[goatwuss]

Hello. I have the Senn 650 and the original MG Head. Yes, I played with different tubes in the amp. Sources include the Nottingham Spacedeck with Denon 103R for analog, and Jolida jd100 and Ah Tjoeb for digital. On simple music such as acoustic guitars and vocals, the combination is absolutely stunning in the richness and pleasing quality of sound. However, on more complex large scale symphonic material, the sound is kind of dead. I don't have the fine resolution that I'm looking for, and I feel as though the music is somewhat veiled. The large-scale dynamics are also bothersome. During loud passages the volume is there, but control, finesse and articulation are not.

So I'm thinking that it may be time to try a new headphone amp. Max budget is $1000ish new. I'm looking for a SS contender as well as a tubed contender.

Do any of you have any recommendations that you think would fit the bill nicely?

Thank you

Goatwuss

 

[mshan]

Are you still using the original tubes?

And have you considered tube rolling?

http://www.nickdangerous.com/misc/mghead/index.htm

 

[goatwuss]

MsHan - Please refer to the 3rd sentence in my post. The one that says "Yes, I played with different tubes in the amp."

I tried a number of tubes for both the EL84s and the 12AX7 and while they had slight effects on changing the sonic signature of the amp - the MG Head maintained its overall tonality and sonic attritbutes consistently no matter what tubes it was using.

 

[mshan]

I think the Audio Valve headphone amp (RKV 5?) was also supposed to be a great match for Sennheisers.

Other amp I read about in the past was a Headroom (Max or Maxxed Out or something like that). Solid state amp and expensive, though.

 

[Solude]

HeadAmp GS-1
RudiStor RP5.1
SinglePower PPX-6sn7 Slam

SS, Hybrid, Tube. Can't really go wrong with any of them as a starting point.

 

[goatwuss]

Solude - Thanks for the recommendations.

I'm assuming you've heard each of these three amps? Have you heard them with the Sennheiser 580/600/650?? Can you go into some detail regarding the relative strengths/weaknesses of these three amps?

MsHan - Thanks for the rec. Ironically, the review for this amp in positive feedback pretty much describes this amp. as being exactly what I'm not looking for. ie. mushy sounding with low transparency and resolution
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue15/rkv.htm

Thanks
Goatwuss

 

[JaZZ]

According to your specifications the Corda HA-2 MkII or the Prehead MkII probably would fit your bill. Or you may want to wait for the Corda Aria. These are all very transparent sounding amps, nevertheless they don't lack musicality.

 

[claud W]

Check out the Channel Island VHP-1 threads here, the two reviews by Stereophile (with and without the VAC-1 powersupply) and the 6Moons review. Order direct and try them for the 30 day trial period. I ain't no shill, just a happy owner.

 

[xchagg]

You mentioned rolling 12ax7s, have you tried popping in a 5751?

You can do this with a DT, but are there any negative feedback wires to snip in the original MG Head

? Seems to help with the sound somewhat.

 

[goatwuss]

Yeah, I've tried 5751. Slightly different flavor on the same sounding amp

 

[saint.panda]

I have the MG Head at the moment as a temporary solution till my new amp arrives and I know what you mean about the music being dead at times. While it sounds great with slow and enthralling music or lush vocals, it doesn't handle complex, overly fast or and bombastic things so well. After a while, everything sounds the same. I've also tried several tubes including a really expensive and well reputed Telefunken ECC801 and the character does not change as much as to lift the amp to other realms. However, for the price asked, I still think the MG Head is good value for around $200 on the used market.

If you want stick with tubes, I thought the PPX3 I heard at a meet was great due to its richness and good dynamics notwithstanding. Anyway, meet impressions are usually a bit tricky so take that with a grain of salt. Otherwise, I'd suggest a musical sounding SS amp like the Corda ones JaZZ suggested. I've had a HA-2 for a long time and was never let down. It always sounded fresh but never cold or sterile like some SS amps I've tried and owned. I only sold it to upgrade to the amp that I'm expecting to arrive in a few weeks. In any case, I've heard the Aria prototype and if the final amps should sound the same or better, it's going to be a killer amp.

 

[oldears]

There is a very simple and easy to do modification for the original ASL MG Head DT which removes the negative feedback circuit. I think I saw it here on Head-fi in the DIY forum, but I'm not positive about that. A couple of searches should bring it up if you are interested. Basically, it involved desoldering (or cutting) 2 wires. Several members tried it and reported major improvements in transparency and resolution. I don't remember if the mod did anything for dynamics.

Since you already have the MG Head, it might be worth a try. If it does what you want it might save you $1000.

If you don't like the sound of the modified unit, you could return it to original condition or sell it as a modified piece.

In the interests of full disclosure, I do have an original MG Head DT but haven't done this (at least not yet--I keep thinking about it).

I pretty much like it the way it is. But, I don't use it for anything large scale. Mostly jazz, folk, and chamber works.

 

[Jeff Wong]

Have you tried an aftermarket cable on the 650? It will represent a smaller investment and may give you some of the articulation and smoothness you crave.

 

[GWN]

Consider the Lehmann Black Cube Linear. A very fast dynamic amp with the Sennheiser HD650. It excels at detail retrieval. One of the best amps I've heard for ambiance recovery, micro detail. Excellent at creating a very wide well focused and deep soundstage with large scale classical music.

For a tube amp try the RS Raptor. A polar opposite of the MG head.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

There is a very simple and easy to do modification for the original ASL MG Head DT which removes the negative feedback circuit. I think I saw it here on Head-fi in the DIY forum, but I'm not positive about that. A couple of searches should bring it up if you are interested. Basically, it involved desoldering (or cutting) 2 wires. Several members tried it and reported major improvements in transparency and resolution. I don't remember if the mod did anything for dynamics.

Since you already have the MG Head, it might be worth a try. If it does what you want it might save you $1000.

If you don't like the sound of the modified unit, you could return it to original condition or sell it as a modified piece.

In the interests of full disclosure, I do have an original MG Head DT but haven't done this (at least not yet--I keep thinking about it).

I pretty much like it the way it is. But, I don't use it for anything large scale. Mostly jazz, folk, and chamber works.

Updating this thread from 2005. I did this modification by cutting the two green wires that go to the PCB
on the MG Head DT and taping off the bare wires with electrical tape. It made a noticeable improvement in transparency.

I have owned my MG Head DT since purchasing it new in 2001. It pairs extremely well with higher
impedance headphones. It really sounds great with my Sennheiser HD600 and HD6XX (both 300 ohms), as well as
my AKG K240 Sextett (600 ohms).