[NiceStrongArm]

@ManuCV Yes, very similar, indeed. I have B&W CM6 bookshelf speakers on stands and also like the combo quite a bit. Rotel and B&W are with the same parent company, so there is some synergy going on.
I see hummelhummel Nordlicht Good place, though a bit too cold and damp for my taste. The "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing" only goes so far; escaped from CH to SoCal some 25 years ago.

 

[ManuCV]

One more caveat. Depending on your amp and headphones, the Rotel volume level may need to be quite high. I listen to my speakers at volume 35-40 on Rotel, but for headphone listening with Dan Clark Ether 2 planar, I have to crank up volume to 60-70 on Rotel and on Woo it is at ~50%. So when you switch your speakers back on, remember to turn down the volume again.

@NiceStrongArm I received yesterday the SP200 and your words came to my mind instantly. When connected to the Rotel RA1572, I have to raise the volume on the Rotel to 60 or 70 in order not to go past 12 in the SP200 volume knob, especially with my planars (Hifiman HE400i). Then I hear a subtle hum/buzz, which is even more noticeable if I enable high gain. Do you have this buzz too? These RCA cables I connected are some spare I had around, quite cheapo, so probable that's the reason... but would like to know if you happen to hear that buzz. Tried with other headphones, the easier to drive B&O H6 and the buzz is still there, less prominent because they don't require much volume to sound louder...

Despite this buzz/hum, I have to say that I am very impressed. I was listening to all sorts of music yesterday, and oh wow what a change. This amp really brings the best out of the Hifimans, I have never listened to them like this. Plenty of detail and the bass is really delicious, powerful and precise.

 

[NiceStrongArm]

I don't get any buzz on my headphones. If I understand you ok, then your headphone amp is the SMSL SP200, which is solid state, so there should be no issues with tube noise. I don't know about your sources, but is it coming from turntable? Is the TT properly grounded? Alternatively, you may have some other grounding problem. Are all components powered from the same outlet? As far as I understand (no real expertise here), plugging components into different outlets, and particularly different circuits can cause problems. Next option may be a transformer noise from the headphone amp. Apparently, transformer noise is a bit more common with standard square built transformers as opposed to toroidal ones (there is a video on youtube by PS audio on that).

Do you get the buzz when you plug the headphones into the Rotel directly? That can possibly tell you where in the chain the problem might be. I googled SMSL SP200 buzz and there are some threads to follow on various sites. Good luck!

 

[ManuCV]

I don't get any buzz on my headphones. If I understand you ok, then your headphone amp is the SMSL SP200, which is solid state, so there should be no issues with tube noise. I don't know about your sources, but is it coming from turntable? Is the TT properly grounded? Alternatively, you may have some other grounding problem. Are all components powered from the same outlet? As far as I understand (no real expertise here), plugging components into different outlets, and particularly different circuits can cause problems. Next option may be a transformer noise from the headphone amp. Apparently, transformer noise is a bit more common with standard square built transformers as opposed to toroidal ones (there is a video on youtube by PS audio on that).

Do you get the buzz when you plug the headphones into the Rotel directly? That can possibly tell you where in the chain the problem might be. I googled SMSL SP200 buzz and there are some threads to follow on various sites. Good luck!

Finally it was the cheapo RCA cable, I had another one (slightly better) and this one is not causing any buzz. Dead silent.

Many thanks for the very insightful reply!

 

[NiceStrongArm]

Finally it was the cheapo RCA cable, I had another one (slightly better) and this one is not causing any buzz. Dead silent.

Many thanks for the very insightful reply!

Well, that was easy! If everything in audio would be so straight forward. I had a buzzing problem once, and after months figured out it was a fluorescent light fixture for an orchid terrarium that sent EMF noise to the tubes. Drove me nuts. Had forgotten about that when I wrote the previous reply. Due to various circumstances, the terrarium is gone (have a greenhouse now), and audio is sweet