[moodyrn]

^ What he said

.
 
In fact I don't know if I will ever buy another dedicated headphone amp again. You have to spend too much on one just to beat these things. The only two headphone amps I've listen to that was better than what I have is the dark star, and liquid fire. But that's about 7000.00 worth of amps, and even then  they were probably around 5% better.

 

[Rawrbington]

i dunno,
i think my sx 950 sounds nice, i think it sounds better with the phono then with the aux.
but in neither situation do i think it sounds as good as the wa2.
it might be that the wa2 just has very nice synergy with my cans,
or that my cans don't have great synergy with the pioneer.
 
 

 

[Skylab]

The WA2 is a very tubey tube amp.  It will for sure sound quite different than an SX-950.  Apples and oranges, if you ask me.  I thought the WA2 was a terrific headamp as well. 
 
I just realized I have NO pure headphone amps anymore.  My Decware Mini-Torii is also an integrated amp with speaker outs, and my RWA is a DAC as well ad a hpa, and I use it mostly as a DAC...

 

[Magick Man]

The only real advantages I'm seeing in buying a SS high/mid range HP amp is to conserve space and electricity.

 

[Rawrbington]

anybody spent any significant time with a pair of denon 2000/5000/7000 with a vintage receiver?
 
is there a noticably HUGE impedance missmatch causing them to sound poor?

 

[moodyrn]

The denons have great synergy with the pioneer sx line. Right now I'm using my heavily modded d7k with a sansui au-517. The sansui is warmer than neutral, but my denons don't sound warm and lush like the stock one does, so ymmv. But with the pioneer I had, the -20db button was a must, otherwise, they would hiss like crazy. I always considered the -20 as the "headphone" button with high sensitivity low impedance cans.

 

[BmWr75]

Quote:

anybody spent any significant time with a pair of denon 2000/5000/7000 with a vintage receiver?
 
is there a noticably HUGE impedance missmatch causing them to sound poor?

I don't think a vintage rig cares about headphone impedance.  If your phono input sounds good and AUX in doesn't, then it could be your AUX in source

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

i dunno,
i think my sx 950 sounds nice, i think it sounds better with the phono then with the aux.
but in neither situation do i think it sounds as good as the wa2.
it might be that the wa2 just has very nice synergy with my cans,
or that my cans don't have great synergy with the pioneer.
 
 

Never listened to a 950, all of my receivers have been totl stuff. So I don't know how close the midtier receivers actually are. I really like my au-517 which is one step down from the au-717, but it's not in the same league as the tolt stuff I've owned.
 
 

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

The only real advantages I'm seeing in buying a SS high/mid range HP amp is to conserve space and electricity.

I'm finding that it's useful to have one as a fallback when all the big rigs need work at the same time. 

 

[hodgjy]

  Say it ain't so. 
 
Quote:

I just realized I have NO pure headphone amps anymore. 

 

 

[WarriorAnt]

I'm getting out of the headphone game altogether and going back to my first love, speaker rigs, but I'm keeping my Sansui AU 505 just in case another headphone does roll my way.

 

[hodgjy]

That's the beauty of the audio hobby.  It's all about the individual person.  Back in high school and early college, I obsessed over speaker in the quest to get the best bang for my buck.  Now, my speakers are modest things really voiced for theater.  And, that's what they are used for 99% of the time.  I listen to 99% of my music through headphones now.  I found it easier and cheaper for me to achieve the sound I was looking for in headphones.  Maybe someday I'll get more serious about speakers again.....
 
Quote:

I'm getting out of the headphone game altogether and going back to my first love, speaker rigs, but I'm keeping my Sansui AU 505 just in case another headphone does roll my way.

 

 

[Rawrbington]

Quote:

I don't think a vintage rig cares about headphone impedance.  If your phono input sounds good and AUX in doesn't, then it could be your AUX in source

the aux source is a DLIII
but it sounds fine out of my other amps.
its really just that the hiss moodryn mentioned is less present with the phono stage for whatever reason.
 

 

[Magick Man]

anybody spent any significant time with a pair of denon 2000/5000/7000 with a vintage receiver?

is there a noticably HUGE impedance missmatch causing them to sound poor?

I use my D7000s with my MA6100 and it's clear as a bell and very musical. I mentioned before that it has a tube-like smoothness about it, and a touch of warmth, whether with my headphones or my desktop speakers. I do wonder how much it puts out through the HP jack at various loads, though. I can't find that spec anywhere.

 

[Wharfrat]

 

I use my D7000s with my MA6100 and it's clear as a bell and very musical. I mentioned before that it has a tube-like smoothness about it, and a touch of warmth, whether with my headphones or my desktop speakers. I do wonder how much it puts out through the HP jack at various loads, though. I can't find that spec anywhere.

Finally...somebody has made mention of vintage McIntosh gear as HP-friendly...Nows I gots to ask:  How does the MA6100 compare with the EF-5? (I have one...with a Telefunken NOS tube and I really love it with the D7000...).
 
I have an extensive Dead CD collection and those ol' boys used almost exclusively McIntosh amps in their live show setup.  I KNOW what they sound like live but am having trouble replicating that tonal palette Phil and Jerry put out with nearly all the HP amps I own (2 dedicated, 1 DAC, 5 integrateds/receivers).  Just wondering if that McIntosh sound tickles your toes and shakes your bones?
 
as for the previous post re: HE-5LE and SX-950 synergy, the proof is in the actual listening.  As I've never heard that combo, I will hold my silence since a Marantz is not a Pioneer...(should have shut up the first time anyhow).