[orkney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAudioDude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm having a hell of a hard time deciphering all these posts and getting an idea of what tube amp would be a great match for the D7000s. How do the MAD Ear+ and the Woo Audio WA6 (w/ PDPS upgrade) compare?

I've used the D7000s with Cary and MAD Ear+ amps along with my HeadRoom MAX electronics and I like them a lot with the MAD, which seems to bring the mids forward slightly and tighten up the bass as well. The Cary is a bit loose in the bass by comparison. They were not a good match for my OTL amp, which provided very little control of the bass. I imagine that most tube amps capable of driving low impedances will generally work well with these Denons -- the more neutral the better, IMO.

best,

o

 

[TheAudioDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by orkney /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've used the D7000s with Cary and MAD Ear+ amps along with my HeadRoom MAX electronics and I like them a lot with the MAD, which seems to bring the mids forward slightly and tighten up the bass as well. The Cary is a bit loose in the bass by comparison. They were not a good match for my OTL amp, which provided very little control of the bass. I imagine that most tube amps capable of driving low impedances will generally work well with these Denons -- the more neutral the better, IMO. best, o

Yeah I was interested in the Darkvoice 337 but after talking with some people about it, I found that it probably wasn't the best choice for the D7000.

I love the looks of the WA6 (especially with the Sophia rectifier tube) but the MAD is nice too. I haven't looked far into the MAD, but is it pretty flexible with tube rolling like the WA6 is?

 

[orkney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAudioDude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah I was interested in the Darkvoice 337 but after talking with some people about it, I found that it probably wasn't the best choice for the D7000. I love the looks of the WA6 (especially with the Sophia rectifier tube) but the MAD is nice too. I haven't looked far into the MAD, but is it pretty flexible with tube rolling like the WA6 is?

I'm not too familiar with the WA6 but the MAD Ear has tube-rolling options in the driver stage between 5751 and various 12A_7s -- plenty of very good NOS choices there. Less opportunity to roll the outputs. The MAD variants are fast, detailed and transparent, I think, and this long with their ability to drive lo-Z phones makes them good company for the D7000s. No doubt there are happy WA6 owners who can chime in. I myself would avoid characteristically "tubey" amps with the D7000s. Hair of the dog, and not in a good way.

o

 

[DoYouRight]

I love them with my B22, as it has alot of current for the low impedance. However, those like Skylab who worry about OTL amps with low impedance cans should also use a high current tube maybe this is why MAD Ear amps work well. Im not sure I have never had a good tube amp, though Im willing to take on an EHHA or Stacker2.

 

[TheAudioDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by orkney /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not too familiar with the WA6 but the MAD Ear has tube-rolling options in the driver stage between 5751 and various 12A_7s -- plenty of very good NOS choices there. Less opportunity to roll the outputs. The MAD variants are fast, detailed and transparent, I think, and this long with their ability to drive lo-Z phones makes them good company for the D7000s. No doubt there are happy WA6 owners who can chime in. I myself would avoid characteristically "tubey" amps with the D7000s. Hair of the dog, and not in a good way. o

Well I am definitely leaning towards the WA6 mostly because of the upgrade options I'll have with it. I'd love to open it up and perform some of the upgrades I've seen here.

Does anyone else have any experiences with these headphones and a tube amp?

 

[jwbrent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAudioDude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does anyone else have any experiences with these headphones and a tube amp?

I'm running my D7000s through a Luxman SQ-N100 which is an EL84 based push pull design. The headphone output is taken from the output transformer. I've read others comment they don't think the D7000s will work as well with a tube amp due to the Denon's low impedance, but I am very happy with the sound I'm getting, in fact, its the best I've ever had headphone wise and I've been through many of the usual suspects over the years. I just ordered the JMoney leather pads and am looking forward to any sonic improvements these will provide.

 

[rjoseph]

I have tried tube amp with my D7000 but somehow preferred solid state to tubes. The amp that I had was the Little Dot II++ (w/ Mullard EF1)and the D7000 sounded way too sibilant with them. I also have a CIAudio VHP-2 with the VAC-1 psu and this synergy works very well for me. I find the depth, volume and soundstage better than the tubes that I used. Sold the LD.

 

[jwbrent]

I guess it's just the way the LD is voiced or reacting with the load. There is no sibilance issues with the Luxman, smooth as butta...

 

[DoYouRight]

For Denons to sound best, if its a tube amp, it needs alot of power so low watt tubes are not great to maintain the continuous flow of power they grave for the low impedance. Remember volume means nothing.

 

[proteuskim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwbrent /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm running my D7000s through a Luxman SQ-N100 which is an EL84 based push pull design. The headphone output is taken from the output transformer. I've read others comment they don't think the D7000s will work as well with a tube amp due to the Denon's low impedance, but I am very happy with the sound I'm getting, in fact, its the best I've ever had headphone wise and I've been through many of the usual suspects over the years. I just ordered the JMoney leather pads and am looking forward to any sonic improvements these will provide.

x 100! i am familiar with the sqn100. the d7000 sounds very nice with that amp. i actually read that they match well with hybrid tube amps. cant recall which amp was reviewed with em but it was a Woo Audio.
the luxman is definitely a nice match tho. great soundstage, more forward mids, very smooth. tested with classical, live jazz, and some japanese traditional music.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Looks like I am joining the club and buying a pair of LA7000, and selling my beloved modded re-cabled woodied D2000. REVIEW: Lawton Audio LA7000 (formerly "markl Mods") - modded Denon D7000

These LA7000 do sound good with all my amps, but the sound is a little different with each amp depending on the synergy. They are fantastic off my new EC ZDT - rich, vibrant, powerful and alive. With the WA6 they are somewhat less energetic but still very well balanced and rich, while sounding a little more forward and less spacious than with the ZDT. The EF2 and Apogee mini-DAC headphone out are very nice as well, being punchy, forward and clear (normally the mini-DAC headphone out can get a little fatiguing with my D2000, but not so with these). The Amphora is a little brighter with them than normal, as that amp can be slightly rolled off with other phones, so that is not my first choice with these although it is a great choice with my darker D2000. The Amphora is interesting because it has enough juice to run both the LA7000 and D2000 at the same time with no change in sound or volume.

Lastly, my SP Square Wave XL is also very good with them, being a powerful SS discrete output amp. I would love to hear these LA7000 balanced since I love my D2000 balanced with this amp. However, I am considering selling my D2000/Sq Wave as a balanced rig combo package since they go so well together, just because I need a way to pay off the LA7000, but I think I would miss it after using it for so long. If I keep the Sq Wave I may re-terminate the LA7000 with a 4-pin XLR since I have SE and balanced adapters for all my amps, and my ZDT takes a 4-pin XLR for my HD600/800 and K1000.

 

[C.L]

D7000 sounds very nice overall, but the bass is too much for me

 

[TheAudioDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoYouRight /img/forum/go_quote.gif For Denons to sound best, if its a tube amp, it needs alot of power so low watt tubes are not great to maintain the continuous flow of power they grave for the low impedance. Remember volume means nothing.

Well most tube amps do have lower wattage outputs. I think the consensus here is you need a tube amp with an output transformer if you are planning on driving low impedance headphones.

I think I have decided either to get the WA6SE (w/ parts upgrade and Sophia Princess tube... cost would be around $1800) or the WA22 for only a little bit more. Hopefully both are excellent choices with these headphones!

EDIT
Also just saw that the Luxman amp is also within that price range. Any opinions between Woo Audio and Luxman?

 

[DoYouRight]

WooAudio 5 or 22. I havent heard a Luxman.

EDIT:

BTW, I ordered a pair for my dad and that price is still applicable, just no free shipping as he said it was too much of a discount for that, I started at 525 and he said 549 was best he could do.

 

[soundlogic]

Larry;
Can you do a comparison with your LA 7000 and the HD 800's?
I have listened to both and I know what MY preference is...just wondering your thoughts?