[skhan007]

I have rolled the BHC with many tubes from Tung-Sol 5998 to Chatman 6080 to Mullard, the BHC sounds great. But it is not in the same class of the amps that i have above.

Hi @VanHai , hope you're well! Question: Which solid state amp have you liked with the ZMF headphones? I'm currently using my RME ADI-2 DAC as my solid state option, which sounds fantastic. Curious what solid state amp you've liked?

 

[Karnicopia]

With Veritè I use a GEC 6080 for power and a pair of Fivre 6c5g (with adapter) on the Crack.

One of the best combinations I've found so far with Veritè.

This is really close to the tube roll I settled on with my GOTL was GEC 6080 and Fivre 6J5. GEC have a nice tonality and the Fivre have a nice edge to them so they seem to balance each other really well.

 

[VanHai]

Hi @VanHai , hope you're well! Question: Which solid state amp have you liked with the ZMF headphones? I'm currently using my RME ADI-2 DAC as my solid state option, which sounds fantastic. Curious what solid state amp you've liked?

Hi skhan007, i am doing fine. How are you?, I currently have Mass Drop 789, Monoprice THX 887 and GXS-Mini. All of them sound very clear, but i prefer GXS-Mini, it has a better sound stage. For ZMFs, i use tube amps exclusively.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I have 6 SS amps currently. The VO sounds very good on 5 of the 6.

In the Monoprice Liquid Gold X, I finally found a SS amp the VO doesn't like. The LGX made the VO sound somewhat bright, which it absolutely is not.

I get the best VO sound w/the Violectric V281 & Cavalli Liquid Carbon v2. It doesn't sound the same on each; there are differences. But overall the sound is excellent, more than good enough to make me keep listening to the VO, and anticipating listening to it.

 

[skhan007]

I have 6 SS amps currently. The VO sounds very good on 5 of the 6.

In the Monoprice Liquid Gold X, I finally found a SS amp the VO doesn't like. The LGX made the VO sound somewhat bright, which it absolutely is not.

I get the best VO sound w/the Violectric V281 & Cavalli Liquid Carbon v2. It doesn't sound the same on each; there are differences. But overall the sound is excellent, more than good enough to make me keep listening to the VO, and anticipating listening to it.

This is great- thanks for the info. I've been curious also about the Topping A90 and Benchmark HPA4. Those get a lot of praise, in general, but I'm curious about the VO or Auteur on either.

 

[skhan007]

Do we need a separate thread on which amps (tube or solid state) are best with ZMF headphones? Purely subjective, I know, but I suspect such a thread might be helpful.

 

[msiklvr]

Probably a good idea as the discussion seems to take on a life of it's own.

 

[SHIMACM]

I have rolled the BHC with many tubes from Tung-Sol 5998 to Chatman 6080 to Mullard, the BHC sounds great. But it is not in the same class of the amps that i have above.

How do you compare Crack to Wa22 in VO?

 

[VanHai]

How do you compare Crack to Wa22 in VO?

Everything is better with Woo Wa22, more musical, more clarity, more sound stage and better sonic plus it can drive planar headphones too. Just like comparing apple to orange, they taste differently.

 

[shafat777]

I am trying to decide between a Caying Ha6a or the Wa22 for my zmf headphones. I m thinking about selling my cap modded MJ2 and get either of those amp. Any suggestions?

 

[Spee2k]

Anyone driven their VO from a DAP? I tried mine out with the AStell& Kern SP200T yesterday and find I have to set the volume to as high as 110 ( max is 150) to get what I consider an "enjoyable " level on some acoustic tracks. I probably go up a notch or two for electronic based tracks.

I'm thinking if this means that I'll need to invest in a proper SS and/or Tube amp soon to get the best from these beauties

 

[Galapac]

I can drive my VO/VC from a FiiO M15 and it does fine but the settings have to be on high output and using the balanced jack. The unit gets very warm and battery drains faster so I only use it if I am remote, otherwise I think it is best if they are driven by a SS/Tube amp as they scale to the power they are given.

 

[Spee2k]

I can drive my VO/VC from a FiiO M15 and it does fine but the settings have to be on high output and using the balanced jack. The unit gets very warm and battery drains faster so I only use it if I am remote, otherwise I think it is best if they are driven by a SS/Tube amp as they scale to the power they are given.

Same experience with my SP2000T as well.
Guess it's time to get some amps and use my SP2000T as a DAC when at home

 

[tedacura1]

I plan on purchasing a tube amp and the one that I am considering purchasing is the DNA Stratus or the Cayin HA 300 MK2. I have not heard either so I am wondering which would be better for me. They are in the same price range, any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

DNA Stratus or the Cayin HA 300 MK2. I have not heard either so I am wondering which would be better for me. They are in the same price range, any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

I'm afraid I won't be able to help much because I've not heard the Cayin and I don't know your preferences. But I've got a Bifrost 2, like you (as I see from your profile page), and I have an African Blackwood Vérité that I drive from a Stratus. I love the combination.

I don't know if the Blackwood, in particular, contributes to these effects, but my VO is very hard-hitting, impactful, and has lots of slam. It's also lightning fast, generally, while also having pretty fast transient attacks. The leading edges of notes aren't overly sharp or incisive, but the Stratus works exceptionally well with these characteristics; its slightly warm, wet, and rounded sound takes some of the edge off the transients while retaining the overall speed of the headphones, and the macrodynamics and slam are preserved for the most part, without being quite as intense as they can be with other amps (I have a Schiit Mjolnir 1 as one of my solid state amps, for instance, and that slammin' amp's combination with VO outdoes even Focal headphones for macrodynamic strength).

While the Bifrost 2 helps with bass heft, the Stratus brings out the beautiful timbre of acoustic bass instruments. Quite frankly, I've not heard double basses sound better with other headphone setups. The Stratus also works wonders with the midrange of the VO. It's really very good. And the treble is lovely and smooth. The overall tuning is nice and coherent, and I love the timbre of instruments. The VO is a great all-rounder headphone from this chain. And It's a wonderfully engaging setup: there's some magic with this amplifier - lots of rich textures, that nice, slightly wet quality, top-notch resolution, and lots of lovely subtleties, as with microdynamics.

The Stratus does one last thing well: it provides a nice, spacious soundstage (the Stratus does this with dynamic driver headphones generally, including with my HD 800 SDR). Imaging, layer, and separation are all excellent and the expansive staging makes for a lovely open sound.

I hope this helps.