[zachdini]

  IMO - THe E12 has more than enough power and sounds really good with the MD's. At this price point, I believe it is one of the better options available. The plus is the bass response. If I was to be extra critical I'd say the sound leans just slightly dark but that's a preference to me so all the better.
 
In comparison my ALO RxMKIII sounds much more even and has a better overall sound (but at $600 it should).
 
I would definitely recommend the E12 as a portable < $150 amp for the MD's. I believe most people would be happy with that choice.

Oh really? Slightly dark? That's interesting... I've read most people say the E12 is slightly bright. But I guess everyone has a different set of ears, haha.
 
Do you have any opinion on the iBasso d42? The d12 looks great but it's a little more than I was looking to spend. The d42 looks like it would be a nice fit if it would pair nicely - it's small, looks nice, can act as a standalone, and is $188. Is there some downside that I'm missing?

 

[imackler]

  Oh really? Slightly dark? That's interesting... I've read most people say the E12 is slightly bright. But I guess everyone has a different set of ears, haha.

 
Didn't hear the Mad Dog w/ the E12 but I would confirm that it is a slight dark amp. 

 

[Binge]

Hi head-fi, Mad Dog owners, and future Mad Dog owners,
 
I have not had time to skim through all of the pages to see if this option had been touched on already, but as a musician and lover of phones I have really fallen for the Roland Tri-Capture as a DAC/AMP.  With my Mad Dogs (3.2) I get a very clean- quiet signal and the volumes get much louder than are safe for long listening.
 
For anyone looking at an all in one solution and maybe the option to do a little more (mic/line/aux inputs) this is a great ultra low latency solution for $130.

 

[preproman]

I also have not skimmed through this thread.  However, the Emotiva a-100; for the price is a grat amp for the Mad Dogs.   Also another great buy is the Maverick D2 DAC.  Both will make the Mad Dogs a very enjoyable listen.

 

[ladavid]

I am using my Mad Dogs with a very nice Burson Conductor SL amp / 1793 dac combo.  Very nice sound - running with usb off an old XP PC.  Sounds even better with my laptop and latest version of JRiver, just the laptop gets taken all sorts of places and the Burson is a desktop model.
 
David

 

[doublea71]

Well, this thread has slowed down quite a bit as other gear attracts folks' attention, but I think we've got a pretty good list of amps that members feel hit the Mad Dog's sweet spot. If there have been any glaring omissions, please speak up. I'll start adding more info to the list (price, technical stats) so as to make it more useful for new owners of the MDs down the road. 

 

[mrspeakers]

I would be curious to hear your amp suggestions, I get asked all the time...

 

[doublea71]

  I would be curious to hear your amp suggestions, I get asked all the time...

All I can say is they sound very good to me with an E17, but that's coming from somebody with no frame of reference. I use Foobar 2K + wasapi out of my laptop and I'm quite happy with that (I know some may snicker at my noob-ness, but that's fine). I wish I were an expert with more experience to share...

 

[kstuart]

 

  I would be curious to hear your amp suggestions, I get asked all the time...

All I can say is they sound very good to me with an E17, but that's coming from somebody with no frame of reference. I use Foobar 2K + wasapi out of my laptop and I'm quite happy with that (I know some may snicker at my noob-ness, but that's fine). I wish I were an expert with more experience to share...

Foobar & WASAPI is one of the better combinations - I have heard that one ought to have the newest WASAPI component.

 

[doublea71]

 
Foobar & WASAPI is one of the better combinations - I have heard that one ought to have the newest WASAPI component.

I'll have to check it out - how new is it? 

 

[kstuart]

 

 
Foobar & WASAPI is one of the better combinations - I have heard that one ought to have the newest WASAPI component.

I'll have to check it out - how new is it? 

I don't know - I just happened to read that in another thread from a reputable poster.  IIRC 3.0 .

 

[Promethus]

I am running my 3.2 se with audioquest dragonfly via my imac and DX100.
Dragonfly is able to run the 3.2 rather nicely with good volume. I have to crank it up about 80% onwards for vocals, jazz etc and 90+% to max for EDM, trance and metal.
But when paired with DX100 on high gain, the weaknesses of the AQDF begins to show. On DX100, it's just bigger and better across the entire spectrum. Much fuller and slightly warmer.
 
Bottlehead crack is a bad pairing though, even with a 200 and 300 ohm resistor plug. =P
 
I am considering an audio-gd 11.32, TA-1 tube amp or ALO Island. But decided to sit on it for a while and see if anything else comes up next year that will pair better. Meanwhile, I am still quite happy with it on AQDF for desktop use.

 

[eac3]

When some were recommending the Bottlehead stuff and Project Ember/Sunrise, those looked like appealing options but was hesitant when I came across some posts back in the Mad Dog thread. Here is a link to my post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/666284/mrspeakers-mad-dog-impressions-and-discussion-thread/930#post_9654729
 
And here is a copy and paste version: 
 

 

You could also consider the project sunrise ii, or project ember. Can be had for a bit cheaper and they have good reviews. Not as sexy looking though.

 
Thanks, I will see if I can find some reviews as I like the look of it.
 

  If you have patience, have time, no crush, want to try DIY project then google or search in this forum. Bottlehead DIY projects such as S.E.X II, it can drive ortho well such as LCD-2/3, tube rolling or upgradable parts. It is good to start a tube set up and it is as good value as Mad Dog.

 
Thanks. I looked more into it and don't mind the DIY if it will have more bang for the buck. I also came across the following posts which I decided to pursue this route:
 
 
Quote (Link):

So for my first step into the world of high quality home audio I ordered a pair of these headphones and I'm looking to get an amp that will properly drive them.
I've heard some people talking about the Lyr but I was wondering if anyone knew if a Bottlehead Crack would be up to the task and if so which would be more worth my time.
 
(I know its largely subjective but I appreciate any input!)

 
Quote (Link):

Power is not an issue between those two. I would probably have to recommend the Lyr because of its lower output impedance. The Crack is nice, but is really mostly optimal on high impedance headphones (120 ohms +) as it is an OTL amp. The Lyr seems to be much more suitable for the relatively low impedance (50 ohms) of the Mad Dogs.

 
 
Quote (Link):

I would probably follow this recommendation.  I've got two OTL headamps plus the Schiit Asgard.  I love tubes, and really enjoy the OTL's with my HD650's and ATH M-50's, but the Mad Dogs sound better on my Asgard than with either of my OTL headphone amps.  If you'd like to do tubes with them, I'd suggest trying to hunt down a Decware Taboo with the headphone out.
 

 

[GoldfishX]

I am using a surprisingly potent combo at work: Peachtree DacIt - Schiit Magni - Mad Dogs. Really brings out the power of the Dogs with some definition and I greatly enjoy them more since I added the DacIt (really improved the midrange definition, keeps the bass from leaking into the mids). I was considering upgrading to Alpha Dogs before, but now there's no way I'm giving up the Mad Dogs at this point. Only problem is I'm getting the upgrade bug and I feel like I can do better than the Magni down the line.
 
I'm not looking to get too crazy (have to keep the aesthetics of the rig clean, so no tubes sadly. Also rules out dragging a vintage amp in, heh). Any idea if a Burson Soloist or Soloist SL would present a worthwhile upgrade over the Magni? Would be looking at between $500-$1000 to upgrade, but closer to the $500 mark.

 

[GoldfishX]

For my own contribution, I see the Leckerton 6UHA MkII recommended and I disagree with that pairing. It doesn't have enough power to handle the Mad Dogs. I was severely underwhelmed by that pairing. I like the Leck for driving darker/neutral IEM's, but I tend to avoid using it for full size cans, even though in theory, they would have good synergy.
 
I would definitely be going the desktop amp route with the Mad Dogs. The power of the Lyr makes the Mad Dogs sing beautifully, I just can't have a tube amp at work (Lyr runs hot, is a huge fire hazard, always have papers everywhere), so is why I'm probably looking at solid state. The Doggies liked both neutral-ish tubes (Siemens) and warm (Amperex) vintage tubes, the Siemens giving them more detail retrieval and the Amperexes giving vocals more of a 3D image/more power.