[bareyb]

Hey guys,
Just got to audition one of the Music Hall 25.2 Amps locally and oh my god.... Really sounds good with my HE400s. Compared to the other Amps he had there it was the best... Really smoothed out the highs... 
 
Thing is, I haven't seen anyone say much about this brand. Is there a reason for that? All the reviews I've seen look solid and and it sounded fantastic to me... Any thoughts? I'm seriously close to pulling the trigger on one of these... 

 

[HPiper]

I don't know much about them. If you log onto amazon there are a couple reviews there, one person loved them and the other didn't like them at all. Funny thing is they sell another amp under the name Music Fidelity but it looks like, and even has the same model number as the same amp sold by Creek (OBH-11). I kind of wonder if they actually manufacture this unit or have someone else make it for them.
 

 

[hodgjy]

I cannot confirm this, but I do know that there is a hybrid amp out there, which may bet this model, that has the vacuum tube hard wired to the board.  This means two fatal errors.  1) no tube rolling.  2) When the tube dies, the amp may die unless you are a skilled electrician/solder person.

 

[bareyb]

It appears it's a model that came out a couple of years ago. Roy Hall is the "Hall" of Music Hall. Apparently he's some kind of high end audio genius from Britain. Tons of awards for his high end esoteric stuff. I guess he wanted a Headphone Amp so his company designed this one. They are made by Shanling in China but designed and sold here, so Warranty work is done here in the USA. The one bad review on Amazon is very suspect. It's the opposite of anything else I've seen (as well as my own direct experience) and I even left the guy a comment. Whatever Amp he heard was either defective or his ears are. Supposedly the Tubes they use are very reliable and last forever. They do not appear to be soldered to the board and there are reports of people tube rolling them. I read in an interview that Hall will replace them for free if they ever fail, so that's nice to know. However he seemed to indicate it's not a concern, and that the Amp could be left "on" all the time, and it wouldn't hurt it. So that's a comfort. 
 
Anyway, after some thought, I pulled the Trigger on it. It sounds great, has gobs of power, and it was available with free 2-day shipping on Amazon PRIME... That's a difficult combo to resist...  

 
I've researched this for weeks now and I think for $399.00 It's the as close as I'm going to get as the right solution for me. It's going to sit out in the open in my dusty Workshop and Garage and get moved around a lot. It's part of my "transportable listening station project". The other contender was a Lyr or one of the other Schiit offerings but this one has more power than all but the Lyr, and I decided a full on Tube Amp's not something I'd probably want to be hauling around with me. Which I thought meant no tubes for me... So this is a good compromise. It's rugged like a Solid State but has the warmth of a Tube Amp without their fragile nature.
 
The main thing is, I've actually HEARD this AMP and they had a couple of other Amps in there to compare it to. It was much sweeter at the top end, than the NuForce HDP or the Bellari Tube Amp. Plus, this thing is a BEAST! It's got GOBS of power. 1.4 Watts Total and .7 watts RMS. The Bass it puts out is pretty epic. Very solid and tight. Lots of low end extension. The highs are sweet and extended just like the reviews say. Very good match for my Planar Magetics.  
 
I liked the two headphone ports on the front. It will make it easier to A/B compare different headphones and also can hook up my wife to listen too if the mood strikes. Dual inputs and Preamp outs are a nice touch as I can now hook up a set powered speakers in my workshop. My only complaint is that it's kind of... not beautiful? Very large and utilitarian as is a lot of British stuff. Still the sound quality is what matters most and I'm very happy with that.  It should be here on Wednesday. Wish me luck.... 

 
 
 

 

[bareyb]

Professional Review here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/music-hall-ph252-headphone-amp-100793?image_id=911220
 

Product: Music Hall PH25.2 Tube Hybrid Headphone Amplifier
Price: $400
Rating: Recommend*

 

After massaging our ears with crisp, clear sound from Music Hall's DAC 25.2 last month, we've been on the lookout for a decent headphone amp ever since. Although we've had some cute encounters with Firestone's offerings, we wanted something bigger. Something with more power. And if possible, more tubes. Luckily, Music Hall made the job a breeze for us when they allowed us to test out their newest addition to their home audio product line; the PH25.2 Tube Hybrid Headphone Amp.

 

While the design itself may not be able to top the Elekit Tube Amplifier by Case-Real featured a few weeks back, it's the sound that's important here. Though to be honest, we love the simplicity of the Music Hall's dedicated desktop music hardware - compared to all of those showy tubes and glossy bodies, the understated design feels quite refreshing.

 

The Music Hall excels primarily in its internal technology: Combining tubes with solid-state amplification, a gorgeous-sounding, yet cost-efficient tube hybrid headphone amp was born. Simply plug in your RCA source, hit the "on" button, and prepare yourself for audio bliss.

Let's expand on the technology a bit. Even with one of the best DACs (digital to analog converters) around, you need a decent amp to drive your speakers or headphones. When it comes to having sound delivered straight to your noggin' via headphones, we almost always recommend something with tubes. Why tubes, you ask? Tube amplifiers produce a "warmer" or more "natural" sound, mainly because at points where digital sound clips, tubes benefit from smoother transitions, resulting in less distortion during these clipping moments.

 

While we were floored by the drastic improvements Music Hall's DAC brought us last month, we were kind of bummed out by the mediocre performance of its included headphone jack. The PH25.2 seems to be their answer to those complaints, featuring not one, but TWO tubes that visibly glow, as well as two headphone outputs so you can actually listen to music with a friend or loved one if need be.

Through the top slits of the amp, the tubes immediately glisten a mellow glow, bringing some of the richest, natural-est sound we've heard in quite some time.

 

The setup:

Source: Apple Macbook Pro 13" (Optical Out)
DAC: Music Hall DAC25.2 Digital to Analog Converter
Amp: Music Hall PH25.2 Headphone Amplifier
Headphones: Denon D2000 Stereo Headphones
Speakers (via Pre-Out): Audioengine A2's

We did a much more thorough test this time through compared to last month's review. Throwing literally every genre we could think of at the PH25.2, we found almost every time, even with the crappiest encoded songs (128kb/s, we're looking at you), there was an astounding change when driven through the amp. Listening to Grizzly Bear's "Ready, Able" harmonics would take us to another world. Throwing on Pretty Lights' "Filling Up the City Skies" would bring the party to our living rooms. Watching "Once" on Blu-ray would make us feel for those poor struggling musicians.

 

Comparatively, we found the sound to be more spacious, especially compared to the muffled-ness we would get when plugging our headphones into the output jack of our Macbook directly. We try to stray away from all those subjective "audiophile" words as much as possible, but one can only accurately describe the end result as having a deliberate focus on vocal clarify, enunciation, and increased openness. In a nutshell, music and movies sound fantastic, creating an environment where you feel like you're constantly right there in the moment. This, from previous experiences, is not an easy feat to achieve.

 

Everything was absolutely sublime. Really, really. Would we recommend it in a heartbeat? It's hard to say, given the above-average price tag for the average consumer ($399) - we know it's not for everyone out there. However, for those who are in the market for a good amp and can afford a dedicated piece of hardware to arouse their ears with, the Music Hall PH25.2 headphone amp is a great option that delivers in many fronts. Just make sure you've got some nice cans to take advantage of its greatness!

 

You can read more about the Music Hall PH25.2 Tube Hybrid Headphone Amplifier over here.

 

Pros: Rich open sound. Great build. Dual input, tubes, and headphone jacks!
Cons: Not within price range for everyone.

Our Ratings:
Strong Recommend
Recommend*
Weak Recommend
Don't Recommend

 

 

 

[bareyb]

Here's a YouTube Video with a quickie review so you can get a better idea of what they look like in person. I guess it's not that bad looking.... 

 

 

[GL1TCH3D]

Sorry if this thread is a couple months old.
I'm in the market for a budget amp for my HD800 while I get my O2 fixed and saw one of these MH 25.2 amps up for sale for $295 and was wondering if anybody has heard it paired with the HD800?

 

[Pistolero]

Great amp...I run my AKG k702 and my Senn HD650 thru it and sounds great and has plenty of power...

 

[davide256]

The 4.7uf Solens capacitors in the unit are definitely grainy. I've replaced  them with Clarity CAP ESA 250V equivalent, much more dynamic, natural sounding. Units well built, worth tinkering with

 

[sheldonkreger]

I use this as a DAC for some self powered JBL monitors (LSR 2300). I use the right / left outputs on the back. Setup sounds pretty good.
 
However, I don't like it much as a headphone amp. The overall blend isn't fantastic. There seems to be a gap in the mid-low range where things don't come through well. For some reason, any acoustic/jazzy music sounds sub par. However, rock music, pop, prog, etc. sounds pretty good (but not amazing). I'm pairing with my Sennheiser 600. It powers them well, but the sound just isn't fantastic.
 
I also can't hear any difference when I use the upsampling feature. Literally none.
 
Does anybody know if the tube has any affect on the outputs, aside from the headphone amp? I'm wondering if it's the tube which is making the headphone amp sound the way it does.
 
-sheldon

 

[hatrack71]

I wanna put my .02 in. I've had this amp for less than 6 months. It has recently developed a hiss that is constant in the right channel indicative of a failing tube. It has been getting progressively worse to the point I can no longer deal. I also notice the left channel now starting to become like the right was months ago. Just starting to get the hiss slightly upon warmup that goes away. It has happened once in that channel so it will get worse I'm thinking as well.. just like the right channel tube. Exactly, in fact.. So my verdict. These tubes do actually wear out and are not as reliable as Music Hall claims. And they wear out fast. Or I just had a batch of bad tubes in mine. Either way, these can be a potential problem that will greatly reduce your pleasure.. The other thing I want to note to potential buyers is that the character of these tubes is strange even when they are functioning properly. Even new out of the box, the tubes emit a very very high pitched sound both physically and in the listenable frequency. It is quite unpleasant for those sensitive to very high pitched ringing. Think 6DJ8 cycling rings but higher pitched. Ouch! You can actually put your ear up to the unit and hear it when it makes the noise. Really a bad tube choice for audio.
 
I may end up soldering sockets in mine if it is possible. I can see this being a real problem that I do not have the patience for. I had a sneaking suspicion this was a real design flaw. Obviously not on purpose but you gotta wonder with planned obsolescence and all. And it has proven to definitely be so in my case. I would not recommend this unit until they offer a version with sockets! What a concept. Probably would've cost them a whole extra $2. There are plenty of headphone amps with tube sockets that sound as good or better in the same price range. Not being able to swap a bad tube without sending to Music Hall or pulling out a soldering iron out is highly unacceptable. I mean let's face it, all tubes fail. I just can't believe I bought the load of BS from Music Hall knowing what I know about tubes. I really fell for it.

 

[davide256]

I've had the PH25.2 for about a year. It's fast on transients and the tubes make it melodic. Initially I liked the Hifiman EF-5 I had better because it was more forgiving
but as I improved my digital chain the Music Hall sounded far more interesting for detail and the Hifiman showed less and less of the improvement. Its obviously not
perfect, bass guitarists would take offense because its has a tendency for bass doubling in the lowest range. The amp comes with 2 large Solens capacitors, these
I upgraded as Solens while detailed tends to add harshness and breakup on complex passages. It also requires a prolonged warmup period for best listening, at least
2 hours and preferably overnight.
 
I would not buy this amp if you are hearing high frequency irritants because it will not disguise that.. best to improve DAC solution first. The iFi DAC series behaves well
with this amp and better DAC's will provide better results.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Thing is, I haven't seen anyone say much about this brand. Is there a reason for that? All the reviews I've seen look solid and and it sounded fantastic to me... Any thoughts? I'm seriously close to pulling the trigger on one of these... 

 

If you're referring exclusively to Head-Fi, the thing is manufacturers traditionally focused on speaker gear have an uphill battle here. Generally, when they put a headphone output on a speaker amp, it's usually got design issues, like very high output impedance; when they do make headphone amps, chances are there are a lot of the design flaws still. Look up the original Rega Ear - subjective reviews on speaker-focused forums are positive, barely anything on Head-Fi, and then there are at least two blog posts that you can find on Google where someone with an engineering degree takes it apart literally as well as with the critique, thanks to the output coupling caps and the insanely high gain. The Musical Fidelity V-series started out with too high gain and high output impedance that made them virtually useless on Grados (a local forum had too many people buy the V-DAC+V-HPA combo for their Grados, which is the headphone most people with speaker gear have, only to sell them a short while later); the current V90 still has an output impedance of 90ohms I think.

 

Even if/when they do make good gear, the problem is that speaker amp manufacturers have been making cheap (in both price and performance) headphone amps or overpriced headphone amps with cheap performance, and the market has been cornered by smaller manufacturers who specialized with headphones. Many of them also employ a direct-selling tactic instead of distribution networks, where the brick-n-mortar retailers for speaker gear have a high overhead for the physical location and its demo rooms that drives the street price up while still having a limited and highly localized reach. Schiit for example can sell you a Class A amplifier built in the USA for $249, and just offer you a 30-day trial period (with repacking penalties of course, and shipping costs) as an alternative to the high overhead dealer networks.

 

At the end of it all, if you were able to audition one and like it, then why rely on reviews? You already heard it with your headphones and you liked it - the only things a review can really tell you is whether other people liked it on the same headphone and on a bunch of other headphones. You can start providing info on it by writing a review here.

 

[alans]

Then this amplifier has high output impedance?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alans /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Then this amplifier has high output impedance?

 

No my point only is that high impedance along with other design limitations as well as pricing handicaps given such design issues are what set a pattern for how headphone amps from most brands traditionally associated with speakers get ignored on this forum.