[divad68]

Well, I took a gamble and bought one of these off Ebay (still linked to Ornec) for £99, to drive my Sennheiser HD650's. Other than my little PA2V2, which can't hanle the 650's, this is the first headphone amp I've heard. Although it certainly 'drives' the 650's with some ease and the overall sound does seem to have tightened up considerably, it has done so to the point where I could almost describe it as being 'hard'. This is compared to what I hear straight out of my Yamaha DSP-A1 HT amp or from my Ipod line out. This characteristic is also evident through my HD595's and HD485's.

It almost feels as if there is less bass, but I guess what I am hearing is, in fact, bass being more tightly controlled. Overall the sound is distinctly more dynamic as a result, but certainly less 'lush', too. Vocals, female in particular, now sound a little 'glassy' where before they were smoother. Is this what I should expect a dedicated headphone amp to sound like, or is it simply a result specific to the TW-J1? Maybe I'd be happier with a tube amp?

 

[tezzla]

Hi i have the same amp, ive used it to drive my ms-1s and akg k501s and i believe ive heard the same as you in what the amp has done to the sound.

it certainly has enough power to drive the cans, and the sound is tightened up all over and there is more clarity, but the highs are almost made shrill/thin and strident i feel. i havent had as much of a problem with mids or bass though. but yeah, i really think what you describe is more a result of this particular amp rather than solid state amps in general.

thats my take on it anyway.

 

[Gabe Logan]

Good thing you didn't have grado's when using the amp.I could'nt take how it took the ear piercing highs another notch up.Alway's thought it might be a better chioce like the 650's you got but i guess maybe not.

 

[divad68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe Logan Good thing you didn't have grado's when using the amp.I could'nt take how it took the ear piercing highs another notch up.Alway's thought it might be a better chioce like the 650's you got but i guess maybe not.

Yes, probably is a good choice for some people with the 650's. It's just that I love the 650's warmth and slightly restrained top end and I'm not looking for something to counter it! Actually, to be fair to the amp, it isn't doing a 'bad' job and it hardly costs the earth....just not my cup of tea, tonally. I've now ordered an X-can v3 which, from what I've been able to make out, looks like it will give me just the sound I like.

 

[deez]

now looking to sell the G & W TW-J1?

i'm interested in it as a compliment to the laid-back sound signature of senn headphones. particularly i'm thinking it might bring some musicality to 580s, hopefully resulting in removing the "veil" ppl like to talk abt for senns. comments on this aspect divad?

 

[Rickdomino]

First impressions can often be misleading! I have been using the TW-J1 for over a year now with my Sennheiser 650's. I have to say that at first I was disappointed with the sound, expecting more and noting the hardening of the higher registers, particularly noticable with female vocal. However (and I am sure this is not just me getting used to it) after about six weeks of use the sound started to improve and now there is no hint of the hardness that used to be evident. The sound is well controlled, the bass deep and the treble crystal clear and extended. Attack and resolution are as good as anything I have heard. This little amp is head and shoulders above the sound I get from the Sennheisers when plugged into my £1,000 pre-amp headphone socket!
At the recommended price I would say that the G&W TW-J1 constitutes an exceptional bargain. Cheers.

 

[grokit]

I thought it was good with my HD555s, but too shrill with HD600s. GREAT synergy with my 325is, though. I was going to get rid of my G&W TW-J1 after I got rid of the 555s, but decided to keep it around to drive the Grados (my earpads are "franken-modded" into surrounds) since they seem made for each other. Hey gotta keep the G&W TW-J1 thread going.

 

[Stevesebastianb]

First impressions are exactly first impressions, this amp does need time to burn in and after a time you will hear distinct changes to the sound and it will open up. As it is a SS design, if it is warmth that you you want and enjoy, it will not produce it in the amounts that a tube amp will, so you will need to look at a tube design for that. SS amps generally will sound colder then their tube counterparts but the dynamic range and details produced for this amp are good.

The source input to the amp is also a very important aspect to the end result of the sonic signature. You can add a bit of warmth by addiding a tube buffer amp stage to the input of this amp which helps. It is in my experience a bit more touchy at driving high impedance headphones. Overall it is a nice amp which just needs time to burn in and mature.