[HD-5000]

Hi, what offers better sound quality and bang for the buck? The Little, at $260 Or the Creek OBH-11 with the OBH-2 at stoneaudio.co.uk for $210?

The Little with the upgraded power supply is out of the question.

 

[session76]

If you listen to a lot of early stereo recordings, i.e. the beatles, jazz, the headroom crossfeed circuit makes them a lot easier to listen too. I use it on all recordings now and find it indispensable.

Headroom also has excellent customer service and an excellent 30 day return policy. I recently had problems with my total airhead and had a new one sent to me after i sent it in for repair.

The little is also on an upgrade path that allows it to approach the maxed out home in quality.

Go for the Little!

 

[HD-5000]

session, thanks for the info about Headroom's customer service but i also need info on the sound quality of both amps.I'm edging a little more to the Creek because of the improved power supply and lower cost. I believe the Little has higher quality electronics but on the Headroom website they state that the power supply is a cheap wall wart.

 

[session76]

Apparently, the new little has a new power supply, that makes it similar to the old little with the external power supply. I would suggest talking to Todd at Headroom, he gave me honest answers regarding all my questions. I had considered getting the maxed out home reference but he told me i'd need a multi 1000 dollar source to hear the difference from the standard MOH.

I would give the little my highest recomendation. I heard it at the Headroom walll of headphones tour last summer and was impressed. Once you've heard the crossfeed circuit there is no going back. The creek has no crossfeed and is not upgradeable.
plus if something goes wrong it's a lot harder to fix.

I would highly recommendthe Little.


Good luck in your quest for audio bliss,

I've found mine with the HD-600 and Headroom's MOH,

no more upgraditis.
the headroom number is 800 828 8184

 

[gaineso]

I've never heard the Creek, but the Little is a great sounding amp with the HD600's.

The power supply on the latest ones is NOT a cheap wall-wart. I don't know exactly how good or expensive the PSU is, but it's a pretty decent little brick.

 

[insanefred]

I own a Creek OBH11-SE with the OBH-2 power supply. I think it's a great little amp. I've used it with HD-580's and my current 600's, and preferred it to the X-cans, which I also used to own. It is a well-built, solid little amp, and sounds really well to my ears. I've used it with a $4000 turntable and it doesn't disgrace itself. I haven't listened to the Little. I would suggest that you look at the SE ($280) instead of the standard OBH-11, as it has some significant upgrades, such as the ALPS pot and runs in class A. And think of the psychological advantage of owning the higher-spec model... if you have a standard 11, then you'll always be wondering if the SE would have been any better
Andrew

 

[DeanA]

I agree, if you are going to go with the Creek, go with the SE version. But since I’m Headroom bias, I’d go with the Little. It is price compatible with the Creek SE, it is upgradeable, there is a 30-day return window and there is a forum area here where you can go and yell at the Headroom team if you have problems. The last two points were big factors in my decision to go with Headroom.

 

[Magic77]

I would definitely consider the Little. I've had the Little for 5 months and it continues to impress me. I think the Little is one of the most overlooked quality Headphone Amp Values.

 

[FCJ]

I have the Little More Power, and I agree that these amps get overlooked. Even if you get the basic Little, it sounds great and has the upgrade path. If you upgrade to the More Power, expect greater refinement in the sound. Also, it easily handles the Senn 600s and the AKG 501s.

Frank

 

[blr]

I haven't heard any headroom amps, but used to have an OBH11/OBH2 combo.
It depends on what phones you plan to use with it. To my ears it is a bit too smooth (but not rolled off) for use with HD 580/600, which are also a bit on the laidback side. It works perfectly with Grados though and according to many people here is a perfect match for AKG K501 as well.

 

[The Quality Guru]

How does the Little work with low-impedence cans like the W100 at 48 ohms? I take it the Creek would work for low-impedence cans, since the Grados are low-impedence. What about the Little, though?

 

[FCJ]

I tried the Grado 80s with the Little More Power and found them to be bright beyond belief--I sold them a week after I bought them. I also used the Grado 60s with the Little More Power and found the sound to be a bit more balanced.

 

[LarryB]

I've heard the Little's described as dark sounding, and the Little More's as bright sounding. Is that a fair characterization or am I just reading too many forums? Also the Creeks have been characterized as brighter sounding.

I'm looking in the 200-250 US range and usually prefer a darker sound. Also the one thing that bugs me about listening to phones is the way things image by floating around in your skull.

So the uh, correlation feature might be another really useful feature for me.

Dark, good correlation implementation, around $250 price point... Have I pretty much narrowed it down to the Littles?

 

[FCJ]

I have never heard the Creeks, but I would agree that the Little is somewhat darker sounding than the Little.

The Headroom processor does help with the imaging problem, but the result is subtle, although with repeated listening you will notice it.

I would go for the Little--great sound, upgrade path, great value, excellent service by Headroom.

 

[zoboomofo]

Ruh roh Relroy.

"...the Little is somewhat darker sounding than the Little."

Wanna run that by us again?