[pjc68]

Hi
I have 3 pair of 600 ohm akg headphones
K240 sextetts (lp), k240 DF and k140,s that my modded Mf xcan v2 struggles to
run properly
It runs my k240 mk2 ok (55ohm) and the k501 (120 ohm) , was wondering can anyone recomend a good amp for around £200 that will provide good voltage to these cans that are a bitch to run

I have my eye on the matrix mstage and possibly the bottlehead crack otl amp
Has anyone got any experience with either of these amps and 600 ohm akg,s your
help would be most welcome.
                                                                         paddy

 

[happywater]

little dot mk IV or mk IV se will do . i have the se it works really good with the 240 df and hd540 600ohm.

 

[Armaegis]

The Bottlehead Crack meshes incredibly well with Sextetts. It is easily my favourite combination that I have ever heard.

 

[pjc68]

Thanks for the info guys.
When funds allow it,s going to be a toss up between the two amps
Armaegis what sonic signature does the crack amp have with the sextetts, i know the DF
is harder to run because i have both headphones so im,e hoping the crack can provide
mega voltage to these beasts and wake them up
Is the speedball upgrade worth the extra dollars as well, what improvements does it do
over stock crack.
                                                                                         paddy

 

[Armaegis]

I find the Crack amp brings out mids really well and has an incredibly expansive soundstage. I've compared directly against the a Little Dot III and felt the Crack was better overall.
 
The Speedball upgrade basically brings up the resolution and detailing of the Crack amp. I was quite surprised that I could hear the improvement so readily.

 

[pjc68]

Thanks armaegis
I am using a arcam cd player through a kimber pbj attenuated interconnect to an arcam amp then through a kimber pbj to my MF xcan v2 (pink floyd modded) and have to turn
the volume between 2 and 5 oclock and fully up sometimes to get a decent volume out
of the K240df but the sextetts are not as power hungry.
Were about do you have the volume with the sextetts, i think the ideal position is around
12 oclock.
The 600 ohm akg,s sound a bit boring and underpowerd without enough voltage to them
the k240df being the hardest to drive, i also have a pair of k501,s has anyone tried them
on the crack
I would be gratefull for any help.
                                                                                             paddy

 

[Armaegis]

12 o'clock is about where I tend to listen (oftentimes a bit lower, but I don't listen at particularly loud volumes). I've never tried the K240DF, but I used to have the K240M which is a similar 600 ohm beastly thing and it was driven just fine out of my Crack.
 
One thing to note though is that the Bottlehead stuff come in kit form, so you need some DIY skill to assemble one.

 

[RexAeterna]

if you don't mind having a 40lb behemoth sitting on your desk and don't mind vintage you can look for a sansui 5000x receiver on ebay. it's output impedance of the headphone jack is 680ohms@1/2w of power and driven from the power amp so that should be more then enough for most headphones. i own one and it's a very beautiful sounding and looking solid state receiver.  i think they can be had for under 200 nowadays. when i found mine i paid only 65 for it. don't know if prices went up or not on these things. just an idea.

 

[pjc68]

Thanks for the  info guys
I have 3 headphone amps, the banzai blue jelly cmoy amp (18v), the neco v2 with 2x 8610 op amp upgrade (9v) and a pf fully modded xcan
v2 with tesla gold pin valves and none of them are suitable for the task, wish i could afford the burson though
It is a toss up between the matrix mstage or the crack amp.
                                                                                                                                        paddy

 

[pjc68]

Sansui
Were they usa only models, i am in the uk and as you know the voltage is 230v
I had a look on ebay and the net and they seem to be 110v us models

                                                                                                                       paddy

 

[REB]

there are plenty of 220/230 vac sansui models out there. I own two at the moment and have owned some more in the past. They are powerful animals! they'll drive just about anything you throw at them and the headphone out is also powerful (at least, this was the case with the models I've known). The only thing is that there might be a slight humming or buzzing on account of the age of the amp. Maybe a revision can take that away and maybe not all amps have that. But sansui is absolutely wonderful!

 

[pjc68]

Thanks for that guys
What models are we talking about for driving 600 ohm headphones, There is a Au-101, r303-l, A-500, Au-217 and a few others i have seen
Are we talking 70,s 80,s models or ones in particular like the 5000x
The au-101 from the early 70,s looks nice and vintage, are these good for headphones.
paddy

 

[REB]

I've tried models from the early seventies to the mid-eighties and iam partial to the warmish, tubey sound of the early seventies. That would the the au101, 555a, 505 series etc (the higher the number, the higher the RMS watts). late seventies to early eighties, you've got the au117, 217, 119, 219 (highest number 917/919) amps. they are quite wonderful too and nearly indestructible. then you get the dx series, probably the last good run of sansui amps. The a-x00 series is afaik not as good as the other series. The au111,222 etc series is from the late sixties and i suggest you stay away from it unless you can buy one that has been revised or unless you want to apply some tlc yourself. That's just amps though. the receivers are also very powerful and built to last. Again, the higher the number, the higher the chance you'll annoy the neighbours! Good Sansui receivers (like the amps) are quite expensive, thought, so i would recommend trying out an receiver with relatively little power (it will still have enough), such as the 441. If you're in the market for the big boys (with heat sink etc and enough power to cause a power outtage), there are receivers such as the G8700db available. They are true beauties!
 

 

[REB]

The au505 and au 555/555a have a special reputation for warm, tubey sound reproduction. they are quite affordable (they used to be mid-fi, not in terms of sound, but in terms of power) and as owner of both models, I can recommend them without any problem.

 

[pjc68]

Thanks reb
Theres a a505 for sale now for £50 but i only want one to drive my 600 ohm akg,s not speakers
What are the headphone socket specs for the au101 and a505 (how many mw into 600 ohms)
                                                         paddy