wakked1
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 3, 2005
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Hi all,
I'm curious what peoples' favorite solid-state (preferably discrete) amps are for matching with the HP-2s? I like a quick, transparent and neutral amp that keeps everything moving along fast and tight, but still with natural decay and timbre. I'm not a fan of gear that highlights specific aspects of the music as I listen to lots of different kinds of music, so what giveth in some tracks taketh away from others. If the original is bright and grainy, that's honestly what I want to hear.
The best amp I've heard with the HP-2 was a Dynahi SA... it grabbed the midrange and made it sing, strong and transparent, while maintaining a tight and powerful bass and well extended treble.
I've also listened to them via my Gilmore Lite & Porta Corda III USB w/ wallwarts, and a Lavry DA10 and a DAC1 at the recent bay area meet. While none of them sounded bad, they generally lacked the authority in the midrange and could sound either a tad thin or dark.
Since its no secret they need a lot of current, I think that narrows things down a bit. Other amps that are apparently a good fit:
- PS Audio GCHA: discrete and powerful with a midrange USB DAC
- Grace m902: discrete (??) high-current with midrange DAC and optional remote, but some comments about general weakness in the bass
Has anyone compared the GCHA to the Grace to determine the pros and cons of each?
GS-1 might be an option as well, though I'm a little skeptical that it can really put out the necessary current.
In terms of combo DAC/amps.. well, unless both are pretty impressive I'd rather not waste money on a mediocre DAC. I can use the DAC on my Denon receiver for the time being anyway.
I'm curious what peoples' favorite solid-state (preferably discrete) amps are for matching with the HP-2s? I like a quick, transparent and neutral amp that keeps everything moving along fast and tight, but still with natural decay and timbre. I'm not a fan of gear that highlights specific aspects of the music as I listen to lots of different kinds of music, so what giveth in some tracks taketh away from others. If the original is bright and grainy, that's honestly what I want to hear.
The best amp I've heard with the HP-2 was a Dynahi SA... it grabbed the midrange and made it sing, strong and transparent, while maintaining a tight and powerful bass and well extended treble.
I've also listened to them via my Gilmore Lite & Porta Corda III USB w/ wallwarts, and a Lavry DA10 and a DAC1 at the recent bay area meet. While none of them sounded bad, they generally lacked the authority in the midrange and could sound either a tad thin or dark.
Since its no secret they need a lot of current, I think that narrows things down a bit. Other amps that are apparently a good fit:
- PS Audio GCHA: discrete and powerful with a midrange USB DAC
- Grace m902: discrete (??) high-current with midrange DAC and optional remote, but some comments about general weakness in the bass
Has anyone compared the GCHA to the Grace to determine the pros and cons of each?
GS-1 might be an option as well, though I'm a little skeptical that it can really put out the necessary current.
In terms of combo DAC/amps.. well, unless both are pretty impressive I'd rather not waste money on a mediocre DAC. I can use the DAC on my Denon receiver for the time being anyway.