[renesis_au]

Need your help people, I'm torn between these two amps at the moment.

On one hand I would want the warmthness of he tubey sound, and on the other hand I don't want to sacrifice the detail that the DT880s offer.

Budget is $230 max, so any other suggestions in the price range?

I know the M3 and Millet are in two vast different categories and levels, but is the Millet good value compared to a M3?

Thanks in advance,
Renesis

 

[Jazper]

the Millet is more bottlenecked than the M3, but the M3 isn't cheap. Remember also that tubes burn out over time in the millet.

they're both good amps. Really you have to decide, my vote is with the m3, because it's a damn fast amp that's nice an euphonic.

Edit: you're going to have difficulty getting an M3 for that price with a case. A more realistic figure is $370-400 AUD

 

[Thaddy]

True, the tubes will burn out over time, but we're talking a lot of time here...and also, you can score replacement tubes for $2 a pop. That's cheaper than most opamps

Personally, I didn't like the DT880's with the M3. While it sounded fast and articulate, it just didn't sound "right" to me. The instruments didn't have any weight behind them, and the sound was too thin.

The Millet on the other hand seems to add much more weight to the instruments, and provides a warmer sound when compared to the M3. I sold my older Millet to Fante7, so hopefully he posts about his thoughts with the Millet and his DT880's.

 

[Jazper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy True, the tubes will burn out over time, but we're talking a lot of time here...and also, you can score replacement tubes for $2 a pop. That's cheaper than most opamps Personally, I didn't like the DT880's with the M3. While it sounded fast and articulate, it just didn't sound "right" to me. The instruments didn't have any weight behind them, and the sound was too thin. The Millet on the other hand seems to add much more weight to the instruments, and provides a warmer sound when compared to the M3. I sold my older Millet to Fante7, so hopefully he posts about his thoughts with the Millet and his DT880's.

Ok now I'm intregued- which opamps were you using in the M3? and what was the bias current on the fets?

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazper Ok now I'm intregued- which opamps were you using in the M3? and what was the bias current on the fets?

I'm not sure what the internals were, but it was tkam's M3 at the Pittsburgh meet when Tyll attended. Also, I should mention these DT880's were Cardas recabled. The Millet I used was my old one, which now belongs to Fante7, and it had my Tung-Sol 12FK6 tubes.

edit: I think it also should be mentioned that I really like the Sennheiser sound. I'm used to the warmer sound the Millet provides too, so a lot of this is just personal preference Jazper (just like everything in our hobby

) It's pretty interesting how these two opinions differ, since you are used to the M3 + SA5K's, while my setup is pretty much the other end of the spectrum! The Millet and HD650's sound nothing like yours

 

[fante7]

I haven't heard the M^3 before, but what I can say is that the Millett helps make the DT880 less fatiguing and adds weight to the sound. You can have more detail by using 12FK6 tubes and a warmer, more tubey sound with other tubes. The 12AE6A adds bass impact for when you want to rock out. The tubes for the Millett are inexpensive and the tuberolling will help you find the sound you're looking for. Good luck with the decision... choosing an amp is hard.

 

[J-Pak]

My M3 was $250 US. Not sure what the converts to in AUD

 

[AML]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak My M3 was $250 US. Not sure what the converts to in AUD

That's about $325 AUD.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy I'm not sure what the internals were, but it was tkam's M3 at the Pittsburgh meet when Tyll attended. Also, I should mention these DT880's were Cardas recabled. The Millet I used was my old one, which now belongs to Fante7, and it had my Tung-Sol 12FK6 tubes.

Sorry if this post is OT, but:

Thaddy, how does the Head-fi Millett Hybrid compare to Headroom's Millett Hybrid?

 

[Thaddy]

I'm sure my posts are coming off biased towards the Millet, so I'll offer up something in favor of the M3. Since the Millet is not produced by a manufacturer (except HeadRoom and Shellbrook, but they are out of your budget), you could have a hard time acquiring one. The only thing I can say is to keep your eyes peeled on the For Sale forums or to make friends with a builder who's got some spare boards

Teerawit, YGPM

 

[Solude]

The Beyer 880 really shine with tubes. I thought the HeadAmp Lite was an awesome partner for it until I heard the Rudi. Tubes really sweeten the top end and give the otherwise slightly dry presentation more life.

 

[renesis_au]

Thanks for all your help, I biased towards the Millet with the more detailed tube that you guys mentioned, but will I be missing out on if I go with the Millet over the M3?

 

[morsel]

Millet .vs. M³ has been discussed in other threads, you might want to seach.

Millet: tube input, BUF634 output
M³: opamp input, MOSFET output

Just going by the topology and specs, the M³ will have less noise and distortion, more power, guts, and precision, but what really matters is whether you want to tube or not to tube. Do you want to hear something closer to the original recording, or do you want a sweeter warmer facsimile?

 

[renesis_au]

Thanks morsel, I didn't really know what to search for, will search those suggestions.

Thanks again!

 

[amb]

Not that measured performance necessarily represent the whole picture about the "sound", these RMAA test results should nevertheless provide a glimpse into what morsel was eluding to. The question is whether you're looking for an amp that accurately amplifies what goes in, or adds a dose of its own interpretation into the mix.

http://www.amb.org/ti/audio/millett.html
http://www.amb.org/ti/audio/mmm.html