[meyner]

hi, i am looking for a good amp under 1 k that can be used for both LCD 2.2 and HE-500. Currently i am using the speaker amp emotiva 100x for the he-500 and asgard for LCD 2.2. Wondering if there is anything better out ther

 

[Jd007]

schiit lyr or mjolnir, both designed for orthos
burson soloist
hifiman ef5
woo audio wa6

 

[fabio-fi]

Good options mentioned on previous post. 
 
I personally recommend the Soloist, its a very musical amp and will drive your cans easily. 

 

[jcx]

what's "better"? if its Watts then the Emotiva is fine
 
50W into Ohms ~= 8-10 W into 38-50 Ohm loads when only ~ 1 W is needed to drive the orthos to 120 SPL
 
if there is hiss then added series output R (~ 100 Ohm 3+ W rating)  drops the sensitivity with little effect on Orthos frequency response - they don't rely on amplifier damping factor
 
there is also so much current reserve in a 50 W, 8 Ohm power amp that you could bias the Emotiva outputs Class A with pull down resistors for the headphone load if you don't mind hacking inside the amp, have the skills
 
if you use external digital volume or preamp then even the presumably cheap volume pot on the Emotiva may not matter
 
 
why hack? - the volume discount on basic parts, manufacturing cost in any mass market amp can beat the quality/price ratio of small volume boutique audiophile amps by several times

 

[Archerious]

I recommend M^3 or Violectric V200. My friend loved his HE500 with it.

 

[gahan]

Audio-GD SA-31SE, fantastic amp and very good price.

 

[wewewho77]

Hifiman EF-5 sounds fantastic paired with HE-500. Will try with LCD 2 next week.

 

[CJG888]

+1 on the SA-31SE!

 

[meyner]

thxs everyone for the input
 
Quote:

 
if there is hiss then added series output R (~ 100 Ohm 3+ W rating)  drops the sensitivity with little effect on Orthos frequency response - they don't rely on amplifier damping factor
 
 

 
there is actually a slight hiss on my emotiva but i don't exactly understand when you say add a series output R. Is it like an additional adaptor cord or something? Or do i have to dismember the emotiva and add it in manually? Is there perhaps a good tutorial posted step by step on how it is done if it is a manual process?

 

[jcx]

series "hiss buster" resistors can be external to amp
 
you must have some adapter already to connect to power amp binding posts?
 
most "resistor cable" threads are for sensitive iem - the resistors aren't physically big enough for the power rating needed with the Orthos, 50 W amp
 
 
soldering not needed to try if you have spade lug adapter cable - one resistor lead to the red binding post, the other to the cable spade lug - can just clamp resistor lead to spade lug with machine screw/nut
 
 
to see if some headphone amps can drive the Orthos you could see if Tyll has measured them http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AllAmpsJuly2013.pdf
 
for the insane dynamic headroom of ~120 dB peak SPL you may want to look at the (close enough) 32 Ohm curves and see if Vout > ~6 Vrms before the clipping distortion rise
 
lots more amps are fine if "only" ~110 dB peak SPL, requiring ~ 1/3 the V, I  fits your listening - O2 costs a lot less than $1000

 

[goaliedad39]

I have a Burson Soloist  and HE-500.  Couldn't be happier with the combination.  Sounds really, really good!  I have heard that the soloist also pairs well with the LCD2.  I hope to find that out myself in a few months if there is any $ left after making my son's next college tuition payment.  (Please don't tell my wife.)

 

[Archerious]

  I have a Burson Soloist  and HE-500.  Couldn't be happier with the combination.  Sounds really, really good!  I have heard that the soloist also pairs well with the LCD2.  I hope to find that out myself in a few months if there is any $ left after making my son's next college tuition payment.  (Please don't tell my wife.)

 
LCD-2 is a fantastic can. I prefer Rev 1 over Rev 2 because of the headband. I find the soft fabric on Rev 1 a lot more comfortable than Rev 2's Leather headband. It's a preference though. Regardless, you have a excellent amplifier, so just "try" some LCD-2's. 

 

[meyner]

well ill prolly purchase a soloist in the near future then. thxs for the input

 

[ninjapirate9901]

The Project Ember from Garage1217 is a decent little hybrid amp, especially for it's price. It's the main amp I use with both my HE-500's and LCD-2's and I prefer it over my Burson and Lyr.

 

[CJG888]

Is the Ember a better match than the Sunrise II?