[dyna10x]

Hi
Have read through numerous threads here about stereo amp headphone stages. Has anyone had any experience of the rotel ra840bx2 headphone stage. I have used hd600 through mine and it sounds great. I am interested in using AKG K701 through it but cant without buying a pair. Seems that the K701 is a beast to drive and needs a good dedicated amp. Any experience that would differ to that idea?
thanks

 

[pp312]

The good brands like Rotel, Marantz, Nad generally have very useable headphone outs. I've used quality integrateds over the years with top phones and been perfectly satisfied (or would have been if I'd never read Head-Fi). Trouble is that the natural bent of Rotel equipment is toward leanness and precision, which would not match well with the 701 (but obviously does with the Sennn 600, a very different beast). It's not a question of sufficient power but synergy. Personally if I were matching an integrated with the 701 I'd go Nad.

 

[Mato]

So if I were to purchase those K702s i've been craving, I wouldn't absolutely need to get a dedi headphone amp to get the best out of them, I could do fine by hooking them up to my C352?

 

[pp312]

Whether you'd get the best out of them is a moot point; it'd depend on how much you were prepared to spend otherwise to get even better--and there's always better, just as there's always a bigger fish. One thing's for absolute certain: don't even consider getting a dedicated amp until you've heard the 702 with the 352. And if you like the sound with that, whatever you do don't read any of the posts here about how you absolutely need a dedicated to get a good sound--it's not true. However, if later you succumb and feel you absolutely must find out if a dedicated sounds better, get one of the reasonably priced but surprisingly sophisticated Chinese models on Ebay to get your feet wet. One of these will give you an idea if the improvement is real and if it might be worth spending even more. In my opinion it isn't, but then I suppose it depends on what "more" means. I've never heard an $800 dedicated and don't want to, because I couldn't afford it anyway.

 

[dyna10x]

Thanks pp312. Yes the rotel is a lean and dry sound so what you say makes sense. Apart from the hd600 which open cans would make a good synergy with the rotel sound? I currently have a pair of stax srd 84 running off the rotel so perhaps I need a can that offers an other alternative to their sound (airy, detailed, light but detailed bass, better for accoustic than rock) as I listen to a lot of rock.

 

[pp312]

The Senn 600 and 650 are the obvious alternatives to the 701/702 sound. To be honest, all the other phones I've tried, and that's most of them including the AKG, have been way too bright for me. My ideal phone would be a slightly lighter and airier HD650, but so far I haven't found it. The 595 has a fine balance, being a slightly brighter 650, but does lack the lushness of the latter--nevertheless I wouldn't overlook it as it's probably the best value in phones at the moment (except for the 555, which can be modified to sound like a 595 for half the price--wowee!). I might say none of these phones is noted for its ability with rock, but those that are are all brightly balanced.

This thread doesn't seem to be attracting a lot of replies and right now I could use one or two. Come on, guys--a phone to match with a lean-sounding integrated. Help!