Madhouse tungsten Amping thread.

[N3XED]

I want some suggestions, thoughts, opinion and general sentiment of what amps might be good for Modhouse tungsten. I'm currently using the Cayin IHA6, which for the most part feels like it's doing the job. I'm not specifically after buying advice, but if a recommendation is cheap and the item of said price is quality enough, I might give it a shot. So if you think you could make an impression give it a shot!

 

[psy472]

I want some suggestions, thoughts, opinion and general sentiment of what amps might be good for Modhouse tungsten. I'm currently using the Cayin IHA6, which for the most part feels like it's doing the job. I'm not specifically after buying advice, but if a recommendation is cheap and the item of said price is quality enough, I might give it a shot. So if you think you could make an impression give it a shot!

What’s your DAC? The best improvement in your sound will be your DAC, followed by amp, then finally your headphone. The Tungsten would likely need expensive gear to bring out its best so you’ll need a budget. Ironically, getting that headphone which is notorious for being the most difficult to drive of all will force you to upgrade your chain. Uggg.

It’s like getting a Corvette but you are using a horse and buggy to pull it. Yes it moves and it looks pretty but you’re not getting the best out of it. If it was me I’d try to find a used Schiit Yggy for 1,200 usd or so. Upgrading your amp wouldn’t make sense.

 

[Strayngs]

For the most part I disagree with the previous reply. I have found that exactly the opposite is true with the headphone making the biggest impact with sound followed by amp and finally dac. Dac is very important too but you can have a $36,000 dac, but if you are using a weak amp with your Tungsten, you will not have a good sound at all. With a power amp and a decent enough dac….you will love the sound of your Tungsten.

Here is my advise for an affordable amp setup. Get a used speaker amp. There are always a ton available. Then get what I have for my Tungsten….this

https://www.zynsonix.com/Speaker-Amp-to-Headphone-Converter-Box-Bypass_p_54.html

Hifiman makes an even cheaper speaker amp to headphone adapter (around $100). With this type of setup….you will have ample power with the ability to use speakers to boot! Now my speaker amp isn’t a budget model….but you can get a very good one for not a lot money these days.

 

[bagwell359]

3rd opinion.

No question that transducers are the biggest factor. You've got that covered. Since its a planar, The more power the better, assuming decent quality (to me sliding bias Class A to Class AB like my Rag 1), but Class AB or D can do the trick too. If the power is really an issue, than yes, it will be a big problem, but assuming you are over a threshold into enough of an amp, the DAC will then have more of an effect than going from a more than good enough to amp to some superb $7k job vs going from some standard $400 DAC to a R2R DAC of say $1500.

 

[coreypine]

I want some suggestions, thoughts, opinion and general sentiment of what amps might be good for Modhouse tungsten. I'm currently using the Cayin IHA6, which for the most part feels like it's doing the job. I'm not specifically after buying advice, but if a recommendation is cheap and the item of said price is quality enough, I might give it a shot. So if you think you could make an impression give it a shot!

After six months, (I placed an order on December 23, 2023), I received my SS Tungsten on June 18th, 2024.
I have been burning them in for about 80 hours as of this writing - and listening to them too.

My chain:

Gustard A26 DAC

Burson Soloists 3XP with Supercharger 3A and the new V7 opamps.

Balanced inputs and balanced outputs

Other headphones I use on this setup:

• Meze Empyrean, Hifiman HE1000 v2, DCA Aeon Closed X, AKG k702 (modified) (Austria edition)

I have over 8,000 songs in FLAC format.

• Jazz, soundtracks, classical, house, hip-hop, reggae, beatless, lounge, rock, world, R&B, et, et, pretty much everything except K-pop & country.

Impressions:

• Driving the Tungsten is not an issue with my setup. Of all the headphones I’ve tried, the Tungsten is the only pair I had to use high-gain. I’ve been comfortably listening at levels between 40 and 70 out of a max level of 99 on the Burson. Yes, this is a lot of power/voltage.
• The sound is balanced and musical. Extremely enjoyable. They sound more realistic than any headphones I’ve heard -> am I listening to live music?? Details stand out. Bass is strong, clean, and impactful. Male and female voices come thru clean and are placed where they should be. Separation is great. Details shine.
• Every genre sounds great. These are extremely enjoyable and comfortable to listen to.
• I could not be more happy considering the value-to-performance and FUN the Tungsten (combined with the Burson and Gustard) offers.

Update: 7/1/2024 After hours of listening, the Tungsten is, by FAR, a more enjoyable experience than I have ever heard. Enough said!

 

[George Hincapie]

What’s your DAC? The best improvement in your sound will be your DAC, followed by amp, then finally your headphone. The Tungsten would likely need expensive gear to bring out its best so you’ll need a budget. Ironically, getting that headphone which is notorious for being the most difficult to drive of all will force you to upgrade your chain. Uggg.

It’s like getting a Corvette but you are using a horse and buggy to pull it. Yes it moves and it looks pretty but you’re not getting the best out of it. If it was me I’d try to find a used Schiit Yggy for 1,200 usd or so. Upgrading your amp wouldn’t make sense.

The DAC isn't going to drive the headphones - he's asking for amp suggestions.

 

[psy472]

The DAC isn't going to drive the headphones - he's asking for amp suggestions.

I find many amps have the power requirements but the DACs feeding them are so subpar they sound horrible. Even the Schiit jot 2 is great for the tungsten but without a good dac it will sound like any mid fi headphone out there.

 

[coreypine]

I find many amps have the power requirements but the DACs feeding them are so subpar they sound horrible. Even the Schiit jot 2 is great for the tungsten but without a good dac it will sound like any mid fi headphone out there.

Gustard A26 & Gustard R26 DACs are solid value, great performers, and powerful with 5 volts output.

 

[SolarCetacean]

I listened to the Tungsten (DS) on the Soncoz SGP-1 speaker amp (240Wpc Class AB) with an XLR adapter and the Ferrum Wandla as the DAC/preamp. Probably the best I've heard it, though note recency bias (I heard this combo last weekend). Other chains I've heard it on were the Schiit Mjolnir 3, HeadAmp's CFA3, and HeadAmp GSX mk2.

 

[justin w.]

I listened to the Tungsten (DS) on the Soncoz SGP-1 speaker amp (240Wpc Class AB) with an XLR adapter and the Ferrum Wandla as the DAC/preamp. Probably the best I've heard it, though note recency bias (I heard this combo last weekend). Other chains I've heard it on were the Schiit Mjolnir 3, HeadAmp's CFA3, and HeadAmp GSX mk2.

We'll be sharing a booth with ModHouse at the Capital Audiofest in Rockville, MD this coming November. The Tungsten really need a lot of voltage..so it makes sense that you'd have to go up to a very, very powerful speaker amp to get it. But what about a high value amp that isn't very expensive, can drive the Tungsten really well but other headphones too? Open to ideas..something I'd like to work on soon

 

[psy472]

We'll be sharing a booth with ModHouse at the Capital Audiofest in Rockville, MD this coming November. The Tungsten really need a lot of voltage..so it makes sense that you'd have to go up to a very, very powerful speaker amp to get it. But what about a high value amp that isn't very expensive, can drive the Tungsten really well but other headphones too? Open to ideas..something I'd like to work on soon

Then look into the Flux Acoustic amp family. If you like warmer you go M field and if you like neutral you do Mentor. They have a logarithmic volume controller so it works for everything from IEM to basically any hungry headphone you can find. You don’t need the dual stack like I got, that’s just over kill.

They will give you the details and soundstage you can only find in upper 10K usd amplifiers at 1/10 the price. Reviewers who got the tungsten and flux amp basically concluded it was the best synergy they’ve listened to. You can look around for the video review. You also get away with getting a cheaper DAC because the amp itself will compensate with its dead quiet background.

 

[PopZeus]

I’m wondering if anyone has had any luck with speaker amps and the Tungsten? How any truly quality amps that can match the Tungsten in terms of performance can also power them properly…

 

[Aetherhole]

I’m sorry, but I keep seeing this thread and giggling because of the name… Madhouse…

 

[justin w.]

Then look into the Flux Acoustic amp family. If you like warmer you go M field and if you like neutral you do Mentor. They have a logarithmic volume controller so it works for everything from IEM to basically any hungry headphone you can find. You don’t need the dual stack like I got, that’s just over kill.

They will give you the details and soundstage you can only find in upper 10K usd amplifiers at 1/10 the price. Reviewers who got the tungsten and flux amp basically concluded it was the best synergy they’ve listened to. You can look around for the video review. You also get away with getting a cheaper DAC because the amp itself will compensate with its dead quiet background.

I think you misunderstood my post

 

[theveterans]

I’m sorry, but I keep seeing this thread and giggling because of the name… Madhouse…

Everyone gets mad in the Madhouse Manor