[Roasty]

Hi all,

Apologies for the long post below, but hoping to get some advice on an amp upgrade geared toward the 1266 TC but still versatile enough to run my other headphones. As a bit of background, I've been in this hobby for a couple years, and have slowly and steadily climbed the chain while training my ears. I have a TC on the way from Joe and can't wait, but it also means I am looking to upgrade my amp (ideally with a budget around 2k, but I'm willing to go up some for something special).

Currently I have a Utopia, HD800, and a whole gaggle of ZMFs for which I'm a huge fan (Verite Open, Auteur, Eikon, Atticus). I've built my current system around the ZMFs primarily which I prefer with tubes, my amp is a mjolnir 2 with good tubes (nos, telefunken). The amp is the cheapest part of my chain, hence my desire to upgrade. I know the TC are very hard to drive. The rest of my chain is better but not extremely TOTL: I have a pure audio labs lotus 5 DAC that is fed via curious usb to an aurender n100h music server. I have no plans to change the server which I love, I might at some point upgrade the DAC but I'm pretty happy with it (seems to punch way above its price). But unless someone tells me otherwise, I'm assuming the mjolnir 2 won't cut it with the TC. I should also mention that I use xlr throughout and I have power cords and conditioners that are probably too good for my core components (audioquest tornado for amp and dac that feed into a niagara); but hopefully those will achieve greater gains with a better amp. I also use a lot of upgraded headphone cables like norne, danacable, etc.

As you can probably assume from the above, I tend to prefer a more musical setup. That said, my priority here is to get an amp that synergizes best with the TC, and as a second goal I'd like to get something that also sounds good with my ZMFs (and the utopia, although I'm guessing I'll cull the herd after the TC arrives, since I'm hoping it's the end of the journey for a while; and the utopia and VO may go on the chopping block). So if it's more clinical but awesome with the TC I'm open to considering. Also open to different kinds of amps (solid state, tube, etc.).

The two easy picks from limited research seem to be the Formula S and the GS-X mini. Curious if folks have thoughts about either of these, can someone elaborate on their sound signatures (musical vs. clinical) and how they've found they are with the TC and other headphones like those I've mentioned? For the Formula S, is the powerman PSU needed? I'm not limiting myself to just these two though, do folks here have recommendations in my price range? I have plenty of time to pick this up but appreciate any insights.

Thanks in advance!

Thin the herd! They won't get much play time after the TC arrives. Then use the extra funds to get a nice amp.

there is a powerman/formula combo on the headfi classifieds. There was a bakoon as well but recently sold. I have, but don't recommend, the hpa4. Gsx mini + TC is an OK pairing.

 

[tholt]

Thin the herd! They won't get much play time after the TC arrives. Then use the extra funds to get a nice amp.

Lol. This is probably true

 

[Homrsimson]

Lol. This is probably true

yeah I expect that to happen, I actually think I may be inclined to keep some of the cheaper ZMF’s oddly (I’ve bought and sold some of them a couple times, they have unique qualities). But yeah for pure technical performance I’m not sure if there’s a reason to keep the verite open and utopia if I like the TC . I didn’t really intend to buy a TC, but a good opportunity came up and I’ve been wanting to try it forever.

thanks for the mogwai recommendation, my only hesitation is I have a young kid in the house and seems like more parts that she could hurt herself with if I accidentally keep the amp on when she’s around. But then again that wasn’t an issue with the mjolnir 2, and I like the idea of getting something that works with it all.

 

[tholt]

I didn’t really intend to buy a TC, but a good opportunity came up and I’ve been wanting to try it forever.

Congrats!

 

[vonBaron]

How it's highs in TC? Because in Phi i think it's the weakest thing.

 

[Homrsimson]

Thin the herd! They won't get much play time after the TC arrives. Then use the extra funds to get a nice amp.

there is a powerman/formula combo on the headfi classifieds. There was a bakoon as well but recently sold. I have, but don't recommend, the hpa4. Gsx mini + TC is an OK pairing.

doesn’t sound like a strong vote of confidence for the gsx, sounds like I should look elsewhere. Have you heard the formula s with them?

 

[Roasty]

doesn’t sound like a strong vote of confidence for the gsx, sounds like I should look elsewhere. Have you heard the formula s with them?

I have the mini and it is alright with the TC. Not mind blowing.. I prefer the TC with tubes. Hpa4 is underwhelming. I've not tried the formula S but many here like it (though I believe quite a few have also sold it and eventually gone with the WA33).

 

[tholt]

How it's highs in TC? Because in Phi i think it's the weakest thing.

What's specifically 'weak' about it?

 

[vonBaron]

I think they are too hard and harsh sometimes, in Susvara the are more pleasant yet more detalited.

 

[Roasty]

I think they are too hard and harsh sometimes, in Susvara the are more pleasant yet more detalited.

I find the Susvara highs less appealing than TC Phi. With EQ on the Sus, much more bearable. I like the Utopia highs the most.

 

[Kevxl]

doesn’t sound like a strong vote of confidence for the gsx, sounds like I should look elsewhere. Have you heard the formula s with them?

I don’t think he meant to vote against the GSX mini, it just you get what you paid for. It’s a good amp for the budget, even the Abyss guys said so themselves on their YouTube channel. And, I agree that HPA4 is underwhelming for the TC since I can barely hear the difference between HPA4 and my TT2’s onboard amp.

Personally, I had the Mini and HPA4 but sold them both after acquired Formula S combo. I think this combo is a really good budget option, especially if you consider the second hand market. After all, it was made to specifically drive the TC. If you want to up your amp game from here, then you will probably have to spend $10K+ on amp and TOTL tubes to achieve any meaningful gain.

 

[JLoud]

I have a WA33 with EML tubes and the TC sounds fantastic on it. The guys from Abyss did a YouTube video on the combo. They couldn't say enough good about it.

 

[35FLE]

Was listening to my TC’s out of the TT2’s XLR outputs and I was surprised just how good they sounded. In fact, it’s was so good that I’m rethinking my external amplification needs all together.

How do you adjust the volume on the TT2 if listening out of the XLR outputs?

 

[Kevxl]

How do you adjust the volume on the TT2 if listening out of the XLR outputs?

Amp mode will allows you to adjust the volume.

DAC mode is fixed 2.5v RMS.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I love the highs on the TCs. The treble sparkle is amazing on cymbals