[Sophonax]

Is anyone out there using a solid state headphone amp for their Sony R10?
 
Based on what I've read, tubes seem to always be the recommendation for the R10.  However, due to their low impedance, high sensitivity, and high level of detail retrieval, it seems like solid state might make sense for the R10.  In particular, a good solid state amp should be able to provide a very low noise floor, allowing the innermost detail to shine through.
 
I'm looking for a serious upgrade to my amplification, and I'm thinking of going with a high-end, single-ended solid state amp for an R10 and an HD800.  Some options I've come across include:
 
Apex Arete / Volcano
Beta 22 / Sigma 22
RSA Apache
SPL Phonitor
 
Anyone have any opinions of these amps relative to the R10 or HD800?  Or any suggestions of other amps that should be on this list?
 
Thanks guys in advance for any advice / information!

 

[n3rdling]

I like the dynahi a lot.  Haven't really listened to my R10 with that many SS amps though.

 

[gzone3lement]

I listened to an R10 with tube amps before, but not with an SS amp. As a Denon AH-D7000 (similar to the R10) + SPL phonitor owner, I am very satisfied with the ear fatigue-free SPL Phonitor. I listened to Apex Arete / Volcano and Beta 22 / Sigma 22 with my headphones once in a meet, and I concluded that I would be very happy with either Beta22 or SPL Phonitor. As for the Apex Arete / Volcano, it took me a long while to compare. Later I realized the highs are a tad bit brighter than the SPL Phonitor (if I recall correctly). If you like transparent sound, then Beta 22 / Sigma 22 is the amplifier I would first think of. SPL Phonitor is an amplifier I would recommend only if you like tweaking with soundstage and center speaker using the crossfeed + center adjuster. Otherwise, SPL Auditor would be a more affordable amplifier too.

 

[Skylab]

The key is no make sure you don't get a SS amp with hyped treble. The R10 have a little extra on top, and you don't want to exacerbate that. I like them on tube best, for sure, but they sound pretty good on my vintage Marantz 2275, which is a mellow SS receiver from the 70's.

 

[Sophonax]

Thanks for the responses!  The Phonitor / Auditor sounds like it could be a good option.  And I agree, the R10 may lean just a bit toward the bright side -- so maybe the Arete won't be the best option if it's got a slight treble lilt.  But I don't want to smooth over the sound too much, either -- the detail and clarity of the R10 are some of its more endearing attributes for me.
 
So for those that are using the R10 with tubes -- what kind of architecture are you using (i.e. OTL, OTC)?  Based solely on impedance I would guess OTC would be the better way to go, but I certainly could be wrong in that guess.  In what way do you find your tube amps better with the R10 versus solid-state?

 

[n3rdling]

For some reason I've actually liked the R10 most with OTL amps.  For all the crap Single Power gets, and rightfully so, his OTL amp sounded superb with the R10.  I'm using an OTL amp called The Menace.  It was designed/built by Pete Millet/n_maher and is pretty insane.  There's a thread in the DIY forums here if you do a search in case you want to build one yourself.

 

[Skylab]

Well, just as an alternate view, the R-10 is quite low impedance, and as such I think it does better with transformer coupled tube amps. It is heaven with my Leben, but also sounds very good with the Trafomatic Experience Head One.

 

[n3rdling]

Yup, the low impedance is the reason I was surprised that it sounded best to me with two OTL amps.  I've also heard it extensively out of the B52 and Woo 5, both of which are transformer coupled to my knowledge,  and it didn't really sound that great.

 

[purk]

Depending on which version of the R10 that you have.  The bass light version is very difficult to drive and only good with tube amp; OTOH, the heavier bass versions are easier to drive and work great with both my Gilmore Reference Balanced and Headcode DM that I have.

 

[Skylab]

Mine are "bass-heavy", FWIW.

 

[rgs9200m]

Call Ray and ask him about an Apache with your specific R10. He might be able to help you out particularly.