[acidtripwow]

I received this tube amp last week and had a great time over the long weekend trying out this little amp. Don't let the little size of this amp fool you, this amp has a very powerful sound. I was listening to it with the original tubes and my Beyer DT770 headphones. The Beyers are usually very strong bass headphones and with this amp the bass was even more pronounced. The combo worked very well with Rock music. Listening to my LP of Pat Travers - Crash and Burn, the bottom end was extremely evident. (Note - if you want to see how good LPs can sound pick up this album and compare it to the CD. I now use the CD as a coaster.) Another note, don't use this amp with low impedance headphones. I tried it with my Grados and all I got was distortion. This amp would probably work well with headphones like the Senn HD600s. The only thing I didn't like about this amp was the headphone jack and volume control are on top of the unit just like on the MicroZotl. If you're looking at getting into tubes then this would be a perfect first amp. The sound is very good and the price is a bargain. A couple of pics.

 

[Hirsch]

It's a nice little amp all right. I've got an RCA cleartop flanked by a pair of Amperexi, and it's come alive. I'm using it with my 560II's, which aren't as good as the HD-600, but seem to take to the HAP-03. The minimum impedance that these headphones can handle is 150 ohms. Moretto should stress this more, as it's important, and does limit the headphones you can use. Of my present headphones, I can use it with Sennheisers, and nothing else (although it sounded pretty good with Dusty's Beyers when I got a chance to hear them).

 

[andrzejpw]

whats the price? How about a comparison to an MG head?

 

[acidtripwow]

Retail price is $399 but you can pick one up on Ebay for around $250. I don't have an MG Head to compare anymore but one good thing about the MG Head is that it can be used with a lot of different headphones.

 

[daycart1]

Quote:

Originally posted by andrzejpw whats the price? How about a comparison to an MG head?

I hope to post a detailed comparison/review early next week.

 

[jodokast]

Quote:

Originally posted by acidtripwow Retail price is $399 but you can pick one up on Ebay for around $250. I don't have an MG Head to compare anymore but one good thing about the MG Head is that it can be used with a lot of different headphones.

Say again? I thought the MG Head only worked well with high-impedance cans like the HD600...........rare to find........and went **** against low-impedance ones.

 

[acidtripwow]

The MG Head works well with any can. At least the original version did.

I tried the Moretto amp with a set of Senn HD600s and an Equinox cable and the sound was very good. With the new cable the 600s were a much better headphone than I remember. The highs were a lot better now but the bottom end was still not as tight as on my Grados. This combo worked very well producing a sound that was clear and lively. If you have the HD600s and Equinox cable then I suggest you try this amp and see what you think. This could be the poor man's Earmax.

 

[The Quality Guru]

Isn't there a transformer for the Moretto/Radii that one can buy for low impedence headphones? How much does the transformer cost? Would use of the transformer degrade sound quality?

 

[acidtripwow]

Yes, there is one that cost about $100. I have one on order.

 

[grinch]

Quote:

Originally posted by jodokast Say again? I thought the MG Head only worked well with high-impedance cans like the HD600...........rare to find........and went **** against low-impedance ones.

i'd have to agree. grados definitely sound like crap on the mg head.. i don't know where a rumor stating otherwise got started. i much prefer the integrated jack with grados than listening through the mg head.. even if the "impedance switch" is set to low..

 

[daycart1]

That's interesting; I spent about an hour last night with the Grado 325 and the MG Head in the "headphone"/"otl" configuration. First time I'd given it a careful listen this way. Solo piano.
Sounded great, only a little off the Senn performance. I'd expect the HD600 to do better on most kinds of music. What kind of music were you listening to?