[llamaluv]

This seems to be a great deal! : https://www.usatubeaudio.com/product/amplification/cayin-a-100t/
You don't really need 150E with Tubes, half of that will be plenty.

Ooh, tempting... I'm also pretty interested in their 300B-based HA-300 for more conventional headphone duties.

 

[jwbrent]

In reading the Super Best Audio Friends’ review, it was noted the SR1a won’t work well if you’re lying down. Any comment on this observation?

 

[Zhanming057]

Any good tube power amps that output 150wpc class A/B & aren't insanely expensive to try with the headphones?

There are KT88 and KT150 options that are fairly cheap. The (very) general problem with "big" tubes is that the midrange won't be as refined as a 300b or 2a3 system - but the pairings will work, and as Alex points out, you really only need about 70w of tube power to drive cans. I had a pretty good time with the Octave V80SE and V110SE although personally, I would still go with a warmer solid state amp to take full advantage of the response speed.

I hope the SR1a will be at the Southern CA CanJam. I have to hear these.

I was told by Danny that they'll be there. And yeah the way you wear them means that they don't work well when lying down. I guess you can probably mod them to be more secure but the stock config does tend to fall off my head when I'm on my back.

 

[Zhanming057]

Ooh, tempting... I'm also pretty interested in their 300B-based HA-300 for more conventional headphone duties.

I like the HA300. It's a more restrained take on the 300b design than Woo's WA5 and more modern as well.

That said, even if you are driving normal cans my gold standard 300b amp is the Airtight 300b. A bit hard to find in 110v though, and it needs an Airtight preamp to sound its best.

 

[llamaluv]

I like the HA300. It's a more restrained take on the 300b design than Woo's WA5 and more modern as well.

That said, even if you are driving normal cans my gold standard 300b amp is the Airtight 300b. A bit hard to find in 110v though, and it needs an Airtight preamp to sound its best.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[jwbrent]

I like the HA300. It's a more restrained take on the 300b design than Woo's WA5 and more modern as well.

That said, even if you are driving normal cans my gold standard 300b amp is the Airtight 300b. A bit hard to find in 110v though, and it needs an Airtight preamp to sound its best.

Very nice amp. I owned the first iteration from the early 2000s and I imagine the current version surpasses it.

 

[jwbrent]

I do still have a soft spot for the Cary CAD-300sei, but the build quality was not up to the Air Tight standard.

 

[Zhanming057]

I do still have a soft spot for the Cary CAD-300sei, but the build quality was not up to the Air Tight standard.

The 300 SEI is a lot of fun and a pretty good competitor to the WA5 with a real headphone jack using the same tube circuitry as the taps.

Airtight is really in a league of its own when it comes to fit and finish. I would love to own one of their EL84 offerings.

 

[jwbrent]

 

[jwbrent]

I’m hoping my MQ-88 can drive the SR1a if I find them my cup of tea ... 50 watts into 6 ohms.

 

[jwbrent]

Finally (no more pics of past and present amps), If I like the SR1a, I wish I still owned these ...

 

[llamaluv]

Speaking of pretty tube amps, does Viva make a speaker amp with enough power for these things?

 

[Zhanming057]

Speaking of pretty tube amps, does Viva make a speaker amp with enough power for these things?

Nothing that I know of. Viva will happily custom build one for you, I know people who have gone down that route but be prepared to shell out at least $15k for the boutique builds.

 

[Mystel]

Oh just wanna add one more thing
For those in Singapore , try heading down to ConnectIT boutique at 313@Somerset to try the Sennheiser He-1.

Ive had quite some time with those, and i still prefer my setups at home.
To me they sound like good headphones.
And thats the keyword, 'Headphones'
Those are headphones, but these arent.
What im trying to say is, when i claim that these blow everything away in space/depth/realism, it includes the He1 too

 

[HoloSpice]

You hear that @PeteSTRADAMUS ? That's the sound of Sennheiser Engineers crying in the background...