[camille]

i wanna give a go at solid-state home amps as the sound from the LD2+ was less than desirable IMO. i wont be shopping for one until after christmas. most likely it'll run off my PowerBook. there are a few amps that i'm considering:

Gilmore Lite
HeadRoom Micro Amp
(used) HeadFive
Meier Corda Aria
musical fidelity X-Can V3

would i need a DAC to pair since i'd be using the PowerBook as a source? if it's any consolation the K701s would be stock and the K501s will have a Blue Dragon re-cable. thanks a bunch, and do give out any other suggestions/considerations. cheers!

 

[laxx]

they say there's alot of synergy with the headfive, glite and the mf x-can. though i have none of those, i have an aria and will be getting 701's this month. it's the easiest solution for me since my comupter is my source, so the dac in the aria is useful.

 

[mrarroyo]

I would go with the Heed CanAmp as my first choice. Then either of the MF X-Can V2 or V3, of these 2 I am partial to the V2 because it is more fun. However if I wanted a more analytical amp I would choose the V3 over the V2.

 

[dw6928]

have both Headfive and Heed and there is no comparison with the 701s.
Power, clarity soundstage and on and on all point to the Heed. The Headfive
is an excellent amp but the Heed is something special with 701s

 

[camille]

double votes for the Heed and H5. which of the 2 goes best with a lot of music from female vocalists? or would that matter?

i'm still considering the Aria also because of the DAC element. unless any other DAC works well along w/ the Heed and/or H5...

 

[cvince]

in terms of clarity, flatness, and extension (on both ends) a K701 + Gilmore Lite is hard to beat.

But if you are into authority, power, robustness, and something you can put on and say "WOW that's HUGE", look elsewhere. (Heed Canamp perhaps?)

 

[vcoheda]

I think if your source is your computer, you are going to want a DAC. Doesn't that make sense? In that case, an ARIA or HeadRoom Micro Amp/DAC combo would fit the bill. The latter is $600 though.

 

[Artguy]

Just my two cents... After 450 hours of listening to my Headfive with my 701's, it has settled into a very very smooth sound with plenty of bass. I listen to a lot of female vocalists, and lossless out of my G5 into the H5 and 701's and I feel like I am in the club listening to live performance. Very engaging sound.

 

[SK138]

M^3 with OPA627 opamp on L & R channel and OPA637 opamp on ground channel.

 

[camille]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think if your source is your computer, you are going to want a DAC. Doesn't that make sense? In that case, an ARIA or HeadRoom Micro Amp/DAC combo would fit the bill. The latter is $600 though.

i know, that's why the aria is heavily considered, but regarding the Heed and H5 mentioned earlier, is there a relatively decent priced DAC that would pair well w/ em?

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by camille /img/forum/go_quote.gif double votes for the Heed and H5. which of the 2 goes best with a lot of music from female vocalists? or would that matter? i'm still considering the Aria also because of the DAC element. unless any other DAC works well along w/ the Heed and/or H5...

I actually quite like female vocals on my LDII+ and HD650, I think it's one of the amp's strongest areas (as it should, being DHT triode and all). I'd love to read a comparison between the H5 and the LDII+ though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by camille /img/forum/go_quote.gif i know, that's why the aria is heavily considered, but regarding the Heed and H5 mentioned earlier, is there a relatively decent priced DAC that would pair well w/ em?

I'm a believer in seperate components (mostly for the ease in upgrades). The Lite DAC-AH and the various Zhaolou's seem to be the favorites around here, for a low cost option there is also the Entech 203.2 ($60 shipped on ebay) that's worth thinking about.

 

[Aethelred]

IMHO AKG house of sound goes very well with tubes. It is really hard to desribe but at least to me there is a huge synergy between AKG and tubes.
Mind that I do not like totally tube like sound in the wrong meaning of this phrase.
With you question it is a bit tricky to answer. I had the same problem. I had auditioned X-Cans V3 3 times so the seller was a getting a bit nervous but still i did not like it. I'm sorry to say but stock X-Cans with AKG is not a good combo or the value but belive me as soon as you mod this baby and get some vintage tubes - this sounds great.
As you see I'm not trying to praise my own gear because I was far from buing MF but after reading all the stories about modding of MF here and on other forums I thought this might give me not only great sound but also nice time with soldering iron so I will not forget everything that I've learned about soldering.
If you have a chance to try modded MF - do it. Really low cost for that kind of sound.
Oh and Pink Floyd is a great guy - still I have to install those diodes that I've got from him and new vintage Siemens tubes.

You can see all the mods in my profile but I'm sure that other more experienced modders will help you.

AMPs that I've tried:
MF X-Cans V3 stock
MF X_Cans V2 stock - tubes changed I think
Rega Ear
Creek OBH-21SE
Creek OBH-21
Project - do not remember the symbol
Singlepower PPX-SLAM although modded by mattigol - you may read about it in another thred. And at that time I did not have 701 so tried with 501.
Vintage Marantz Amp with decent headphone output I think 2270 or similar symbol
Headphone out in McIntosh CD Player

 

[murrmax]

I too am looking for the next step up and thinking about the Darkvoice 336i to pair with my K501's. I have a Gilmore Dynalo thats pretty good, but.. I think the 501's need a beefier warmer amp either a tube sounding ss or tube amp to fill them out and reach their full potential. A lot of people seem to think the Gilmore is a good match, maybe if you had a warm source like NAd542 it might be ok. From my research i'd say the Darkvoice, M3, Millet or Graham Slee Solo or Heed would be the ultimate amps of choice for this phone.

 

[jdimitri]

If you're considering the aria, then probably wait for the corda opera
Sure looks enticing.. Anyone know the price?

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SK138 /img/forum/go_quote.gif M^3 with OPA627 opamp on L & R channel and OPA637 opamp on ground channel.

I heartily second the M^3 for driving AKGs, although I believe I have different op-amps. For headphones with different levels of bass the M^3 variable bass boost is really nice. When I was looking at the M^3 I almost tried to find one without the VBB because I figured I'd never use it, but I've found it invaluable so far switching between the K340 & K501.

SK138 recommended the M^3 to me, and I'm quite happy with it.

EDIT: the Aria is a great amp, but doesn't seem to fill out the K501 to my tastes. I wouldn't consider myself a bass-head, but I need a certain fullness to the sound or I don't feel all that involved.