Headsave Mini-T and S
Jan 30, 2004 at 5:26 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7

bioallen

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Alright ive been looking around for amps, and I came across the amps from Headsave, now for my question, are those gonna be good enough of an am for me to have sitting on my desk @ home?? For my HD-600's? Becuase I really cant afford to spend alot of money on an amp when I just got a pair of hd600's and an audigy2zs They are priced under 100 which I like, but if I have to spend more to REALLY get more, then I guess I will TIA
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Chris
 
Jan 30, 2004 at 5:47 AM Post #3 of 7
I own a Headsave PPA, and have nothing but good things to say about Norm at Headsave, the sound of his amp, and his customer service. I own Grado SR225's, and I asked Norm to recommend me a home amp. He firmly told me that if I could swing the PPA, that I would hear the quality and not regret it, and he was absolutely right. If the PPA is too much at 400-ish, then there is the Elite SL, a pimeta home amp in the 200-ish region. If you are dead set on a MINT amp, then stretch a little and go for the Headsave MiniMe, which is a MINT built to be a stationary amp run from wall power, so it has all of the possible MINT sound improvements enabled (which use too much power for an amp run from a 9v battery). The MiniMe (maxed-out MINT) is just above 100. Fewtch, one of the Headphoneus Supremii, has given it the description of providing a warm, sweet, clear and liquid sound - very pleasant.

Back to the PPA: I recently auditioned the HD600's on my PPA, and I would call the combo exquisite. The PPA brought out the expressiveness (I would say liveliness) of the 600's, and their lovely smoothness and detail. I've got a pair of the HD600's in my future sometime over the next year. I'm saving my shekels now.

Norm at Headsave has also given me free advice about my home sound system, and he is just a knowledgable and helpful audio professional. He and his amps have got a very good reputation at Head-Fi.

To recap the answer to your question:
What's really going to be enough amp for your HD600's is the PPA. The Elite SL (Pimeta) and MINT amps are old enough to have threads on them with comments on how they drive the HD600's. The Headsave amps will be good representatives of these species of DIY amps. Do a few searches on titles for the terms pimeta and mint and check out those threads.
 
Jan 31, 2004 at 1:46 AM Post #4 of 7
Quote:

Originally posted by sbulack
If you are dead set on a MINT amp, then stretch a little and go for the Headsave MiniMe, which is a MINT built to be a stationary amp run from wall power, so it has all of the possible MINT sound improvements enabled (which use too much power for an amp run from a 9v battery). The MiniMe (maxed-out MINT) is just above 100. Fewtch, one of the Headphoneus Supremii, has given it the description of providing a warm, sweet, clear and liquid sound - very pleasant.


Indeed... I think it's definitely more colored/less neutral than my Ultra (maxed Meta42) but is (A) without a doubt in the 'hi-fi' category, and (B) colored in a "good" way... definitely sweet/liquid, and quite detailed as well, probably thanks to the AD8620 op-amp. Easily a bargain at the price Norm charges for it, imho.
 
Jan 31, 2004 at 3:04 AM Post #5 of 7
So, it would be a good choice for me to get the Mini Me instead of the minit and s, well the more i think about it, I really think that I should spend more and get the other one thats around 160. Thanks for the Info

Chris
 
Jan 31, 2004 at 5:04 AM Post #6 of 7
The HD600's are one NICE set of phones. Norm may suggest adding some extra buffers (at $5 each, which improves what you'll hear). With a set of phones like the HD600's, if Norm suggests some add-ons, believe me, you'll hear where your money went. Send Norm an enquiry about the Elite SL from the Headsave website, and let him know what your phones and source are, and just ASK how he'd configure the Elite for your rig. You can always decide to order the standard configuration. But Norm's been configuring and building audio equipment for 30 years, and his suggestions are worth getting. I'm really happy that I took his advice to me with my amp. Every day I am amazed at the sound I am getting out of it. Well, anyway, from Fewtch's signature, you can see that he is using the MiniMe to drive his HD580's, and is happy with the combo. The HD600's sounded exquisite on the PPA. I'm sure that you'll be happy with whichever of the Headsave amps you decide on.
 
Jan 31, 2004 at 12:37 PM Post #7 of 7
Quote:

Originally posted by sbulack
Well, anyway, from Fewtch's signature, you can see that he is using the MiniMe to drive his HD580's, and is happy with the combo.


I'm happy enough, but hope nobody gets the idea that it's some kind of "giant killer" combo or something. With the Minime we're talking about a $110 amp, and I'm saying for that price I'm really pleased -- one might expect midfi-ish sound at that price, but it sounds hi-fi to my ears (and has a good synergy with my turntable/phono stage).

I do agree tho, I think Allen will be happy with whatever he chooses from Headsave... Norm makes some great stuff. HD600s will definitely reflect improvements in amps/sources up to a very high level, so it never hurts to get the best one can afford (but a PPA will of course be very revealing of the source feeding it).
 

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