[Hadden]

I find the Maxed Home Ref is a bit warm which is too much of a good thing with the Senn 650. They need a more analytical amp I think. I'd like something with better control of the bass as well, though I know these phones are bassy. I wonder if the Corda is on the bright side as I am sensitive to this. Is the Corda a true upgrade to the Home, or a sideways different flavor sort of thing. What does it do clearly better?

 

[TheSloth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hadden I find the Maxed Home Ref is a bit warm which is too much of a good thing with the Senn 650. They need a more analytical amp I think. I'd like something with better control of the bass as well, though I know these phones are bassy. I wonder if the Corda is on the bright side as I am sensitive to this. Is the Corda a true upgrade to the Home, or a sideways different flavor sort of thing. What does it do clearly better?

My usual response: depends what electronics module you have in it. Saying it's a 'reference' module doesn't really say a great deal. There are at least 5 different reference moudules over time. Do you know exactly which one it is? Date of amp build?

You may get what you are looking for with just a module change...

 

[Anders]

I can't give a really accurate answer to your question but may have some hints. I owned the Headroom MOHR but this was a 1999 version and I think has been upgraded twice. The Prehead Mk 1 was a clear upgrade to this older version but I have no idea of how much MOHR has improved. I now have a Prehead Mk II that is said to be close to the HA-2 Mk II, but slighty better.

The Prehead has good control of the bass but is on the bright side. It balances well with HD650 and its laid-back character but I think it is still a little on the bright side. The Aria could be an alternative, it is cheaper than HA-2 and seems to be less bright. Some say that Aria is almost as good as HA-2 and a few that it is even better than HA-2.

If the HA-2 is an upgrade or sideways move is hard to say. I have recently bought a PS Audio GCHA, that is an upgrade to Prehead Mk II in my opinion. Both are very good amplifiers but the GCHA is more neutral and transparent without the slightly sharp treble of the Prehead, sometimes too sharp I think. In the beginning the GCHA sounded a little lean but definition and soundstage has improved much after burn-in. It sounds somewhat laid-back with slightly recessed treble extension with HD-650, but isn't that the character of the headphone? Bass is stong and well defined with more body than Prehead. My impressions are still somewhat preliminary and yet haven't got my hands on a pair of K701, that will be very interesting to test with these amplifiers.

 

[Hadden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth My usual response: depends what electronics module you have in it. Saying it's a 'reference' module doesn't really say a great deal. There are at least 5 different reference moudules over time. Do you know exactly which one it is? Date of amp build? You may get what you are looking for with just a module change...

I got the Maxed Home at the end of 2004, so the last Reference Module before Headroom revamped their lineup.