[sennheiserhd485]

Would the HD600 + a Bottlehead Crack give an excessively warm presentation?
 
Are there any other cheap tube options that would work better with the HD600?
 
Are cheap tube amps or cheap solid better with the HD600?
 
Would a cheap Stax rig outperform the HD600 + cheap tube amp?

 

[Bones13]

You can play with the tubes "Tube Roll" to get different sounds from tubed gear.  I use Crack+HD650 and think it sounds great, I do prefer my tone to be slightly to the warm side of neutral.
 
There would be plenty of opinions here and on the Bottlehead Forum about making the Crack sound the way you want.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Quote:

You can play with the tubes "Tube Roll" to get different sounds from tubed gear.  I use Crack+HD650 and think it sounds great, I do prefer my tone to be slightly to the warm side of neutral.
 
There would be plenty of opinions here and on the Bottlehead Forum about making the Crack sound the way you want.

What kind of tubes would give me a more lively sound?
 

 

[zeffa]

I have a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball and some other mods, and I use it with a HD600 (also AKG K501). I don't find it excessively warm at all. Re your first question about a suitable amp for the HD600, it really depends on the sound you're looking for. Personally, I find the HD600 have a rather "closed-in" sound, especially compared to my AKGs. I do like their mid-range, I just wish it the sound stage was wider. Having said that, I think the Bottlehead pairs up quite well with the HD600, and I do prefer that amp over the Millett MiniMax and the iBasso D10.
 
To answer your second question about tubes... By "lively", I assume you mean like a more forward presentation, more analytical sound? In terms of signal tubes, I think the 12BH7's have a livelier presentation than the 12AU7's (although the Telefunken 12AU7 is really quite analytical). For power tubes, 7268 > 6080 > 6AS7G.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Quote:

I have a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball and some other mods, and I use it with a HD600 (also AKG K501). I don't find it excessively warm at all. Re your first question about a suitable amp for the HD600, it really depends on the sound you're looking for. Personally, I find the HD600 have a rather "closed-in" sound, especially compared to my AKGs. I do like their mid-range, I just wish it the sound stage was wider. Having said that, I think the Bottlehead pairs up quite well with the HD600, and I do prefer that amp over the Millett MiniMax and the iBasso D10.
 
To answer your second question about tubes... By "lively", I assume you mean like a more forward presentation, more analytical sound? In terms of signal tubes, I think the 12BH7's have a livelier presentation than the 12AU7's (although the Telefunken 12AU7 is really quite analytical). For power tubes, 7268 > 6080 > 6AS7G.

How much do the Telefunken tubes cost? I wouldn't really want to spend more than $30.
 

 

[zeffa]

Quote:

How much do the Telefunken tubes cost? I wouldn't really want to spend more than $30.
 

Then you probably won't be getting a telefunken, unless you're lucky (or you can source one off a friend for cheaper). Mine cost about $50 plus shipping from ebay, and that's reasonably cheap... The 12BH7's are probably the way to go then. You can probably get 2 for $30. Best/most expensive seem to be the black plated ones.