[fryzie]

To save making another thread, I also have a T1. But would anyone be able to recommend a good portable amp which will go well with it? Budget isn't important if the quality is there

 

[fabio-fi]

  To save making another thread, I also have a T1. But would anyone be able to recommend a good portable amp which will go well with it? Budget isn't important if the quality is there

 
Look into Ray Samuels portable range. Heard the Alo continental does a fine job as well. 

 

[FeiTow]

To save making another thread, I also have a T1. But would anyone be able to recommend a good portable amp which will go well with it? Budget isn't important if the quality is there

Long time lurker here. My 1st dac was the Fiio e17. I bought that for my Etymotic er4p's and soon after I bought a pair of Beyer dt-1350's. Although I thought it sounded very good I was still looking for more but didn't want something that would be a pita to carry. After doing a lot of reading and research I stumbled upon the Practical Devices xm6 and got it used here on Head-fi. I'd say it was probably the best buy I ever made for my portable rig. Size is perfect and it just really sounds great. I'm not sure how it would compare with Ray Samuels dac/amp's or others I read about but I'm totally happy with it although I think it's retail price is a little on the high side. If you can find it used, buy it.
I'm going to buy a pair of T1's in the next week or so and I've read the T1's sound like the Dt1350's on steroids. I love the sound of the xm6/dt1350 combo so I'm pretty sure the T1's will sound good.

 

[utee05]

I will soon be an owner of T1s. I currently have HE-400 powered off of magni+modi stack. I am looking to get a better amp possibly dac+amp combo. I was initially going to get a T90 and I got recommended the crack+speedball but I found a good price on the T1 so decided to get that. 

 

[utee05]

  I will soon be an owner of T1s. I currently have HE-400 powered off of magni+modi stack. I am looking to get a better amp possibly dac+amp combo. I was initially going to get a T90 and I got recommended the crack+speedball but I found a good price on the T1 so decided to get that. 

I have also gotten recommendations for the Valhalla. This looks like a good match or the Lyr? Any thoughts?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

took a pic of my T1  
 

 

[Arzeboj]

So it seems like the WA2 is the favorite tube amp for a lot of people for around $1000. But if you were to step up the price to under 4000 what are some great pairings out there? (tubes or ss) I'm not saying im going to buy a $5000 system anytime soon but this thread has got me interested in what might be some of the best pairings for the T1.

 

[wberghofer]

I have also gotten recommendations for the Valhalla. This looks like a good match or the Lyr? Any thoughts?

I own a Lyr and a Valhalla (both first generation models), and for my ears the Valhalla is a better match for the Beyerdynamic T1 headphones.

Werner.

 

[recarcar]

Wish I could try that combo out!

 

[Chodi]

  So it seems like the WA2 is the favorite tube amp for a lot of people for around $1000. But if you were to step up the price to under 4000 what are some great pairings out there? (tubes or ss) I'm not saying im going to buy a $5000 system anytime soon but this thread has got me interested in what might be some of the best pairings for the T1.

The Auralic Taurus is a fine match for the T1's (also great with my HD800's). I have owned the WA2 and other tube amps. I sold them after getting the Taurus. That tells you how I feel about the difference.

 

[Justin_Time]

  So it seems like the WA2 is the favorite tube amp for a lot of people for around $1000. But if you were to step up the price to under 4000 what are some great pairings out there? (tubes or ss) I'm not saying im going to buy a $5000 system anytime soon but this thread has got me interested in what might be some of the best pairings for the T1.

If I were you, I would not be looking for the best amp or the most popular amp, but an amp that works best with the T1.
 
Like the Grado PS1000, the T1 has boosted upper-bass and trebles, and a recessed mid-range on a relative basis. With the wrong amp, regardless of price or quality, you could end up with a tonal imbalance with the T1, i.e. a bloated bass that muddies up the mid-range and a screeching treble that will drill holes through your ear drums. 
 
If the T1 is your only headphone, I would recommend the MAD Ear+ HD ($750), a modest tube amp with forward and liquid mid-range and rolled off bass and trebles, that would produce a tonally balanced and very musical sound with the T1.  I have had this combination for a few years now and cannot find anything that could top it at three times the price. The Woo WA2 may be a better amp, but it will not sound better with the T1.
 
If you plan on getting other headphones beside the T1 (and the Grado PS1000) in the future, then the MAD Ear+ HD will not be versatile enough to adapt to all headphones.  For most currently popular cans like the HD800, LCD2/3, HE-560/HE-6, TH-900..., there are several very versatile amps that can drive them very well.  They ain't cheap. The ones I know will work based on my own experience are:  HeadAmp GS-X Mk2 ($3,000) and Bakoon HPA-21 ($2900) for SS amps; for tube amps, the Woo WA5-LE (~$4500 with good tubes)  and EAR HP-4  ($5,000).  I was told that the Eddie Current 2A3 and the Apex Teton, both at around $5000 are also great choices but I do not own them so I can only recommend that you check them out. Ah, I forgot:  the new McIntosh MH100 ($4,500) with a strong claim to versatility may be worth checking out as well.
 
If you can accept some sonic compromise, the more moderately priced Eddie Current Super 7 ($1,400) and the Apex Peal/Volcano ($?) will also work well with a large number of headphone.  But if you plan to have only the T1 (and the Grado PS1000), which is a very picky headphone, it will be very hard to beat the MAD Ear+ HD. 
 
If you want more discussion on matching headphones, cables and amps, you should check out my (very long) post in the High-End Forum (use the Grado PS1000 as a surrogate for the T1).
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/729976/matching-headphones-cables-amplifiers-harder-than-it-should-be-very-long-post
 
Good luck!

 

[Arzeboj]

If I were you, I would not be looking for the best amp or the most popular amp, but an amp that works best with the T1.

Sorry when i said wa2 i meant that a lot of people like it as a pairing for the t1. I should have specified but yes the headphones i was implying was the t1s. It just seems like the absolute best pairing for something like the hd800 is a $3000-4000 amp like the ECBA or the DNA stratus or mabey even a gs-x mkii but for the t1 the best pairing is around $1000 or less. So i was just curious if the pairings for the t1s are that good or if the t1s simply dont go any better. Cuz i know price means nothing with how an amp pairs with a particular headphone

 

[Justin_Time]

Sorry when i said wa2 i meant that a lot of people like it as a pairing for the t1. I should have specified but yes the headphones i was implying was the t1s. It just seems like the absolute best pairing for something like the hd800 is a $3000-4000 amp like the ECBA or the DNA stratus or mabey even a gs-x mkii but for the t1 the best pairing is around $1000 or less. So i was just curious if the pairings for the t1s are that good or if the t1s simply dont go any better. Cuz i know price means nothing with how an amp pairs with a particular headphone

From my experience, the cost of the "preferred" amp with the T1 is just coincidental. For example, I like the sound of the HD800 a lot when driven with the RWA Corvina or the Vioelectric V200. Likewise, when I want more sparkle out of the LCD2, I pair it with the Schiit Mjolnir.  All these amps cost less than $1000 but it does not mean that you cannot improve the sound with more expensive amp.       
 
Like the Grado PS1000 and the Sennheiser HD800, the T1 is a fussy headphone that requires great care in the amp selection.  I already mentioned four amps that I own ranging in price from $3000 to $5000 which work very well with the T1 so the sound quality of the T1 does go up as you pair it with higher-quality (and appropriate) amp.
 
Be warned though that despite all the hyperbolas that some folks here like to throw around the sound improvements are relatively small. So by spending $5,000 on an amp instead of $1,000, you may improve the sound from a 95 to a 98 (to borrow wine rating) but not five times, because you are starting from a pretty high level to begin with.
 
Happy listening with your T1

 

[Monsterzero]

Getting ready to FINALLY pull the trigger on the T1s
Need an amp for mainly rock/classic/hard/metal listening.Because at times i like my music fast and loud I want to have ample headroom,and when I do slow it down I really enjoy the imaging and soundstage

Meier Classic and Woo Audio WA2 are the names I keep seeing here in the 1000.00 range.Will either of these amps provide me with what im looking for? And which will do it better? Or is there another option out there that im missing?

And finally Im a bit confused as to why theres not much love for the A1/T1 combo.I havent heard this combo but wouldnt it make logical sense for this to be a perfect match?

Thanks in advance for any input



 

 

[wberghofer]

Or is there another option out there that im missing?

Yes, there is at least one. I don’t know about your budget … I recently added an SPL Phonitor 2 to pair it with the T1.



The T1 sounds quite good with the Schiit Lyr and even better with the Valhalla, but the Phonitor certainly is in a superior league.

Werner.