Adol
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2004
- Posts
- 31
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- 0
Right now, my main audio rig consists of a pair of AKG K501 headphones, an Audigy 2 Value, and a CMoy-type amplifier. The K501's are lovely; they have better stereo positioning than my old MDR-V6's, they have brilliant midrange and treble, and I honestly find their light but well-controlled bass quite nice. Contrary to popular opinion, I've never found the Audigy 2 to be terribly lacking compared to the AV-710, either.
The CMoy amplifier seems to be the weak link in this system. It doesn't have a real case, since I can't handle a drill to save my life, and it doesn't seem to have enough power to drive the K501's nicely. At low volume, they sound great, but upon being drive to higher levels, dynamics seem to vanish and sound imaging and overall quality seem to become blurry and muddy. Plus, the Panasonic pot tends to buzz from time to time, which drives me nuts.
I'd love to buy a Corda Aria or some other bit of industrial and electrical art, but I can't really afford to pay $450+ for an amp; if I had that much cash laying around, I would have bought K701's instead!
I'm a bit torn between building a PIMETA and TREAD-based system or buying a Little Dot 2 amplifier, partially because I'm not entirely sure of the main differences between the two devices, and partially because I've never actually listened to a tube amplifier before. A PIMETA+TREAD configuration is cheaper than the Little Dot, op-amps don't burn out, and I'm a bit more confident in its ability to drive the inefficient AKG's well. On the other hand, the Little Dot 2 seems like it might offer better sound quality than even a higher-end PIMETA configuration.
Of course, if a Little Dot Micro or PA2v2, or even a high-end CMoy configuration will do the trick cheaper than the PIMETA or Little Dot 2, I'm always happy to save money.
To clump everything together, what's the best amp for K501 headphones that costs less than $150?
The CMoy amplifier seems to be the weak link in this system. It doesn't have a real case, since I can't handle a drill to save my life, and it doesn't seem to have enough power to drive the K501's nicely. At low volume, they sound great, but upon being drive to higher levels, dynamics seem to vanish and sound imaging and overall quality seem to become blurry and muddy. Plus, the Panasonic pot tends to buzz from time to time, which drives me nuts.
I'd love to buy a Corda Aria or some other bit of industrial and electrical art, but I can't really afford to pay $450+ for an amp; if I had that much cash laying around, I would have bought K701's instead!
I'm a bit torn between building a PIMETA and TREAD-based system or buying a Little Dot 2 amplifier, partially because I'm not entirely sure of the main differences between the two devices, and partially because I've never actually listened to a tube amplifier before. A PIMETA+TREAD configuration is cheaper than the Little Dot, op-amps don't burn out, and I'm a bit more confident in its ability to drive the inefficient AKG's well. On the other hand, the Little Dot 2 seems like it might offer better sound quality than even a higher-end PIMETA configuration.
Of course, if a Little Dot Micro or PA2v2, or even a high-end CMoy configuration will do the trick cheaper than the PIMETA or Little Dot 2, I'm always happy to save money.
To clump everything together, what's the best amp for K501 headphones that costs less than $150?
