[LinuxmasterD]

Thank you DavidA

I am sorry for not mentioning my budget -> Below 1000$ amp .
I can get HA-501 for 700$ this is why I was so interested about this thread.

And yes, HD800S is the way to go. Anything more bright then my current AKG K712 is already analytical and not life-like (K702, K7XX, Q701 - too analytical for my needs).

Owned the HA-501, liked the sound with HD800 to the point. I think HA-501 does not have the resolution and clarity for HD800. It has power and some dynamics for them, though. It wasn't the dac that was limiting it's capabilities, but the amp itself, I A/B it from Teac UD-503, and Lynx Hilo, with similar results. My recomendation, go balanced with HD800. I listen to HD800 exclusively on Mjolnir (1, w/o tubes), from Lynx Hilo, fully balanced path. You can find Mjolnir 1 from $500 - $750 online. I checked many amps till I found Mjolnir. You'll get highs without a trace of sibilance, low end improves drastically, and overall balance is ideal for HD800,IMMO. I also blamed HD800 for their shortcomings on SE amps, till I heard them in balanced on Mjolnir. They DON'T have any sibilance or lack of bass, if you pair them carefully. Now, you gonna need a very solid dac, too, and buy balanced cables. But, once you listen to them in balanced, you'll never go back. Amps I tried (and failed): Marantz HD-DAC1, Oppo HA-1, Teac HA-501, Burson Conductor, Headroom Little, and so on. Of course, you can go balanced with Auralic, but I don't feel the sweetnes of Mjolnir with them, let alone the price difference. It's up to you.

 

[DavidA]

Owned the HA-501, liked the sound with HD800 to the point. I think HA-501 does not have the resolution and clarity for HD800. It has power and some dynamics for them, though. It wasn't the dac that was limiting it's capabilities, but the amp itself, I A/B it from Teac UD-503, and Lynx Hilo, with similar results. My recomendation, go balanced with HD800. I listen to HD800 exclusively on Mjolnir (1, w/o tubes), from Lynx Hilo, fully balanced path. You can find Mjolnir 1 from $500 - $750 online. I checked many amps till I found Mjolnir. You'll get highs without a trace of sibilance, low end improves drastically, and overall balance is ideal for HD800,IMMO. I also blamed HD800 for their shortcomings on SE amps, till I heard them in balanced on Mjolnir. They DON'T have any sibilance or lack of bass, if you pair them carefully. Now, you gonna need a very solid dac, too, and buy balanced cables. But, once you listen to them in balanced, you'll never go back. Amps I tried (and failed): Marantz HD-DAC1, Oppo HA-1, Teac HA-501, Burson Conductor, Headroom Little, and so on. Of course, you can go balanced with Auralic, but I don't feel the sweetnes of Mjolnir with them, let alone the price difference. It's up to you.

Balanced is not everything, I've heard my HD800 from a Liquid Glass, Liquid Gold, Master 11, and MHA-100 which all have both balanced and SE output, there was no difference between them. Its the design of the amp that is what needs to be considered and there are some manufactures of amps that don't think balanced is better either.

 

[LinuxmasterD]

Balanced is not everything, I've heard my HD800 from a Liquid Glass, Liquid Gold, Master 11, and MHA-100 which all have both balanced and SE output, there was no difference between them. Its the design of the amp that is what needs to be considered and there are some manufactures of amps that don't think balanced is better either.

Oh, no, my intention wasn't to steer you in balanced, or any direction. Just my opinion, it doesn't have to mean anything to anyone. What if I told you that I think that HD800 on Mjolnir are more exciting and overall better listen than Audeze LCD-3? Or that literally nothing comes nowhere near to AT ATH-W5000 rendition of Allan Teylors' Wheel Of Fortune?
And few hundreds other songs. They were brutally dismissed and ridiculed by David Mahler and his iconic Battle Of The Flagships. For both this IMMO's I'd be probably attacked from to many directions that I'm able to turn. Doesn't matter. Every art is as subjective as the person involved.
Now back to Teac HA-501, not to insult the tread.
I owned the HA-501/UD-501 combo for a year, exploring their capabilities and more so, their synergy. In their respected price range, they ARE one of the most intersting sounding amp/dac combos, with an accent on HA-501, as a better part of the equation. Furthermore, I think if Teac opted to include Mosfets instead of op-amps (Muses), the HA-501 would be reaching much higher the audio ladder. In any case, I still consider them an audiophile products, just not summit level. Again, the only standard you should employ, is how much their sound pleasures your ears. That's all.

 

[LinuxmasterD]

Oh, no, my intention wasn't to steer you in balanced, or any direction. Just my opinion, it doesn't have to mean anything to anyone. What if I told you that I think that HD800 on Mjolnir are more exciting and overall better listen than Audeze LCD-3? Or that literally nothing comes nowhere near to AT ATH-W5000 rendition of Allan Teylors' Wheel Of Fortune?
And few hundreds other songs. They were brutally dismissed and ridiculed by David Mahler and his iconic Battle Of The Flagships. For both this IMMO's I'd be probably attacked from to many directions that I'm able to turn. Doesn't matter. Every art is as subjective as the person involved.
Now back to Teac HA-501, not to insult the tread.
I owned the HA-501/UD-501 combo for a year, exploring their capabilities and more so, their synergy. In their respected price range, they ARE one of the most intersting sounding amp/dac combos, with an accent on HA-501, as a better part of the equation. Furthermore, I think if Teac opted to include Mosfets instead of op-amps (Muses), the HA-501 would be reaching much higher the audio ladder. In any case, I still consider them an audiophile products, just not summit level. Again, the only standard you should employ, is how much their sound pleasures your ears. That's all.

P.S. In a somewhat (but not really) unrelated matter, one can't help but wonder, why would Senn, the maker of HD800, not only recommend, but insist on balanced drive for them, producing 2 (two) amps, specialy engeneered for HD800, HDVD800 (w/ dac) and HDV600, (w/o dac), both, hmm.. balanced?
But hey, again, it's up to you, an individual audioohile listener, to decide. And that's the ONLY rule and law in this business. End of story.

 

[NDonchev]

Hello, I listened to the Teac HA-501 in a shop this weekend along with the Violectric HPA V200 and Violectric HPA V281. I used the Fiio X3 II as a DAC and Sennheiser HD800S headphones. Long-story-short, I bought the Teac.

Any of the amps I have tried was a significant improvement over the Fiio X3 II alone. I liked the most the HPA V281, but only when using the balanced headphone cable. In my opinion, it had better soundstage and clarity. On Tundra by Amber Rubarth, the percussion hits sounded like they are somewhere far in space, totally unrestricted. On the unbalanced and other amps, it was again amazing soundstage but more restricted. Anyway, let's not forget that the HPA V281 costs about 2000 euro, which is a lot more than the other options and far out of my budget.

So, compared to the highly praised Violectric HPA V200 I liked the Teac more. It's more musical and engaging and generally, it's more enjoyable to me. On top of that, the HA-501 is half the price of the HPA V200. I'm totally satisfied with the Teac for now. I don't have extensive experience with amps, but in my opinion the Teac is a great sounding amp and a great match for the HD800S.

 

[ESL-1]

Hello, I listened to the Teac HA-501 in a shop this weekend along with the Violectric HPA V200 and Violectric HPA V281. I used the Fiio X3 II as a DAC and Sennheiser HD800S headphones. Long-story-short, I bought the Teac.

Any of the amps I have tried was a significant improvement over the Fiio X3 II alone. I liked the most the HPA V281, but only when using the balanced headphone cable. In my opinion, it had better soundstage and clarity. On Tundra by Amber Rubarth, the percussion hits sounded like they are somewhere far in space, totally unrestricted. On the unbalanced and other amps, it was again amazing soundstage but more restricted. Anyway, let's not forget that the HPA V281 costs about 2000 euro, which is a lot more than the other options and far out of my budget.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The TEAC is truly a chameleon and does very well with many of my headphones including my HD800. It is a great match for the Flagship Grado PS2000e. I also have and like the Violectric V200 but listen to the TEAC more.

Did you purchase new or used? If new it gets better with usage.

Enjoy

So, compared to the highly praised Violectric HPA V200 I liked the Teac more. It's more musical and engaging and generally, it's more enjoyable to me. On top of that, the HA-501 is half the price of the HPA V200. I'm totally satisfied with the Teac for now. I don't have extensive experience with amps, but in my opinion the Teac is a great sounding amp and a great match for the HD800S.

 

[NDonchev]

ESL-1 thanks, actually you are one of the main people that influenced me to try the Teac based on your posts and reviews.

I bought it new. I hope I'll hear an improvement in sound with time as you are saying.

 

[ESL-1]

ESL-1 thanks, actually you are one of the main people that influenced me to try the Teac based on your posts and reviews.

I bought it new. I hope I'll hear an improvement in sound with time as you are saying.

Being of the "I believe in break in" camp I recommend keeping some sort of record of your playtime and at certain time intervals play a favorite or two reference tracks. I am glad you are liking the TEAC fresh out of the box. Keep us posted and enjoy.

ESL-1

 

[kingofzero]

Does this unit has variable output impedance, what levels are there?

It is described as being "Dual Monaural", how does this impact sound? I would be using this amp for games as well so if I'm curious if this might have an affect on positional audio.

 

[Bern2]

Does this unit has variable output impedance, what levels are there?

It is described as being "Dual Monaural", how does this impact sound? I would be using this amp for games as well so if I'm curious if this might have an affect on positional audio.

I can't speak for how the dual mono stages affects the sound (it does have a very quiet noise floor), I can say that the damping does have an effect ..most noticeable on my Nighthawks. Certainly improved how the bass is handled.

Bern

Position Headphone Impedance Damping Factor
HIGH at 32 ohms DF=76
* at 64 ohms DF=98
MID at 120 ohms DF=97
* at 300 ohms DF=115
LOW at 600 ohms DF=118

 

[TJ Max]

The most expensive headphone amp I every bought was $1,650. And that was supposed to be an upgrade from a 1,550 headphone amp. I've explored a few others, and though I really enjoyed them, The Teac HA-501 is the amp I keep returning to. Its power, detail and authority out performs much more expensive headphone amps in my opinion. The amp was initially $850 when I first got it. But it can be found new these days for about $500. I highly recommend it. I just wish it had a XLR output to match its input.

 

[Bern2]

The most expensive headphone amp I every bought was $1,650. And that was supposed to be an upgrade from a 1,550 headphone amp. I've explored a few others, and though I really enjoyed them, The Teac HA-501 is the amp I keep returning to. Its power, detail and authority out performs much more expensive headphone amps in my opinion. The amp was initially $850 when I first got it. But it can be found new these days for about $500. I highly recommend it. I just wish it had a XLR output to match its input.

I"ve seen it on ebay for just over 300. I bought it used for 500 here on head-fi and have been happy with the purchase.

Bern

 

[ESL-1]

I have a number of amps but also find the HA-501 a go to for many of my headphones. Spacious and a bit of a chameleon.

 

[Vergil]

Hi, anyone knows how the UD-503 as an amp compares to the HA-501? I already have the HA-501, I was looking at the UD-503 as a DAC upgrade, however people say that the amp section of the UD-503 is heavily upgraded from the UD-501. Is it better than the HA-501? Or I should keep my HA-501 and use it together with the UD-503?

 

[housekrl]

Just bought a HA 501 from a fellow head-fier for under $300. Figured if I didn't like it, I could get my money back. I've been a tube guy for years. Just never liked most SS amps. Always thought they were too clinical. Could care less about measurements. When I started reading about this amp I thought it might compliment my WA6. Holy crap, I love this amp. It's detailed, but not clinical or sterile. It has a warmth that is a lot like my WA6, especially when I turn the damping on low. However, I prefer the damping on high. Feed from an Audio gd DAC19, and Hifiman Ananda as hp of choice, it sounds absolutely breathtaking. This is the SS I've been wanting to hear all these years.