[klb2122]

hello,

I just received a pair of AKG k701's and I love what they do connected to my denon pma 2000 ivr but i'm certain they could do quite a bit more. I'm looking for suggestions on what might prove the best match as a headphone amp for between 3-400 USD?

i've been looking at a blueberry emotion+ on ebay as well as ASL dt/otl mk III
grado ra-1

i dont know where to go... solid state? tube? or... hybrid?

please help, pretty new to the headphone/amp world

keil

 

[TSi]

have u every tried using the search function?

 

[joe_cool]

The Gilmore Dynamic is what I use with K701 and the results are outstanding.

 

[brontosaurus]

I use the Doge 6210 headphone amp to power mine K-701

 

[klb2122]

i have tried the "search function" that's all i've been doing for days.
i've read a few hundred reviews and there have been a few amps, the few i listed that have remained on my mind as few, perhaps, feasible options.

i suppose i should have asked if anyone has had any experience with the k701 and any of the amps i listed...
as mentioned i'm new to this end of it and this has been my first posting.

thanks

 

[Xcalibur255]

You'll get a lot of suggestions for tube amps. The trouble is, these threads always pop up and nobody ever really gives the details needed to provide a useful answer. We know nothing of your listening habits, musical preferences, expectations for sound characteristics (warm, smooth, whatnot), etc.

This is information a poster should provide from the beginning if others are going to offer useful advice.

For the record, the VHP2 I use is within your budget and I love mine.

 

[Dobro]

^^ X2

 

[klb2122]

ah. well. I listen to a wide range of material. Classical, listening to mahler's ruckert lieder as i type, jazz, mostly late coletrane albert ayler pharoah sanders mingus and dolphy. rock: bowie david byrne talking heads brian eno t-rex joy division sonic youth wolf parade and their spin offs trip-hop, tricky portishead, noise rock, flying saucer attack, my bloody valentine shudder to think and then there's radiohead, i dont know where to file them.

I use a music hall MMF 2.2 with a sumiko blue point No. 2 cart (i'd love to upgrade to a MMF 7.1 within a year or two) as well as digital material thru itunes and a wavelength brick USB/DAC both hooked up the denon integrated mentioned above.

i like clarity, space and physicality. i cant get much more descriptive then that. I love it when the tone evokes the image of the vibrating string, when i can see the wire windings on the g-string of a les paul thru my amp I'm happy. The denon does a good job at low volume with the k701's but if i want to push it, it's rough going. in all honesty i'd love to find a mod for the head-out portion of the amp so that i wouldnt have to worry about disengaging the speakers every night when the mrs. goes to bed, headphone listening primarily after hours, which is my favorite time anyway.

in conclusion the only experience i have with tubes is the one that i've never seen that rests inside the Brick. I am absolutely amazed by the brick and thought it might be fun to try out some more tube-ee-ness. which is why i think i keep going back to reviews of the ASL mk III. I could order it try it and send it back if it's not right. but as noted i'm new and while i think i will try the ASL on for size if there are suggestions for killer solid state and reasoning behind that I'm all ears.

thank you

sorry for the thin posting at the start

 

[Asr]

Where do you live? There might be a contingent of Head-Fiers in your local area that you might be able to audition equipment through. Check the Meets forum.

You might like the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite, it does what you want.

 

[klb2122]

in the new york metro area

 

[shellylh]

I would recommend the Darkvoice 332 if you want to go with a tube amp. I haven't heard any of the ASL amps but have heard many people recommend Darkvoice amps over the ASL. If you go that route, I would recommend getting some Western Electric 403Bs for driver tubes.... very nice, clear and detailed! I had a DV332 before getting a Singlepower Extreme and really enjoyed it with the K701s.

I bought one new for around $415 shipped (I think). The tubes are really quite cheap for the DV332.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/dar...-332-a-201787/

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by klb2122 /img/forum/go_quote.gif in the new york metro area

Wow, you just missed the NY Bi-Annual Spring Regional Meet that was on 3/22 in Queens. Check out the Meet Impressions forum if you want to know what you missed.

 

[dgbiker1]

I've heard they match well with the Heed Canamp, that's the next amp I'm buying. I've been enjoying them with my LD MKIII with Tung Sol 403B driver tubes.

 

[Xcalibur255]

If by physicality you mean you like instruments to have good "weight" then choose very carefully in the world of tube amps. Some excel at this and others not so much. Solid state amps that are well engineered tend to be more consistent at delivering this characteristic, at least I think so. Within your budget I think you actually should consider the VHP2, though I know it's awfully easy to recommend what I own.

Classical is not terribly warm on my K701's.... I think the word I would use is precise. But they reproduce timbres, textures, the weight of percussion instruments, and realistic attack and decay with startling realism on the VHP2. The VHP2 is a tad warm in the world of solid state amps, but just about any tube amp will sound warmer. I found it added just enough musicality to my K701 to make it flexible, whereas before I found it was only enjoyable to listen to with a few genres.

 

[Bon]

Read and read as much as you like, you will always come back with either darkvoice 332/337 (tube) or the heed canamp (SS) for the 701's. thats what i found, hope this helps as these two seem to be by far the most popular choice when teaming up with the hungry 701's