[Wyd4]

From limited experience with Magnetic Planar headphones ( having owned LCD2r1, LCD2.2, Mad Dog 3.2, Alpha Dog and auditioned LCD3, Oppo pm1 and the medi-evil torture device - Abyss), I can safely say that they thrive on power.
 
That being said, all of the headphones listed above that I owned were driven to acceptable listening levels from my original ak100 and HTC One.
They were loud enough, however they lacked resolution.  Details simply weren't there.  They sounded slow and lethargic.  The bass was bloated, not tight.  It lacked texture through the mids and lows (which lets face it, why the heck are we listening to planars if not for that texture).
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the o2 amp.  It is amazing in fact.  For the price and form factor its hard to beat.  Heck you can even buy it with a DAC in the same chassis.
If you want a small form factor, affordable amp that will make your Alpha Dogs sound good, its a great choice.  I am thinking of picking one up soon myself)
 
However if you are on a bit of a budget and you really want to squeeze those planar's I suggest something like the Schiit Lyr.  It has buckets of power and you will really begin to understand what these cans are capable of.  Sure it will go louder than the o2, but heck the o2 will drive them louder than you can listen, so at this point its not about volume, its about resolution.  Grabbing those drivers by the balls and moving them as quickly and firmly as possible.  
Think of a low efficiency planar like a 2 tonne car with tall gears and a caravan on the back.  If you have 200ft p of torque, you might get it moving but its going to be slow and cumbersome, when you get to a hill or complex passage its going to struggle to keep up.  Sure it might get you there, but its not going to be the most enjoyable.
You take that engine out and replace it with a Big block torque monster and all of a sudden everything becomes easy.
 
I am not going to argue the technicalities of it, simply put I don't know them.  I just know what my ears have kindly expressed to me.
 
Yes, my LCD 2 and Mad Dogs sounded good from my ak/phone, heck better than most other cans, but they did not sound anywhere near how they should/can sound.
 
Ultimately its up to the listener, but if you are only using the Alpha's through the o2, you are selling them short.
 
As quoted above, even Audeze recommend 1w.  So why not indulge them

Scott

 

[wahsmoh]

  From limited experience with Magnetic Planar headphones ( having owned LCD2r1, LCD2.2, Mad Dog 3.2, Alpha Dog and auditioned LCD3, Oppo pm1 and the medi-evil torture device - Abyss), I can safely say that they thrive on power.
 
That being said, all of the headphones listed above that I owned were driven to acceptable listening levels from my original ak100 and HTC One.
They were loud enough, however they lacked resolution.  Details simply weren't there.  They sounded slow and lethargic.  The bass was bloated, not tight.  It lacked texture through the mids and lows (which lets face it, why the heck are we listening to planars if not for that texture).
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the o2 amp.  It is amazing in fact.  For the price and form factor its hard to beat.  Heck you can even buy it with a DAC in the same chassis.
If you want a small form factor, affordable amp that will make your Alpha Dogs sound good, its a great choice.  I am thinking of picking one up soon myself)
 
However if you are on a bit of a budget and you really want to squeeze those planar's I suggest something like the Schiit Lyr.  It has buckets of power and you will really begin to understand what these cans are capable of.  Sure it will go louder than the o2, but heck the o2 will drive them louder than you can listen, so at this point its not about volume, its about resolution.  Grabbing those drivers by the balls and moving them as quickly and firmly as possible.  
Think of a low efficiency planar like a 2 tonne car with tall gears and a caravan on the back.  If you have 200ft p of torque, you might get it moving but its going to be slow and cumbersome, when you get to a hill or complex passage its going to struggle to keep up.  Sure it might get you there, but its not going to be the most enjoyable.
You take that engine out and replace it with a Big block torque monster and all of a sudden everything becomes easy.
 
I am not going to argue the technicalities of it, simply put I don't know them.  I just know what my ears have kindly expressed to me.
 
Yes, my LCD 2 and Mad Dogs sounded good from my ak/phone, heck better than most other cans, but they did not sound anywhere near how they should/can sound.
 
Ultimately its up to the listener, but if you are only using the Alpha's through the o2, you are selling them short.
 
As quoted above, even Audeze recommend 1w.  So why not indulge them

Scott

I agree I don't think the o2 is capable of putting out earthquake-like bass that the Alpha Dog is capable of when driven correctly and with the right song. What I love about the AD is that whatever the bass on the track is like, that's what you get. If the track is bass-heavy so will the AD, if the bass is of a guitar and not of an 808 kick, it has the resolution to image a bass guitar accurately.

 

[Alphanewb]

  From limited experience with Magnetic Planar headphones ( having owned LCD2r1, LCD2.2, Mad Dog 3.2, Alpha Dog and auditioned LCD3, Oppo pm1 and the medi-evil torture device - Abyss), I can safely say that they thrive on power.
 
That being said, all of the headphones listed above that I owned were driven to acceptable listening levels from my original ak100 and HTC One.
They were loud enough, however they lacked resolution.  Details simply weren't there.  They sounded slow and lethargic.  The bass was bloated, not tight.  It lacked texture through the mids and lows (which lets face it, why the heck are we listening to planars if not for that texture).
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the o2 amp.  It is amazing in fact.  For the price and form factor its hard to beat.  Heck you can even buy it with a DAC in the same chassis.
If you want a small form factor, affordable amp that will make your Alpha Dogs sound good, its a great choice.  I am thinking of picking one up soon myself)
 
However if you are on a bit of a budget and you really want to squeeze those planar's I suggest something like the Schiit Lyr.  It has buckets of power and you will really begin to understand what these cans are capable of.  Sure it will go louder than the o2, but heck the o2 will drive them louder than you can listen, so at this point its not about volume, its about resolution.  Grabbing those drivers by the balls and moving them as quickly and firmly as possible.  
Think of a low efficiency planar like a 2 tonne car with tall gears and a caravan on the back.  If you have 200ft p of torque, you might get it moving but its going to be slow and cumbersome, when you get to a hill or complex passage its going to struggle to keep up.  Sure it might get you there, but its not going to be the most enjoyable.
You take that engine out and replace it with a Big block torque monster and all of a sudden everything becomes easy.
 
I am not going to argue the technicalities of it, simply put I don't know them.  I just know what my ears have kindly expressed to me.
 
Yes, my LCD 2 and Mad Dogs sounded good from my ak/phone, heck better than most other cans, but they did not sound anywhere near how they should/can sound.
 
Ultimately its up to the listener, but if you are only using the Alpha's through the o2, you are selling them short.
 
As quoted above, even Audeze recommend 1w.  So why not indulge them

Scott

This is good information for a Newb like me. Thank you.
 
I have two questions:
 
1) Have you heard the Alpha Dogs with an O2 or are you assuming they will sound better through a Lyr based on your other experiences with amps that are similar to the O2 specs? (This is not a rhetorical question at all, I just want to understand your frame of reference)
 
2) If the Lyr2 represents the most logical upgrade in the sub $500 range over the O2 then what would you consider to be the best $700 to $900 upgrade? 
 
Cheers 

 

[TheChillburger]

 
This is good information for a Newb like me. Thank you.
 
I have two questions:
 
1) Have you heard the Alpha Dogs with an O2 or are you assuming they will sound better through a Lyr based on your other experiences with amps that are similar to the O2 specs? (This is not a rhetorical question at all, I just want to understand your frame of reference)
 
2) If the Lyr2 represents the most logical upgrade in the sub $500 range over the O2 then what would you consider to be the best $700 to $900 upgrade? 
 
Cheers 

I haven't had any issues driving my Alpha's with my O2, but I haven't personally tried a Lyr with the Alpha yet. From most experience that I've had with solid state amps, the headphones themselves seem to make the biggest difference, rather than the amp. I haven't tried a tube/hybrid yet, but I imagine it's a very different story there.

 

[Wyd4]

 
This is good information for a Newb like me. Thank you.
 
I have two questions:
 
1) Have you heard the Alpha Dogs with an O2 or are you assuming they will sound better through a Lyr based on your other experiences with amps that are similar to the O2 specs? (This is not a rhetorical question at all, I just want to understand your frame of reference)
 
2) If the Lyr2 represents the most logical upgrade in the sub $500 range over the O2 then what would you consider to be the best $700 to $900 upgrade? 
 
Cheers 

 
I have heard the Alpha Dogs with both the o2 and the Lyr.  The o2 does a stellar job , particularly if it is important for you that your amp be transportable, heck it even runs off a battery so it would be a nice coffee shop setup.
Other options for such a "coffee shop" setup with planars is the ALO Pan Am stack.
 
I ran my Alpha's for the most part at a compromise as well as I needed a transportable rig to and from work as that is where I do most of my listening and I work from multiple offices depending on the day.
 
But ultimately if you are stationary, something like a Lyr is definately worth that little extra.
 
As for moving up from there I have only heard the LCD's on a Cavalli on a demo, but that is well above your range currently.
 
Perhaps someone else has some input for this price range.

 

[Alphanewb]

   
I have heard the Alpha Dogs with both the o2 and the Lyr.  The o2 does a stellar job , particularly if it is important for you that your amp be transportable, heck it even runs off a battery so it would be a nice coffee shop setup.
Other options for such a "coffee shop" setup with planars is the ALO Pan Am stack.
 
I ran my Alpha's for the most part at a compromise as well as I needed a transportable rig to and from work as that is where I do most of my listening and I work from multiple offices depending on the day.
 
But ultimately if you are stationary, something like a Lyr is definately worth that little extra.
 
As for moving up from there I have only heard the LCD's on a Cavalli on a demo, but that is well above your range currently.
 
Perhaps someone else has some input for this price range.

So I've messed around a bit with my Alpha Dogs and have settled on a 15 degree turn of the pads along with one tuning disc per side. I listened to Daft Punk - RAM last night and really enjoyed the O2 / AD combo. So I'm really happy with my current set up! And as you've said above it will make a great "coffee shop" set up or in my case at least I plan to spend some of my downtime next summer in the backyard, I'm really happy that I went with the amp only battery powered option! I'm sure the ALO Pan Am stack would be a better sounding set up but I am very pleased with the O2 as my "gateway" headphone amp. My next amp will be my "end-game" set up with the goal of the best possible sound I can get out of my AD's (and likely some open planars in the future) for a given price, I just need to settle on how much I want to spend...

 

[Dixter]

Curious if anybody has had the opportunity to hear the Alpha Dogs with the Turbo Charged O2 yet...    I've got one on order but have not heard it... should be interesting to compare with the standard O2 version as the Turbo has some very nice specs...

 

[skeptic]

  Curious if anybody has had the opportunity to hear the Alpha Dogs with the Turbo Charged O2 yet...    I've got one on order but have not heard it... should be interesting to compare with the standard O2 version as the Turbo has some very nice specs...

 
If you mean agdr's O2 booster board, then yes, and the combo is very nice!  Use the "search this thread" button up top and type in "agdr."  You will see the relevant posts.  

 

[swspiers]

I know the Primes and other new cans are stealing he spot light right now, but I just spent some quality time with the old Dogs. Alice Cooper "Welcome to My Nightmare" was epic.  I split time with the HFM-400i's, and the Alpha Dogs were still every bit as stunning as they were when I got them a year ago.
 
These are still fantastic headphones, even with all the bright-shiny stuff out there.

 

[reddog]

I know the Primes and other new cans are stealing he spot light right now, but I just spent some quality time with the old Dogs. Alice Cooper "Welcome to My Nightmare" was epic.  I split time with the HFM-400i's, and the Alpha Dogs were still every bit as stunning as they were when I got them a year ago.

These are still fantastic headphones, even with all the bright-shiny stuff out there.

Yes I love my Alpha Dogs and almost want to keep them and order a new set of alpha prime's. This hobby is overwhelming my poor wallet.

 

[swspiers]

Yes I love my Alpha Dogs and almost want to keep them and order a new set of alpha prime's. This hobby is overwhelming my poor wallet.

Ditto. And at some point I need to draw the line. I might be there with with the Dogs and the 400i's.

And a Stax SR—009, just in case...

 

[Frank I]

The Dog still barking Mighty. I think the prime is better though but does nto make the Dog less attractive and when Dan announces his mod up program it should be killer.

 

[wahsmoh]

  The Dog still barking Mighty. I think the prime is better though but does nto make the Dog less attractive and when Dan announces his mod up program it should be killer.

I'm excited! An upgrade to the Prime is the only logical thing for an AD owner. I'm sure Dan just wanted to make sure the initial production run went smooth before he can open up an upgrade page.

 

[mrspeakers]

  I'm excited! An upgrade to the Prime is the only logical thing for an AD owner. I'm sure Dan just wanted to make sure the initial production run went smooth before he can open up an upgrade page.

Actually, the delay on deciding to upgrade arises from the fact we will loose more drivers for upgrades than we do for production and that makes the true cost unpredictable.  
 
The drivers have already been re-soldered once and they need to be again for the deeper mods.  The drivers are really, really sensitive to heat, and any damage is fatal.  If we damage a driver we have to replace and match it, which is very expensive.  If we loose 5% that's acceptable, but 20% would be a problem.
 
I've decided to do a trial program where we'll try 30 upgrades to get a valid sample.  It'll be risk free to the users, as any problems will be absorbed by us.  The upgrades will come with a fresh set of ear pads and we'll return the used pads and the old comfort strap.  I'll try to get the upgrade page live today.

 

[swspiers]

 
Actually, the delay on deciding to upgrade arises from the fact we will loose more drivers for upgrades than we do for production and that makes the true cost unpredictable.  
 
The drivers have already been re-soldered once and they need to be again for the deeper mods.  The drivers are really, really sensitive to heat, and any damage is fatal.  If we damage a driver we have to replace and match it, which is very expensive.  If we loose 5% that's acceptable, but 20% would be a problem.
 
I've decided to do a trial program where we'll try 30 upgrades to get a valid sample.  It'll be risk free to the users, as any problems will be absorbed by us.  The upgrades will come with a fresh set of ear pads and we'll return the used pads and the old comfort strap.  I'll try to get the upgrade page live today.

Oh man.  Crunch time for the old decision making process.