[quackman]

I kind of have my sights set on the Headroom little amp which is MSRP 249.
does anyone have any better suggestions?

 

[rtsy]

Answers to this is all over this forum. Do a search.

If you like the warmth and lushness of tubes and can live without the crossfeed, check out the Musical Fidelity X-Cans v2 and Antique Sound Labs MG Head OTL.

 

[AIM9x]

search around. There is an insane number of options that I can't even begin to name them all.

Although I'd like to suggest the Meta42. I was heavily impressed by the abilities of this amp. There's not much that it can't do, and it does it all rather cheaply too.

 

[tom hankins]

JMT meta42, for 300.00 I think he will build you one completly maxed out.

 

[Gallaine]

I've haven't really tried alot of amps, but my recommendation is the MG Head OTL headamp. Though, be warned, it needs NOS tubes to sound its best; but don't worry, they can be had for around $70 for all the tubes you'll need.

There have been reports that the new MG Head OTL mk. II is suffering from the same quality control issues as the original MG Head. But, ASL worked out the bugs the first time around and I'm sure they'll do the same for the new version. BTW my MG Head OTL (mk. I not mk. II) was in perfect condition when I took delivery of it.

 

[quackman]

hmm I haven't been seeing good things about the headroom little from people on this board.... in contrary to the many good things i hear about it on the net.

an all around popular choice seems to be the antique sound labs MG head... but only with upgraded tubes
the xcans seems to be annoying too. harder to upgrade the tubes, and just not good sound quality.

so since I'm going with the MG heads probably, can anyone give me the ideas on the cheapest, but still good replacecement tubes? and some websites that seel the MG for the cheapest? i can't seem to find it for less than 300..

 

[DLoken]

Talk to JMT.

 

[Kali]

My X-Can V2 arrived last week, I have it paired with HD580s and basically I haven't stopped smiling since it has arrived, it just sounds so good, and its such a step-up from the Marantz Sr4200 i was feeding my Arcam through.. I'm not exactly a major audiophile but I haven't noticed any flaws in the sound from it, and nearly everything I've played through it (from Roger Waters to Bjork to Miles Davis) has sounded more alive, richer and detailed, it started off a bit on the bright side, but after a few days thats toned down.. cost me €250 including shipping and well worth it imo.

 

[JaZZ]

Congrats on your X-Can, kali – it's an underestimated amp, but suits the HD 580/600 really well!

 

[lok]

Quote:

Originally posted by Kali My X-Can V2 arrived last week, I have it paired with HD580s and basically I haven't stopped smiling since it has arrived, it just sounds so good, and its such a step-up from the Marantz Sr4200 i was feeding my Arcam through.. I'm not exactly a major audiophile but I haven't noticed any flaws in the sound from it, and nearly everything I've played through it (from Roger Waters to Bjork to Miles Davis) has sounded more alive, richer and detailed, it started off a bit on the bright side, but after a few days thats toned down.. cost me €250 including shipping and well worth it imo.

Kali, where did you buy it for 250 euros?

 

[Kali]

lok, I gave walrus.co.uk a ring, they're a real nice crowd in London and shipped it the next day for me... £150 (+£15 shipping to Ireland).. I didn't notice anywhere selling it in euroland, but I doubt it'll be much cheaper

 

[shafu]

Quote:

Originally posted by quackman hmm I haven't been seeing good things about the headroom little from people on this board.... in contrary to the many good things i hear about it on the net. an all around popular choice seems to be the antique sound labs MG head... but only with upgraded tubes the xcans seems to be annoying too. harder to upgrade the tubes, and just not good sound quality. so since I'm going with the MG heads probably, can anyone give me the ideas on the cheapest, but still good replacecement tubes? and some websites that seel the MG for the cheapest? i can't seem to find it for less than 300..

This is a good place to start: http://www.nickdangerous.com/misc/mghead/index.htm

Also do a search here on "MG Head" and "Tube rolling".

As far as the best price, your best bet would be to buy second hand if you want it cheaper. Careful of some of the quality issues that have popped up in the past.

 

[Gallaine]

I bought mine new on Ebay for $285 not including shipping. At that time, and for a while after, the "dealer" had several more for sale.

If you want links to sites that sell tubes try this thread:

Favorite tube sites