[Graphicism]

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That's fantastic!
I have a La Figaro 336C and am planning on getting a pair of DT880/990 shortly (I can't make up my mind which ones to get).
Judging by what you say they will be 600 ohm versions.
Thanks, C.

Unless you're a bass head I would get the DT880, I think the DT990 are better underpowered because they still retain some of the bass. DT880 sufficiently amped have excellent bass extension and impact. I would recommend updating your tubes if you haven't already; Tung-Sol 5998, KEN RAD VT-231 etc.

 

[JSitthi]

+1 on the Crack, ordered one myself for my DT990/600 and will be receiving it next Monday. I decided on the Crack after spending a few days researching it when a fellow Head-Fi''er recommended it. Beyers and Cracks are apparently a common pairing, I've found. And if you don't like it, you can always sell it here for a little profit, since you did assemble it, which is normally a $150 fee if you want Bottlehead to build it for you.
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I'm currently considering the Bottlehead Crack (maybe with Speedball upgrade) as I've heard many good things about it and I think it's great bang for buck since it's a DIY kit.

 

 

[Chris J]

 
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Unless you're a bass head I would get the DT880, I think the DT990 are better underpowered because they still retain some of the bass. DT880 sufficiently amped have excellent bass extension and impact. I would recommend updating your tubes if you haven't already; Tung-Sol 5998, KEN RAD VT-231 etc.

Thanks for the advice, I'm not a basshead so I guess the DT770 is out too?
I guess I'm a flathead.
I don't like Senn HD650 either, too mellow.
 
Tubes........yeah, I want, to get some updated tubes ASAP.
I'll try the tubes you suggest.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

 
Thanks for the advice, I'm not a basshead so I guess the DT770 is out too?
I guess I'm a flathead.
I don't like Senn HD650 either, too mellow.
 
Tubes........yeah, I want, to get some updated tubes ASAP.
I'll try the tubes you suggest.

DT770 definitely has more bass, it's closed so it also picks up some of the reverberation issues. The DT990 is also somewhat bass-forward, however being open it isn't as sloppy, although the heightened bass is more of a mid-bass. The DT880 are also open but are quite neutral, they extend very well with amping and have enough impact to keep me satisfied with all sorts of genres.

 

[Gforce8]

Anyone out there have any experience pairing dt880/600 with Maverick A1? Could u please kindly share if these two goes well together?

 

[irishsammy]

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Anyone out there have any experience pairing dt880/600 with Maverick A1? Could u please kindly share if these two goes well together?

I'm using that very combo as we speak and it sounds much better than it has any right to, considering the cost of the amp.  My A1 has the upgraded 6AK5 tubes in it so I don't know about the stock tubes but if you only have $250ish to spend and you need a very good amp for your 880/600's, you could do a hell of a lot worse than the A1.   
 

 

[JSitthi]

That same price range irishsammy mentioned will also get you the Bottlehead Crack, which is perfect for 600 ohm headphones because it's an OTL amp. Don't feel pressured into getting the Speedball upgrade either - I'm currently running the Crack without a Speedball and I don't think I'd be able to notice the difference with it installed.
 
I think it comes down to what you want on your desktop. The A1 is very modern looking, whereas the Crack is classy and a little bit vintage looking

 

[Graphicism]

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Damn that's good looking! Is that a "D" getter I see with the Tung-sol?
 
I'm considering one of these for the new year, I would easily take it over the A1.

 

[irishsammy]

Well forget you guys.  I like my A1.  And it's plenty classy. 

 
But seriously, I hear the Crack is a very good amp with the 880/600's, too.  I just haven't heard one so I can't tell you whether it's any better or worse than the A1. 

 

[Gforce8]

 
Quote:

I'm using that very combo as we speak and it sounds much better than it has any right to, considering the cost of the amp.  My A1 has the upgraded 6AK5 tubes in it so I don't know about the stock tubes but if you only have $250ish to spend and you need a very good amp for your 880/600's, you could do a hell of a lot worse than the A1.   
 

thanks for the insight.. I was contemplating to get this amp for my dt880/600.. I have heard about tung sol tubes too.. do u tube roll your A1? audio world is a deep pool of poison! haha.. and i am really new to this area.. so pardon me if some of my questions sound stupid.. :x


Quote:

That same price range irishsammy mentioned will also get you the Bottlehead Crack, which is perfect for 600 ohm headphones because it's an OTL amp. Don't feel pressured into getting the Speedball upgrade either - I'm currently running the Crack without a Speedball and I don't think I'd be able to notice the difference with it installed.
 
I think it comes down to what you want on your desktop. The A1 is very modern looking, whereas the Crack is classy and a little bit vintage looking

Vintage look quite suits my taste.. however may i know what's the difference between an OTL amp and a normal tube amp?

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

That same price range irishsammy mentioned will also get you the Bottlehead Crack, which is perfect for 600 ohm headphones because it's an OTL amp. Don't feel pressured into getting the Speedball upgrade either - I'm currently running the Crack without a Speedball and I don't think I'd be able to notice the difference with it installed.
 
I think it comes down to what you want on your desktop. The A1 is very modern looking, whereas the Crack is classy and a little bit vintage looking

 
Crack?
Speedball?
 
Frankly, those names are just ignorant. Period.

 

[Graphicism]

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I already have the Hifiman EF5, which they sound good with, but because I've never tried an OTL tube amp with them, I just wonder whether they could/should sound better.

Do you find the Bottlehead crack a significant upgrade over the EF-5 with your DT880/600s and HD650s?

 

[captouch]

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Do you find the Bottlehead crack a significant upgrade over the EF-5 with your DT880/600s and HD650s?

Here's what I found:
When I used the 650's with the stock Crack (no Speedball), I found them to be a little too laid back.  I preferred the HD650's with the EF5.  The DT880's because they're brighter and more detailed to start with sounded very nice with the stock Crack - smoothed things out a bit.  Which I preferred would be a matter of mood and source material.
 
Once I put the Speedball in, I liked the 650's a lot with the Crack as well.  I was just listening this past weekend to them back to back, but to avoid having to switch RCA's, I was using different DACs - so probably not a fair comparison, though I did reverse the DACs mid-way through.  I can't say it was a night/day difference.
 
Note: the EF5 has AD797AZ opamp in place of OP275 that came with it, and my Crack w/Speedball was using a RCA 12BH7 tube and Tung Sol 5998 instead of what came stock.  When I have some hours to spend, I can go back to stock on both (well, except the Speedball) and compare, but what I can say is now I'm perfectly happy listening to either the HD650 or the DT880 on either the EF5 or Crack.  The DT880 is still a brighter, more detailed headphone with more air, but I find the HD650 to provide a more integrated well rounded sound for my tastes.  650's not at all dark/veiled or lacks detail, just not as much as the DT880 with my setups.
 

 

[voyage]

I am using mine with 902m

 

[captouch]

OP seems long gone from thread, but for anyone else interested, someone is selling a Sense G3 (actually I think it's the G3-T7 based on tube description) in for sale section for $105 plus shipping.That's an OTL amp that would be good with high impedance cans like DT880, HD650, etc.  Good price as long as shipping charges are reasonable.  ZombieX recommended that to me earlier when I was looking for a DT880 amp.