[turbomustang84]

If you are wondering if this is a worthy upgrade from other budget Headphone Amplifiers including the Geshelli Archel pro I assure you that it is .

Not only is it very clean it adds clarity and a bit of impact that most of the budget Headphone Amplifiers I've tried just can't deliver.

It really does well with my Sennheiser HD-600 and the Hifiman Sundara but is in a league of it's own when driving IEMs that I find can be noisy with my other Amplifiers.

 

[ponyhead]

If you are wondering if this is a worthy upgrade from other budget Headphone Amplifiers including the Geshelli Archel pro I assure you that it is .

Not only is it very clean it adds clarity and a bit of impact that most of the budget Headphone Amplifiers I've tried just can't deliver.

It really does well with my Sennheiser HD-600 and the Hifiman Sundara but is in a league of it's own when driving IEMs that I find can be noisy with my other Amplifiers.

Thanks, I went ahead and ordered it the other day. Seems very hard / impossible to beat for $120 like you said. I have the Heed Canamp from several years ago, but it's intended for power-hungry cans and only has one mode. Plus I'm curious to see if I hear a difference between amps; some people said the Canamp adds some color to the sound, whereas I imagine the Archel2 will be a conduit to the cans.

I like that the A2 is supposed to be good for hd-6x0's. I currently have the 6xx, with the 600 on the way. I may be selling a couple pairs to upgrade to the Focal Clear, which is easy to drive and would thus be better matched with the A2 than the Canamp (not that it needs any amp).

 

[turbomustang84]

Thanks, I went ahead and ordered it the other day. Seems very hard / impossible to beat for $120 like you said. I have the Heed Canamp from several years ago, but it's intended for power-hungry cans and only has one mode. Plus I'm curious to see if I hear a difference between amps; some people said the Canamp adds some color to the sound, whereas I imagine the Archel2 will be a conduit to the cans.

I like that the A2 is supposed to be good for hd-6x0's. I currently have the 6xx, with the 600 on the way. I may be selling a couple pairs to upgrade to the Focal Clear, which is easy to drive and would thus be better matched with the A2 than the Canamp (not that it needs any amp).

I'm going to at some point get a Focal elegia but my next upgrade will be the Hifiman Sundara

 

[mabuk]

Hmmm I suppose I should go with this over the JDS Atom?

The Atom's cheaper, more powerful, better channel balance, same audible transparency. It then depends on whether you want to chase the additional stats that you can't hear, and what psychological value that might have.

 

[turbomustang84]

The Atom's cheaper, more powerful, better channel balance, same audible transparency. It then depends on whether you want to chase the additional stats that you can't hear, and what psychological value that might have.

The atom has a Max Output of 1watt
@ 32Ω
Which is the same as the original Archel and I have both and the Archel 2 pro is just as powerful and I've been using it for two weeks with 15 different Headphones from 8 to 600 ohms and have had no problem powering any of them and no audible channel imbalance.

 

[ponyhead]

I don't use IEM's, so I'll likely be turning the knob far enough that channel imbalance won't be an issue.

If it turns out that the A2 is essentially an Atom that I payed $20 too much for, I can live with that.

 

[turbomustang84]

I could not risk it with the Archel 2 pro because it does not belong to me but one will soon
But I upgraded the Archel Pro with a more powerful power Supply which is 12v and 850mA and it did make a difference as well as my Loxjie P20 which I upgraded to a 12v 2amp which really brought it to life .

Luckily I never throw working electronic stuff away so I have several bins of power supplies and was able to boost performance for no dollars.

I'm shipping the Archel 2 back to Geshelli but I believe they are keeping the Original Archel in their lineup and are working on some more new items as well and I for one am looking forward to what comes next .

I actually thought I was done buying single ended Amplifiers but the Geshelli Archel 2 pro was just such a landmark product at a very good price I just can not pass it up .

 

[sennfan83261]

If I had to choose, I'd pick the JDS Atom over the A2. The Atom has more clean power for harder to drive/less sensitive cans, is cheaper, sports a lower output impedance (0.7ohm vs. the A2's 1.2ohms), and has a SINAD that's audibly indistinguishable from the A2.

 

[Baten]

sports a lower output impedance (0.7ohm vs. the A2's 1.2ohms)

Pretty inconsequential

 

[turbomustang84]

I have not heard the atom because I was not interested in it because of it's plastic build
This does not mean it is not a good product and sense I've never heard one I will not comment on it .

But as only a couple of people have Heard the Archel 2 and I happen to be one of them.... I can comment on the way it sounds ..

In my opinion it's the best Headphone Amplifier under $300 I've ever heard .

It drives my 6 series Sennheiser's and all my other Headphones with ease ....

And I appreciate Geshelli making products at a price point that fits into my budget and I know in the future they plan to offer higher end gear but their first technological step up was first offered in their reasonably priced gear .

As was Hifiman's release of the Sundara's it's the most affordable Headphone they make but in some ways it is better than their High end offerings.

I like the companies that make incredible products at an easy to obtain price and Massdrop or "drop" is definitely in that category as well as Geshelli Lab's and Hifiman.

 

[socksrolleddown]

I have ordered one as alternative to my Valhalla

waits to see how much UK customs and excise hits it up

 

[turbomustang84]

I have ordered one as alternative to my Valhalla

waits to see how much UK customs and excise hits it up

I think you will be pleased with it ...
I've ordered a lot of stuff from the UK and they never charge me anything here in the US how do they figure import duties in the UK is it a percentage of purchase price ?

I had a friend in London and he had things he purchased on eBay sent to me then I shipped it to him because it saved him a lot but I never knew why .

 

[ponyhead]

Mine arrived, I think last week, but I haven't tried it yet. I just got an idea for my setup though:

source → switch → [archel2 / canamp] → 2nd switch → headphones

Then I'll basically have a Low, Medium and High gain (canamp being the high).

If I also wanna switch between HP's: source → switch → amps → 2nd switch → 3rd switch → HP's

Lol am I going cuckoo or is this all part of developing as an audiophile?

 

[starence]

Why, do you have headphones that need more juice than the Archel 2 can provide?

 

[ponyhead]

Why, do you have headphones that need more juice than the Archel 2 can provide?

I finally got a chance to give it a quick try and now I can answer your question: no! The archel2 drives my planars and my AKG's, so I don't imagine there's anything it can't drive.

So I'll A/B my two amps and if I don't hear a difference, I'll tuck the Canamp in a drawer.