devices with a good head amp hidden inside?

[music_man]

the thing is i really wanted a preamp or integrated amp instead of another dac. is there something like a modern day melos? the pawn shops have a zillion amps but i don't know every good one so unless i found one of the few i know i wouldn't even know a good one was staring me right in the face for 50 bucks or whatever!

as everyone already knows i am listening right now to ultrasones at the moment. i think it is safe to say they like whatever grados like for amps. since the ra1 and clones seem to be more to their liking than sr71,v3,vhp-1 etc. i think the apogee will make them too analytical.

music_man.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man the thing is i really wanted a preamp or integrated amp instead of another dac. is there something like a modern day melos? the pawn shops have a zillion amps but i don't know every good one so unless i found one of the few i know i wouldn't even know a good one was staring me right in the face for 50 bucks or whatever! as everyone already knows i am listening right now to ultrasones at the moment. i think it is safe to say they like whatever grados like for amps. since the ra1 and clones seem to be more to their liking than sr71,v3,vhp-1 etc. i think the apogee will make them too analytical. music_man.

Hmm that's tough. I actually can't think of a modern equivalent to the Melos under $1000. I guess modern day folks just don't bother with headphone outs in this modern era of Home Theater.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man i was looking for something that competes with $400 headphone amps. music_man.

Someone here compared the Elite A-35R to the Rega Ear, and concluded that they were at the same overall level of sound quality save the bass being a bit less controlled on the Pioneer. I think that's saying something, for a $200-250 integrated. However, I'm still on the market for a true headphone amp which betters it & is priced reasonably

 

[Comrade Penguin]

The nearest thing I can think of is Bryston B-60. These go for closer to $2000 new these days but I've seen 2nd hand ones go for well under $1000. It's a very good intergrated amp, especially at the price and the headphone circuity is very well thought of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stereophile Many integrateds lack a headphone jack, forcing you to purchase a separate headphone amp for several hundred more. Not the B-60. Headphones are driven by the preamp section, which, according to Chris Russell, can deliver up to about 1W into most dynamic headphones—enough to drive my Grado RS-1s very dynamically indeed. I've never heard the Grados get it up better than they do with the B-60. The B-60 could thus be the perfect choice for an apartment dweller—or someone who has small children and needs to listen through headphones late at night. I enjoyed my Grados so much with the Bryston that I often used the headphones even when I didn't have to.

Stereophile Article

 

[F107plus5]

A related question:

Are there any general assumptions that can be made about earlier generation DVD/CD players that have volume controlled headphone outputs??

I understand that the more ancient varieties of PCDPs are more robust in their outputs; do the same rules apply to earlier "built like tanks" CD/DVD players?

 

[Asr]

Onkyo's CS-V720 has a pretty good headphone amp/jack. The unit was my first-ever source upgrade (back in February this year) so I was blown away at first. Now that things have settled down, I've found that its quality is somewhere closer to my Little Dot Micro+ than my SuperMini-3. Not too bad for sure, but not great. I've never done a critical listen on it but it's decent overall.

 

[slwiser]

My Onkyo's DR2.2 Surround Receiver does very well also. This may be something that Onkyo does well. My DR2.2 is a nice looking unit as well. It is the one that comes with the LS-V950 HTIB. I think it is now the LS-V955 with the speakers changed some.

FYI, this unit also has a couple of digital inputs and an out.

http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=...ss=Systems&p=i

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr Onkyo's CS-V720 has a pretty good headphone amp/jack. The unit was my first-ever source upgrade (back in February this year) so I was blown away at first. Now that things have settled down, I've found that its quality is somewhere closer to my Little Dot Micro+ than my SuperMini-3. Not too bad for sure, but not great. I've never done a critical listen on it but it's decent overall.

 

[F107plus5]

And I'll pop in here, with a third "Hooray! for Onkyo!!"

 

[kwkarth]

For $330 USD plus another $35 for a matched pair of gold pinned EL5751s, you simply can't beat the Dared MP5 integrated Hybrid mini-amp.

About 15W/channel into 8 ohms, integrated DAC, and sounds pretty magicical as a head amp for 701s, Hd600s, K1000s, and even Grados. Plenty of power, wonderful soundstage, depth, and detail. Only missing oomph in the bottom 1/2 octave. Barely discernable noise floor against total silence with sensitive cans.

Steps all over the SR-71 and even Corda Aria in most areas.

 

[slwiser]

The specs on this are great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth For $330 USD plus another $35 for a matched pair of gold pinned EL5751s, you simply can't beat the Dared MP5 integrated Hybrid mini-amp. About 15W/channel into 8 ohms, integrated DAC, and sounds pretty magicical as a head amp for 701s, Hd600s, K1000s, and even Grados. Plenty of power, wonderful soundstage, depth, and detail. Only missing oomph in the bottom 1/2 octave. Barely discernable noise floor against total silence with sensitive cans. Steps all over the SR-71 and even Corda Aria in most areas.

 

[MatsudaMan]

nad c352 has an awesome headphone out. I've tried other integrateds and haven't found any that compare as far as headphone capability. Probably all NAD integrated amplifiers have this in common. They range from 399-899.

 

[music_man]

it looks like the dared is the only thing that is seriously worth the money that has been mentioned. i was actually hoping for something solid state and mass produced. it must beat a sr71 and v3 but also be able to power small speakers.

if this is not possible i am more intrested in computer interfaces again since i could use a upgrade on one of my machines. how do i know which mainstream ones have outstanding headphone jacks? well, i guess you guys could mention some! there are like 100 of these things offered at guitar center. i already know the minidac is real good. what about maudio,presonus.focusrite,lexicon....

still, like i said i prefer the first option so i can have little speakers. how is something like the mini system onkyo,denon or yamaha?

remember, it has to be better than sr71 or v3 level.

music_man.

 

[Asr]

The Onkyo unit I mentioned won't get anywhere close to the SR-71.

Are you referring to the D-M33S when mentioning the Denon mini-system? That probably gets a lot closer but I don't think it would reach SR-71 level either. Remember that its price reflects the speakers, and the tuner, and the CD transport. The SR-71 is $395 and it's only a headphone amp. I think you need to set more realistic levels, otherwise you'll need to spend more than $1000.

Something like the Arcam Solo might get you there, but it costs $1600.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man it looks like the dared is the only thing that is seriously worth the money that has been mentioned. i was actually hoping for something solid state and mass produced. it must beat a sr71 and v3 but also be able to power small speakers. if this is not possible i am more intrested in computer interfaces again since i could use a upgrade on one of my machines. how do i know which mainstream ones have outstanding headphone jacks? well, i guess you guys could mention some! there are like 100 of these things offered at guitar center. i already know the minidac is real good. what about maudio,presonus.focusrite,lexicon.... still, like i said i prefer the first option so i can have little speakers. how is something like the mini system onkyo,denon or yamaha? remember, it has to be better than sr71 or v3 level. music_man.

you ask for the moon...

 

[alex_cs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong NAD c320bee. I've not had a headphone amp for a year because of it.

i would have to 100% agree with this, for what it cost me, about 370 AUD (280-280USD) I got a very competitive speaker and phone amp.