[siva283]

I recently ordered Sennheiser HD6XX from Massdrop and will be receiving it by december. This is my first Hi-end gear. I am looking for a suitable amp within a strict budget of $100 to $120. It also needs to be a portable one as I mostly use my headphones along with my mobile. Cayin C5 seems to be available in massdrop for sale. Will it pair well with HD 6XX or should I go for Objective O2 amp?

Please suggest.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

It also needs to be a portable one as I mostly use my headphones along with my mobile.

If you mean you'll walk around with them there are already two problems there. O2 won't fit in anybody's pockets, not even 1990s gangsta pants. And even with the C5 the HD6xx is a bad idea with basically just a grille/grate to just prevent foreign objects ramming the drivers. It will be like installing a nice sound system in a convertible and you're always listening with the top down.

If you just mean you can move it around, you don't have to restrict yourself to these, not to mention since you're using a phone you might as well connect them via USB OTG if your phone works. I'm using my Note3 with a Pangea HP101 (also a Meier Cantate, but I haven't had it repaired yet). 24/96 DAC, class A tube preamp stage and amp output stage. Small enough even with the external power supply that it went into the camera backpack I use to haul electronics (on top of my camera), flew back and forth with it.

 

[siva283]

If you mean you'll walk around with them there are already two problems there. O2 won't fit in anybody's pockets, not even 1990s gangsta pants. And even with the C5 the HD6xx is a bad idea with basically just a grille/grate to just prevent foreign objects ramming the drivers. It will be like installing a nice sound system in a convertible and you're always listening with the top down.

If you just mean you can move it around, you don't have to restrict yourself to these, not to mention since you're using a phone you might as well connect them via USB OTG if your phone works. I'm using my Note3 with a Pangea HP101 (also a Meier Cantate, but I haven't had it repaired yet). 24/96 DAC, class A tube preamp stage and amp output stage. Small enough even with the external power supply that it went into the camera backpack I use to haul electronics (on top of my camera), flew back and forth with it.

Thanks for the suggestions! How about the sound quality and Power of Pangea and Meier?

I mostly use it in my bedroom. Will not take around. So not much issues with the size. Only concern is the amp should be battery driven and without external power supply as I will mostly use it in my bed.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thanks for the suggestions! How about the sound quality and Power of Pangea and Meier?

The Cantate is basically as neutral as it gets but errs on getting warm when pushed, vs how the O2 leans towards getting bright when playing louder. Lots of power. Even at high gain the background is really black. Drives HD6x0, K70x, LCD-2, HE-4 with no problems - real loud and clean the way the percussion pops out is like Grado except it won't give you the same in your face imaging (ie it's really more of how easy it is to get loud on Grados, and if the amp can go loud without distortion on something else, you get a similar effect of that "Grado sound," which isn't some mystical voodoo).

Pangea HP101 is like a version of it sound-wise - similar tone but just not as black a background. Some noise but it's highly dependent on the OTG adapter. Initially thought it was the amp, but when I broke the cable and got a new one, noise pushed out towards higher output and even then was not as loud. Even with the crap OTG cable the point at which noise comes in is still beyond what I'd use even for loud listening. Heats up a lot more but it's running discrete components plus a tube and is less than half the footprint of the Meier I've been leaving it running trying to wear out the Shuguang tube and motivate me to take it apart and put in a Mullard ECC83, but so far it's holding up.

It's $30 on Amazon and $50 on some eBay sellers. Get it from Amazon ASAP so you can return it if it doesn't work via USB OTG from your phone.

I mostly use it in my bedroom. Will not take around. So not much issues with the size. Only concern is the amp should be battery driven and without external power supply as I will mostly use it in my bed.

I have mine on a bedside table (though I have a chair, not using it sitting up on the bed). It comes with an external power supply but the cable is long on the amp to PSU side so I have it the lower shelf on the table. That's why the PSU is not in the photo. Even then if size is problem what's the problem with an external PSU? Excess cables can either be bundled up or you use it to put the PSU off the table. It's not one of those fancy external PSU's that come in the same chassis as the amp - it's like what comes with a Chromebook before USB-C charging was a thing.

 

[siva283]

@ProtegeManiac

There are not much reviews on these 2 amps anywhere.

I would prefer to go with familiar models as I would mostly use it outside USA. So need to be a reliable product. So i want to choose between O2 and c5.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

@ProtegeManiacThere are not much reviews on these 2 amps anywhere.

Cantate v1 came out in 2006, then the v2 was phased out in 2010 I think. I'm just using it as a reference for the Pangea HP101 because 1) I have one, 2) I liked it enough I wouldn't have picked up an amp if it didn't start playing in mono (that technicians here can't fix for some reason, but next on my list is replacing the pot), and 3) the HP101 was surprisingly good for what it cost.

Pangea HP101 spooks people especially because when it first came out it was going for $250. For the same kind of money the Schiit Asgard made infinitely more sense, then the Vali2 came out and that had a more conventional tube mount that made replacing it easy. Just received mine for Christmas back in 2015 and for the $100 then if I knew it was that good I'd spend my own money on it. Now it's $50 and if I wasn't still trying to resurrect my Cantate I'd get a spare HP101.

I would prefer to go with familiar models as I would mostly use it outside USA. So need to be a reliable product. So i want to choose between O2 and c5.

One reason why I have these two amps is bec I'd use both on either side of the Pacific - Cantate and HP101 are both universal voltage.

If your concern is reliability and after sales support outside the US then do not get the amp from Massdrop. Or at least check with them about after sales support. AFAIK for the warranty period they just have enough extras in stock for outright replacement, not sure what happens after that period or after they run out of extra units. Even then though if you have to get the amp shipped to the US (or China) for diagnosis and repair/replacement, depending on where you are, shipping costs and taxation can cost you even more you might as well get an amp from a local dealer.

Maybe a Fiio K5. No DAC in it unlike the HP101 though - it's really designed more for use with their DAPs. Wait around and maybe the Q5 Pro will be available by December.