[padam]

CEC HD53R V8.0, CEC HD53N

 

[Synthax]

Which one of them You have indicated (Violectric, Graham Slee, Burson..) suits best for Beyers T70 and Grado rs325is?

 

[HeyWaj10]

Musical Fidelity M1HPA.  Or really, any of the Musical Fidelity headphone amps.  They tend to have very "musical and warm" sound signatures to them.  I am enjoying the M1HPA currently, despite not quite being the best pairing with my LCD2s (potentially too "polite").

 

[bedlam inside]

Hi,
 
Quote:

I was wondering what solid state amps offer a warm sound signature (or 'tubey').
 
I realize this is of course somewhat relative, it may sound different from person to person, and the combination of equipment matters greatly (opamps, headphones used, musical taste...).
 
Still, what do you consider to be warm sounding solid state amp in any price range, DIY included?

In my big system I listen to Valves, strictly. Not heard much solid state that comes close.

I recently bought the iFi iCAN (and their other stuff), it claims to have some kind of "Tubestate" circuit.

It does not sound quite like tubes I think, but it sounds rather good, more warm and relaxed than a few others I heard or tried. Still, I think a real Tube Amp would be nicer.

Cheerio Rich

 

[Greed]

From what I've heard:
 
Violectric V200
Burson HA-160
Matrix M-Stage
Yulong A12
FiiO E9 - slightly warm sounding

 

[Painterspal]

Why don't you get the real thing and go for a tube amp?
 
My vote is for the Violectric v200 but it isn't as 'tubey' as a real tube amp.

 

[Monir]

I agree, the V200 is not completely tube-warm. It got lots of detail, but rather than being overly bright I find its treble to be smooth. It has a hint of lushness and it almost feels natural so to speak, I believe it pairs well with the lush LCD-2 for that reason.
 
Also, I think Greed refers to Yulong Sabre A18, an amp which also is on my short-list.
 
The M-Stage felt a tad darker, almost like the Burson, but I felt it lacked the same dynamics that the V200 has, and it didn't feel as lush. Although I feel that the V200 is more natural than thick sounding and warm like a real tube amp. I've heard the A18 is a hint warmer than the V200, but that remains to be heard on my part.

 

[smodtactical]

Sorry to necro thread but am curious about warm SS amps.

Do the master 9 and HDV820 (amp+dac) belong here?

 

[Phantaminum]

Headamp Gilmore Lite MK2 has a warm tilt to it. Has a wide and mostly deep sound stage. Pairs nicely with my Auteurs and E-Mu Teaks. Found it a bit too warm with my AFOs but still enjoyed the speed and bass it brought. Build is to notch. Everything from the volume knob, to the switches, feel very solid.

 

[smodtactical]

Headamp Gilmore Lite MK2 has a warm tilt to it. Has a wide and mostly deep sound stage. Pairs nicely with my Auteurs and E-Mu Teaks. Found it a bit too warm with my AFOs but still enjoyed the speed and bass it brought. Build is to notch. Everything from the volume knob, to the switches, feel very solid.

Do you think it would be much of an upgrade over a Burson conductor SL (or basically a burson soloist SL) ?

 

[Phantaminum]

Do you think it would be much of an upgrade over a Burson conductor SL (or basically a burson soloist SL) ?

Unfortunately, I've never had a chance to listen to the Burson. Wish I could of be more of a help.

 

[bagwell359]

Why don't you get the real thing and go for a tube amp?

Retubing costs?

The fact that they change over time - for the worse

Hard to get the bass to be linear, although tube amps for speakers are even more difficult/expensive to attain that.

There are lots of nasty sounding transistor amps, but designs by Pass, Curl, etc. using various fets are not among them. My Pass X-150 sounds the same as when I got it almost 20 years ago. No tube amp or even hybrid can say that. My Ragnarok is almost 3 years old, no tube issues with that yet either.

 

[Monsterzero]

If youre looking to drive high impedance headphones try grabbing a Sansui 5000(5000a and 5000x too). Warmer than any amp Ive ever heard,including all the OTL tube amps Ive owned. You get the added bonus of tone control and speaker taps for driving speakers as well. They can often be found on eBay for around $200.00

 

[smodtactical]

Apparently the HDV 820 is very tubey sounding. I have one coming in soon so I can post impressions later.

 

[TWerk]

Audeze Deckard is an excellent warmish solid state.