[session76]

I ordered my Sennheiser hd 600 from Hans de baer store on ebay for 235$ expecting it on wednesday. Just wondering which would be the better match as far as amps are concerned. I like to listen to a wide range of music from classical to rock. I've read a lot of good things about the Corda, but the upgrade path of the Little appeals to me. Does the Corda beat the little more power premium? I would appreciate the feedback, I'm leaning toward the little more power at this stage,
Thanks

 

[mariowar]

There is no winner and there is no looser. Both are a different kind of audiophile amps. The Corda has a Toroidal supply inside, the LMP has the toroidal supply in the Little more Supply. Both have crossfeed filter, but te Headroom is less fatiguing and has a more relaxed sound, not so bright, on the other hand the Corda is more bright and a little less bassy. What I can tell you is that if you are planning to have as a source a portable discman, DO NOT get the Headroom. See, the Senns impedance is so high, and even though the am is capable of handling them, the P CD player does not have enough line out power to drive them well. I have the the Little more power and the Grados 325, and believe me, I had to change the source to a regualr cd player, otherwise I'd have to turn the volume up to almost all the way up!!! in some recordings, and the Grados are just 32 ohms!!!
The Corda has a gain switch that will allow tou to compensate this problem.
Good Luck

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

The Corda has a gain switch that will allow tou to compensate this problem.

Uhhh... *looks at own Corda*... Where exactly is this "gain switch" located???

 

[mariowar]

Well. it is not exactly a gain switch, but it is
a switch that will allow you to set different impedance headphones, to compensate this....

 

[fiddler]

Check out this review that compares various amps. He rated the Corda at 9.5, on par with the Cosmic with BS1.

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

Well. it is not exactly a gain switch, but it is a switch that will allow you to set different impedance headphones, to compensate this....

Actually, the Corda doesn't have that either (well, MINE doesn't, anyway...). It has two headphones jacks with different output impedances, though. One is 0 ohms, the other is 120 ohms.

 

[mariowar]

Fiddler, you are right, but anyway , a different impedance switch or different impedance jacks have the same principle IMHO.

 

[fiddler]

.... but you initially said it was a "GAIN SWITCH", which is NOT the same thing as an impedance switch!

 

[BenG]

The reason why the Little crossfeed is "less fatiguing" as you call it is because the Headroom crossfeed rolls off the highs and needs to be compensated with a high frequency filter. Your complaint of the brightness of the Corda crossfeed filter is really directed towards the amp's sound, not the crossfeed.
The crossfeed on the Corda is flat and does not need any filters after crossfeed.

 

[disturbed]

I have the senn HD600 paired with the Corda HA-1 and the combination is ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL

Though I have the red clous for the Senns too...I dont think things can get any better...any improvements will cost a ton of money and it will be marginal...

Try it...you wont regret it

 

[session76]

Thanks for the input guys,
I'm going with the Corda
I can't wait to hear the combination.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

disturbed sez:

Quote:

have the senn HD600 paired with the Corda HA-1 and the combination is ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL Though I have the red clous for the Senns too...I dont think things can get any better...

...correct. Until you introduce some tubes into the mix, that is.

 

[kelly]

For what it's worth, I really like my Corda. Overall, I liked it better than the Max and the Cosmic despite both of those amps having clearly superior bass performance.

 

[Clay]

This is a great thread. I was just getting headphones (HD600) until I started reading all the great information on this forum. Now I am researching amps. If I am to get a Corda, I need to order it at the same time as the HD600 to save some $$.
I am wondering if Disturbed and Fiddler still loves the HD600 Corda HA1 combo. I wonder what Kelly will get next and if Nick Dangerous believes the Mapletree ear+ would be the best amp for <$500.

I also wonder when the HD700? will come out.

I may end up getting the Corda HA1 + HD600 then try the headphones with my vintage gear headphone outputs (70' top of the line Kenwood Integrated KA-8006, 70' top of the line Sony TCK7II cassette deck with headphone volume control) and then buy the Maple ear+ as my first DIY project. I will also try the headphone amps off the DVD player, Onkyo low end 484 DD amp, and off the rca from a Mcintosh C20 vintage tube preamp. I will post the reviews.

I still have a Dynaco st70 to trouble shoot one channel out and to find room for the turntable in my den. I am not sure how I had time to do all this fun stuff before I was laid off 2 weeks ago.

Thank you to everyone for all the help to get me this far.
Clay

 

[kelly]

Clay

Man, the last thing you wanna do is base your decisions on what Kelly does next. Kelly is never satisfied and Kelly will buy an amp just to hear it--so me buying something doesn't mean the something's good, it just means I was curious enough to buy it.

I like the Corda but you can do a lot better with the HD600, but not without spending more money. And that's all I have to say about that.