[DennyL]

From my reading here and elsewhere I get the impression that the K501s are quite hard to drive well, and they require quite a powerful amplifier with bags of voltage swing. The only really enthusiast report I've seen is about using them with a PreSonus Central Station, and I'm considering getting one of these as it would be quite fun anyway in my hi-fi system, or even in my bedroom!

The PreSonus is a bit of a wild card and the main amplifiers I'm looking at are the Corda Aria, the Gilmore Light (not sure which PSU yet), the G&W T2.6F (I wish I could read about more user experiences with this), and the World Audio Design Headphone II. Of course any enthusiastic recommendations of other amplifiers would be gratefully received.

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[grawk]

Whatever you get, make sure it's got a lot of power available, the 501 really likes it's juice.

 

[jimmyjames8]

No problems driving the 501's with my Woo Audio 3. My first piece of tube gear and I am still wondering why I waited so long. Didn't really notice that the 501's need tons of power but they are sweet cans.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The 501 sounds good with a Gilmore Lite/Dynalo, too. Thing is, if you spend $300 on the Gilmore Lite, you can get a Central Station for only $100 more.

You can build a Dynalo for considerably less, however. I spent about $120 on mine and am pleased with the results. Go visit:

http://www.djgardner.com

And check out his DIY audio section. A Dynalo PCB is $10 plus shipping, and there's a good build guide and helpful construction threads both here and at Headwize. Also, Dan is friendly and reliable- check out his feedback thread here.

 

[DennyL]

Thank you for your suggestions. The Woo Audio 3 looks really appealing, and I do like valves, and I emailed them with a couple of points and got a very quick reply.

Building an amp is a tempting route, too, as I've built a few things and I know I would enjoy it and save some money. I'm in the UK and I'm slightly discouraged by the need to compile a list of all the bits I would need, together with suppliers. I wonder whether there are any UK based people here who've already gone down the Dynalo (or other DIY amp) route and can give me pointers to parts suppliers, particularly to suppliers of the good quality capacitors.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[vforrest]

Stello HP100. Review forthcoming in SoundStage! magazine.

 

[sbulack]

I've just been reading Head-Fiers' impressions from several meets about the K-501 phones driven by the M-cubed amp. It seems to be a highly-regarded match.

 

[Samgotit]

The Millet just barely gets them there. I'm building a M^3 for the K501 and K701 (when they get here) for comparison.

Sam

 

[fewtch]

Just get something that can deliver plenty of both current and voltage (my 24v Pimeta with dual stacked buffers does a pretty decent job), as it's a medium-impedance headphone. From there, it's just a matter of choosing your preferred price range and sonic qualities.

 

[milesbeyondjazz]

I use the Antique Sound Lab OTL MK 111 tube amp with my 501s.To my ears its a great combination.The k501s really do have bass.It just takes alot of power to get them to open up.