[Kirium]

I know you're currently going thru a phase of using your RA-01 to drive your DT880's... i was wondering why you are favoring that over your headamp?? BTW, what headamp are were you using with them??

My DT880's should be here early next week sometime.. and I can pick up an RA-01 for around $650-$700 Ausdollars and use it with my Marantz CD6000OSE LE to drive the B&Ws...

or i can spend around the same and get just a headamp...

i'm wondering if it's a much better deal getting a dedicated 2-ch amp with a great HP jack, or keeping the 602's driven off the B channel on my 6.1 RXR...

Anyone else with opinions on the subject??

I have a feeling i'm not going to be fully satisfied with my new cans until i have something worthy of driving them, and i'm suspicious that my SR6300 won't cut the mustard..

 

[pbirkett]

I very nearly missed this thread, as I hardly ever look in this forum

Why do I favour the Rotel over my headphone amp you ask? I was using the Corda HA-1. I tried VERY hard to like this amp, but in the end it just didnt float my boat to be honest. They sounded quite similar really, but the Rotel just seems to have a bit more bass and a more enegetic sound to my ears. The Corda seemed to sound a bit thin and lifeless in comparison. In quick A/B comparisons, I found that there was little difference, but the impressions were formed over more than a few seconds listening. Listening to entire album, I found myself bobbing my head and tapping my foot with the Rotel, I found myself bored with the sound of the Corda unfortunately.

To my ears, the Rotel is clearly better, but having said that I have friends who prefer the Corda. Difference between me and them is I prefer a not so "audiophile" sound in favour of a bit of balls, my friends are HARDCORE audiophiles. However, it is I who has to listen to them, and I prefer the Rotel driving all the headphones I have ever owned over the Corda TBH.

Hope this helps mate...

 

[Kirium]

Help somewhat....

All i know now, and I knew it before, is that i need to sit down and do some serious listening on a variety of amps and see what i like... HOWEVER!!!!

Darwin being even more of an audiophile desert than the rest of the country, no store up here would even know that headphone amps exist....

The only decent store up here happens to stock rotel (and also Sonus Faber and M&K much to my surprise... but it's a very small store... i may be able to get my hands on an RA-01 overnight or over a weekend... they know my face in there now, and they know i know my ****... so that's my only chance... and i only know of one other member on this board that lives here in darwin... so there's not much chance of a meet....

bummer....

i'll have to fly back to sydney for a course and meet some of the guys down there...