Comparable alternatives for B22

[Arlekiin]

Bleh the sad thing is I cant demo them, I dont think anybody has them at all around here...maybe if I go to Sweden or smth which wouldnt be that difficult to organize...
 
Anyways I dont know if the AKG's are what im looking for but I feel I would like to have a pair of headphones that are abit more snappy compared to 650's. 650's are nowhere near bad but coming from 595's I feel im missing some engagement and I dont think Grados are for me but I cant be sure though. I would like to get more of what 595's gave me (instrument separation and detail without giving up a modest soundstage I hear that grados have almost none and also I listen to my phones in very long sessions so I keep hearing that grados kill and eat your ears before lunch so Im not too keen on those).
Then again I could probably audition GS1000's. As for LCD 2's they arent excactly cheap and I dont think I can afford uprading my amp and LCD 2s at the same time. I hope that the amp upgrade will improve my 650 experience abit by balancing their lazyness with a snappy amp and if that fails I would take a plunge and try out another ~500USD pair of headphones (gonna audition T1's first though). 
Quote:

 
Bleh can't say I recommend the AKG, but who knows. All those models are more or less on par though. The AKG is more detailed, sure, and offers a much larger soundstage that is infinitely better defined, but they sound weird and tonally incorrect to these ears. Everything has a plastic sound to it and it drove me nuts.
 
check out the LCD-2 before you plunk down tons of money on stats. Only logical because you have to build a whole new system, minus source, for the Stax. So if you go for a nice balanced dynamic amp, it won't play stax.
 
If you demo and are overly taken with stats you can always sell all your gear though.

 

[nikongod]

On the "not toooooo expensive" side:
Try HD600 or 580. *maybe* the DT880/250.
 
On the more expensive side

T1
HD800
 
If nothing else the 600/580/880 will help you focus your efforts into another headphone better.

 

[Arlekiin]

Beyers are a good start I think I have always liked headphones with a round cup design they feel right...only got HD650's because I started with 595's and have been in Senn-camp ever since also had 280's awhile back. 
 
Also tomorrow I should get my bonus so I can start buying the amp...

 

[Arlekiin]

What about GS-1? If i bought that I could get a set of DT880's aswell

 

[nikongod]

Gs1 is an outstanding amp.

 

[Arlekiin]

Ok I have now given in my order for Silver GS-1 without the attenduator.
After some reading I have decided that I wont be ordering DT880's before I get the amp to see how it fits with my 650's.
 
I decided not to go with phoenix because it was slightly stretching my budget but GS-1 felt very comfortable and i havent auditioned it so I hope it fits me...dunno if they have return policy...
 
Thank you for your  help advice and time

 

[Arlekiin]

...and yes the waiting time is awful 8 weeks of pure anxiousness....

 

[jc9394]

8 weeks if you are lucky...

 

[Arlekiin]

What what what?

 

[jc9394]

Did you checked headamp's forum?  I know you ordered a GS1 but take a look at two threads in here.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/list/38
 
EDIT - Don't get me wrong, I love Justin's stuff.  I have both his Pico AMP/DAC and Pico Slim now and owned GS1 and GIlmore Lite.

 

[Arlekiin]

Damit that wasnt really clever of me to order without checking the "real" wait times was it? I took this ~8 week at its face value it would suck to wait it for
6 months or more I can deal with 6-10 weeks but few months would be too much...
Time will tell...

 

[Maxvla]

Still these features you mention are indeed valid points and 1200 is in tolerable range.


And no I dont have a balanced source and I don't plan to get one...yet as I use my PC as a source and getting a balanced source would probably mean getting a balanced dac...I bet these wont come cheap.


 


But it seems that at the moment 2 main contenders are Phoenix and B22 (built by a builder)


 


P.S: Also I probably wouldnt have even started to search for a new amp but it seems that my Morgan Jones is just a tad out of breath with HD650's or just not the best match. I cant say its terrible but I feel that it could be way more clear and articulate also as I run my amps for hours on end I think Wooaudio 6SE would end up being quite expensive if I go through tubes as fast as I do for that reason a mid/highend SS amp needs to find its way to my home.

Another solution could be the Little Dot MKVI+. It's a balanced tube amp at $680 with ample power. I use one with my HD600 and it works extremely well. I heard my amp and a full on balanced b22 and o22 side by side and preferred the MKVI very slightly. As for tubes going out quickly you need not worry about that. I bought my amp almost 2 years ago and am using the same driver tubes. The only reason I changed my power tubes is because one of the stock tubes had a slight buzz when I got it. A simple hop on eBay got me 8 tubes (enough for 2 sets) for $35 shipped. Tubes last a long time so if that was your reason to not try a tube amp you can certainly open up to more options.

 

[Arlekiin]

Oh thats good to know that the tubes last that long in reality...but its not about trying a tube amp I have one at the moment I just want to try a solid state. I think one should have both at least 1 SS and 1 Tube. But its very interesting you like MK VI more than B22. 

 

[Maxvla]

I need more exposure to good solid state amps, but all of them I've heard sound cold and uninvolving. Most of the amps at the meets I attend are tube and they all for the most part are warmer and more realistic. The b22 combo certainly sounded great and was a bit more precise than my amp but it didn't sound as realistic. I could easily live with a b22 if that was my only option. The MKVI was a stark contrast to the MKIII I had before. It took everything that was sort of hazy and brought it into focus giving singers the sound as if they were live on front of you instead of listening to a recording of them. At it's low price I would consider it. Build time should certainly be shorter than 6 months. When I bought mine 2 years ago it arrived at my door from china in just 5 days.

 

[Arlekiin]

Well I did put my order in already probably I could cancel it but not yet im gonna hear what he says about build time. Next tube amp im gonna get is going to be WooAudio I think.
Also since HD650's are abit on the lazy side and warm and bassy then its probable that good SS with its analytical detail etc...can balance them out and be a good mix.