[mirh]

I have iBasso D3 and Westone UM2 which makes quite nice combination with my iPod.
I’m planning to build stationary headphone set. I’m looking for better sound quality. For the source I will choose SqueezeBox (only FLAC files) and a DAC (I haven’t decided yet which one to choose).
The problem is that I’m not going to buy full-size headphones cause I listen music mainly at night and IEM is a perfect solution for me cause nobody is disturbed by the music...
So I’m going to buy Westone 3 and a good stationary amp. With IEM there is a problem that I have heard that tube amps aren’t best partners for IEMs. Is that true? Also I have heard that for let’s say 500$ is much easier to buy a good tube amp (China made) instead of transistors amp?
What to buy ? My budget is about 500$ and I was thinking about Darkvoice (3322 or 336SE) or Little Dot MARK IV
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Will any of them be a good partner for Westone 3?
Will this combination be better (how much) than D3,UM2 and iPod?

 

[fameh]

Well, tubes or SS amp depends a bit on the music you hear, but mainly, tubes are prefered here, yes. Both options you mentioned are nice. Woo Audio 3 is another nice tube amp in your budget.

Consider to get a good DAC, because W3 have a very clear and detailed sound and IEMs doesn't benefit as so much as headphones of amps. I'm not saying you buy a bad amp, but put at least the same attention to your DAC than the amp (or more).


Your new combination will be much better, first because your DAC will improve A LOT against the ipod's one. The amp will improve too, but obviously not so much, as D3 is not a bad amp for IEMs. If you go tubes, its fair you will see more different, because the magic of them

 

[mirh]

thanks fameh
looking at specification of Darkvoice or Little Dot (and other tubes amps) I can see that :
Headphone Impedance : 32 ohm---600 ohm
Westone 3 is 30 ohm. Is that any problem for such amps ?

 

[fameh]

Hey mirh!
Well, i haven't tried the Westones with desktop amps, but yes, i suppose that a MK-IV or a DV336 can handle them very easy.
That specification is not very important in the lowest value, where is important is the high value, 600ohm, that says you "hey, if you have a 1200ohm cans, this amp is not going to be enough for you".

I tested the W3 with an Ibasso D2 Boa and it was enough to drive them. Sure same with your D3. Obviously, a good desktop amp will drive your Westones better and you won't need to turn the volume very loud to hear them.


But sure some head-fier has tested the W3 with a desktop tube amp and can tell you, more concrete, his experiences

Which kind of music do you hear? Tubes are not the best option for all of genres.

 

[mirh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fameh /img/forum/go_quote.gif ....Which kind of music do you hear? Tubes are not the best option for all of genres.

I'm sure that tubes are for me :

Pink Floyd, Marillion, Nick Cave, Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and many more ...