[WoollyGeezer]

I am looking for a reliable headphone amplifier for my LCD5s. The Burson Soloist has been great to me but I believe it lacks the current to drive these properly.

On high gain it sounds fantastic but quickly becomes muddy and the bass becomes flabby after a few tracks (or one track if you're listening to Tool)

I was recommended the McIntosh MHA200, the GSX Mini and the Well's Audio Dragon

 

[ThanatosVI]

High end is a pretty open field, you should add a price range and some info about your preferences (warm, neutral, bright, tube, solid state)

 

[Roasty]

https://www.msbtechnology.com/amplifiers/the-premier-headphone-amp/

Here is something really new..!



So sleek in black...

 

[WoollyGeezer]

Price range is under 5grand.

Going to demo the mha200 on Friday evening.

Looking for something musical, tubes are going to be preferred.

Currently on the Burson Soloist 3X

 

[ThanatosVI]

https://www.msbtechnology.com/amplifiers/the-premier-headphone-amp/

Here is something really new..!



So sleek in black...

Looks great, do you plan to get one?
Any paßt experience with their DACs?

 

[WoollyGeezer]

Has anyone here experienced the HPA4?

 

[Roasty]

Looks great, do you plan to get one?
Any paßt experience with their DACs?

Msb is out of my reach. Plus apparently u can only use this amp with their dacs.. Lol.

 

[lumdicks]

Has anyone here experienced the HPA4?

I am having HPA4 and it is an excellent headphone amp with zero distortion. Sound is perfectly neutral and colourless but not boring at all. However, if you are not satisfied with Soloist 3X on output power, you will not find HPA4 better in this regard. Obviously MHA200 should also have lower power than your Burson.

 

[XVampireX]

While it's not appropriate to recommend something you haven't had a chance to listen to yet, I did listen to their first amp (Solid One) and also did purchase Volot which would eventually be delivered to me and I could better tell you what it is like. But if it goes anything like what they first made, it should be plenty musical and with all the power in the world to drive anything. You've also got the Ferrum Oor/Hypsos combo that's available right now for the most part or you could wait for Holo Audio Bliss that should also pack a punch, none of these are tube amps. If you're looking for a tube amp, a bit over your budget though, maybe look at the Cayin HA300 that also seems to have plenty of power.
The main reviewer for the Volot kept (Soundnews) mentioned in his video how he liked it with the LCD-4.
There are plenty of options in the headphone amp world and they should all be excellent, especially in the "High End" segment. So choose whatever.

 

[NickMimi]

Decware Taboo MK-4 is very compatible w/ Audeze HP’s. Going on a full year waitlist currently though to have one built.

 

[leftside]

Have you considered custom? Quite a few amp builders on here. Here is 1101 Audio whom I've now purchased two headphone amps from:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/1101-audio-custom-crafted-headphone-amps.919425/page-55

 

[MHLC]

I have been enjoying my LCD5 with my Wells Audio Dragon L3. This is slight above your budget by $500 but you can always get an L2 and upgrade down the road.

Another amp I'm enjoying with the Audeze is the Vioelectric v281. The successor to the v281 is the v550 which I believe would only be an upgrade to the v281.

 

[parmiep]

Price range is under 5grand.

Going to demo the mha200 on Friday evening.

Looking for something musical, tubes are going to be preferred.

Currently on the Burson Soloist 3X

If tubes are preferred, the Ampsandsound Forge sold on Headphones.com is a tube amp that was built with planar headphones in mind (particularly if you go for the 8/100 ohm version). I've run Rad-0, Ether 2 and D8000 Pro off of it and really enjoy it.

And before you ask about the GS-X Mini in my signature in comparison to the FORGE, I'm still waiting for my GS-X Mini to arrive

 

[ThanatosVI]

If tubes are preferred, the Ampsandsound Forge sold on Headphones.com is a tube amp that was built with planar headphones in mind (particularly if you go for the 8/100 ohm version). I've run Rad-0, Ether 2 and D8000 Pro off of it and really enjoy it.

And before you ask about the GS-X Mini in my signature in comparison to the FORGE, I'm still waiting for my GS-X Mini to arrive

Sad that there aren't a lot if reviews on the Forge

 

[LarsMan]

Sad that there aren't a lot if reviews on the Forge

I've got a Forge up for sale on Audiogon, hopefully to somebody local in the San Francisco Bay Area who can come and pick it up. I'm sure it's a fine amp but I do not have a fine electrical system in my apartment and the noise floor I get from it makes it unlistenable, and as I rent my apartment, I am not going to have it rewired for the amp. I've tried new power conditioners, tubes that should provide less noise, etc, and nothing is working; I've got other tube headphone amps that do not have this issue, so I'm not going to throw more money at the Forge. It's a 30/300 one and will be a fine, well-built and designed amp for somebody with a good, clean, power source, but not for me, unfortunately.