Best solid state headphone amp under $1000

Blue Circle, hands down, the best solid state amp I have heard below $1000 and I have heard many of them. It is slightly warm and euphonic sounding but has great bass and wonderful left/right imaging. I would definitely go for the version with the high/low impedance switch.

I would avoid Rudistor...was not impressed at a meet by the sound given the price and have read a number of complaints about poor build quality.

Headamp makes great amps, but they subscribe to the straight wire with gain design approach. Not my cup of tea.

I have compared it to a Woo WA22 and a Singlepower PPX. As a headphone amp, it is the closest you can get to a tube-like sound but with terrific bass and phenomenal left/right imaging. I think it sounds almost as good as the Woo, which was a lot more expensive.

I listened to the Rudistor and the Headamp at a meet. The Rudistor did not impress at all. The Headamp sounded good but a little dry for my tastes. I don't think you would be unhappy with Headamp. I have not heard the Violectric, etc. If you are thinking of spending $1000 on a headphone amp, I would go with tubes, no questions asked.

I think the Blue Circle sonically is a great amp for the money. It makes music. Some solid state amps I have heard don't. But the Blue Circle is a strange looking amp. The money was put into the circuit design, not a glossy chassis. But I remember the days when visibly beautiful Singlepower amps were all the rage and have learned from my experience with Singlepower that beauty is sometimes only skin deep.