[jcn3]

hi all --

head-fi noob here. first thanks for all the great info on the site. thanks to the advice i've gotten here and conversations with todd (ttvj) and rsa, i've got a sr-71 and senn 600 on the way to me. needless to say, i'm psyched.

next step is to get a killer home amp. i'm thinking headroom desktop millet + home + dps or rsa raptor. both are approximately the same price.

i don't think i could go wrong with either of these amps, but i haven't found a lot of info on the desktop millet.

anyone out there listened to both? how do the sounds of the two amps compare?

thanks!

 

[n_maher]

Can't say I've spent much time with the Raptor but I have a fair amount of experience with the HR Millett - see here for my review.

The Raptor is likely the higher performer but it comes down to whether or not you like some of the added features that the HR amp offers like crossfeed, switchable inputs, adjustable gain and preamp function. Also, the tubes are quite different between the two models with the HR's costing under $10/pr and the Raptor's cost varying a lot, especially if you go NOS exotics.

Oh, and in case no one else has said it: Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

Nate

 

[jcn3]

I've got an older Headroom Supreme that is not ungradable at this point. However, a could take advantage of HR's trade-in policy and get 20% off of a new amp. 20% off of the Millet + Home + DPS is approximately $250, taking the net price down to $1k.

The Raptor is just under $1175, so the price difference is not big. I would guess that the tubes will last quite a while since they aren't being pushed near as hard a power amp tubes, so that "cost of ownership" difference shouldn't be a big deal.

Soo, my wallet tells me to take it easy -- bail on the tube amp for the moment, be happy with the flexibility that an SR-71 provides, and just sell the Supreme.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Bones13]

I like my Raptor, and Ray has tuned the Raptor specifically for use of the less expensive tubes. You don't have to use NOS in it unless you want to. The power supply, and the simplicity and cleanliness of the build make all of Ray's amps special.

All of the adjustments on the Headroom gear allow customizing your experience. Tube rolling allows this as well, although the Headroom crossfeed is about the best, and not present on the Raptor.

As many others have suggested at many points on this board, try and audition some amps with the cans of your choice prior to making big (expensive) decisions. Also keep a watch on the for sale boards for items that might be of interest.

 

[PFKMan23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bones13 I like my Raptor, and Ray has tuned the Raptor specifically for use of the less expensive tubes. You don't have to use NOS in it unless you want to.

There are no 5687s that are currently being produced. Every 5687 out there is a NOS tube. Hence, if your using the Raptor, you will have to use NOS tubes as it uses 5687s as output tubes.

 

[sacd lover]

The Singlepower SLAM PPX3 is every bit as good, or better, than the raptor .... and $400 less expensive. I would definitely investigate the SLAM.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcn3 Soo, my wallet tells me to take it easy -- bail on the tube amp for the moment, be happy with the flexibility that an SR-71 provides, and just sell the Supreme. Thoughts? Thanks!

If you think you can be happy with just the SR-71, run, don't walk out of here and bail man, bail!

Seriously though, I think if you want a desktop/home amp anything mentioned in this thread so far is a great option, not just a good one. Also, I think you should seriously consider shopping used. There are so many folks around here that buy stuff and sell it within 6 months that if I didn't build my own gear I'd certainly be a "used-only" type of guy. Just bide your time in the FS forum and snatch up a good deal when one comes along.

That's my 2¢,

Nate