[-Stevo-]

I have these Denon phones in my collection that aren't getting the power they deserve. The have the full MarkL mod and are custom cabled. I purchased a Little Dot MKV amp thinking it would be a great pair, but,it doesn't provide power like I had anticipated. I'm actually pretty disappointed with the Little Dot's quality, but, I won't go into that here.

What would be a good choice for the D5000 phones? The source is usually an Ipod Touch.

Thanks.

 

[Jodet]

I had a Blue Circle SBH with Denons, it was OUTSTANDING. I sold it because I wasn't using it as a pre-amp anymore, I wish I'd kept it as a dedicated headphone amp.

If you don't mind a goofy looking amp (that sounds great) look into the 'Hat Peed Thingie 2' from Blue Circle. Newer model, cheaper cosmetics, lower price.

Good luck finding a dealer who's not a useless jerk. See if you can buy direct from the manufacturer.

 

[mrarroyo]

The Blue Circle is a fantastic amp w/ the Denons, I had an opportunity to try one out about a year ago and I was very impressed. You can also try one of the Rudistor amps, I had an NX-02 and it paired very well w/ the Denon. Lastly a Graham Slee Solo SRGII would also be a nice paring. Good luck.

 

[lmswjm]

Hifiman's EF-5 may be a good choice for $399. I'm getting one this week that I'll be incidentally trying with my D7000's. It's got extra juice to power orthodynamic phones with a similar impedance. It's supposed to have good bass response.

.

 

[aimlink]

The HeadRoom amps also pair very well with the D5000's.

 

[CherryBomb]

I have an EHHA build by dbel84, and it sounds fantastic with my D7000. I can also vouch for the HR desktop amp. Its a very different sounding amp, for liquid and good all the same. Based on my experience with these two amps, I think I would recommend a tube amp for most generes of music, but could see you preferring SS if you listen mostly to techno, trance, trip hop or generes similar to these.

 

[digitaldave]

I've just been through the same thing Stevo. In my research, a number of options came up, mainly:

Musical Fidelity X-Can v8
Graham Slee Solo
EF-1 (has this been replaced by the EF-5 now?)

I ended up getting a HeadRoom Micro DAC/AMP combination. Bearing in mind my MD5000s have not been burned in and I've got rubbish hearing anyway, I'm really liking the combination.

Something that came up in almost all threads I found on the subject was that most tube amps aren't a great match unless you get in to the more expensive end of things. Solid state amps (and hybrid tube / solid state as they have ss output stages, e.g. the MF X-Can v8 and EF-1) are usually recommended as they way to go.

Hope that helps.

 

[Jodet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitaldave /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've just been through the same thing Stevo. In my research, a number of options came up, mainly: Musical Fidelity X-Can v8 Graham Slee Solo EF-1 (has this been replaced by the EF-5 now?) I ended up getting a HeadRoom Micro DAC/AMP combination. Bearing in mind my MD5000s have not been burned in and I've got rubbish hearing anyway, I'm really liking the combination. Something that came up in almost all threads I found on the subject was that most tube amps aren't a great match unless you get in to the more expensive end of things. Solid state amps (and hybrid tube / solid state as they have ss output stages, e.g. the MF X-Can v8 and EF-1) are usually recommended as they way to go. Hope that helps.

How do you like the crossfeed? Always use it, never use it, sometimes use it?

 

[digitaldave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodet /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you like the crossfeed? Always use it, never use it, sometimes use it?

Rarely used it to be honest, apart from the 'what does this switch do?' moment when I first got it. Just playing with it right now, I'm not that fussed about it, as it seems to muddy things just ever so slightly. YMMV

. I forsee it being left in the off position for the rest of the amp's life.

 

[-Stevo-]

Thanks for the new options. Now I just need to track them down.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitaldave /img/forum/go_quote.gif Rarely used it to be honest, apart from the 'what does this switch do?' moment when I first got it. Just playing with it right now, I'm not that fussed about it, as it seems to muddy things just ever so slightly. YMMV . I forsee it being left in the off position for the rest of the amp's life.

For the really good recordings, the crossfeed works well. For the contemporary, compressed recordings, all the crossfeed really does is add more colour that actually makes matters worse than they already are.

I use it on and off.

 

[digitaldave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the really good recordings, the crossfeed works well. For the contemporary, compressed recordings, all the crossfeed really does is add more colour that actually makes matters worse than they already are. I use it on and off.

I'll give it a try with some less compressed recording then

.

 

[tim3320070]

Audio-gd C-2C kicked my D5000's into gear nicely when I had that setup.

 

[-Stevo-]

That's a good looking amp. Where did you get yours?

 

[aamefford]

I've heard good things about the Gilmore light / Dynalo. I have a MisterX Dynalo that I just love with my Ultrasones. I'll report back soon. I have a pair of D5000's arriving tomorrow, as well as a pair of JMoney pads, and a drawer full of dynamat... I can't wait.