[larry.said]

For AKGs I would suggest the MAD Ear+. Its around 750USD and works extremely well with my AKGk701. A simple upgrade of the stock SOVTEK 5751 improves the sound stage considerably too.

 

[TheLeftChannel]

Hi Ephrank,

Whatever tube amp you choose make sure that it's a single ended class-A tube amp. The sound of a SE class-a is what makes a tube amp special.... Otherwise you may as well get a solid-state.

I have always been a fan of the Carry. a bit pricy but they hold value and their SE Class A 300B sounds great.

Don't forget to match it to your speakers though.

Peace

 

[silverrain]

I recently got my first tube amp, the Darkvoice 336SE, with some optional upgraded tubes from a generous Head-Fi'er.

I turned it on, and it made my HD580's sing like I have never heard them do before -- pure magic there.
I was stunned. Still am.

 

[tfarney]

Another amp to consider in your budget is the Glow Audio Amp One. I had one in the house for a week and it sounded fabulous with my HD580s. And in addition to a 500 mw headphone amp, it gives you speaker terminals with 5 watts per channel, enough to drive efficient speakers. The only caveat is the built-in DAC. Just don't use it. Or wait until the next production run when they will, I hope, replace it.

Tim