[Apoq]

Hey guys, I've saved up for a little while and I've decided to go for my first tube amp, because I've had a little exposure to the tube-y sound and I'm in love with it.
 
I listen to a lot of different types of music. Lots of lounge, house music, acid jazz, big room dance on occasion, disco, progressive rock, progressive metal, and plenty of classical as well. I really run the gamut.

My cans:
I recently got myself a pair of Sennheiser HD650s and I absolutely love everything about them.
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250 Ohm)
Sennheiser HD 598 (These were my second pair of cans, and I find them too bass anemic for my taste, I will likely sell them)
 
My at home setup is:
Soundblaster x-fi fatal1ty -> Maverick Audio Tubemagic D1 plus -> Headphones (normally always the HD650 now)
I've enjoyed my time using the Maverick as a stepping stone, and it's truly a wonderful piece of equipment. I may end up putting some more money into even better op amps for it, eventually. Or, I'll just retire it to my home theater setup and get myself a better DAC for my desk (eventually).

For now, I'm focusing on a tube amp. I listen primarily through the HD650 while I'm at home.
The DT990 Pros live at work with my FiiO E17/E09K QOGIR setup. (Yes, I spoiled myself at work. It certainly helps keep me in a good mood while I'm working, though.)
 
That being said, my two primarily used cans are both high impedance.
 
My budget is somewhere in the $500 range... but if there's something that's up to $1000 that's REALLY worth dropping the money for, I could consider it.  I *can* afford it... but I don't really *want* to, if that makes sense. Then again, I've always been one to put the money down and do something right, or not do it at all.
 
 
Amps I've considered:
 
Crack:
I've of course read the many things about the marvelous bottlehead Crack. If it were still at it's old price point, I would have bought one and not even posted this thread. However, with a crack + speedball coming in at over $400 shipped... it's not as much of a bargain as it once was. That being said, I know that it's still an amazing deal for the quality of sound. I'm looking for the lush tube sound in the mids, will still maintaining an open soundstage and intimate imaging.

Littledot MKiii, MKIV:
I've heard mixed things... Apparently there are commong problems with high noise floors, humming noises, crackles and pops? I have extremely sensitive ears, and I know I will notice and be annoyed to death by such things, if they exist.
 
Woo Audio WA3, WA6:
These seem to be the most commonly compared amps to the Crack. The WA6 being regarded as superior (and for its price point, I would certainly hope it would be). The WA3 I've been told has a similarly lush set of mids, and a wide open soundstage like the Crack, but doesn't image quite as well, and is passive in the treble as opposed to rolling off the treble.
I've read amazing things about the WA2... this is obviously in the next price bracket up from the rest of these, but would it be worth my investment to just go for it?
 
Schiit Lyr2, Valhalla 2:
This is the most controversial section for me. I've heard way, way too many different opinions about the Schiit amps.
Are they tube-y sounding, or not? With stock tubes? Rolled?
I list both of these, realizing that the Lyr 2 is a hybrid, but I've seen people say they found the Vali to be too passive and the Lyr to be more tubey, despite being a hybrid, and I've also seen the opposite being said.
 
Others:
I looked at the La Figaro 339 and the Darkvoice 337... I'm not sure how I feel about the dual channel setup. 
 
I wish I could sit down in a room with all of these for like three days and make a decision... Yes, just amps, no food. I will eat musical goodness. Leave me be.

I've done plenty of reading in Skylab's thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/402585/review-summary-a-ranking-of-32-tube-and-tube-hybrid-headphone-amps
But, I haven't made it through all of the pages of it, yet.
 
 
 
I'm looking for opinions, actual experience is great, links to reviews are always appreciated. I've mined the fruits of google, at least for simple searching of comparisons. I'm a researcher by nature.
 
I've lurked on these forums quite a bit, but I've posted very few times (I think I've posted at least once before? If not, this might be my first. Oops.)

Cheers guys, and thanks in advance!

 

[Mr Rick]

I'm sure you will get ten different opinions from ten different people. I'm a Schiit fanboy and have no experience with the other amps you have listed.  But, I do have the Valhalla 2, the Vali, and the Lyr 1. And, I use them with my HD598s, HD650s, and Philips X2s. 
 
I have found very little sonic difference between them, but the larger amps do have more headroom than the Vali. I primarily use my HD598s with the Vali for classical music. 
 
I believe Schiit has mentioned that the Valhalla 2 was designed with the HD650 in mind. It does offer the most power onto 600 ohms.
 
The LYR is a powerhouse into lower impedance cans. It pairs very nicely with my 32 ohm X2s.
 
I don't know if this information has been of any help, but I wanted to outline my experiences.
 
Good luck in your search.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Too bad you can't come to SoCal at the end of March for the SoCal CanJam meet. I have no doubt you would be able to hear all of them in one room (or at worst a couple of rooms), and you could do it with your own headphones. I wish I could offer you more help than that, but that's all I have...

 

[kramer5150]

+1 vote for the LF/DV 337 or 339, with Tung-Sol 5998 and mesh plate drivers... incredible OTL setup, rivaling amps that cost a lot more.   With my 337 I couple the output with speaker transformers with my Grados and K701, and the amp has enough raw power to properly drive the primary coils.  With the HD650 I have the option to power it OTL straight out of the front, or couple it with speaker transformers... for an overall smoother sound thats slightly bloomier in the lowest bass tones.
 
The dual channel topography is one of its strengths, if you can get past the dual volume knobs.  That actually is a benefit if you are like me and listen to live recordings where they are not always mixed symmetrically, or there are tracks with hotter instrumentation on one side of the stage.

 

[Apoq]

Mr. Rick, Have you had -any- experience with other tube amps aside the Valhalla and the Lyr?
I'm really aching for a clear answer on how passive those amps are, and how tube-y they are in the grand scheme of things.
 
I'm really after the bulbous soundstage with lush transitions between the various frequencies and very intimate imaging that tubes seem to provide, so I believe I'm after a tube-y sound.

I'm 90% sure that I will own a Lyr at some point, but I'm not sure that's the right purchase for this go-round.
 
 
 
 
Billybob_jcv, I do wish I could come to that meet. That sounds like an amazing good time with a bunch of fun people. Unfortunately... I'm in Michigan, which is more than a hop, skip, and jump away.
 
 
Kramer5150, I'm actually not super intimidated by the dual volume knobs. I often tilt my eq balance slightly anyways.
 
 
Unfortunately, a lot of these amps seem to be more expensive now than they were quoted as being a few years ago. It makes me a sad panda, for sure.

I've been checking the sale forums as well as Ebay, trying to uncover any hidden deals. As anxious as I am to get an amp, I'm going to be patient about it.
 
 
Thanks for the input, guys. I'll check on this periodically.

 

[Mr Rick]

  Mr. Rick, Have you had -any- experience with other tube amps aside the Valhalla and the Lyr?
I'm really aching for a clear answer on how passive those amps are, and how tube-y they are in the grand scheme of things.
 
I'm really after the bulbous soundstage with lush transitions between the various frequencies and very intimate imaging that tubes seem to provide, so I believe I'm after a tube-y sound.

I'm 90% sure that I will own a Lyr at some point, but I'm not sure that's the right purchase for this go-round.
 
 
 
 
Billybob_jcv, I do wish I could come to that meet. That sounds like an amazing good time with a bunch of fun people. Unfortunately... I'm in Michigan, which is more than a hop, skip, and jump away.
 
 
Kramer5150, I'm actually not super intimidated by the dual volume knobs. I often tilt my eq balance slightly anyways.
 
 
Unfortunately, a lot of these amps seem to be more expensive now than they were quoted as being a few years ago. It makes me a sad panda, for sure.

I've been checking the sale forums as well as Ebay, trying to uncover any hidden deals. As anxious as I am to get an amp, I'm going to be patient about it.
 
 
Thanks for the input, guys. I'll check on this periodically.

 
As I stated in my original posting I have no experience with the other amps you mentioned. Further, I have found little sonic difference between the Schiit amps, both SS and tube based. I doubt you will find the qualities you are looking for in a Schiit amp.