[jkim]

I am satisfied with my headphone amps. corda ha-1 for hd600, ra-1 for rs-1
And for now only CDP is not so satisfactory.. cd72t. I am going to replace it with cd33t or 23t
and I wonder headroom max is how much better. is it worth the price?
It's price is 4~6 times that of ra-1 and corda ha-1. and I am not in US and I also should pay custom.
filter and processor functions good and necessary?
Please answer.
Thanks.

 

[markl]

If you are looking at ss amps in that price range, take a look at the Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 as well. It's "only" $875, and a few people who have heard both at some of the recent meets preferred it over the better Headroom gear.

That said, there are a number of Max and MOH Reference owners here who are obviously very satisfied with their purchase as well. Try doing a search, there's tons of info here, and try to see which amp has a sound that would likely appeal to you most, based on the reviews/impressions of our members.

Mark

 

[Zanth]

Another SS amp that would compete well is the Meier Audio Prehead. Comes with a crossfeed that some prefer to the Headroom crossfeed.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Yes, the Headroom Max is one of the best solid-state headphone amplifiers made. But, it is up to you to decide if it is the best for you. If you are looking for an amp with crossfeed the Max is a very good choice.

 

[elrod-tom]

I have one of the older HeadRoom Max units, and I like it a lot. I've also used the Meier PreHead for long enough to miss having it in my system. The Max has a warmer, more neutral signal. The PreHead is more forward. Either would be a good choice.

 

[tom hankins]

I just sold the Headroom MOHR w/stepped atten. It was a super good SS amp. The Max, with its better power supplys should be even better. I used the crossfeed and the filter whenever I used the amp.

 

[SteveM324]

Another one to add to your list of high end SS amps is the Grace 901. Its has great dynamics, bass and very musical. This amp is very well made with excellent parts and it looks great. It comes with a very good warranty is backed by a company that is well respected in the professional recording industry. It matches well with all of my headphones including the RS1's, HD600's, CD3K's, and AKG K340's.

 

[dd3mon]

Quote:

And for now only CDP is not so satisfactory.. cd72t. I am going to replace it with cd33t or 23t

If you're not happy with the cd72t, why stay with Arcam? I believe they all have a fairly similar sonic signature, and although the cd23t is clearly better to most, it will probably share many of the same characteristics. Just wondering.

-dd3mon

 

[kerelybonto]

For those of you who were confused, I'd like to clarify that we're talking about the HeadRoom Max, not the HeadAmp.com Kevin Gilmore Dynamic V2 Max aka SA aka SE. ...

... Oh, wait, no one was confused. ...

Sorry.

kerely

 

[squirt]

i've had my Max for several years now and it has never failed to impress me but as to the question of worth, it's really not possible to answer completely since so much depends on your personal tastes...

a friend of mine compared my HD600/Max to his HD580/RA-1 and he clearly preferred his 580/RA-1 saying the 600/max was dry and too analytical and he was unimpressed with the crossfeed...my thought was the 600/max was exposing the true character of his old CDP more so than his 580/RA-1...suffice to say he's very satisfied with his set up and wouldn't consider the Max or the HD600...

About crossfeed processing and filter...my personal taste is to use both though my older model Max crossfeed does color the sound a bit more warm with more thump but this isn't bad to me considering the overall effect of crossfeed is positive. the filter helps to replace some of the high freqs lost with crossfeed on which i also like...i would certainly consider Jan Meier's amps with his crossfeed which some folks prefer to headroom's since it doesn't color the sound like the headroom from what i hear...

but alas, now days i don't use my Max since i listen with speakers with 100% natural crossfeed...

 

[JaZZ]

Also take the Corda HA-2 into consideration! It's said to have the same outstandingly transparent sound as the PreHead, just without the pre-amp function.

If tubes are your cup of tea, the Earmax Pro is a fantastic amp, with great extension to both extremes, and a really great match with the HD 600.

I have both amps and couldn't be happier.

 

[dhwilkin]

The Max is a great amp. Unfortunately, I haven't heard the lower-priced competition (Gilmore, Emmeline, etc...), so I can't say how good a value it is, in comparison. And squirt makes a good point, these top-of-the-line amps tend to let you know if your source is good or bad, so make sure you can tell where the culprit is before condemning something.

 

[lextek]

The Max is one of the finest SS amps on the market! It is built like a tank. I've never heard an amp that has the seperation or soundstage the Max has. I don't know anyone that can solder like those folks, beautiful. Expensive yes. Worth it yes.

 

[dd3mon]

Quote:

Is headroom max good?

yes

 

[Geek]

I'm betting that if you purchased a Max and had a reasonable source / interconnects you'd be highly impressed.

Cheers,
Geek