[Shabda]

Hi All I’m looking to get an amp for my sundaras to give them body. I figure a graphic eq amp combo would be a nice fun way to do this.

Can anyone recommend a powerful headphone amp eq combo?

i dont mind if it’s on the bigger side I’m looking for an immersive soundstage experience I need more powahh!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi All I’m looking to get an amp for my sundaras to give them body. I figure a graphic eq amp combo would be a nice fun way to do this.

Can anyone recommend a powerful headphone amp eq combo?

i dont mind if it’s on the bigger side I’m looking for an immersive soundstage experience I need more powahh!

What source are you using? If you're using some kind of computer might as well use digital equalizer so you have more options on the parameters that you can use. EQ on amplifiers are just bass boost controls and a separate graphic EQ would have fixed center freqs and even Q factor.

Also while power will help it play louder before it distorts or clips the improvement to the "body" from more clean power is mostly to let it play louder - which psychologically sounds better while letting the lower freqs play at a level that's more audible - it's really the EQ or altogether different headphones that will determine how much "body" you'll get, ie you can't just put 6watts into a K701 and it will sound like an LCD-2. The Sundaras are just flat all the way down to 20hz, which makes for a more even response (and will just be more audible, or more easily audible very low bass), but if what you want is the boosted 20hz to 100hz on an LCD-2 or the less even boost at 35hz to 100hz on an HD650 it comes down to the headphone or what EQ profile you use.

Maybe try something like the Asgard3, then use a digital EQ.

 

[Shabda]

Thank you for the advice I’m mostly using my smart phone to play the music, mostly deezer but i found a good parametric eq app for local files but no luck on one for streaming. I basically want the lcd-2 sound or even the 6xx sound with better extension. I’m currently considering the bh crack combo, thoughts?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thank you for the advice I’m mostly using my smart phone to play the music, mostly deezer but i found a good parametric eq app for local files but no luck on one for streaming.

I use Neutralizer for Spotify (and Neutron for local files). It doesn't have to be strictly what the name says it's for, you just skew its EQ process for a bit, ie it runs a test tone then you crank that freq up or down either to match it with every other band by your ears or bias it a little bit (ie basically assume an isolated range of freqs in a test tone being totally equal by your perception isn't exactly going to feel equal once the program is actual music).

My Westone2 for example is mostly even already but I trim the upper midrange there and add a tiny bit to everything below 100hz (first two bands, but more to the second).
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I basically want the lcd-2 sound or even the 6xx sound with better extension.

HD6XX just needs a boost at the very low freqs but if you're looking for a bigger soundstage then don't switch over.

For EQ-ing the Sundara much of it might have more to do with auditory masking ie very strong response at 6500hz to 10,000hz. This shows up on uncompensated graphs but even if there's nothing wrong with the compensation I'd still tend to go with a curve that starts out like as wide a plateau (or close to plateau) up to 120hz then a gentle slope to a relatively flat plane before trailing off into a bit of a wide valley (I have hyperacusis so I tend to need 3000hz to 10000hz weaker even if it's not sibilant or outright offensive, just to hear more of everything else). I'd just cut there and maybe just boost a bit between 60hz and 120hz. If you do this on Neutralizer you'll make sense of the interface once you're in there.

I’m currently considering the bh crack combo, thoughts?

You'll get less power into a low impedance load like the Sundara using an OTL amp.

Also don't forget the DAC that way the amp is getting a clean 2V signal.

 

[Shabda]

Interesting, i think i may want the smaller soundstage of the 6xx, does the bh crack really transform the sub bass response on the 6xx’s?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Interesting, i think i may want the smaller soundstage of the 6xx, does the bh crack really transform the sub bass response on the 6xx’s?

A little bit, mostly just good power delivery ie really good OTL amp into a high impedance load, and not so much of tweaking the sound like a Little Dot Mk2.

 

[wideload]

I use a Schiit Magni 3+ to drive my Sundaras, and it gets plenty loud. I also use the Loki with a bit of bass boost and prefer that sound.

 

[carlman14]

If you want to go the hardware EQ route, look at the RME adi dac 2. It's a dac/amp combo that has built in parametric EQ. For software EQ, equalizer APO for windows is amazing when used with the PEACE extension.

 

[Shabda]

Any good software eq recommendations for mac?