[madcat]

Hello everyone. I have read many thread and many of you guys are based in US. I am located in uk, London and there are limited of headphone amp that I can get.

This is what I have found out so far:
Gilmore Lite seems very popular in this forum but the downside they do not sell in UK (I think) and the power problem that needed to step down to a lower voltage.

Rega Ear is suggested and I can get in http://www.lintone.co.uk
My question is whether Rega Ear comparable with Gilmore Lite?

X-Cans is also suggested in this forum but how good it is, I do not have a clue.

The other one is Creek 21SE but there are lots of people argue either it is a good amp or with the price you can get a better amp?

Can anyone help me to decide which amp to get? I have read it is all about which type of music you are into. My answer is classical, jazz and bit of pop.

 

[Alu]

For senns I always suggest Corda amps.

 

[pingles]

I currently use a PPA with my HD650s and have found it to be excellent. As you say, it makes it a little more difficult having to ship internationally but not by a mile.

I would say your best bet is to also quote your budget, otherwise, you could end up with suggestions that you won't be following. Also, letting us know what will be driving the amp would be helpful.

In terms of amps to read up on, I'd definitely say PPA (and any of the more recent DIY amps -- there are many builders here on Head-Fi that are more than able and happy to build one for you). More commercially speaking, the Cordas have been recommended, as have many of the Ray Samuels Emmeline amps. I seem to remember the XP-7 being highly recommended to me, and the HR-2 also. If you're likely to be wanting something transportable go with the XP-7. For something you're likely to be leaving in one place you may want to go HR-2 and get the power supply. I bought a power supply upgrade for my PPA and found it made a massive improvement.

 

[madcat]

pingles: My budget would be 300quid max. Anything above 300quid would be too extreme I think.
Just wondering, how much are Ray Samuels Emmeline amps?

Alu: How much are Corda amps and where can I buy them?

 

[Alu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by madcat Alu: How much are Corda amps and where can I buy them?

You can check out the maker's page here for prices and the like (he's located in Germany): www.meier-audio.de

 

[ken36]

Here is a wholehearted vote for Jan Meier and his line-up of great procuct.

 

[timo_nyc]

Another vote for a CORDA amp. I run Senn HD650s with a PREHEAD. It's nice.

 

[Bosch]

I'll chip in a vote for the GSP Solo 2004 amp from the UK for the HD650, although I'm not sure it can beat the top level Corda amps, which cost more, naturally. Depends if you want a no-compromise solid state amp or have a spending limit...

 

[pingles]

The Ray Samuels amps are available from Todd the Vinyl Junkie (a Head-fi sponsor): www.toddthevinyljunkie.com.

The SR-71 I purchased was $395 (a portable, but supposeduly also quite capable as a desktop amp, although lack of a power supply means you'd have to change batteries every now and then.

The XP-7 (which supports both batteries and mains) is priced at $495, and the XP-7 with power supply is $695 -- just outside your budget. I've been extremely impressed with the SR-71 and I do remember being given recommendations on the XP-7 when I was looking so I'd suggest taking a browse through reviews in the Amplification forum, and potentially keeping an eye on the amplification for-sale forum to see if any pop up!