[Fringe]

Hi Everyone,
 
I plan on purchasing the HD600 soon but have been a little stuck trying to figure out which amp to pair them with. I will be using my ipod with LOD/laptop and apple lossless tracks. I mainly listen to acoustic/rock music and would like the amp to give full sound,good clarity and some bass. I'm looking to spend around $250-300 and would like to keep the size down so i can bring it to different rooms. I was looking at the Maverick A1 or the Ibasso PB1 with the balanced cable or the Ibasso P4.I know the last two are not desktop amps but i have not found too much in my price range for desktops.Please no DIY suggestions. Any thoughts or comments would be great.
 
Thanks!
 

 

[hodgjy]

I just picked up the Schiit Asgard to pair with my HD600s.  It's a very good and synergistic match.  Couldn't be more happy.

 

[Fringe]

That was one of my original picks but i have read on a few places including the schiit website that it runs pretty hot which was a little bit of a turn off for me. Are you finding it to run excessively hot?
 

 

[hodgjy]

No, I don't find it overly hot.  I think the heat is a little misunderstood.  In fact, my Woo 3 tube amp runs hotter.  I think the heat is a concern for people who've never used a class A amp before, and especially for people coming from ipods and their regular stereo receivers.  Class A amps are hot, and the Asgard is warm, but it is by far NOT the warmest amp I've ever owned or used.  It's nothing to worry about.  I think Schiit was very vocal about the heat because they probably knew newbies to dedicated headphone amps would be concerned because they've never felt their ipod get warm.
 
Quote:

That was one of my original picks but i have read on a few places including the schiit website that it runs pretty hot which was a little bit of a turn off for me. Are you finding it to run excessively hot?
 

 

 

[Fringe]

That's good to hear thanks for clearing that up. I will have to start looking into the asgard again since it does look like a good option for me. I did notice the only input on the asgard looks like a RCA so would i have to buy a new LOD from my ipod or just get a 3.5 to RCA adapter?Thanks for the quick and helpful responses.

 

[hodgjy]

I would get a the LOD adpater because that will be a clean, unamplified signal.  Using the headphone jack is amplified, and it's not good to amp and amped signal.  It will not sound as good.

 

[Fringe]

Sorry i should have clarified a little bit. I meant would buying a adapter for my current LOD to plug into with a with a female 3.5 to RCA have better SQ than purchasing a new LOD with RCA inputs because I'm not looking to spend a alot of money on a new cable if i don't need to. I referenced a example of what i meant below. Thanks
 
http://www.amazon.com/Male-3-5mm-Stereo-Female-Y-Cable/dp/B000I23TTE/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_2
 
 

 

[Bones13]

Kicas Caliente - works great for the Senn600/650, and is very affordable.  I replaced it with the DIY Bottlehead Crack, but the Kicas is a solid unit.

 

[Migou67]

I use my HD-650 with the Maverick A1 (tubes are upgraded). I'm very happy with it and I like the "warm" and "smooth" tube sound you get. A very nice device for the price.

 

[hodgjy]

That would be just fine.  I'm no believer in fancy cables because I don't think interconnects have any bearing on the sound.  Also, adapters in the line also have very little to no effect on the sound quality.  Get the cable and be done with it.  It'll work great.
 
I do like the appearance of thicker cables and I think they last longer, but they have no impact on sound.  I like monoprice cables.  Here's what I would get:
 
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5612&seq=1&format=2
 
Or, if your dock has a female connection, this:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5596&seq=1&format=2
 
Quote:

Sorry i should have clarified a little bit. I meant would buying a adapter for my current LOD to plug into with a with a female 3.5 to RCA have better SQ than purchasing a new LOD with RCA inputs because I'm not looking to spend a alot of money on a new cable if i don't need to. I referenced a example of what i meant below. Thanks
 
http://www.amazon.com/Male-3-5mm-Stereo-Female-Y-Cable/dp/B000I23TTE/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_2
 
 

 

 

[Fringe]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!! The Purity Audio website says they are no longer making amps so the kicas Caliente is out since I'm looking to buy new.I'm going to look into the asgard some more but i found a disturbing youtube video with the asgard nearing ruing a pair of K702 but I'm not sure if this is just internet fiction or if this was a early production problem that has been fixed on newer units.

 

[jschristian44]

I'd have to say the Bottlehead Crack.  I just owned it and listening to all my headphones was a pleasant suprised.  It does a very nice job and is right at your price range.

 

[hodgjy]

They added a relay switch to prevent this problem.  Any new Asgard made in the last few months has this correction.
 
Quote:

Thanks everyone for the feedback!! The Purity Audio website says they are no longer making amps so the kicas Caliente is out since I'm looking to buy new.I'm going to look into the asgard some more but i found a disturbing youtube video with the asgard nearing ruing a pair of K702 but I'm not sure if this is just internet fiction or if this was a early production problem that has been fixed on newer units.

 

 

[Fringe]

Anyone know of a comparison between the Asgard and the maverick A1 since it seems these would be the two best options and i didn't find anything from a search.

 

[hodgjy]

While I cannot speak about the Maverick A1, I did have the Maverick D1.  I also now have the Asgard.  There is no comparison in quality in construction or sound.  The Asgard wins.