speakers as well?
. I've been looking at the Melos SHA-1 lately and it seems to be a pretty good deal for under $500 but how well does it work with non-Grado headphones, i.e. Sony and Sennheiser? What other options do I have in this price range? Solid or tube doesn't really matter to me although I would prefer switching over to tubes. Should I just save for an MPX3 6SN7? How much more would one of those run? Or I could go in a completely different route, and buy two new headphones, since I already have an NAD and a Marantz. What would you guys recommend?
