[inFormal]

I think the A2, in your case. would be overkill until you get a higher-end headphone.  I would suggest you get a Magni by the same company.

Why overkill ?
The amp should (in theory or to my imagination) automatically adjust its output power according to the plugged in headphones.

Also, i "chose" A2 because it has 5 year warranty comparing to it s little brother that only has 2. I tend to have a higher confidence in a brand that is willing to offer that to its products.

Ps. How strong/sturdy is the front jack ? (I won t be toying with it, but do take into consideration that i will be switching headphones from time to time... Mainly because the current headphones have designated users... Eg : the wife will only use the m50s)

 

[techboy]

I vote for asgard 2 over magni for your usage. You will be better off with a2

 

[ninexnine]

"The amp should (in theory or to my imagination) automatically adjust its output power according to the plugged in headphones."
 
This is usually not a problem with transistors.  Tubes however have a high output impedance generally and need special provisions for driving lower resistances like speakers and low impedance headphones.  This is usually accomplished with transformers for the tube output.  Good transformers cost good money.  You would also need a good switch to change transformer taps to handle the various range of impedances plug-ed into a single headphone  jack (low, medium, high, impedance phones).
 
 
"How strong/sturdy is the front jack ?"
 
????
 
About as strong as any other amp that you can buy.
 
It's well built.
 
P.S.  I am not anti tube.  They have considerable value for certain reasons.  I was just explaining the answer to the versatility/adjustment question you posed.  But tubes can also pose headaches.
 

 

[inFormal]

Quote:

"The amp should (in theory or to my imagination) automatically adjust its output power according to the plugged in headphones."
 
This is usually not a problem with transistors.  
You would also need a good switch to change transformer taps to handle the various range of impedances plug-ed into a single headphone  jack (low, medium, high, impedance phones).
 
 
"How strong/sturdy is the front jack ?"
 
????
 
About as strong as any other amp that you can buy.
 
It's well built.

 
So, i not only need a headphone amp... i need a "switch" also ??? (Please explain or reffer to a product that can do that)
 
Also, i ve notived that i m not the only guy with multiple headphones... can older A2 owners confirm the sturdyness of the front jack ?

 

[ninexnine]

"So, i not only need a headphone amp... i need a "switch" also ??? (Please explain or reffer to a product that can do that)"
 
No you would not.
 
I was describing tube amps that use output transformer coupling to match with low impedance headphones.  Some of those use a switch, some use seperate jacks.  I guess I think in terms of building my own. An amp already built would have one of the two already, if it was capable of using low impedance headphones.  Some tube amps are not made for low impedance.  I was agreeing that the A 2 was so to speak automatic in adapting to various headphones.
 
The A 2 needs neither.

 

[bearFNF]

Not even sure where from left field the tube discussion started, thought you were discussing whether the A2 was overkill for inFormal or not...but anyway.

 It just confused the issue by bringing it up, IMHO...
 
The A2 would be great for your phones, I like it over my Magni, as the Magni tends to be to bright for me.  The gain switch on the Asgard 2 is also handy for when you are switching between different phones.  As for the headphone jack, I have been switching between four or five different phones while doing comparisons and don't think you will have an issue with it.

 

[ninexnine]

"Not even sure where from left field the tube discussion started, thought you were discussing whether the A2 was overkill for inFormal or not...but anyway"
 
The OP asked about several amps.  I beleve some of them were tube amps.
 
I was suggesting the A 2 would probably be best for him.

 

[bearFNF]

Quote:

"Not even sure where from left field the tube discussion started, thought you were discussing whether the A2 was overkill for inFormal or not...but anyway"
 
The OP asked about several amps.  I beleve some of them were tube amps.
 
I was suggesting the A 2 would probably be best for him.

The OP (inFormal) has posted a total of 3 posts, none of them say anything about other amps,  he was specifically asking about the Asgard 2...just to be clear here, not sure what OP you intended to respond to...call me mister technical today

 
But I do agree that the A2 would be good for him, best is a different question.

 

[ninexnine]

Pro forum regulator maybe.  My mistake about right thread maybe.

Best, as in best of the amps that were asked about (whichever thread the poster was on) that I thought I came back to from an email (I think). 
 
Hours have pased and I have been all over this board and all over the web.
At this point it beats me how I mixed up threads.

 

[inFormal]

But I do agree that the A2 would be good for him, best is a different question.

Feel free to pm me with better amps in the price range of the A2.

As mentioned in my 1st i am a newbie and am asking for your advice/help.

The A2 seems more than ok to me... But what do i know

 

[bearFNF]

My comment about 'best' was to point out that it is your decision as to what is best for you.  Someone telling you that amp X is best for you does not really mean much, other than they think it is best for you.  Ultimately it is up to you to listen to it and make your own determination as to what you like.
 
Like I said earlier I am being mister technical today for some reason (my engineers brain working overtime maybe?).  I just had to speak up because the tubes thing and needing switches thing seemed to confuse the issue. The switches are not even needed for tube amps either which makes it even more troubling. but that is for another thread.....
 
Anyway,
 
I am very happy with the A2 and use it for desktop amp service as well as pre-amp for my Stax rig.  It all comes back to what you are looking for.
Next you might consider getting a dedicated DAC like the Bifrost. 

 
Oh, and Welcome to Head-fi and sorry about your wallet.

 

[jmsaxon69]

Quote:

Hey guys,
 
1st of all i i just want to point out that I m new to the HiFi world (meaning: i have bought my 1st ever avr one month back)
 
I have been looking for a headphone amp since i will want to be able to "work" (by that i am reffering to gaming and random flac music listening) on the computer... when the avr will be playing something (loud) from another source (eg: the xbox or the cable/sat)
 
If i m not mistaking too much (from having read this thread and the 7 reviews on amazon) the A2 (A $$ Guard II) is a solid amp for non-30$ headphones. 
At the moment i have a pair of Sennheiser HD 598 and one ATH-M50RD ... (and am planning on getting an AKG-x701... to complete a trio)
 
Having said all of the above i m kindly asking you (the experienced headphone geeks) to share some beginner tips before placing an order with Jason.

Yes, he Asgard 2 is a great choice for those headphones.  You may never need another one, plus it can be a preamp for some powered monitors for your desktop.  I take it the AKG x701 was supposed to be K701? they need a good amp to sound their best, so I say go for it!

 

[inFormal]

I was thinking of having the pc front headphone jack (which is getting its feed from my Asus Xonar DX) as the source (input) for the headphone amp. This way i can eliminate the DAC from the picture...

Since i chose the path of the audiophile... i am very much aware that i will spending a nice penny to satisfy my ears. (I m paying for eargasms... Sort of speak)

The akg 701 q or k (and even the k702)... Is on my shopping list... But i am finding it to be a very difficult choice (since they are nearly the same)

Ps. Thanks for your feedback (keep it coming)

 

[jmsaxon69]

Quote:

I was thinking of having the pc front headphone jack (which is getting its feed from my Asus Xonar DX) as the source (input) for the headphone amp. This way i can eliminate the DAC from the picture...

Since i chose the path of the audiophile... i am very much aware that i will spending a nice penny to satisfy my ears. (I m paying for eargasms... Sort of speak)

The akg 701 q or k (and even the k702)... Is on my shopping list... But i am finding it to be a very difficult choice (since they are nearly the same)

Ps. Thanks for your feedback (keep it coming)

Get a decent cable to run the computer to the amp with also, if you can do it get the K702 65th Anniv. AKG ($350 if you look hard enough), they are REALLY good once you get them broken in and get a good amp like the A2.
Check you setting on the soundcard and make sure you are setup to play hi rez music through it and use something like JRiver or something else that can support hi rez audio files.

 

[inFormal]

...So you re sillently agreeing that a straight cable to the amp is a valid option to get a clear but low powered audio stream. The soundcard is set to HiFi.
 
I chose this cable to put on "my cart" @ amazon. (I am using the same brand for the cables that connect the avr to the subwoofer)
 
K702 65th Anniv is 100$ more than the regular K702 one... the difference is the collors and the (padded) headband
(during my research i have read many times that K701 = home edition / K702 = profesional edition / Q701 = special edition)