[dclancy]

I decided this topic to be a bit newb, so I opted not to add to the MOD thread.
I splurged recently on the D2.5A from OBAD as a Christmas present to my Stax, then I decided to go overboard and upgrade my cans to the K701's in hopes of adding soundstage back to my life. In hindsight I should have gotten the "Discrete Headphone Amplifier Module" that I read about on the forums, and see at Audiomagnus. Needless to say the system hasn't even arrived and I feel the need to upgrade again!
My question is simple, where can I get the "Discrete Headphone Amplifier Module" (found one place in Aus) and how hard is it to upgrade and existing system? Keep in mind, I've done some electrical soldering before, but after reading the first and last ten or so pages of the official MOD thread, felt it may be over my head if it's too advanced.
Also I've done some searching and read mixed reviews questioning if the upgraded amp truly brings the K701 to life. Would a dedicated amp be a more practical solution down the road?

 

[skullguise]

I had the Zhaolu 2.5C w/discrete amp, and was able to do the cap bypass mod myself. I also changed the output opamps to LM4562's.

This combo was very nice, especially for the $, but I ended up selling it when I got a second Oritek Modded Zhaolu (OMZ).

I had the K701, and the discrete amp worked fairly well with it. I'm basing it on memory and limited listening time, so take it with a grain of salt.

You my try Eddie Wu in Hong Kong , if anyone can find one, he can. Otherwise, you may be stuck looking for used.

I DO remember the amp being able to drive the K701's to decent levels, and them sounding pretty good. I also remember I chose specifically not to use them with the zhaolu because they sounded a heck of a lot better from my PS Audio GCHA I had at the time. Bigger soundstage, more detail/transparency, smoother top end, more powerful bass.

My suggestion: try the standard module (if it has enough power to drive the K701's but the sound isn't quite there, you can try swapping opamps in the headphone stage). If it doesn't have enough power, I'd PROBABLY suggest getting a decent external amp. The discrete amp is quite good for a cheap $50 if you can find it, but it IS outclassed IMO by some amps in the 200-300 range.

If you find the discrete amp (it's a snap to put in BTW, screws and connectors only), it may be worth a $50 try; you may be able to sell it for that or not much less if you don't like it. It DOES sound quite decent, well above the price point. But once you hit that ~$200 point, other designs (especially DIY) outshine it.

All my opinion....but hope it helps

 

[dclancy]

Great reply. I'm taking a slow wait and see approach to this, for sure (haven't even received the dang thing and anxious). I noticed eddie Wu's site the other night and may drop him and e-mail down the line. It'll be a stop gap, plus I would like to tinker with this thing a bit before a true upgrade, if nothing else but for the experience.
I figured I'd need a real amp for those puppies, but I think the PS Audio GCHA will be a little out reach for a while. Having owned both the K701 and Zhaolu, anything in that 2-300$ range I should keep my eye's open for down the road?

 

[skullguise]

I currently own an M^3 and PPA v2, both I've tried with the K701, and both work well.

You might ask/search around regarding a Cavalli-Kan Kumisa III, or CK2III. I've never heard it, but have read a fair bit and it seems pretty promising.

If you can afford it, the Corda Aria has a nice little synergy with the K701; I used this pretty happily until the GCHA came along as well. Haven't heard the samller Corda's (like the Headfive) to see if they mate well....

I think any of the above, especially used, would be a better sound for the $ than the discrete amp. But don't rush things, give the standard amp a try. I seem to remember even that was half decent with some phones (though I think it favored lower impedence).