[Makiah S]

  My advice if you are going to stay with single ended outputs but wanted tubes one consideration is the Schiit Lyr. It is a strong hybrid tube amp using a pair of 6DJ8/6922 and has Maximum Power of 6 watts into 32 ohms or 4 watts into 50 ohms. Like my Little Dot VI+ both are DC coupled at the outputs and both are using DC servos in the circuit. If I wanted all balanced SS amp I would also look into Schiit Mjolnir product which has balanced outs only. All Schiit transformers, boards, casework and assembly are all done in USA with a five year warranty.  By the way my Shiit is sitting next to my LD VI+ and both are driven by separate pro audio cards in one computer. Both are also driving separate sets of powered  near field audio monitors. My brand new JBL LSR305 monitors has the best performance/price ratio I ever heard in a monitor and their are many I have heard in my lifetime. My Schiit is driving my JBL’s and the LD VI+ is driving my Emotiva Airmotiv 6 in addition to headphones. I have over 30 years of listening and working with audio. I do desktop video editing and music composing with my computer as a DAW (digital audio Workstation). Three keyboards I can use. I have multi OS’s on my computer that I can chose during boot up. It is a feature that is built-in with my motherboard to avoid conflicts and to maximize resources depending on the kind of work I wanted to do at the time.  My Schiit and the LD which does have greater depth more of a feeling being in a concert hall but both are champions in their right.

 
Was that directed at me? I guess I should mention I have a balanced HE 400 and Dt 880 600 ohm, so my w1000x is the last to be balanced out of sheer laziness.
 
Still I already have an Audio GD 10ES2, and while the Mojinir does (according to impressions) sound a tad bit better than the 10ES2, it cost twice as much so... I'm happy with my current Solid State Balanced Dac/Amp
 
In addition, I'm  going all balanced with everything I have. Again will get the W1000x balanced when I get this amp. seeing as I only use my w1000x on the go, I really need to get a new amp for it, when I do balance it. My poor pb1 is stuck in High Gain, although it sounds very nice with the w1000x and the HE 400, still I might want to grab a RSA F-35 winter and see if I cannot retire the pb1 as it's stuck in high gain, although I do like the upper mid boost of the pb1, still if the F35 is as transparent as they say it is... it should pair very nice with the HM801, 
 
So I'm not sure If I want to get this in the winter of the spring... as either way, I'll have to go without my w1000x for a month or so q.q 
 
but yea I don't want any SE amps at home, or portable for that matter 

 

[FieldPoint]

I've recently got a new full balanced source also, and I'm going to use it to full potential. And I believe it can be easier achieved with balanced amp rather than SE (considering amps of similar quality/price brackets, sorry if I'm sound as Capt. Obvious here...).
 
@john57
Thanks for mentioning Schiit Mjolnir. I've just studied a bigger chunk of its' dedicated thread here. Seems that general consensus is that Mjolnir, being a fantastic amp with a number of top tier cans, is not optimal for HE-6.
People mostly recommend to use speaker taps of stereo integrated/power amps to unleash the potential of HE-6.
 
On the other hand, there is zenpunk's system of LD MKVI+ -> HE-6 here, which is quite positively appreciated (someone even mentioned that this system for him was the best sounding combo at a London meet...)
 
So, now I consider:
- LD MKVI+
- any speaker amp with balanced input, used or new: Vinsent 121, TEAC I2000, Roksan Caspian M2, CA 840/851, etc. - it's a plenty of them, prices just go up and up the ladder...
 
I wonder if someone had a chance to compare MKVI+ to above mentioned with HE-6.
(Perhaps, I'd also move to HE-6 amplification thread with that...)

 

[john57]

FieldPoint
 
While I never heard the HE-6 with my  LD VI+  or with the Schiit, the best hybrid amp I have heard with the HE-6 was the Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold at close to $4k. I personally meet with Alex Cavalli last year at the RMAF. Alex designed the Liquid Gold to work  with the HE-6 since it seems to be Alex favorite headphone and he talks a lot about it. I can not afford the LG and I had space concerns got the Lyr for my second monitor setup. However the LD VI+ remains a fantastic amp for me to use with my primary monitor setup. I have not kept up with the HE-6 amplification thread.

 

[FieldPoint]

john57,
 
Thanks for the Cavalli LG suggestion. Amps from the new batch will be available since November (at least as stated on their web-site). Promising 9W into 50 Ohm load, including first 2,25W (@50 Ohm) in pure Class A! Very tempting, but I also have my financial limitations.
In this regards LD MKVI+ looks as a great bargain...

 

[vlach]

Anyone compared the LD MkVl+ against the WA2?

 

[atistatic]

Hey guys, the TRS Jack of LD MK VI+ is balanced?

 

[DefQon]

No.

 

[2K9R56S]

Can it get better?  Yes.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6SN7-Electro-Harmonix-Cryo-Treated-Matched-Pair-2-/280848457382?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4163df5ea6
 
A little less bass than the Tung-Sols, but the mids have definitely been kicked up a notch.

 

[DefQon]

The EH tubes are amongst the worst you can buy. A reason why they are so cheap, next to the bog standard Chinese tubes that come supplied with the amp.

 

[Makiah S]

  Can it get better?  Yes.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6SN7-Electro-Harmonix-Cryo-Treated-Matched-Pair-2-/280848457382?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4163df5ea6
 
A little less bass than the Tung-Sols, but the mids have definitely been kicked up a notch.

u get ur w1k in yet :3 

 

[alota]

  The EH tubes are amongst the worst you can buy. A reason why they are so cheap, next to the bog standard Chinese tubes that come supplied with the amp.

+1 and this is not the gold pin version

 

[Makiah S]

  +1 and this is not the gold pin version

$45 is cheap q.q 

 

[alota]

  $45 is cheap q.q

of course but i think that is not a good tube. another modern orrible tube is tung-sol

 

[2K9R56S]

  u get ur w1k in yet :3

 
 
Not yet.

 

[2K9R56S]

  The EH tubes are amongst the worst you can buy. A reason why they are so cheap, next to the bog standard Chinese tubes that come supplied with the amp.

 
 
I'm sure I'll be kicking myself for asking this, but can you elaborate on your blanket statement that 'EH tubes are the worst...'?  Worst what?  Sound?  Build quality?  Lifespan?  All the above?