What's good amp for me?

[starscream]

i own grado sr-125's and sennheiser HD600's, and will likely be buying ATH-w5000, and in the future grado rs-1.

What is a good choice for a headphone amp that will be a good strong all rounder to go with these?

I am willing to spend in the region of £600 (british pounds)

i was considering the naim headline2, the graham slee solo monitor class, and because i will be getting the w5000 i was thinking about the AT-HA5000 amp, but wasn't sure if this would be a good choice for anything other than the w5000.


What do you think of these choices, and what do you think would be a better choice than any of these?

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starscream /img/forum/go_quote.gif i own grado sr-125's and sennheiser HD600's, and will likely be buying ATH-w5000, and in the future grado rs-1. What is a good choice for a headphone amp that will be a good strong all rounder to go with these? I am willing to spend in the region of £600 (british pounds) i was considering the naim headline2, the graham slee solo monitor class, and because i will be getting the w5000 i was thinking about the AT-HA5000 amp, but wasn't sure if this would be a good choice for anything other than the w5000. What do you think of these choices, and what do you think would be a better choice than any of these?

A very all-round amp (which you need, because it to be able to handle both Senns and Grados) is the MF X-can v3.
I used it with HD650, RS1, ATH W100 and AD2000 (not unlike W5000) and it handles them all very well. It can be modded/upgraded and you can change tubes to fit your personal preferences.

 

[agile_one]

If you will definitely be getting the W5000s, then I would recommend the HA5000 if it is within your budget. I have its predecessor, the HA2002, for my W2002s, and they are a perfect match. The HA2002 handles my Grados (HF1, HP2) and Senn HD650 very well. I have no hesitation recommending as a good all 'round amp.

From what I can determine, the HA5000 is virtually identical specification wise to the HA2002, with the wood fascia being changed to match the W5000. Treat your eyes and ears, and go for the HA5000.

 

[starscream]

i have never bought a headphone amp before. I have a naim nait 5i amplifier in my hi fi set up. Will the HA5000 connect to the 'tape-outs' on the back of my amp, the normal way with no hassle? I assume the cables to connect the headphone amp to my amp come with the headphone amp?

 

[Zanth]

Earmax Pro Silver

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starscream /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have never bought a headphone amp before. I have a naim nait 5i amplifier in my hi fi set up. Will the HA5000 connect to the 'tape-outs' on the back of my amp, the normal way with no hassle? I assume the cables to connect the headphone amp to my amp come with the headphone amp?

tape out works fine, that's the way I connect my Dynahi (another amp that would work with everything you mentioned) via tape-out on the ayre

 

[griff2]

I second the Earmax Pro (silver) or Earmax Pro (standard)

 

[starscream]

can you give a few reasons please for the earmax pro?

 

[griff2]

Well for one the Earmax is the only amp I've heard that gives an accurate insight into the timbre of an instrument, e.g. the harmonics of a chello. It's like listening in colour, whereas my Arcam for instance sounds monochromatic by comparison.

Both the Arcam and Earmax have impeccable phrasing, which, in my opinion, is one of the things that contributes to the "musicality" of an amp.

The Earmax is also very detailed, not clinically detailed, but musically detailed.

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starscream /img/forum/go_quote.gif can you give a few reasons please for the earmax pro?

Earmax pro is an improved version of the Earmax. Initially it was designed for high impedance headphones (read Sennheiser HD600/HD650). The pro version is changed to also cater for low impedance headphones (read Grado).
So it does both Senn and Grado really well.
It is also very cute.

 

[edisonwu]

What kind of music do you listen to the most?

Generally, an EarMax Pro with some nice tubes will be one of the best choice considering the headphones you have and going to have. HD600, W5000 and RS1 do rock with it! I personally prefer HD600 but others may like W5000 or RS1.

 

[mrarroyo]

Due to the variety of cans I would suggest the Musical Fidelity X-Can V2, the Heed CanAmp, or the Mapletree Ear + Purist HD.

 

[starscream]

woudl anyone else agree with the poster that said that i should go for the AT HA5000, seeing as that makes the w5000 which i am buying sound lovely, and will also work well as an all round amp for the other headphones i have?

is the HA5000 solid state?

For the people that recommended the earmax pro to me, this is a tube amp right? so how often would i need to replace the tubes? are they easy to replace myself? How much does the amp cost, and where do i buy it from?

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starscream /img/forum/go_quote.gif woudl anyone else agree with the poster that said that i should go for the AT HA5000, seeing as that makes the w5000 which i am buying sound lovely, and will also work well as an all round amp for the other headphones i have? is the HA5000 solid state? For the people that recommended the earmax pro to me, this is a tube amp right? so how often would i need to replace the tubes? are they easy to replace myself? How much does the amp cost, and where do i buy it from?

I have heard that HA5000 is not very all round, but that is only hearsay, I suggest you do a search on that in these forums.
HA5000 is solid state.
Earmax can be bought from different resellers, largely depending on in what country you live. Prices didn't differ very much the last time I looked, but don't take that for granted.
In Germany I know of (and had contact with): Tube Amp Doctor
In UK there is Stone Audio.
Tubes will last anything between 2000 and 5000 hours. Military specs tubes even as much as 10000 hours or more.
Changing tubes is very easy to do: just pull them out gently (rocking them a little bit) and insert the new ones the same way. As long as you handle them carefully there is nothing to it.

 

[edisonwu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starscream /img/forum/go_quote.gif woudl anyone else agree with the poster that said that i should go for the AT HA5000, seeing as that makes the w5000 which i am buying sound lovely, and will also work well as an all round amp for the other headphones i have? is the HA5000 solid state? For the people that recommended the earmax pro to me, this is a tube amp right? so how often would i need to replace the tubes? are they easy to replace myself? How much does the amp cost, and where do i buy it from?

The HA5000 is full solid state, but sort of sounds like a tube.

The EarMax Pro is a fully tubed amp and OTL. The frequency to replace tubes depends on the tubes itself. Some could last almost forever or at least you don't need to be worried about this issue within 5-10 years.