[M700LTR]

Well from what I found out the topping A70 will be just fine to drive them and is half your budget (which is also the amp I bought for mine when they finally arrive…).
Some will probably Disagree with me and tell you that you need a 5k amp for your 2k headphones to make them work but I strongly believe that your dx5 and a A70 pro will do just fine.
If you still want some tubey sound you can get the dac for the A70, the D70 pro sabre which has a „tube mode“. Basically just simulates the distortion tubes do

Don't go for the A70, unless you want it to go boom boom. Go see my comment in the A70 thread and my sold Susvara.

 

[Erick Muller]

Don't go for the A70, unless you want it to go boom boom. Go see my comment in the A70 thread and my sold Susvara.

Can you link your comment plox kind sir?

 

[AlexxK]

At this budget, you have a few great options for the Tungsten if you’re ok buying a used amp on the classifieds here (which I’ve done often and works very well and gets bang for the buck!). The following all come up once in a few weeks and can be purchased without difficulty with a bit of patience and decisiveness:

(1) Violectric V281 - the warmest on of these 3, it is the most “tube-like sounding” SS amp on this short list. Super powerful, great synergy with the Tungsten, and relatively small form factor for desktop use.
(2) Ferrum Oor - super fun and dynamic amp that is very engaging. Very small form factor with a bit bite.
(3) Well Milo - quirky vertical design, this amp is raw power delivered raw. It’s very enjoyable and has a loyal fan bass (as do each of these).

I’ve tried all of them and they liked them all.

I’d recommend forgetting about the DAC for now. If the Tungsten is your path, focus first on ordering it as others recommended, the patiently hunt the amp. When you have the system, if you like it, you can then take your time to upgrade your DAC.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot for this short list.
I was eying the Ferrum already and it sure looks beautiful. Also adding modules over time that will synergize perfectly is really nice.
Just to be clarify, would it be possible to add tubes in the chain at some point or it just doesn't work like that ?

 

[Erick Muller]

Thanks a lot for this short list.
I was eying the Ferrum already and it sure looks beautiful. Also adding modules over time that will synergize perfectly is really nice.
Just to be clarify, would it be possible to add tubes in the chain at some point or it just doesn't work like that ?

Cayin is also launching soon a new stack of Streamer, DAC and Amp that just looking at the spec sheet seems that it could run tungsten perfectly well, the only problem with Cayin's amp is that it lacks analog outputs, only has inputs, look up the Cayin iHA-8 thread on this forum and this amp falls within your budget.

Edit: You could also use a tube amp to pre-amp the actual amplifier, but with your budget it's probably only going to be through RCA and you're going to get less gain from your amp most likely and you might lose headroom running tungsten.

 

[goldwerger]

Thanks a lot for this short list.
I was eying the Ferrum already and it sure looks beautiful. Also adding modules over time that will synergize perfectly is really nice.
Just to be clarify, would it be possible to add tubes in the chain at some point or it just doesn't work like that ?

You could always add a tube-based DAC (or even a tube preamp, though may be overkill).

The Ferrum does have a nice DAC that also stacks nearly with it for the future, though any DAC could work with it.

 

[KipFox]

Thanks a lot for this short list.
I was eying the Ferrum already and it sure looks beautiful. Also adding modules over time that will synergize perfectly is really nice.
Just to be clarify, would it be possible to add tubes in the chain at some point or it just doesn't work like that ?

You could always add a tube-based DAC (or even a tube preamp, though may be overkill).

The Ferrum does have a nice DAC that also stacks nearly with it for the future, though any DAC could work with it.

Doesn't the Golden Ear edition of the Wandla have some sort of tube like filter mode? Always a possibility.

 

[goldwerger]

Doesn't the Golden Ear edition of the Wandla have some sort of tube like filter mode? Always a possibility.

It does. And that’s a very good comment. I did try it and it works well. Very subtle (which is a plus in my book).

 

[Exekuhtor]

 

[up late]

^ finally! i've been waiting for this - thanks for posting.

edit: just finished watching it. 'long' and considered as is typical of @WaveTheory's reviews. i think he does a commendable job of putting both of these headphones into perspective.

 

[skhan007]

I'll set aside time to watch, but is there a one-line summary? I've read the SS provides great bass and would be a match for rock music? If so, that's the one for me.

 

[up late]

^ not really but he is of the opinion that the ss version is the less resolving, more organic and 'fun' sounding can

 

[betula]

It is well known, that he is a big fan of oval HiFiMan sound (which I find a bit weightless and bright) and Focal (which I also find bright with some sub-bass roll off). His personal taste plays a role in his evaluation (as it does with all reviewers to some extent).
That aside, the way he is positioning the two Tungstens on the current market probably sounds more realistic than what the initial hype suggested.
Taste plays the biggest role when we choose $2K+ headphones. The Tungstens seem to follow the footsteps of ZMF and Meze in a sense that they have a smoother and more euphonic tuning as opposed to chasing ultimate technical levels. Perhaps the DS is the most neutral of this tuning philosophy so far.

 

[up late]

^ but he's a bigger fan of the susvara - a preference that he shares with a number of reviewers (who also happen to rate the utopia highly). and he indicated a preference for the ds tungsten over the meze empyrean 2, which is a significantly more expensive headphone that he is yet to review.

 

[ThanatosVI]

^ but he's a bigger fan of the susvara - a preference that he shares with several prominent reviewers (who also happen to rate the utopia highly). and he indicated a preference for the ds tungsten over the meze empyrean 2, which is a significantly more expensive headphone that he is yet to review.

I wouldn't say significantly, in europe the difference is 500€. Less even if you choose a custom color or both pad options.

 

[up late]

I wouldn't say significantly, in europe the difference is 500€. Less even if you choose a custom color or both pad options.

i believe it is around a thousand dollars more expensive in the usa according to his review, which i regard as significant. the price difference is around two and a half thousand dollars in my part of the world.