[Artemio]

Hello, I am new around here. Have been a lurker for some time and have already gotten myself a Corda Move as an upgrade to my Porta Corda II/Grado SR 225 setup for the office.

I live in Mexico, and there is no local market that I am aware of where I can buy these toys for myself. There are Bose shops (never bought their stuff) and one Sennheiser shop (which I have yet to visit), but nowhere where I could try a Tube amp or some other gear. I am used to Paradigm Speakers and a Yamaha amp at home, but I cannot use it as much as my headphones at work so I am interested in trying new territory, such as a desktop tube amp.

I listen to acoustic guitar, classical, soundtracks, some classic rock and some early techo.

So basically my question is what would you guys recommend me to get around <400 USD since a friend of mine is going to Dallas in 2 weeks, and he is a fellow audio enthusiast that offered his help on getting me gear.

The problem is that I don't know about any Dallas based shops either. I could buy via the internet and send it to the house of the person which my friend is going to visit as well.

If I am wasting my time with my budget, would I do better trying some Senns? I would also be interested in portable closed headphones with good sound for trips.

 

[tyrion]

You could buy something used in the fs forum here or contact one of the manufacturers of amps in your range to see if they will ship to Mexico. Woo Audio has a WA3 and WA3+ for $470 and $495. I realize it's a bit out of your price range. There is also the Darkvoice. I don't know if you will find a shop in Dallas that sells headphone amps. I don't know how the 225s would sound out of any of the above amps. The Senns sound nice out of the WA3. Just wanted to share some ideas. I don't know if there is anything stopping someone from shipping you an amp to Mexico. I've shipped to Canada, EU and Hong Kong.

 

[Kahuna]

Here is an amp you might want to consider. Little Dot. (This is actually a thread discussing the amp). May be a less expensive way to jump into the tube amp world, and if it doesn't float your boat, you can always sell it!

 

[tbonner1]

I would second looking at the Little Dot line to start. They sound good, build quality has improved and customer service is great from David the Ebay distributor.

 

[feifan]

I like the Little Dot 2+/2++ sound, but I'd advise going in with your eyes wide open. Spend an hour reviewing the posts in the threads devoted to these. In any case, they've been superceded by the MK series, which cost a bit more but are still a bargain. Again, I'd advise caution: review the threads on these new models, too, and, if possible, wait a few months to see if any problems come up. Sword Yang, the owner of LD, is very up front and stands behind his products. David is a nice guy, but be sure to read his warranty carefully. The last time I did -- a few weeks ago -- it claimed to cover parts, labor, and return shipping for a year. When I had problems with my 2++ after 7 months, I learned that he doesn't consider tubes as "parts." However, when Sword heard about my woes, he sent me, free pf charge, a full set of replacement tubes. The LD2+ has a heat and arcing problem. The 2++, like the 2+, has a heat problem. I haven't heard anything about a heat problem in the MK series, but I'd advise inquiring about it before purchasing. I've had problems with the LDs, but I really like the sound. With the Beresford DAC, it's sweet. However, if I knew earlier what I know now, I probably wouldn't have purchased them. I'm waiting to see how the MK series pan out before jumping in. If they're solid performers without any major problems, I'll definitely consider getting one.

 

[Artemio]

Thanks for your suggestions, I had seen the Little Dot MK and 2+/2++ on ebay and done some minor reading around here. I'll go and read all I can and if I go for it, will probably end up shipping it directly to Mexico, since sending it to Dallas would be risky because of the time frames.

I am very curious regarding the Darkvoice... will do some reading as well and if I find a store in the US where I can buy online and ship to Dallas, that would be a major reason to push for either since China made stuff is highly taxed in Mexico.

Again, thanks a lot for taking the time to help a noob =)

 

[LoweArt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artemio /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am very curious regarding the Darkvoice... will do some reading as well and if I find a store in the US where I can buy online and ship to Dallas, that would be a major reason to push for either since China made stuff is highly taxed in Mexico. Again, thanks a lot for taking the time to help a noob =)

Hi Artemio,

I can highly recommend the Darkvoice 336i tube headphone amp, I use it as my second rig and had previously used Grado SR 80 and SR 325i headphones with it. Good value for money even straight out of the box before you start doing any tube rolling ( swapping tubes to customise sound ).

Like many other Head-Fi ers from here, I purchased mine from Jian Liu ( contact is - ljra2@hotmail.com ) who is a Darkvoice distributor in China and he can provide the correct voltage version for your country. The last I heard the cost was about $320US which includes shipping to your door ! Jian is very helpful and replies to emails very quickly too and when I last dealt with him earlier in the year, he had arranged to accept Paypal as well as the Western Union.

Here's the Darkvoice thread that started it all - http://www4.head-fi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182503

Hope this info helps !

 

[Artemio]

Thanks LoweArt, you really got me going there with the Darkvoice.. I already e-mailed him to figure out if times work for the Dallas trip (would save me at least 100 USD...)

I read from your profile that you have Grado SR 325i.. how do you like them with the Darkvoice? I am interested in the Sennheiser HD600 or 650 as well, since I could get those locally, and from your sig I believe you prefer those.. or at least with the Darkvoice.

Thanks a lot for the information.

 

[MaloS]

I would also suggest a Darkvoice, very good reputation, and I enjoyed the 332 when I owned it (I used with hd595, but I can see lots of benefit for Grados from a Darkvoice tonality).

 

[LoweArt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artemio /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks LoweArt, you really got me going there with the Darkvoice.. I already e-mailed him to figure out if times work for the Dallas trip (would save me at least 100 USD...) I read from your profile that you have Grado SR 325i.. how do you like them with the Darkvoice? I am interested in the Sennheiser HD600 or 650 as well, since I could get those locally, and from your sig I believe you prefer those.. or at least with the Darkvoice. Thanks a lot for the information.

Hi Artemio, happy to help with the information and if you end up getting the Darkvoice 336i and it still has the issue with the volume control, let me know and I will give advice on how to fix that quickly and simply.

You will find that there are Grado people here in the forums and Sennheiser people. Both brands and types of headphones are great in their own right, but understandably we all have different personal preferences in what we like to hear. I honestly regret selling off my Grado SR80's to move up to the SR325i thinking that I would just "like them". I couldn't be more wrong. I found for myself, the 325i not to be as comfortable as the SR80 due to the extra weight of it's aluminium earcups and the top end sibilance I was getting from mine from any headphone amp I connected up to was a little too fatiguing for me in the long run. Mind you, I did give this headphone over 300 hrs burn in before critical listening and in the end, I stop going back to them. Real shame, but that's just me. I'm sure other people who don't have such an accute hearing and may be bit more a lover of bright highs would really enjoy them. At some stage I'm sure I'll buy the SR80 or SR125 Grado's back again.

The GREAT thing that I found with the Darkvoice 336i is that it doesn't like some amps suit one brand of headphone better than the other. You may have read that some synergise better with Grado's where as others are best with Sennheiser. The Darkvoice doesn't seem to have that characteristic and drives either Grado or Sennheiser equally well and I even had a loan pair of AKG K701 on them for a short while too - worked a treat.

I noticed that you are using Grado 225's at the moment, I would suggest that if you get the Darkvoice 336i - stay with these pair of headphones during the burn in period of your new amp so that you have a point of reference to go by. Don't be in a rush to get Sennheisers or what ever until you've established a known baseline of what you're listening to. That said, don't forget you have a good deal of room to play with in tailoring the Darkvoice by way of tube rolling. The sonic character of Sennie HD600 or HD650 are different to what you have at the moment and some prefer Grado because they find the Sennie's darker in it's presentation. Keep in mind everyone's ear's are different as well as how we perceive sound/tones is different also. For me, the Sennheiser are my perferred headphones, but there will be times that I will listen with the Grado's and enjoy them just as much - depends on the mood and the material being played.

I hope this info helps and if you need info on the volume pot mod, please let me know.

Enjoy your search for your new head amp.

 

[Agent Kang]

Jolida 100. Nice source!

 

[LoweArt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Kang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jolida 100. Nice source!

Thanks Agent Kang for your comments regarding the Jolida JD100H CD player I have.

Are you familar with the "H" version as opposed to the JD100A that exists in the U.S. Market ? It has all the aftermarket MODS that you find on those U.S. retailer sites as standard. WIMA & Blackgate CAPS all round with Electro-Harmonix tubes instead of the SINO ones.

 

[tbonner1]

Can you have the amp sent to a US address for you to pick up?

 

[Artemio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbonner1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you have the amp sent to a US address for you to pick up?

Usually the answer is no... since the shipping/billing address would differ, and since I'd had to go for it personally to the US to get it (which I have stop doing that frequently) that was a problem. Fortunately there was a FS offer here on head-fi and I am in the middle of the transaction to get the Darkvoice and several tubes to get started =)

Thanks a lot for the help guys, it is really, really appreciated.

And LoweArt, I respect very much the way you dealt with the whole Sennheiser/Grado thing. It was really a very well informed and thought reflection on the matter, and it will indeed be best to go a step at a time. I'll wait and hold teh rush to grab a pair of Senns for a month or so, and then I'll see what happens next-

I'll let you know how this worked out fro me in 15 days or so.... The wait is killing me already, but I am used to such long periods living around here to get this kind of stuff.

 

[Agent Kang]

I think you've made a great choice to use the FS forum for your amp purchase. You're sure to get a product that has been in good care from another enthusiast. Should your negotiation consummate into a deal, enjoy your new amp and let us know of your impression!

Happy listening.