[Temudschin]

I'd love to get into tube amp to get that typical classic "warmer" tube sound out of my chain. Up until now I only used solid state amplification.

To be honest, I have no clue where to start. Any suggestions?

Obviously I'm not willing to sell my kidneys

 

[HWB3]

Schiit Vali 2++ and upgrade the stock tube. Looking at around $200. Good place to test the waters.

 

[Whazzzup]

sell the kidneys, a child, whatever.

 

[jimbop54]

Determine your budget. Determine your needs for power, impedance, connections, etc. Go to the amps forum, use the search function and start reading. Look in the classifieds just to see what’s out there.

 

[haasaaroni]

With the headphones you have, a hybrid tube amp would probably be best. The HD 600S(1+2) didn't respond as well to OTL and OTC tubes as my HD 6XX and 600 did, but still sounded pretty good. A hybrid amp will give you a bit of that tube warmth you're looking for, but will work equally well with your Arya, which needs good current and a low output impedance.

The cheaper Schiit amps seem like a good entry. I would also look into the xDuoo MT-604.

 

[Temudschin]

With the headphones you have, a hybrid tube amp would probably be best. The HD 600S(1+2) didn't respond as well to OTL and OTC tubes as my HD 6XX and 600 did, but still sounded pretty good. A hybrid amp will give you a bit of that tube warmth you're looking for, but will work equally well with your Arya, which needs good current and a low output impedance.

The cheaper Schiit amps seem like a good entry. I would also look into the xDuoo MT-604.

Thanks for the recommendations. My list of headphones needs an update. I sold my HD 660s. At one point, I also had the HD 600 and from what I expirienced with them they scale really good. Don't ask me why I sold my HD 600. Can't remember, but I do regret it!

I'm also looking at the Feliks Audio Echo2. Anyone knows what they changed from the Echo to the Echo2?

 

[haasaaroni]

Thanks for the recommendations. My list of headphones needs an update. I sold my HD 660s. At one point, I also had the HD 600 and from what I expirienced with them they scale really good. Don't ask me why I sold my HD 600. Can't remember, but I do regret it!

Oh gotcha. What headphones are you using now? I haven’t heard the Feliks Echo (1 or 2), so I can’t comment, but I know some who’ve heard it and love it! Even people owning much higher end gear. It’s an OTL amp, so just make sure your headphones will “jive” with it.

 

[Temudschin]

I still have my arya stealth, but to be honest my main "go to" headphone right now is the 109 pro.

 

[Temudschin]

And I'm thinking about buying the HD 600 again, since this headphone brought me to this...and it was kind of my first love

 

[haasaaroni]

And I'm thinking about buying the HD 600 again, since this headphone brought me to this...and it was kind of my first love

It’s not a bad idea! You can experience some real magic with the HD600 on an OTL tube amp.

For me, the Arya Stealth didn’t really like any tube amp I tried it with, which at the time were the Bottlehead Crack and the Ampsandsound Forge. It didn't sound bad, it was just missing some of the directness, imaging, and speed the headphone is known for. The output impedance on those amps were pretty high, 8 ohms on the Forge's lowest settings all the way up to 120 ohms on the Crack, so the sound wasn't very controlled, and got a little loose and boomy. I think it really needs something with a very low output impedance to keep the driver in control, which is what a hybrid tube amp like the Lyr+ would give it.

Can't comment on the 109 pro, but I'm thinking it would get along well with the Feliks Echo.

 

[roderickvd]

Eufonika fan here! Awesome amps and much more bang for the buck than the Feliks offerings. Depending on your taste of aesthetics, of course.
Main thread is here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/eufonika-valve-amps-from-poland.909833/

 

[psy472]

Tube amps is costly. It also depends what you wanted out of the sound. If you want less treble harshness and warmer mids then any low cost tube amp is fine. And if you want to shave off the harsh highs from your SS amp then just preamp the tube amp into your SS amp. I preamp my Lyr 3 to my Mjolnir 3 and it was the best of both worlds.

Tube amp gets expensive when you are looking into sound signatures, body/clarity, and soundstage. Signature and body can influenced by your choice of tubes. Clarity and soundstage will need costly Amps that require 4+ high end tubes to run.

If money is no object, get the MASS-Kobo Model 465 SS amp for 17K USD and be done with it.

 

[haasaaroni]

Tube amps is costly. It also depends what you wanted out of the sound. If you want less treble harshness and warmer mids then any low cost tube amp is fine. And if you want to shave off the harsh highs from your SS amp then just preamp the tube amp into your SS amp. I preamp my Lyr 3 to my Mjolnir 3 and it was the best of both worlds.

Tube amp gets expensive when you are looking into sound signatures, body/clarity, and soundstage. Signature and body can influenced by your choice of tubes. Clarity and soundstage will need costly Amps that require 4+ high end tubes to run.

If money is no object, get the MASS-Kobo Model 465 SS amp for 17K USD and be done with it.

Yeah, tube rolling is a never-ending adventure!

 

[DenverW]

And I'm thinking about buying the HD 600 again, since this headphone brought me to this...and it was kind of my first love

Bottlehead is having a sale soon on their crack, which is the tubiest of OTL tube amps and works amazing with the hd600. It's quite rewarding and educational to build, as well.

 

[Temudschin]

Today, I recieved my new Feliks Audio Elise Mk2. I know I Know, not really entry level
First of all, what a good looking amp that is, wow.
Soundwise, obviously it needs to have at least 30-50h of operating time to unleash its full potential. But I already felt in love with the carateristic of the tube sound. And the other surprise was, how well my Ayras paired with the amp. I didn't expect that!