[shuttleboi]

I currently have my Denon D5000 headphones plugged into my 10-year-old DVD player. I would like a good DAC and amp combo. From reading head-fi, I've drawn two good setups for around $1200-$1400:

1. Woo Audio 6 amp and PS Audio Digital Link III DAC
2. Benchmark DAC1 USB (has a nice DAC and amp)

Do either/both of these combos mesh well with my D5000 headphones?

 

[sampson_smith]

From what I have read, it appears that Denons prefer solid state amps. That is definitely the case with my D2000's and the GLite which was clearly a better pairing, by a noticeable amount, than the WA6.

 

[Mr.Sh0eWax]

I'm in a similar situation with my D5000, could anyone weight in on the merits of the HeadRoom Desktop Amp/DAC for $800?

 

[AmanGeorge]

I think I would stick to SS for the D5000 (the most controlled sound I got out of my D5000 came from an Audio-GD Compass I had at the time). I think the DLIII is an excellent DAC, but the D5000 would probably benefit from something punchier and tighter when it comes to amplification, so I'd probably avoid the WA6. Fortunately, there are lots of very well-regarded SS amps in the $500-900 range (wasn't sure how much you were planning on upgrading that WA6): SPL Auditor, Burson HA-160, Gilmore Lite, Audio-Gd ROC (especially if you recabled your Denons - the DLIII will output a balanced signal), Rudistor NX-03 (Rudistors are often recommended for great synergy with the Denon line), and probably a number of others I haven't mentioned.

Mr. Shoewax - I would think that Headroom setup would fare nicely with the Denons - they are supposed to be pretty tight and neutral amps that should mate with the D5000 sound nicely.

 

[Seamaster]

I tried D7000 with WA22, sound pretty good, unlike the RS-1 I had. So you are safe with Woo amps.

 

[TheAudioDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seamaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried D7000 with WA22, sound pretty good, unlike the RS-1 I had. So you are safe with Woo amps.

Yep, I love my D7000s with my WA22. Most people say that Denons are excellent with a good SS amp, but the other side is also true; a good tube amp will also be excellent. It drives them extremely well and even hits wayyyy down low. I've been itching to try a Grace m902 or other high-end SS amp with my Denons, but one of the good things about tube amps is you can tube-roll, which is actually one of the reasons I went with tubes over SS. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun trying out different tubes and re-discovering just why I love my setup, over and over again.

My only complaint (and really, I only have ONE complaint about my setup), is that certain songs sometimes seem a bit too bright/harsh in the upper frequencies. Although the D7000s/5000s are colored, they are also revealing. Some albums are absolutely great, but other albums would benefit from having the top-end turned down a bit.

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAudioDude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yep, I love my D7000s with my WA22. Most people say that Denons are excellent with a good SS amp, but the other side is also true; a good tube amp will also be excellent. It drives them extremely well and even hits wayyyy down low. I've been itching to try a Grace m902 or other high-end SS amp with my Denons, but one of the good things about tube amps is you can tube-roll, which is actually one of the reasons I went with tubes over SS. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun trying out different tubes and re-discovering just why I love my setup, over and over again. My only complaint (and really, I only have ONE complaint about my setup), is that certain songs sometimes seem a bit too bright/harsh in the upper frequencies. Although the D7000s/5000s are colored, they are also revealing. Some albums are absolutely great, but other albums would benefit from having the top-end turned down a bit.

Use EML 5U4G/ KR VT231 or EML 5U4G/6F8G, that will fix you.

 

[TheAudioDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seamaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Use EML 5U4G/ KR VT231 or EML 5U4G/6F8G, that will fix you.

Yep, pretty soon I will buy the EML 5U4G mesh. After that I will be upgrading my driver tubes to the 6F8Gs

Where did you order your 5U4G from? I noticed that the EML website has a few different resellers.

 

[tosehee]

Transformer Coupled Tube amps can drive the Denons very well. The above WA22 or WA6 or WA6SE will do just fine.

 

[shuttleboi]

The Woo Audio 22 is a balanced amp, and I have no plans on getting balanced headphones in the near future, so the WA22 seems to be overkill for me.

Someone PM'ed me that his WA6 had a transformer buzz. Does anyone else have that problem?

 

[pyramid6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuttleboi /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Woo Audio 22 is a balanced amp, and I have no plans on getting balanced headphones in the near future, so the WA22 seems to be overkill for me. Someone PM'ed me that his WA6 had a transformer buzz. Does anyone else have that problem?

Nope.

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuttleboi /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Woo Audio 22 is a balanced amp, and I have no plans on getting balanced headphones in the near future, so the WA22 seems to be overkill for me. Someone PM'ed me that his WA6 had a transformer buzz. Does anyone else have that problem?

There not such thing as over kill in SQ, only if your wallet deep enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAudioDude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yep, pretty soon I will buy the EML 5U4G mesh. After that I will be upgrading my driver tubes to the 6F8Gs Where did you order your 5U4G from? I noticed that the EML website has a few different resellers.

I ordered form here:
Music Reference / RAM Tube Works
Provides top-quality power amps and pre-amps
and the finest custom-matched tubes in the world.

Contact: Roger Modjeski

Telephone: California (805) 687-2236
Website - Email


Also:

TUBEUSA
Contact: George Lenz

Telephone: New York (516) 902-3334
Website - Email

But George was very slack on returnning email so I went to Roger

 

[TheAudioDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuttleboi /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Woo Audio 22 is a balanced amp, and I have no plans on getting balanced headphones in the near future, so the WA22 seems to be overkill for me. Someone PM'ed me that his WA6 had a transformer buzz. Does anyone else have that problem?

Well, the D5000s can easily be balanced. All four wires are already there, you just have to re-terminate it to two 3-pin XLRs or one 4-pin XLR. That's what I did with my D7000s.

Thanks for the suggestion on the ordering, Seamaster!

 

[SillyHoney]

So as far as I know by reading this thread WA6SE and WA22 are great combination with D5000. How about WA6? I'm interesting in a D5000 stock.

Thanks

 

[minimus]

I love how you start with a modest and realistic budget and ask for advice about two options you are considering and a few posts later people are recommending that you recable your headphones to balanced and buy a balanced Woo amp. How does that meet your budget requirements? Do people on Head-Fi have ADD?

Personally, I would go with a separate DAC and headphone amp, I would avoid the Benchmark as it is not very musical, and I would go with a decent tube amp. So I would recommend option 1.

That option also gives you a reasonable upgrade path down the road as funds permit. For example, at some point you may want to upgrade your old DVD player to a better transport (Oppo, possibly), as the DVD player as transport will become the weakest link in your rig. (Don't believe that the transport becomes completely irrelevant once you have a separate DAC.) Next, I would roll tubes in the Woo to tailor the sound to your liking. I am sure you can find tubes that sound very linear with the Denons at a reasonable price. Jack Woo may even have specific recommendations. You could also talk to Vintage Tube Services, as the owner is highly knowledgeable about affordable tubes that compete with ultra high-end NOS tubes. Finally, down the road you could always have Cullen Circuits mod the PS Audio DAC. (Or you could upgrade to the Perfect Wave DAC if you really want to go crazy.)

In any case, you will start with a very good setup. Down the road you can progressively make affordable changes if desired to tweak your system for the better. Going balanced is about the last thing I would consider at this point...