[Guidostrunk]

I sold my Mjolnir 2 after spending a month with BasX A-100 , doing A/B comparisons. This amp is legit af!

Y'all I bought this headphone amp and I couldn't believe it's selling for this price. It is a DREAM with the HD600s. The HD600's no longer feel dark or laid back. It simply came alive. Soundstage, resolution, unlimited dynamics. Oh and really low bass. Just insane really. Imo to beat this amp you are going to have to swing up to a Schiit Ragnarok. It has got huge amounts of power capability and I believe this is the reason the HD600's came alive. Lots of control.

I removed the jumper and absolutely heard a difference in dynamics - there was no smear. Just lightning quick transients. The first time I felt my headphone rig was not second class to my speaker rig. The jumper limtis the current output of the A-100 to prevent high sensitivity headphones from frying. Not a problem for the HD600. With the jumpers off, the A-100 pushes a godly 1300 mwatts in to 300 ohms. Doesn't sound like much? Check out how well other amps do at 300 ohms? You'll be lucky if they squeek out even a 100 mwatts. I've seen amp units that gasp out 14 mwatts at 300 ohms.
At lower impedances the A-100 will push 8.5 watts at 50 ohms more than enough to fry the headphones. Hence the jumpers to prevent over driving lower impedance headphones.
But with the HD600's....it's just a dream.

Speaker and DAC rig: (Axiom M80's fully balanced to Emotiva DC- to XPA-1 gen 2 monoblocks in class A mode + room treatments. With a source the Musiland Digital Times via BNC output. About a $4500 setup). I can't believe I'm saying this but it absolutely competed with this nice sounding speaker setup. In some aspects it did better as well.
I dare you to find anything close anywhere near that's price range.
Love it!

Along with the huge torroidal transformer, you will see that it has a ridiculous 20,000 mf of capacitance and that performance really shows bringing very low bass and extreme control to this set of headphones. The treble also really opened up. I am definitely hearing more air. The control allows everything to sound holographic with large amounts of layering. The fan is there for safety but it never activates.

 

[unclebrudy]

For those who might be interested, I tried the jumpers on the Emotiva this morning. As expected, there is not much play available on the volume pot. The HD600s do not sound especially different than they did without the jumpers; the 400is, however, are much improved. The Emotiva now has plenty of power to drive them.

Edit: I took the jumpers off. I found that the lack of play on the volume pot was an issue. There is some channel imbalance at the lower levels--and sometimes I don't want to listen to music at higher volumes. Sound is wonderful, however, when I turn the nob up. I decided to live with an excellent amp for the HD600s with the jumpers removed, while using the 400is strictly on my Audeze Deckard.

I know you posted this a while back, and I read the followup post regarding jumpers - I'm gathering intel on this amp and was wondering if you don't mind elaborating on why the 400i and it didn't synergize too well? Thanks!

 

[Guidostrunk]

From what I gathered from his post. It was the fact that the hd600 didn't work well with the a-100 with the jumpers in due to volume control, and without the jumpers, there's not enough juice to power the 400i, for the best SQ. So he's using the 400i with a different amp to power them properly, and using the a-100(jumpers out) with the hd600 . That's how I read it. The a-100 is a beast of an amp with the jumpers in for planars.

I know you posted this a while back, and I read the followup post regarding jumpers - I'm gathering intel on this amp and was wondering if you don't mind elaborating on why the 400i and it didn't synergize too well? Thanks!

 

[jwedwards75]

Exactly @Guidostrunk. The a-100/400i combo is phenomenal with the jumpers in. Without the jumpers, the combo was mediocre. There just isn't enough juice to power the planars for my liking. When using my HD600s with the jumpers, the volume pot had limited play and there was a lot of channel imbalance on low volumes so as to make this combo a poor one in my estimation.

 

[garbulky]

I guess I should have clarified regarding the volume control. The trick with this amp is to use the right match.

1. With the jumpers off the volume control works in the lower end of its range making it nearly unusable an effective volume control for my HD600's. So at the lower settings on the knob you will have channel imbalance due to the nature of the potentiometer.
I have a DC-1 which has an analog type of a resistor ladder on a chip volume control. I reduce the volume on the DC-1 a little bit down from maximum (0db). Then I turn the volume control on the mini-x up from zero past the channel imbalance point. So for me it's something a bit more than a quarter of the way or 9 o clock. My DC-1 is turned down to something like -25. After that I simply control the volume using the DC-1's volume control - not the mini-x.
So long story short use the mini-x like a power amp - just for headphones - don't use its volume control other than to set it higher than the channel imbalance point.

Use the volume control of the upstream DAC afterwards. This applies for using it with the jumper off. With the jumper on you can use the volume control fine.

2. With lower impedance headphones I would not take off the jumper. The noise floor will likely make itself heard. I'm also not sure if these are the best thigs for IEMS and stuff. IMO this is a high impedace headphones dream. Or the dream of headphones that needs large amounts of power.

Though that sounds daunting...it's really not. It does a very solid job - providing you are using it with the right headphones and the right gear.

 

[thedesigner2011]

You could also run a preamp in front of the A-100, keeping the A-100's dial at maybe 50% and using the preamp to get more volume control

 

[javb06]

It's really exciting to see they added a headphone output. I've been looking into purchasing passive bookshelf speakers and this seems like the perfect all in one solution for having speakers and headphones. Anyone thoughts on pairing the A-100 with an HE560?

 

[Guidostrunk]

Match made in heaven with the HE560. I connect directly to the speaker taps on the back of the amp. If you run through the jack on the front. Be sure to put the jumpers in first.

Cheers

It's really exciting to see they added a headphone output. I've been looking into purchasing passive bookshelf speakers and this seems like the perfect all in one solution for having speakers and headphones. Anyone thoughts on pairing the A-100 with an HE560?

 

[garbulky]

Still enjoying this star class amp with every listen. Everybody who has tried it with (the appropriate) headphones has loved the heck out of it so far.

 

[CallmeEd]

Zeos's Review.....

 

[xXxDanXx]

I got a Pangea AC-14 C-7 from Audio Advisor I think they still have them on sale. I got the 1 meter one makes a big diffrence and is really a cool looking cable. Way nice. I have other cables cost way more but for what ever reason this one works best on this amp. The other ones I have to use an adapter this Pangea one has a C7 end works perfect.

Do you have any thoughts on a DIY bulk cables? I've been considering picking some bulk cable from DH Labs to get a better arrangement of my equipment from the power source to the unit. The BasX power cable is quite short. Considering this one at $8/ft: http://silversonic.com/products/bulk-wire-and-cable/bulk-power-cable/power-ac-power-cable/ would be a reasonable price. I haven't made a power cable before but I'd imagine it would be quicker than making custom PSU cables for a HTPC case or on par with networking cables. The connectors though can get quite pricey.

I took the jumpers off. I found that the lack of play on the volume pot was an issue. There is some channel imbalance at the lower levels--and sometimes I don't want to listen to music at higher volumes. Sound is wonderful, however, when I turn the nob up. I decided to live with an excellent amp for the HD600s with the jumpers removed, while using the 400is strictly on my Audeze Deckard.

I would say that I was around 5-10% on my PC's master volume with the Emotiva all the way up with jumpers on through HD-600's; I can't remember if I had Tidal at 50% or 100% though. If your controlling volume through multiple sources the jumpers in can be managed at 300ohms but the risk with that is if your volume lags once through software while increasing volume, you could be blowing out your ears a couple seconds later.

The HD600's no longer feel dark or laid back. It simply came alive. Soundstage, resolution, unlimited dynamics. Oh and really low bass. Just insane really. Imo to beat this amp you are going to have to swing up to a Schiit Ragnarok. It has got huge amounts of power capability and I believe this is the reason the HD600's came alive. Lots of control.

From my experience with the similarly priced Schiit Asgard 2 and the Emotiva BasX through HD-600's, the Asgard 2 had much more powerful bass. The Asgard 2 was actually very fatiguing at times through the HD-600's and rolled the treble off losing detail in the highs. Comparing the Emotiva to the Asgard I feel like it's much more neutral between the lows, mids and highs which is more in line with my preferences because a simple EQ a preset that works for an artist's albums and I have my ideal sound arrangement which was not working for me on the Asgard 2. Although for some reason I think the Asgard 2's bass did amazing well for game trailers, it was the only thing I favored on the Asgard. But what I've learned from testing amps is the sound signature and details change greatly between headphones.

---------------

I'm curious to read if anyone A/B tested it to the Schiit Jotunheim.

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

[QUOTE="xXxDanXx, post: 13792873, member: 480258"
I'm curious to read if anyone A/B tested it to the Schiit Jotunheim.[/QUOTE]

I am actually curious about this too. Has anyone tried both of them?

 

[garbulky]

Precisely my point, @canthearyou. A power cable shouldn't affect the sound, just as a change in RCA cable shouldn't make a noticeable difference. I have no explanation for the very noticeable impact of these cables.

I am quite interested in your experience with the Pangea. Like you, I don't think cables should affect the sound. However with headphones things seem different. I replaced the stock HD600 cable with the stock HD650 cable and felt there was some improvement. Other people also report improvements with better cables like balanced XLR's and all that.
So I'm open minded at least with regards to headphones. Please tell me what kind of improvements you noted. Do you think the short length of the cable had to do with it.
Looking at my A-100 now, it's obvious its power cable is not really that great. I doubt it's anything but a small generic unit.
The HD600 does have a beefy power supply when compared to other headphone amps not to mention its sizable capacitance. So I'm wondering if a better power cable would make differences.

 

[jwedwards75]

My experience with the Pangea on the A-100 was not a positive one. The cable adversely affected the sound quality of the A-100 for reasons I can’t explain. The stock cable of the amplifier is flimsy, but it does a much better job than the impressive looking Pangea.

As the case is, I have an HD600 and I have also replaced the stock cable with the 650 cable. The difference in sound quality between stock and the 650, to my ears, is very negligible—and perhaps non-existent when I factor burn-in. The 650 cable, however, is better built than the 600, and the 650 cable is not very expensive. Worth the upgrade, I suppose, on build quality alone.

I should note that I have had a very positive experience with headphone cables in one instance. The Audio Sensibility cable I purchased for my Hifiman 400i and 560s made a considerable difference from stock offerings. Again, I can’t explain why. There is no scientific reason for the sonic differences that I am aware of. I can only report the very noticeable improvements in clarity, dynamics, bass and soundstage with the Audio Sensibility cable. I was actually totally underwhelmed with the 400i on the stock cable, even after hundreds of hours of burn-in. With the Audio Sensibility cable, the 400i puts my very capable HD600 (with HD650 cable) to shame.

In the end, what I can say is that the synergy between the A-100 and the Pangea was poor. Very poor. I didn’t expect there to be any difference, let alone a degradation in quality, but there was. And I was so hoping for improvement… Headphone cables, to my ears, have made a difference at times. And power cables, yes, a difference has been noted. To reiterate, I don’t know why, I don’t know how.

 

[cavedave]

Do you have any thoughts on a DIY bulk cables? I've been considering picking some bulk cable from DH Labs to get a better arrangement of my equipment from the power source to the unit. The BasX power cable is quite short. Considering this one at $8/ft: http://silversonic.com/products/bulk-wire-and-cable/bulk-power-cable/power-ac-power-cable/ would be a reasonable price. I haven't made a power cable before but I'd imagine it would be quicker than making custom PSU cables for a HTPC case or on par with networking cables. The connectors though can get quite pricey. I dont use the pangea cable any longer switched it for a PS audio one with the Emotiva A100 and the Hifiman X by far best headphone listen to date for me. In fact only rig I have other then home stereo gave away or sold all others.



I would say that I was around 5-10% on my PC's master volume with the Emotiva all the way up with jumpers on through HD-600's; I can't remember if I had Tidal at 50% or 100% though. If your controlling volume through multiple sources the jumpers in can be managed at 300ohms but the risk with that is if your volume lags once through software while increasing volume, you could be blowing out your ears a couple seconds later.



From my experience with the similarly priced Schiit Asgard 2 and the Emotiva BasX through HD-600's, the Asgard 2 had much more powerful bass. The Asgard 2 was actually very fatiguing at times through the HD-600's and rolled the treble off losing detail in the highs. Comparing the Emotiva to the Asgard I feel like it's much more neutral between the lows, mids and highs which is more in line with my preferences because a simple EQ a preset that works for an artist's albums and I have my ideal sound arrangement which was not working for me on the Asgard 2. Although for some reason I think the Asgard 2's bass did amazing well for game trailers, it was the only thing I favored on the Asgard. But what I've learned from testing amps is the sound signature and details change greatly between headphones.

---------------

I'm curious to read if anyone A/B tested it to the Schiit Jotunheim.