[gallardo88]

I am extremely confused !!!

So, I mainly use my portable rig, which is almost complete. It consists of my zen, my amp ( uha-3), and i will get my livewires.
As a very late b-day gift, i got a pair of darths. I now have a couple of problems, though. First, my only amp is my portable one, and because i have read that portables won't do my darths justice, i figured i should get a home amp. So my question is, will getting an amp in the 200-300 range be a step up from my uha-3? also, is getting a home amp worth it if my source is a zen ( almost everything is lossless, though)?


thanks

 

[Uncle Erik]

You might want a little more power for your Darths. I haven't heard the Darths or a UHA-3, but I have played a DT880 from both portable and desktop amps. I think the DT880 benefits greatly from the extra power a desktop has.

I'd recommend looking into a desktop if you do much listening at home. Your budget is probably better suited for a used amp. Don't worry, most hold up great and are a terrific value used. Since you have a pair of Darths, I'll infer that you're into deep bass. In my opinion, solid state amps do a better job with the low end. Tubes can be a little flabby. And yeah, there are exceptions to that, but generally speaking, I'd check out the solid state amps.

Personally, I think the Gilmore Lite/Dynalo is great value. Crisp, clear sound and reasonable power. I also think the M^3 and CK2III are terrific and can be found in your price range. I haven't heard them, but a lot of people seem to like the Eddie Current ECSS and the Heed Canamp. Since I haven't heard either, I can't comment, but I do think they're worth considering based on what I've read.

 

[achristilaw]

Yes-The Darth's benefit from Solid-State. Both the G-Lite w/Supply and The Heed CanAmp work very well with my Darth's. Current stability w/ a damping factor. To Damp that fat bottom . Which is common with Darth's. Is brought under control (mostly).