[dallan]

Ya, I did hold out till the 13th before preordering the hd800s and my excuse was to just get a spot on the list (just in case) and cancel if i couldn't swing it. Then i saved every penny(except for a few tubes for the Zana Deux) to be sure i made it.......

By the way, something else to factor in are tubes to roll. The Zanas driver tube should be replaced, it comes with a Russian 6sl7 that is a bit intense, esp before burn in. I am still dealing with the intensity of it(Zana) and although not close to burned yet i have some warmer tubes coming. Currently using Valvos, which blow away the original tube but for a while i think i am going to go with warmer tube. When i first got it, it was the first amp or set up that i really wanted to or had to just sit and listen to the music-that involving....but also hard to use as background while say....a....online ya know.

I don't know what you are looking for but you need to look at your listening habits with this selection too.

Good Luck

 

[dmashta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Luckily voltage transformers can be replaced. And for what use to be a $1000 difference in price [now $800], i'd chance the warranty issues personally. I can round trip the amp at least 5 times to Japan with express shipping for the price difference between the two. Not sure why the US version is so much more money but it sucks.

I don't disagree, it comes down to whether the price difference is worth the extra hassle.

 

[KevM2]

I hear words like 'effortless' to describe the Luxman and sophisticated. I hear that its downsides is that it could sound a bit thin to some or be a bit slow.


I'd love to hear a Luxman vs. Zana Deux comparison. If they are close to each other, I'll swing for the Luxman simply for the fact of not having to worry about tube stock. But impressionwise, I like more of what I'm hearing for the Zana, as in it controls the HD600s with authority as opposed to sort of 'effortlessly' doing the job. The sound of the Luxman is supposedly relaxed as well, which I'm looking for a more energetic an dynamic presentation. I'll add Woo Audio 5 research into the mix as well.

Luxman P-1 Threads:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f45/ma...07/index2.html

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/lux...rd-one-364617/
Excerpt:
Quote:

Originally Posted by arnaud /img/forum/go_quote.gif I spent a short time recently comparing the Luxman to a Lehmann Black Cube Linear in a store in Tokyo: - CD Player was some midrange Denon CD Player (maybe in the USD1000 range). - Headphones were Ultrasone Edition 9 (so conclusions may be different with a high impedance headphone like the Sennheiser HD650). - Music ranges from jazz to a bit of rock. I really did not spend much time and only focused on the differences that jumped at me after switching back and forth. Provided what I heard was not due to volume mismatch: - The Lehmann had much better control of the bass of the Edition 9. - The Lehmann had much better articulation. I guess I mean that the Luxmann sound sirupy in comparison. The Luxman amp is widely available in Japan so I actually have listened to it several times over the past 3-4 years. And every time, I liked it by itself. But one of the drawbacks of the relaxed sound is that it does not always sound too exciting. I could imagine times when I want that kind of presentation, but maybe not all the time. I guess the only real issue I'd have against this unit is the price in the US. I feel you're paying a lot for the prestige of the brand but soundwise there is much competition available, at a quite lower price point. Well, strictly speaking it's not true as this amp has a few more features than usual like tone control (defeatable fortunately), 3 headphone sockets. But not sure this is needed either... Yet, the amp does look gorgeous. So, if you like a warm sound signature (remember I only listened with the Edition 9, might be a different story with other cans) and like to own nice gear as much as listen to it, then this is the amp for you I'd say! arnaud

Zana Deux:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/z...x-cans-385617/

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD600 sounds better than I have ever heard it elsewhere in comparison to with the ZD. It is the most synergistic match I have found in an amp and headphone. The K501's are a great compliment to the senns as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD-650 is just glorious from the Zana; so is the HD-600. I'm not sure which I prefer. I haven't heard the AD2000 from it (yet), but the DT48 is just amazing. Both the 25 and 200 ohm versions have absolutely black backgrounds and sound amazing. I think I like the 25 ohm version slightly better. Have you tried a HP-1000 yet? They're not anything like the other Grados.

 

[purk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aesthetically speaking, the Luxman is probably the most beautiful amp I've seen. The only thing that I'm somewhat turned off by is reports of a slightly slower, more romantic sound. I also have to consider the Sennheiser synergy. The fact that I don't have to deal with tubes is a big plus though.

I believe that title belong to either the Audio-Technica DHA3000 or HA2002.

DHA3000

HA2002

BTW, you might want to pick up a used SP Supra for a great price these days. IMO, the upgraded Supra is slightly better than the Zana Deux and on another level than the WA5.

 

[KevM2]

I would consider the Supra if not for the things I've heard about Mikhail's customer service... Icarium bought a $15,000 amp I believe from Mikhail and when he looked at the power chassis, he saw it was 3 wall-worts stacked on top of each other.

Edit: Actually, it was 2 of them placed side by side:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/whe...7/index81.html

There's a hundred page thread discussing Single Power. I heard they make excellent amps, but I'd be wary of purchasing a product from them given the discussions about their customer service.

 

[Skin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would consider the Supra if not for the things I've heard about Mikhail's customer service... Icarium bought a $15,000 amp I believe from Mikhail and when he looked at the power chassis, he saw it was 3 wall-worts stacked on top of each other. Edit: Actually, it was 2 of them placed side by side: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/whe...7/index81.html There's a hundred page thread discussing Single Power. I heard they make excellent amps, but I'd be wary of purchasing a product from them given the discussions about their customer service.

Well look on the bright side, if you go with a SP amp you'll probably have it by 2014-2015 per your schedule when you finish paying everything off. You were basically planning a purchase for a SP amp and didnt know it

.

 

[KevM2]

If the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse does indeed come to pass, I'd like to have enjoyed a nice amp at the very least for at least a year or two

The Zana looks a bit like a Pizza Oven, but I love what I'm hearing about the sound:

 

[nor_spoon]

I would have said it differentely:

If you go with a SP amp you'll probably have to start saving for another amp when you give up on receiving from SP, around 2014-2015 per your schedule, when you finish paying everything off.

 

[nor_spoon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Zana looks a bit like a Pizza Oven, but I love what I'm hearing about the sound:

I think the new faceplate and knobs makes it look even better than before:
(Image taken by Spectograf. I hope it is ok to show it here.)

 

[davidhunternyc]

Thanks nor-spoon for posting that pic. Yes, I too think it looks better with the updated looks and knobs. One thing that I would personally love is to have that top plate polished, chromed, or even mirrored somehow so that the tubes reflect on top. In fact, I used to know someone in New York who made mirrors by hand. They were quite thick and sturdy as well. Mirrors also don't scratch like polished steel or chrome.

 

[KevM2]

David are you pretty much set on the Zana as well? I took a look at the Luxman and didn't particularly care for some of the descriptors used for it. The last comparison for me is with the Woo Audio 5LE.

 

[davidhunternyc]

Kev, that is funny. Yes, I have been researching the Woo Audio 5LE all night also. I don't know how they would compare to each other but if all things are equal, I think that the Woo, in all black, might be the better looker of these two amps. Of course, we could just wait and see what the new Balanced Act will look like too. I'm just an aesthetic fascist and I am not convinced that the top plate on the Zana Deux works as well as it could. For instance, all the screws on top would look nicer if they were counter sunk. The Zana is still a breathtakingly beautiful amp though and quite utilitarian.

 

[KevM2]

The Woo Amps do have a very rugged, but striking appearance. Currently, what I'm hearing about the Zana's synergy with the Senns have me leaning in that direction. If you find any good threads on the WA5 LE, please do post them here. I'll be posting them as well in an attempt to get some idea of the difference between the two amps.

Meet where Zana and WA5 where both at:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f45/ny...i-meet-247173/

Quote:

woo-5 when we first played this amp it was on the Chinese 300B tubes. it had a nice sound, but not blowing you away. sometime mid-meet we turned them (the carry and the woo-5) off and swapped tubes. WOW, talk about a difference that jumps out at you. it is pretty obvious that at the start of the meet the tubes were holding the amp back. this amp has potential to sound FABULOUS with the right tubes. Zana-Deux i spent the most of my time in the sauna room using this amp MAINLY because it is the most accessible to me (financially as well as at-once availability) i really liked this amp and was impressed by how well it did the textures in the saxophone on the sorcerer's apprentice and other little but hard to nail parts too. the wood blocks and bells sounded SUPERB through the R!0. really a nice amp. if my supra isnt here by the end of the summer, i have a fall-back amp i am personally in more of a "looking for an amp" situation than a headphone... i would go for the zana as a backup to my supra on order pretty quickly. the 2 300B amps sounded too dependant on expensive tubes for me. when they were running strong (with the better set of tubes) they were better than the zana in pretty much every way, BUT i would not be able to get the better tubes and the amp...

Quote:

I'm using the same Chinese 300b's as the prototype and if there wasn't another 300b tube available, I would not be upset. Having said that, I can't wait for my WE 300b's to arrive. The case also looks different. I ordered silver and this one seems to be a darker, titanium looking compared to the prototype. Definitely a better looking amp. I've used HD-600, R10, K1000, ALO K701, PS-1, and RS-1 and they all sound great. I loved my Zana Deux/F1 combination but I have no regrets about selling either. I did a quick comparison between the WA5 and jp's HD2/F1 with the K1000 and felt the WA5 had the advantage at the bottom. Don't get me wrong, the HD2/F1 are excllent but I preferred the WA5 (it was maybe a 5 or 10 minute comparison and this is a new amp that I've waited 3 months for so don't read too much into the comment). While the WA5 is $3000, it replaced a $4,500 of gear (retail). Add another $600 for the tubes and it's still a relative bargain.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/woo...anyone-381211/

So far, it seems there is a slight edge going to the WA5 LE, but you have to get GE tubes, which are around $600.

 

[KevM2]

Currently I'm still leaning towards the Zana. Stock Woo5 is $2400 for just the headphone portion, but if you want to get the maxed out version, it's an additional $1,100 and I believe the GE tubes you need will end up adding an additional $600 to the price. Sounds like an awesome amp, but in order to get max benefit, it seems like it's nearing Balancing Act territory. I also hear a lot more about the WA5 with the AKG K1000's as opposed to being paired with Sennheisers.

Now this is a beautiful amp:

Here is a link to an excellent read-up on the Woo family and their amps.
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/wooaudio/5.html

Here is a link at 6moons discussing the Zana:
http://6moons.com/audioreviews/eddiecurrent2/zana2.html

I especially like this part:
Quote:

Alas, I had to send the Zana Deux back to Craig so that he could use his master sample to kick off another production run. Craig promised to send me another unit to enable a more extended time with the Zana for an official review. This unit showed up last month. The first thing that really struck me was the apparent speed and quickness of the Deux's sound. This thing boogies like a fiend, with balls and drive completely beyond its specified power ratings of a mere 200mW into Grados and 650mW into the Sennheisers. Dynamics were explosive. When asked to, sounds burst out of the drivers with real vengenace but without clipping or compression. Two recordings that really highlighted this aspect was an original 1984 Japanese issue of Steely Dan's Aja [MCLD 37214] and the JVC XRCD2 of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony under Fritz Reiner, performed by the CSO [JVC 68976].

Quote:

haven't really played around with balanced headphone amps but with my listening experience, the Eddie Current Zana Deux is the finest performing single-ended headphone amp to ever seduce my ears. It is more detailed, accurate, resolved, faster and energetic than my Moth or any other headphone amp I have heard to date.

I think I've had enough debate. I'm just going to go with the Zana. It seems to have what I'm looking for at a reasonable cost.

 

[davidhunternyc]

Thanks Kev for posting all that you did. Yes, I've read 6moons discussions about these amps too. I don't have the money for any amp at the moment so there is no need to decide. If I could buy an amp right now it still might be a solid state amp like the Luxman. By the way, I am not so sure I like the looks of the HA-02 that is above. Thinking about all of the amps that we've been discussing, it seems to me that in 2009, as great as all these amps are (tubes and solid-state), that there would be something else that would be a sea-change in headphone amplification.