Thanks for your suggestions. Ideally, Id prefer to stick with SS. Can you think of any headphone/SS amp pairings that would yield "musicality with lush mids" or is that asking the impossible?
4K headphone + headphone amp/dac system recommendations please
I have 4K to spend on a better headphone system and have no expertise in the headphone zone.
Currently using old Grado SR 225 cans with Schiit Jotunheim 2 amp (single ended connection). Source is Jay's CDT2 transport and I'm using the internal DAC in my Hegel H390.
While the Hegel's onboard DAC is pretty good, it is a bit thin in the mids. I'd prefer something a bit more fleshed out in that frequency range.
I'm not finding many headphone amp/DAC combos. I am not interested in Chord or import brands that cannot be serviced in US.
The Teac UD 507 looks like a possibility. Moon Audio sells it and recommends HiFiMan HE100 V4 Stealth Magnet currently on sale for $949 to pair with the Teac.
Please Note: This budget will also need to accomodate a power cable and an AES/EBU cable to connect to transport.
In terms of sonics, I favor musicality over detail. I'm very sensitive to fatiguing highs. At the same time, I prize tight bass.
I listen to 3 types of music: acoustic Jazz, non-classical acoustic (NewGrass, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, etc) and some Classic Rock.
- ...
- 41 posts total
please go to CANJAM. I am an introvert to and go to CANJAM almost as a religious event lol. @stuartk reason why to go to CANJAM is in these two videos: 1 - https://youtu.be/W9gWIu3EP84?si=aaoC5SFmfj5cnG0x |
That's a bit tougher. SS can never be as lush as tubes without becoming a dark mess overall. There are definitely SS amps that "lean" warm, and that can be a pretty nice mix with the Sennheisers I mentioned too. Certainly avoid the Gilmore Dynalo / GS designs - those are GREAT amps but they do not lean warm at all. I'm not sure what modern SS dynamic amps are good for that, these days (I moved on to e-stats). Some of the older Headroom Max amplifiers were pretty nice and leaned warm and particularly sounded amazing with the Sennheisers in balanced drive mode (for the models that had it). Attending a local head-fi meet or Canjam is an excellent suggestion. Like with all things audio the choice of cans and amp is very personal. Just a warning the e-stat headphones struggle more in an environment like that because they're SO open to the ambient noise, and their amps don't have reserves to just crank the volume with endless headroom like on most dynamics. |
My fav is the RAAL SR1a, but I won’t recommend that since it is a detail king. A very engaging and musical phone is the ZMF Caldera Closed. I was very surprised I liked it. I was at a mini-CanJam meet and a couple of folks there who had cost no object phone systems gave me to listen to the Caldera. Caldera Closed LTD Walnut Burl – ZMF Headphones ($3300) I have a Schiit AsgardX headphone amp with the MESH DAC. It is surprisingly good (the DAC). The amp was expected to be very good since it is based on the Schiit Mjolnir 3. Schiit Audio: Audio Products Made in USA $549 I was planning on getting the Caldera Closed to use with my AsgadrX but decided to save cash and got the Meze 109 Pro used for $500. Since I do not listen to this bedroom system much it was a good choice. BTW - that CanJam show in NYC had the introduction of the new Allnic ASRA DAC. I heard the $6.5 ASRA headphone amp at the min-CanJam and it was superb. I am trying to get my friend (who sells the ASRA) to convince Allnic to add preamp out from the amp so I can use it as both a preamp and headphone amp. |
Well, I had a response with links and comments that disappeared into thin air. So, this will be shorter. Are you willing to consider used or just new? Are you set on dac/amp combo or would you consider separates? In regards to headphones, I second the Sennheiser HD6 family. I would also look at ZMF, specifically the Atrium Open. They also have a new planar model being released that is supposed to combine the warmth/lushness of the Atrium and the detail of the Caldera. It's called the Tessidera. You might look at the Focal Clear OG as well. When it comes to amp/dac combos made in the USA there's not a lot of options. I think Schiit, which yyzsantabarbara mentioned and you own is a good option. I nearly purchased the TEAC UD-701N which is a precursor to the UD 507 you're considering. Here are a few others to consider:
|
- 41 posts total