A super ancient thread, I know.
However I'm a long time lurker who finally joined as a member as I have a little bonus coming my way and want to step up my headphone game.
Unfortunately, living here in the Land of Enchantment is very limiting as there aren't any hi-fi shops which carry headphone amps; at least not that I've found.
Any suggestions for stores I've missed? Anyone willing to meet just so I can talk n00b shop and try their gear? I'll bribe with food, alcohol, and excellent coffee... I'm happy to prove I'm not some random creepy criminal too (not sure how I'll do that but we can figure out something).
Before I drop several thousand on a headphone DAC and amp to power my HD650's (and perhaps move into other headphone options) I would like to at least listen to a mid-range tube amp, solid state amp, hybrid amp, balanced vs non-balanced, etc. to see if I even have sophisticated enough of an ear to notice the difference.