[jc9394]

Any one use this combo? If you do or did, how is the synergy?

 

[FSonicSmith]

You'd probably get some more response if you were more specific as to which LD tube amp you are referring to. I have the Mark IVse and I have AT AD700s and I like the match quite a bit. I happen to like the Denon 2000s even better but that is purely a matter of dynamics and punch. The AD700s are very relaxed and airy, with a wide soundstage. They are easy to drive, so I don't think you need to worry about synergy with them. They sound great with my iPod as-is, and better with my RSA Predator utilizing the USB out on my MacBook Pro. The Denons could not be more different-limited soundstage, but tons of detail and a punchy dynamic character. The AD700s are actually more forgiving of source and are easier to drive, so they are a better match for the LD Mark IVse on paper. But again, the only reason to worry about synergy with the AD700s is for a bit of warmth and perhaps even a bit of bass boost. I tend to think that copper interconnects and solid state with plenty of bass oomph would be best if you were certain that the AD700s will remain your primary set of cans. I think most people move up after getting the AD700s, and generally it's the more expensive headphones that present trickier matches with amps.

 

[Sw33t.Shuga.Ray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FSonicSmith /img/forum/go_quote.gif xxx, and generally it's the more expensive headphones that present trickier matches with amps.

<hence the "sorry for your wallet" routine..take note.
I had the ad700 I+ with Sylvania GOLD 408a and they are a great combo. Had to sell mine coz the Arietta added punch in the bass dept. + I got another headphone grrr + I dont get much dedicated music time@home

 

[jc9394]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FSonicSmith /img/forum/go_quote.gif more specific as to which LD tube amp you are referring to.

Source will be Sony S7000>DAC. Little Dot MK IV SE with ATH-AD2000.

 

[dreamwhisper]

I've only seen tubes and ad2000 recommended when its the Zana Deux
and I can comfirm that hybrids don't synergise well with the AD2000 either (in the case of my SOHA II anyway)

nice headphones btw

 

[Henmyr]

I had LD MKIII and AD2000, and in the end I don't think they synergize well. As dreamwhisper wrote I too think SS amps might be good for them. The LD MKIII was much more transparent and had a larger headstage than the Zero internal SS amp, which is the only one I have atm. The midrange+hights was very nice with the LD MKIII + AD2000 combo.

What I missed which made me sell the MKIII was the bass and speed, which I think(not sure yet) an SS amp might do much better. The Zero internal amp has even less amount of bass, but it does have the tight SS bass impact and speed which I didn't hear with the MKIII.

I have very little experience with amps, though, so take my impressions with a spoon of salt.

Maybe the MKIV SE is better. One user sure likes the AD2000 + LD MKVI (balanced) combo.

 

[jc9394]

well if it does now work well, I can either sell it or use it with my hd600.

 

[nhat_thanh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamwhisper /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can comfirm that hybrids don't synergise well with the AD2000 either (in the case of my SOHA II anyway)

Not in my case

I think the AD2000 have a good synergy with the EF1, the bass might not as fast or punchy as SS, but it have a very nice presentation and lively soundstage, the mids with a bit warmth is simply great

 

[jc9394]

How is ef1 compare to Millett hybrid max?

 

[Epicfailman]

I have a pair of AD700s paired with a Little Dot I+ Hybrid and I like it quite a bit. I am running with a matched pair of Western Electric 408As and it sounds pretty good. Coming out of my computer as my source (I have an ASUS D2X) there wasn't much difference. However, coming out of my ipod, it was much improved from before. Now the thing here, is that while the difference is not that big from just the headphones to the PC...I can now equalize them. What I mean is I can give them significant equalizing changes (Bass for instance) and the extra juice the LD I+ gives them makes it so that my adding bass for instance does not sound fuzzy due to lack of driver power. However, that may not be your cup of tea, so I would go with what these guys are saying and get SS, but even then I wouldn't expect a massive change in sound quality. The change will be noticable though. And sorry for the long sentences; I tend to combine what should be 3-4 sentences into one sometimes....

 

[nhat_thanh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc9394 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How is ef1 compare to Millett hybrid max?

I haven't heard the Millett MiniMax so I can't comment about it. I have read somewhere that the Millett starving student is very very good, but not as good as the EF1. I would expect the MiniMax to be at least at good as the EF1

 

[royalcrown]

Tube amplifiers tend to have a high output impedance - the reason the Zana Deux is recommended with AT phones is likely due to its very low output impedance, which is atypical for tube amplifiers. The main problem with pairing most AT phones with tubes is that they're most often low impedance, which reduces the already poor damping factor of those amplifiers. At that point, you're likely to see distortions in the frequency response of the headphones.

Of course, it's not just the distortion that's a problem - the question is whether or not that distortion is euphonic or not. That's really hit-or-miss, and you're likely to get inconsistent results depending on the headphones. If I were you, I would look either at a tube amp with as low of an output impedance as you can find, or to go with a solid state amplifier (which usually have very very low output impedances).

 

[jc9394]

I think LD IV SE have a gain switch, and can switch as low as gain of 3 or 4.

 

[jc9394]

After having LD IV SE for a month, I sold it. I does not synergy with AD2000 and W5000 at all. My Millett Hybrid Max sound much better. Decided to order a Woo6 to try before looking for SS amp.

 

[moonboy403]

Here's my journey with the W5000.

I had the Little Dot MKIII at one point and I wasn't impressed in contrast to the Keces DAC/amp that I had.

Then I went to Opera Consonance Cyber 10 and later Audiotailor Jade. Both the Cyber 10 and Jade were very nice and comparable and I had my doubts whether upgrading further would do any good for the W5000.

I took my chances and jumped on a deal for a Singlepower Extreme and until then, I realized that I've never really heard the real W5000. Gone were the occasional nasal mids of the W5000 and it had impact and soundstage depth that I've never knew the W5000 was capable of. The Extreme is in another league in comparison to everything I've previously owned and it wasn't even close.