[cmacsocial]

The quest continues: I am running Audeze EL-8 closed with an Oppo HA-2. Soundstage could be wider, midbass could be punchier, subbass could be more powerful, so am looking for that next step up from an HA-2. Budget for the amp is $800 max. 
 
So I'm thinking, "I have Audeze headphones...surely an Audeze amp would pair best?" But then I read so many good things about the Chord Mojo...then read that Burson amps could be a step up from the Mojo. I'm just trying to cut through the noise. Can't find a place to audition here in South Florida. For EL-8 headphones, would you go with a Deckard, a Soloist SL MkII, or something else? 
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[Stage]

I have a Concero HP, using it with my LCD-X. I had a chance to listen to the Deckard once, I did not like it. It sounded thin and lifeless to my ears.and sorry I never had an opportunity to listen to any other headphone amp.

 

[SupaFuzz]

For the EL-8, look no further than the Mojo!!

 

[cmacsocial]

Can you tell me more about your experience with the Mojo? Other amps? Thanks.

 

[SupaFuzz]

The Mojo is very musical.  The EL-8 does not need much power and the Mojo will supply all it needs.  For the $$$, the Mojo is THE best value is audio.  The Soloist has better base control for the LCD series but not really needed for the EL series.

 

[cmacsocial]

  The Mojo is very musical.  The EL-8 does not need much power and the Mojo will supply all it needs.  For the $$$, the Mojo is THE best value is audio.  The Soloist has better base control for the LCD series but not really needed for the EL series.

Great information! Thank you. Want to replace my HA-2 with the Soloist SL Mk II only because I intend to replace the EL-8 with LCD-XC in the next few months. If I was keeping the EL-8, I would simply get the Mojo. 
 
The Soloist SL Mk II seems to be the best in its price category for powering LCD-XCs, do you think? Curious about Schiit and Vorzuge...

 

[SupaFuzz]

For the money, I really like Burson.  Schiit makes a great product as well but for SS, I prefer Burson.

 

[1974]

  I have a Concero HP, using it with my LCD-X. I had a chance to listen to the Deckard once, I did not like it. It sounded thin and lifeless to my ears.and sorry I never had an opportunity to listen to any other headphone amp.

 
Wow, that's opposite to my impression. I heard the Deckard at CanJam today and it sounded full bodied, clear, detailed, and drove the LCD range of Audeze headphones with authority. At $700 (sometimes less through certain retailers) for a fantastic DAC and powerful amp, you cannot go wrong. Planning on picking one up to use with an iPad for a semi portable rig.
 
Edit: As for EL-8 headphones, I only heard them plugged directly into and ipad with a special cable Audeze was using that had a dac/amp built into it (just saw that it's called the Cipher Lightning cable). Sounded great, maybe ask them about that?

 

[Stirrio]

I'm relatively new here but read and appreciated this thread in making a decision between these amps. In the end, I decided on both--bought one of each to choose between them. Listening exclusively with the Sennheiser HD6XX (so I can't speak to other synergies), I found both amps to be excellent, though with slightly different presentations, and my preference ultimately tipped toward the Burson.

The Deckard has a superbly clear midrange, tremendous resolution (I found myself hearing longer reverb decays than I knew existed on certain albums), and feels very nimble, especially in its tuneful, tight bass. It feels balanced from bottom to top in frequency response, with well articulated treble (you hear the brass cymbals are made of, not a white-noise whoosh). I'm very sensitive to any treble emphasis, and the Deckard is definitely not bright. Still, I found it to feel a little light in the bottom octaves--it has really tuneful bass performance, just not with a ton of weight--and that lightness on the bottom (with the HD6XX, anyhow) made its presentation seem a touch lean. That said, the DAC section of the Deckard is superb and provided greater weight on the bottom end and fuller instrumental textures than my current digital source, a Rotel RCD-1072. I was particularly impressed with the way the Deckard's DAC resolved midrange texture, both making voices feel fuller (chest tones, not just head) and percussion instruments like shakers sound more like real life--not a vague clattering but the movement of individual beads inside of a egg, gourd, or whatever. If the Deckard had an S-PDIF in for the DAC (I'm a reluctant computer audiophile), it would be my keeper on that basis alone.

As it stands, I found the Burson to suit my headphones and my taste a bit better. Across the spectrum, it feels like the more refined amp, though the Deckard isn't exactly lacking in that quality. Through the Burson, instrumental textures (whether a double bass, a drum kit, a tenor sax, or an electric guitar) feel more fleshed out and as rich in timbre as in real life. In the bass, the Burson feels like gives the HD6XX an extra octave of extension and corresponding weight, but without any bloating or slowness. Through the midrange and treble, the Burson is clear, resolving, and utterly relaxed--and by relaxed, I don't mean that it's rolled off or dull. Everything I said about the Deckard's resolution, I could repeat here, though the Burson does it all with a sense of ease that more faithfully corresponds to what I hear from real humans making real music with real instruments in real space. It might be better to say that it's easy to relax when listening to the Burson, as every detail is present and easy to discern without anything being pushed out of the mix. If I had to describe the Burson in one word, it would be "organic." Still, it delivers the non-organic very well, too. A favorite release of the past few years is Bon Iver's 22 a million, which combines naturally recorded voices, guitars, and horns with highly processed vocal and synth tracks, as well as samples of varying quality, and through the Burson it's very easy to follow the threads of the natural and unnatural as Justin Vernon weaves them together.

Finally, regarding the Burson, I currently have the MK I in house with a MK II on the way. I'm looking forward to hearing any improvement in the MK II. And then I'll be shopping for a separate DAC...

 

[Ad-Astra]

Thanks for the expertise

 

[Stirrio]

Glad my post was useful. I know it's an old thread, but I read it closely when I made my decision. I now have the Burson Soloist Mk II. I didn't do a whole lot of back-to-back listening--I just plugged in the Mk II, relaxed into the music, and thought, "That sounds right." As I understand it, the Mk II has a bit more power and better power supply filtering, and I think those things make a subtle difference. That said, if anyone is shopping on the used market and can find the original for less, you won't regret it.

Every time I listen to the Burson, the word that comes to mind is "effortless." Every voice or instrument sounds utterly natural, unforced, and as full-bodied as what was recorded. The treble is so smooth and clear (not rolled off; if anything, more extended than I've heard from other amps) that I wish I'd kept my HD600 to hear them with such a grainless presentation. I've also listened using my AKG K612, and they sound very good through this amp. To me, the K612 is the poor man's HD650 (which is why I bought them before the HD650). They don't have the resolution of the Sennheisers, but I enjoy them for rock, where I care a little less about timbral accuracy and a little more about whether the controlled chaos of Radiohead at full tilt is coming across.

 

[Ad-Astra]

Glad my post was useful. I know it's an old thread, but I read it closely when I made my decision. I now have the Burson Soloist Mk II. I didn't do a whole lot of back-to-back listening--I just plugged in the Mk II, relaxed into the music, and thought, "That sounds right." As I understand it, the Mk II has a bit more power and better power supply filtering, and I think those things make a subtle difference. That said, if anyone is shopping on the used market and can find the original for less, you won't regret it.

Every time I listen to the Burson, the word that comes to mind is "effortless." Every voice or instrument sounds utterly natural, unforced, and as full-bodied as what was recorded. The treble is so smooth and clear (not rolled off; if anything, more extended than I've heard from other amps) that I wish I'd kept my HD600 to hear them with such a grainless presentation. I've also listened using my AKG K612, and they sound very good through this amp. To me, the K612 is the poor man's HD650 (which is why I bought them before the HD650). They don't have the resolution of the Sennheisers, but I enjoy them for rock, where I care a little less about timbral accuracy and a little more about whether the controlled chaos of Radiohead at full tilt is coming across.

Yeah I now own the Lycan it's pretty good