[WhenKittensATK]

Headphones: Hifiman HE500 | Sennheiser HD600
Speakers: Monoprice 605500
Source: Audio-gd NFB 15.32
Want List: Beyerdynamic DT880/990
Music: Mostly pop music (female vocalist & electronic/synth), some hip/hop and folk.
Budget: ~$400
 
 
I've been interested in getting a tube amp for awhile now. Two of the popular choices seem to be Bottlehead Crack and Schiit Lyr 2. Feel free to recommend others.
 
Bottlehead Crack seems to be a popular recommendation for Sennheiser. I plan to pick up a Beyerdynamic so that'll give me two headphones for it. I need to pick up a soldering station to work on other projects so its a convenient excuse. It's also very customizable.
 
Schiit Lyr 2 has RCA output for speakers and support for low impedance headphones.
 
Is the Crack/Sennheiser combo really worth it? If I had known Bottlehead had a sale for Crack + Speedball for $300 a few weeks ago that would have made the choice easier.

 

[KG Jag]

You might want to take this to the Headphone Amp (full sized) sub-section of the forum, where you will find people who can give you the most and best answers.

 

[jodgey4]

An OTL amp will most different from SS amps, even to warmer gear like the NFB-15. I think an audition is your best bet, though Bottlehead kits are tons of fun if you like to tinker.

 

[WhenKittensATK]

Thanks, I ended up buying the Bottlehead Crack. I didn't realize they were a month behind on shipping. Gives me time to work on soldering, since I'm new to that.