Hybrid Amps and Planar Headphones – Am I the Only One?

[Opalius]

Hey everyone

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to my xDuoo MT-602 hybrid tube amp with my Audeze LCD-X and LCD-XC (Closed-Back), and honestly… I’m kind of surprised by how good this combo sounds. I always assumed planar magnetic headphones would pair best with clean, high-power solid-state amps—but this little hybrid has me questioning everything.


With the LCD-X, the MT-602 adds just the right amount of vocal presence and intimacy. It gives voices more body and texture, almost like bringing the midrange closer to you, without totally collapsing the soundstage. What’s strange is that the stage still sounds wide and open as it does with my solid-state gear. You just get that added richness and engagement, but nothing feels congested or rolled off.


Then with the LCD-XC, which can be a bit unforgiving on poorly recorded tracks, the hybrid amp seems to smooth out the edges and tame some harshness—not in a way that dulls the detail, but just enough to make longer listening sessions more pleasant. It’s like the MT-602 is sprinkling just a touch of warmth where it's needed.

So now I’m left wondering…
Am I the only one who enjoys hybrid tube amps with planar headphones?
Is there some synergy going on here that doesn’t get talked about much?


I know planars like clean power and good damping factor, but maybe a hybrid design like the MT-602 hits a sweet spot between the technical needs and the musicality we often associate with tubes.

Would love to hear from others who’ve tried similar setups—or even the opposite. Does anyone else find that hybrid amps bring something special to planar headphones?

Cheers!

 

[ardbeg1975]

I started with hybrids like Schiit Vali 2+ and Lyr 3 but what I found are the hybrids didn’t display enough tube character and I’ve been driving a wide variety of planars off full tube amps ever since. Now mind you, sometimes a high power SS may still work best for a Sus or Tungsten but most other planars can pair very well with well built, not too syrupy and wet sound signature tube amps. I love my LCD-4, modded HE5LE, Quad ERA-1, and Final D8K DC Pro driven by tubes.

 

[Deleeh]

Hey everyone

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to my xDuoo MT-602 hybrid tube amp with my Audeze LCD-X and LCD-XC (Closed-Back), and honestly… I’m kind of surprised by how good this combo sounds. I always assumed planar magnetic headphones would pair best with clean, high-power solid-state amps—but this little hybrid has me questioning everything.


With the LCD-X, the MT-602 adds just the right amount of vocal presence and intimacy. It gives voices more body and texture, almost like bringing the midrange closer to you, without totally collapsing the soundstage. What’s strange is that the stage still sounds wide and open as it does with my solid-state gear. You just get that added richness and engagement, but nothing feels congested or rolled off.


Then with the LCD-XC, which can be a bit unforgiving on poorly recorded tracks, the hybrid amp seems to smooth out the edges and tame some harshness—not in a way that dulls the detail, but just enough to make longer listening sessions more pleasant. It’s like the MT-602 is sprinkling just a touch of warmth where it's needed.

So now I’m left wondering…
Am I the only one who enjoys hybrid tube amps with planar headphones?
Is there some synergy going on here that doesn’t get talked about much?


I know planars like clean power and good damping factor, but maybe a hybrid design like the MT-602 hits a sweet spot between the technical needs and the musicality we often associate with tubes.

Would love to hear from others who’ve tried similar setups—or even the opposite. Does anyone else find that hybrid amps bring something special to planar headphones?

Cheers!

No, you are absolutely right with your opinion.
I used to have the Lcd 2 with the Little dot 1+ amp and that was simply a dream of a combination.
Wet, moist, honey, rich and lush bass from the SS circuit, vocals so on point.
That's why I think that planar headphones work best with a hybrid amp.
And the EF tubes work very well with it because of the pentode sound.
Unfortunately, there are very few hybrid amps on the market and I've already had one built with 6SN7 tubes and it didn't come close to the EF 90,92,95.
Nothing against the Schiit Lyr, but it doesn't match the sound at all.
There are only a handful of hybrid amps on the market that can outperform the Xudoo, one from Vincent as a manufacturer and the Audio Technica.
Or you can have something built on a pentode basis as a tube with a good circuit and carefully selected components inside.
A good transformer, high-quality electrolytic capacitors and resistors.