[tjf120]

Hey, I'm looking to spend ~$500-$750 for a headphone amp for some LCD-2s.  On waiting list, should get the cans end of Feb.
 
I was planning on hooking the amp up via RCA from my receiver, ie, so I can listen to Oppo, CD player, Phone or DVR through the headphones.
 
New to headphones (new baby in house, wife doesn't like the stereo loud now when I'm watching movies).
 
Been looking at the 
- nuforce HDP ($450)
- Schiit Asgaard ($250) and Lyr ($450)
- HiFiMan EF5
 
Anyone have a great recommendation for these cans?  Saw a thread with 100 pages of posts, wondering if that can be answered more directly in this post.

Thanks

 

[AustinHorn]

I have or have had all of the above amps & I have the LCD-2. I much prefer the DACmini to my Nuforc HDP with these headphones. If you're into tubes, I have both the maxxed Woo6 & the Doge 6210 amps. The Woo gets the most press here, but particularly with the LCD-2 I like the Doge. It is a great match IMHO. Good luck with your choice.

 

[tjf120]

I didn't realize there were 'lower priced' woos.  I had only seen some reviews on the $2000 type models.
 
So, for my type of listening, would the Woo or the Doge offer any real advantage?  Do you think the Schiit Lyr (out in early Mar) will be a contender??
 
Thanks 

 

[AustinHorn]

I didn't realize there were 'lower priced' woos.  I had only seen some reviews on the $2000 type models.


 


So, for my type of listening, would the Woo or the Doge offer any real advantage?  Do you think the Schiit Lyr (out in early Mar) will be a contender??


 


Thanks 

 


The Lyr isn't out yet so I can't comment on it. I have heard both their other amps before & neither was quit as good as either the Woo or Doge but were cheaper. I think the Lyr is aimed at the HE6 but might be good for the LCD-2 too - time will tell. But you don't need 6 watts to drive the Audez'e.

Woo has a number of amps in the $500-$1000 +/- range that would be great with the LCD-2 with the right tubes. You can usually get great deals on the Woo6 used which will save you a few $$$. The Doge is on sale right now at Pacific Valve. The Woo 6 is maybe the most popular amp on the site so it is easy to sell when you are ready to move up. Personally, I like my Doge a little better with the LCD-2, but both are great. In your price range,

Another nice amp is the Elekit 882AS which is a kit, easily assembled, that sounds great with the Audez'e. I put the kit together in 30 minutes & if I can do it, you can do it. You end up with a $1000+ sounding amp when completed. Check out Skylab's review here on the site.

 

[fabriciom]

Hello, sorry to steal your thread. But do these cans NEED an amp? I looking to connect them directly to my AD/DA converter (RME ADI-8 Pro). Would this work?
 
-Thanks

 

[vkung]

 
Quote:

 , Another nice amp is the Elekit 882AS which is a kit, easily assembled, that sounds great with the Audez'e. I put the kit together in 30 minutes & if I can do it, you can do it. You end up with a $1000+ sounding amp when completed. Check out Skylab's review here on the site.

I found out that upgrading the 4 coupling caps will improve TU-884AS substantially. Daigo  impressed by the upgrade to the 4 coupling capacitors too.

 

[AustinHorn]

All oaths require an amp or dac/amp combos to sound their best. In my opinion so do all my full-size headphones, even my Grados! In fact I like all my IEMs better when driven by an amp.

If your dac has a SE headphone connector, then it has an amp feeding it so it is a dac/amp not just a dac.

The LCD-2 is very amp sensitive & only sounds it's best on certain amps. There are a number of threads & reviews where this is discussed/argued extensively. Check them out!

 

[tjf120]

Ok, this is going to sound stupid, how do I actually 'output' my receiver to the Woo6?  IE, its an RCA connection, from what?  
 
IE, want to use the receiver to switch between PS3, Oppo, DVR, CD player.  I can't think of an RCA out?  Do I have to buy splitter that plugs into the headphone jack of the receiver that then takes that and plugs into the RCA for the headphone amp??
 
Thanks for help so far.
 
For the amp recommendation, does it make a difference if I'm 50/50 music vs home theater??  

 

[AustinHorn]

 
With your Woo, you'd connect an RCA out from your receiver to the RCA in on your Woo 6 & you'd turn them both on & you'd be good to go.  If playing a CD from a CD/DVD player, you could just go to the Receiver input via HDMI, Coax, optical, or if from a PC via usb & then again to the Woo via RCA. If listening to the radio on the receiver, you won't need to turn on your CD at all.
 
NOTE: You can also just bypass the receiver completely buy going from the CD player to the Woo 6.  In my opinion, for music, unless you have a very high end receiver, you'd be better off bypassing it altogether. Just my opinion...
 
Hope this answers your question. 
 
All of my current & former 5-7 channel receivers had a headphone jack but that doesn't mean there aren't some that don't.  A lot of 2 & 3 channel amplifiers used in HT don't have headphone jacks.  But I only use receiver headphone jacks for movies when I'm not doing critical music listening - like listening to a movie where my wife is asleep & I don't want to wake her.  A Woo 6 or a maxxed Woo 6 (in my case) & above will all sound better than any receiver I've heard when doing critical music listening. For most movies they are fine. Again, just IMHO!

 

[tjf120]

I emailed Woo, they said the Woo6 wouldn't fully handle the LCD-2, they recommended the Woo6-SE.
 
Has anyone compared the 2 amps with these cans, would you agree?
 
If power is an issue, do you think for 1/2 the cost of the 6-SE, Schiit has the Lyr coming out soon......
 

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

Ok, this is going to sound stupid, how do I actually 'output' my receiver to the Woo6?  IE, its an RCA connection, from what?  
 
IE, want to use the receiver to switch between PS3, Oppo, DVR, CD player.  I can't think of an RCA out?  Do I have to buy splitter that plugs into the headphone jack of the receiver that then takes that and plugs into the RCA for the headphone amp??  

If your receiver has an unused Tape Out or Line Out port, you can use that to feed a line-level signal into the headphone amp.

 

[ericohgb]

I currently use the Lake People HPA V200, which works great with the LCD-2.
Regards,
Erico

 

[tjf120]

Any Burson HA-160 and Audeze owners out there?  $695 for the amp?  

 

[AustinHorn]

I emailed Woo, they said the Woo6 wouldn't fully handle the LCD-2, they recommended the Woo6-SE.


 


Has anyone compared the 2 amps with these cans, would you agree?


 


If power is an issue, do you think for 1/2 the cost of the 6-SE, Schiit has the Lyr coming out soon......


 

 


I have a maxxed Woo & it works very well with my LCD-2. The maxxed parts makes the Woo6 sound better but not more powerful. However, I'm sure the SE model would be even better.

I've tried my neighbor's Burson with all my hard to drive headphones including my LCD-2, & it will easily drive it & sounds great too. I think my own DACmini sounds as good, if not better, but both are great with it.

 

[BrianMendoza]

Meier Corda Concerto.