[dvr]

I recently purchased a Melos to replace my Head, but after
doing some ABing, I realized I prefer the Head for most recordings. I do all my listening through Etys, which I find a bit too analytical and a touch too bright, and the Head's strengths/flaws push my system in the direction I want to go. The Melos pushes it in the other direction.

So my question is: What's similar to the Head, but better?

I know of three candidates, none of which are perfect:

(1) The Earmax Pro. Supposed to have a very "tube-like" sound, but I've heard it's a bad match for Etys.

(2) The ZOTL. Supposedly sounds like a SS amp, although Hirsch said tube rolling can have a big effect.

(3) The RKV. Probably the best amp of the three, but it's a good deal more expensive and I've seen an unusually large number of posts from people who have had problems with their units.

If I heard correctly, none of these amp are in the Headroom tour.

 

[markjia]

You might also want to consider some SS amps. Perhaps some of Headroom's. I think the Home, or Maxed Out Home is in your price range.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

dvr, you and I are on the same track. Since you bought my Melos and you also have a MG Head on hand for comparison's sake, we have both come to the same conclusion:

It's all about midrange magic!

It's worth it (IMHO) to sacrifice a little performance at the extremes for a midrange that is lush, liquid, and realistic. This is the primary reason why I advocate the use of tubes... because tubes are King of Planet Midrange. Any knave stating otherwise will be exiled from the Kingdom of the Valve.

I'd try to audition as many amps as possible that deliver a typically tubey experience. The Earmax Pro, ZOTL (with appropriate tubes), RKV, and ASL Twin Head should all be auditioned. Those are about the only amps I have left to try. The EAR HP4 does a spectacular job, but at $3500 it's monstrously expensive.

 

[mezzman]

Now I don't have anything more high-end than my X-Cans V2 to compare, but after modifications (new caps, resistors, diodes, and a nice 5751 (still foolin with the Six-pack

)), I feel the MG Head now gives me the best of everything. I experience deep bass, open, airy highs, and midrange from heaven with the HD600s. I'm now a firm believer in quality components. I'm sure with all the mods, the MG Head would cost $600-700 easily.
I do need to audition some other amps (very curious about SS), just to makle sure I know what I'm talking about, but I love the sounds my ears are hearing!

 

[grinch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick Dangerous The EAR HP4 does a spectacular job, but at $3500 it's monstrously expensive.

actually, if you take a look at my first post on this thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...threadid=12104

you'll find that the ep4 can be had for a little over $2200 when purchasing from www.stoneaudio.co.uk
still too pricey for me right now though.

 

[Audio-Me]

I've heard none of these, but I'm interested in:
Melos SHA
David Berning MicroZOTL
Audio Valve RKV MkII
Wheatfield HA-2

If anybody would like to do a comparison, be my guest.

Nick is right, it's all about the midrange.