Looking for Canamp upgrade
Jan 31, 2012 at 4:57 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
moonshake

moonshake

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Hey there,
Been thinking to upgrade my good old Heed Canamp to power K701 and K271s cans. Two options I´m looking at the moment are the Schiit Lyr and the Burson HA 160.
The think is that I need an amp with passthrough out (like the Heed) to feed my stationary Sony amplifier.
The Burson only offers in - RCA´s and the Lyr seems to have a pre-amp (kinda poor according to 6moons if I remember well). Is there any way to use the pre-amp RCA - out of the Schiit as a bypass?
Other options are also welcomed
 
Jan 31, 2012 at 4:57 PM Post #2 of 14
Sorry if this is off topic, but what don't you like about your Heed Canamp?  I'm actually thinking about getting one to drive some 701s.  Any info you have may help me decide for sure what I'm going to do.
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 1:58 AM Post #3 of 14
I really like the Canamp, it matches like a glove with the K701 and makes the K271 sound full bodied, very reallistic -golden- mids. I own the V1.0 of the amp and, to say something, the only thing that could be improved in my unit is the background - not  that ¨black¨, especially when the volume pot is between 7 and 9 o´clock (silent at 11-12).  A power cable upgrade cable may help with this a lot.
Even buying the Burson or the Lyr, I´m pretty sure I will keep the Canamp
 
 
 
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 3:18 AM Post #4 of 14
From what I've read around here the Lyr is far from being the best choice for a black background. Meier Corda amps are the ones most known for that; which I think adds to how people perceive the amps to be more dynamic than what the specs vs more powerful amps may suggest. Don't recall having read anyone liking Meier amps on AKGs though, it's usually Senns and Beyers. That said, if it's full-bodied already I suggest you stick with the Canamp, and look for tweaks aside from $$$$ power cables - AC line conditioners/good voltage regulators with LC and surge protection built in could work (at the very least you get a reliable surge protector) or have the power supply tweaked or replaced outright by anyone who knows what they're doing.
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 4:12 AM Post #5 of 14

Quote:
protegemaniac said:
From what I've read around here the Lyr is far from being the best choice for a black background. Meier Corda amps are the ones most known for that; which I think adds to how people perceive the amps to be more dynamic than what the specs vs more powerful amps may suggest. Don't recall having read anyone liking Meier amps on AKGs though, it's usually Senns and Beyers. That said, if it's full-bodied already I suggest you stick with the Canamp, and look for tweaks aside from $$$$ power cables - AC line conditioners/good voltage regulators with LC and surge protection built in could work (at the very least you get a reliable surge protector) or have the power supply tweaked or replaced outright by anyone who knows what they're doing.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the heads up about the background of the Lyr.
I may stick with the Canamp and change the cheap stock cable for a good triple shielded one (not that expensive if DIY), could also start looking for someone who can tweak the internal PSU, but wouldn´t a Burson HA 160 be a good upgrade over the Heed?
 
 
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 8:53 AM Post #6 of 14


Quote:
Originally Posted by moonshake /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...wouldn´t a Burson HA 160 be a good upgrade over the Heed?
 
Click to expand...


Maybe but I'm not familiar with the feedback with the K701. Still if the Heed's background noise is the main, if not the only, problem, then I suppose try to get the tweaks done first then decide if you still want another amp after that.
 
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 10:59 AM Post #7 of 14
How would you describe the background noise?  I've read mixed accounts where some say there is none, while others say there is some.  I'm wondering if it's a case of dirty power or a design flaw in the amp.
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 11:33 AM Post #8 of 14
I have some RFI at home (especially when the volume pot is between 7 and 9 o´clock) but when I tested the Canamp in a friend´s house it was dead silent. The original owner of the amp didn´t have any ground loop problems too in UK.
As a test, covering the power cable with aluminium paper gave me good results, practically I could get rid of the noise and that´s why I was thinking about upgrading the cable.
 
I´m quite happy with the Canamp, amazing value... perhaps the only inminent ¨issue¨ is the background noise at low volume levels (very low) but my gear adquisition syndrome shows up when I think I maybe missing (or not) some things that could be better like build quality, tighter bass freqs, more slam, faster transients and versatility handling other headphones.
 
It´d be great if someone who owned both the Heed and the Burson can make a small comparison in order to decide if the upgrade is worth it.
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 1:05 PM Post #9 of 14
Thanks for the info.  It clears up a lot for me.
 
Feb 3, 2012 at 4:21 AM Post #11 of 14
Changing the power cable in the near future seems like a good idea and I´m pretty sure it will pay with a deeper - clearer background. Opened the Heed and could appreciate that the job can be a bit tricky, as the stock cable is very thin and I really wan´t to avoid drilling a hole at the back of the amp chassis to fit the new one.
 
So aside of the DIY stuff... no amp upgrade will be worth the hassle? Burson, Violectric, GS1..., an Irobot Roomba? 
 
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