shwnwllms
1000+ Head-Fier
Finally took the plunge and got a legitimate tube amp to pair with my VO. Thanks @Wes S for the screaming deal on the Pendant SE. (Enjoy your new Cayin HA-300B MKII)
The (Un)Official Amp Thread For ZMF Headphones
- Thread starter Monsterzero
- Start date
ziggz
100+ Head-Fier
Absolutely beautiful setup. Enjoy!Finally took the plunge and got a legitimate tube amp to pair with my VO. Thanks @Wes S for the screaming deal on the Pendant SE. (Enjoy your new Cayin HA-300B MKII)
paradoxper
Headphoneus Supremus
One of the best choices would be the DSHA3F.
Looks like we both joined the Ampsandsound club today. Congrats! Beautiful setup!Finally took the plunge and got a legitimate tube amp to pair with my VO. Thanks @Wes S for the screaming deal on the Pendant SE. (Enjoy your new Cayin HA-300B MKII)
The DAC on it is amazing and it's a versatile device--very detailed, wide soundstage. However, ZMFs straight out of it are less than ideal. The output impedence is just way too low. There is also shoutiness in the vocals especially at high volume. The Pro iCAN and iFi Micro Black had a much richer and satisfying sound to my ears as far as solid states go.
shwnwllms
1000+ Head-Fier
V550 is an excellent choice, or a used V281 if you’re patient but they are getting harder and harder to come by. If you go solid state with ZMF you need something with enough power at 300 ohms or you’ll have issues with over damping (and your ZMFs sounding clinical or dry, opposite of how they are intended). Violectric is a jack of all trades in this regard, but there is just something magical that a tube amp can add that can’t be matched by a solid state.
Individual sensitivity is a factor. I listen to my ZMFs on tubes and SS -- including the Chord TT 2 -- and while there are differences I have no problem listening to either setup for hours, and do so regularly, without any fatigue.
The only OTL amp I’m aware of that works well with moderately efficient planars is the Schiit Folkvangr. It sounds great, but you’re limited to about 1.3 W max and probably sounds best at under 250 mW. It’s also not cheap.
The La figaro 339 (OG) is actually quite good with the old HE500, which was not particularly easy to drive. Certainly not HE6 levels of power hunger, but at 38 ohms and 89 sensitivity, it certainly needed some juice.
That being said, an OTL amp shouldn't be counted on to drive planars and should be considered a stopgap solution until a solid state, 300b or TC amp can be had.
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Chris Kaoss
Headphoneus Supremus
Really nice one.Finally took the plunge and got a legitimate tube amp to pair with my VO. Thanks @Wes S for the screaming deal on the Pendant SE. (Enjoy your new Cayin HA-300B MKII)
Out of curiosity, how does it sound compared to the Vio?
Have an eye on the 550 Pro, in line with the Cayin.
(should drive the VO, Era-1 and upcoming Caldera well)Call me jealous about your Holo.
Whenever I see these brown-ish "eyes", the drooling starts. ^^
shwnwllms
1000+ Head-Fier
Really nice one.
Out of curiosity, how does it sound compared to the Vio?
Have an eye on the 550 Pro, in line with the Cayin.
Call me jealous about your Holo.
Whenever I see these brown-ish "eyes", the drooling starts. ^^
The VO sounds quite nice from the V550 Pro. It’s a very neutral amp (just on the warm side of neutral) so it’s very source dependent. It’s one of the few SS amps that can drive it well, it’s a jack of all trades in that regards since it’s got plenty of power at 300 ohms and won’t over dampen the VO. It sounds more technically proficient on the V550 Pro, very detailed and resolving. It sacrifices some of the euphoric stage you’ll get with a tube amp but the decay and timbre are pure VO. Nothing beats a tube amp with ZMFs though. Previously I had a Pontus II so I chose the V550 Pro as a more versatile solution. Holo May KTE can accept both XLR and RCA out simultaneously (Pontus II was one or the other) so now I get the best of both worlds with the Pendant SE (which is a relatively neutral tube amp but I get that euphoric stage and low end bloom that I miss on a SS amp)
gonintendo
100+ Head-Fier
The KR KT88s are in and they are sounding phenomenal with the Atrium through a 5AR4 rectifier, thanks for the rec. Over the JJ KT88s (which once I switch to a 5AR4 I was actually quite enjoying with the Atrium) they have a more liquid midrange and insane spacial cues. This is the most 3D I've heard the Atrium sound. Bass is super tight and impactful too.
Here is the summary of current results in this thread to this survey:
“If you could get any amp whatsoever to pair with you ZMF headphones - no budget, access, or time constraints of any kind - what would be your ultimate dream amp?”
Replies are listed alphabetically. In hope that this will be a fun (and useful?) list for any future reader of this thread. I may go back and update this post from time-to-time if more replies or ideas come up here that intend by their nature to answer the question. Keep your ideas coming.... Here goes:
“If you could get any amp whatsoever to pair with you ZMF headphones - no budget, access, or time constraints of any kind - what would be your ultimate dream amp?”
Replies are listed alphabetically. In hope that this will be a fun (and useful?
) list for any future reader of this thread. I may go back and update this post from time-to-time if more replies or ideas come up here that intend by their nature to answer the question. Keep your ideas coming.... Here goes:- 1101 Audio Blue Halo+
- Ampandsound Nautilus Rev 2
- Ampandsound Red October Rev 2 (Elrog tubes)
- Beyerdynamic A20
- Cayin HA-300MK2
- Decware // Reference ZMF OTL
- DNA Stellaris Special
- DNA Stratus
- ECP Audio DSHA-3F
- Eddie Current Studio Tribute
- Eddie Current Studio B (300B version)
- Eddie Current Zana Deux Super
- Feliks Audio Envy
- Glenn OTL
- Linear Tube Audio MZ3
- Ray Samuels, Emmeline, "The Apache"
- Woo Audio WA33 Elite Edition
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