[Hughkk]

I am currently looking an ap for my HD650, i currently only own a audinst hud mx-1 as my amp and dac, and i am planning to buy an amp and use my audinst as dac only.
 
after a few days of intensive research, there's two choices left.
 
M-STAGE MATRIX
and
ASGARD (or possibly valhalla)
 
so can anyone tell me which pair best with HD650?
 
can someone who heard both compare the soundstage and bass with the two amps. that's the two thing i am most concern. (I mean instrument seperation by soundstage)
 
thaks
hugh

 

[fabio-fi]

Probably the Valhalla..You open to more suggestions on your price range? 

 

[Hughkk]

i am also now considering the bottle head crack with speed ball upgrade.
 
so now the choices are:
1. bottlehead crack
2. Asgard
3. m-stage matri
4. Valhlla

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

Quote:

i am also now considering the bottle head crack with speed ball upgrade.
 
so now the choices are:
1. bottlehead crack
2. Asgard
3. m-stage matri
4. Valhlla

 
Thats a new one on me, whats the speed ball upgrade?
 
I love the HD650's & if you can get a good amp for them you will see why they are highly regarded by lots of people.

 

[Hughkk]

that's what i am planning to do.
getting a good amp within my budget.
 
http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php?crn=224&rn=446&action=show_detail

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

Ah so that's what that is, thanks.
 
Hope you find what you are looking for, I am starting to believe that the HD650's really want more & more power, I thought they were good on the Burson but better on the latest amp I have which has something like 6 watts output, so look for an amp that has the most power in your budget & they should sound good.
 
I heard bad things about the matrix about somebody having their headphones damaged by one, it might have been a rare instance but I have seen more than one now so I would look at something else on your list.

 

[Bigabouli]

There is also plenty of good feedback of the M-stage as a great SS amp for under $250 new. Plus there is quite a bit of dicussion regarding mods that can be made to it. Have a look through here http://www.head-fi.org/t/475618/matrix-m-stage-amp-review-simple-cheap-and-excellent for 140 pages of M-stage discussion. I think there has been more of a positive response about the M-stage than the asgard. However, lots of discussion (and good feedback) about the Lyr and more upper tier headphones like the LCD2.
 
 
Quote:

Ah so that's what that is, thanks.
 
Hope you find what you are looking for, I am starting to believe that the HD650's really want more & more power, I thought they were good on the Burson but better on the latest amp I have which has something like 6 watts output, so look for an amp that has the most power in your budget & they should sound good.
 
I heard bad things about the matrix about somebody having their headphones damaged by one, it might have been a rare instance but I have seen more than one now so I would look at something else on your list.

 

 

[Hughkk]

but will it pair well with hd650 more than a crack tube amp?
that's the question.

 

[francisdemarte]

I answered your other thread about the Bottlehead
 
All those amps are different, you have a mix of ss, otl tube, and hybrid tube. They all will sound different and they all will have no problem powering the HD650.
So really you want to decide if you want to deal with tubes or not.
 
The Schiit products are great if you in N. America, they have an excellent trial and return policy and support. If you can swing it, buy all the amps, find the one you like and return the rest.
 
The M-Stage as you can see by the thread if a great all around SS amp. They ship from China, so returns maybe a hassle. They have a very active support community here.
 
The Bottlehead is a DIY product, so you will need tools and some skill to assemble it, from what I have read the manufacturer has excellent support. It is also the largest of the amps you list.  
 
 
 

 

[Hughkk]

thanks
will it be an accurate test of what kind of amp i like (SS-otl-hybrid)
if i got to a headphone store and try each one of those kind out?
 
I am quite sure that there won't be the one i listed to try though, because i live in Asia. So i cannot test schiit an bottlehead, but will testing a hybrid amp and an OTL amp gives me a general impression of those 2 amps?
and how would i know if it is an OTL amp or normal tube amp? or are those the same thing?

 

[francisdemarte]

 
The most obvious thing to look for are the output transformers, easier said than done, without being somewhat knowledgeable with tube amps it will be hard to tell if an amp is OTL or not. 
 
On the upside you will be able to tell if your a tube or SS person from listening to different amps or can even tell the difference between them. You can read reviews all day, but until  you actually hear an amp in real life, you will never understand the sound.
 
Where in Asia are you? There are a ton of head fi-ers in China, Singapore, and Japan here.
 
 

 

[Hughkk]

Hong Kong.
but i am currently in UK.
 
there are quite a lot of HPs to try in Hong Kong (many of them are damaged though)