Decent headphone amp [Archive] - The Art of Sound Forum

Canetoad

17-04-2012, 09:41

morris_minor

17-04-2012, 10:27

If you could stretch to £250, there's the Graham Slee Novo. (http://www.headphoneamplifiersusb.com/novoheadphoneamplifier.htm).

I use a Slee Solo SRGII myself - and this gives excellent results. The Novo won't give much away to the Solo.

Everything hand-built in Barnsley. :)

worrasf

17-04-2012, 11:33

Hi,

I was thinking about getting a decent headphone amp for personal listening at home. I have a budget of about £200.

I have a cheap Chinese valve headphone amp (Bravo), which cost about £35 that I quite like and wanted to improve on the sound I was getting from it. I currently only use a set of Superlux 668B headphones, which I like very much for what they cost.

I was wondering whether or not the Little Dot III was any good. Maybe a good SS amp for around the same cost would be better. New or 2nd hand doesn't matter, the latter is probably the best value for me.

Any suggestions/opinions would be greatly appreciated. :)

Hi - if you are nifty with a soldering iron then I can higlhy recommend the SOHA II amp (http://www.cavalliaudio.com/diy/soha%20ii/main.php?page=overview)

It comes in kit form - takes a few hours/days to build but at the end of the day you have a truly superb valve/hybrid headphone amp at a very reasonable cost. I have 2 (bought one and built one).

I have posted on AoS here http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14973&highlight=soha

Steve

AlfaGTV

17-04-2012, 14:18

I was wondering whether or not the Little Dot III was any good.

Yes it most definently is! However it comes with a few disadvantages IMO:
It (at least mine) is not well behaved when used as a preamp. Lots of hum and even DC flowing out into the speakers with a DC coupled power amp.
But as a headphone amp equipped with some Mullard 8161 tubes its really great for its price. And with the opportunity of some tube rolling it's destined to please it's owner.

But i would like to give you a heads up if you dont mind some DIY:
Black Cube Linear clone from fleabay:
Found here (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Headphone-Amplifier-DIY-KIT-Base-Lehmann-AMP-Circuit-/320693567835?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aaad3815b)
Add a toroid or R-core transformer of about 30-60VA and you have yourself a true killer! Besides, change the OP Amp to a LME 49720HA and you have yourself a giant slayer! ;)

I built mine into an old casette deck!:
http://www.ollars.net/hififorum/Micromega_T-Drive-Dac_S.JPG

I use both my LD MkIII and this Lehmann BCL clone and i am very pleased with either.

Covenant

17-04-2012, 15:28

Bernie, I recommend this:
http://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk/home/hifi-components/ha1-headphone-amplifier
I used to have the indeed G2 and G3. I upgraded to the HA10SE with the DC1 power supply and the difference was extreme to say the least. You can choose one of 3 power supplies or a smps and upgrade later.
Without doubt one of my wiser purchasing decisions.

Ali Tait

17-04-2012, 15:34

If you can stretch to this, they are very good IMHO-

http://www.world-designs.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=6525

alan47

17-04-2012, 17:22

Look at the Head Direct HiFiMan EF2A on AmpCity's website.I have this and the Bravo,it is a good step up.I also had a Graham Slee amp ,but thought it was very over priced for what it brought to the party.Only trouble is you will then be tempted to get more headphones:rolleyes:

wee tee cee

17-04-2012, 17:38

Hi,

I was thinking about getting a decent headphone amp for personal listening at home. I have a budget of about £200.

I have a cheap Chinese valve headphone amp (Bravo), which cost about £35 that I quite like and wanted to improve on the sound I was getting from it. I currently only use a set of Superlux 668B headphones, which I like very much for what they cost.

I was wondering whether or not the Little Dot III was any good. Maybe a good SS amp for around the same cost would be better. New or 2nd hand doesn't matter, the latter is probably the best value for me.

Any suggestions/opinions would be greatly appreciated. :)Bernie,
If you like the 668b then the 660/440 superlux cans will float your boat. try the thoman site to see what's available.The velvet k240 pads fit the 660 and are very respectable..
Tony.

Canetoad

17-04-2012, 21:36

Hi Tony, I've already fitted a set of their velvet pads from that site. I was getting sweaty ears using the standard ones. :doh:

I replaced a set of Sennheiser HD595s with the Superluxes and much prefer them to the Sennheisers.

Thing Fish

18-04-2012, 00:58

Neco soundlab amp and a pair of Sennheiser HD25 ll's. That's my choice.

Neco are built in the UK (sold on fleabay) and the HD25's (not the SP's) are the mutts nuts for closed can listening.

Canetoad

18-04-2012, 06:44

Hi Dave, I use an earlier version of the Neco with my iPod Classic for portable use. It sounds very good!

I've just modified it with a 500mA Li-Ion battery to replace the NiMH version it came with.

Canetoad

19-04-2012, 13:02

Thanks for all the input everybody. There's just so many headphone amps out to choose from!

In the end I decided to get the WD HD3S from the link Ali supplied above. I thought it was probably the best value for money. Since headphone impedence can be set on it as well it should perform well no matter what headphones I use. Might have to do some research on a nicer set of headphones now.

Here we go again... :doh:

worrasf

19-04-2012, 13:36

ight have to do some research on a nicer set of headphones now.Here we go again... :doh:

Research done for you - buy a pair of these http://www.headphone.com/headphones/beyerdynamic-dt-990---600-ohm.php
:)

Steve

Werner Berghofer

19-04-2012, 14:35

Bernie,

Might have to do some research on a nicer set of headphones now.

here’s a second vote for the Beyerdynamic DT 990/600 Ω.

http://www.berghofer.com/photos/gear/headfun.jpg

Werner.

goraman

26-04-2012, 03:13

I have had my Little Dot III for several years and love it, It shines with M8100 Mullard tubes that are $7.00 each. With a good power cord it will knock your socks off. I use mine regularly and it has never had a single problem the back ground is also very quiet compared to other tube headphone amps costing far more. I heard tube wash in a EL84 headphone amp that cost 4X more than the LD3. Dollar for Dollar sound for the pound you won't find better.

vouk

26-04-2012, 04:48

I would give a solid recommendation to the Heed Audio Can-amp. I think it retails for 350 quid in the UK, but have found new or nearly new examples out there for much less.

Canetoad

26-07-2012, 10:10

Well I've taken the advice and bought a set of Beyerdynamics DT-990 headphones (600Ohm). :)

Initial listening didn't do much for me at all I have to admit. They need some running in I suspect. Treble clarity was good though. I also have to change the dip switches in the headphone amp to suit the 600 ohm impedance.

This morning I plugged them into my modified Caiman DAC for a quick listen and bass is starting to have more presence now after a couple of days running in. I have to find the instructions for the dip switch settings tonight so I can try them with the WD amp.

I'll report back soon... :eyebrows:

wee tee cee

30-07-2012, 16:58

Bernie,
I bought a pair of sennhieser hd 650 and was initially really underwhelmed with them. They took a good 200hours to burn in. Bear with it for a couple of weeks they will improve noticeably.

Canetoad

30-07-2012, 18:21

Thanks Tony. Still running them in. They are sounding better though. :)

archiesdad

30-07-2012, 21:01

New to the forum and will need to get a headphone amp so this has saved me a bit of effort, more research to do though.

Thing Fish

30-07-2012, 21:22

No one listens to advice generally so just buy what you want. That's my advice.

Welder

30-07-2012, 23:53

jandl100

31-07-2012, 09:11

The headphone amp in the Bushmaster DAC is as good or better than several 'proper' dedicated headphone amps that I have tried - and those cost more than the Bushmaster DAC/headphone amp combo!

Werner Berghofer

31-07-2012, 09:39

Bernie,

This morning I plugged them into my modified Caiman DAC for a quick listen and bass is starting to have more presence now after a couple of days running in.

even a modified Caiman DAC is not a good match for high-impedance headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT 990/600 Ω. The Caiman’s headphone output always will be stressed too much in attempting to deliver sufficient voltage for this type of headphones.

Werner.

Canetoad

31-07-2012, 10:00

Hi Werner,

I have a World Designs HD3S headphone amp. I haven't been using the Caiman for listening. The problem with the WD was I bought it 2nd hand and original builder had attenuated the output volume by fitting a resister to each channel. Using lower impedance headphones worked OK, to a degree, but the 600 Ohm Beyerdynamics left a lot to be desired.

I've just finished removal of these resistors and changed the DIP switches to suit the higher impedance. Due to a bout of the flu I haven't bothered to do any listening as my hearing isn't at its best at the moment.

I'll report back in due course.

Canetoad

31-07-2012, 10:00

I cant recommend the World Audio HD83 and from what I can gather from the changes implemented in the later model, the basics haven't changed much so I can't see why it would perform noticably better.

I've had to do a lot of work to mine and it still isn't that clever tbh.

Hi John,

I'll report back to you on the results of listening to my HD3S. I'm hoping it will perform OK with the Beyerdynamics. If not I guess I'll be looking to modify or replace with another amp.

What sort of changes have you made to yours?

wee tee cee

01-08-2012, 18:01

Bernie,
I have a MF M1 HPA/MF M1 combo with a pair of superlux 660/330/668b and 440s that are currently on loan. My main cans are HD 650s. If you want a listen to a dedicated headamp/dac set up and a reference for the beyers your welcome to pop across. I have to agree with Jerry the BM gave my set up a run for its money (whilst it was working).
Tony.

Ali Tait

01-08-2012, 19:24

Hi John,

I'll report back to you on the results of listening to my HD3S. I'm hoping it will perform OK with the Beyerdynamics. If not I guess I'll be looking to modify or replace with another amp.

What sort of changes have you made to yours?

I used to have one and thought it was very good indeed. It did heve some fancy parts though.

Canetoad

01-08-2012, 19:29

Thanks Tony. :)

I have a set of 668Bs and they sound fine off the BM and WD but they are only 56Ohms. I used to have a set of HD595s but they were too laid back, which is why I ended up with the 668Bs, which I think sound a lot better. That's why I discounted getting a set of HD650s.

I'm going to give the 990s a good listen using the BM on the weekend. I can then do some comparisons with the WD.

ninedecks

08-08-2012, 20:31

You mentioned the Little Dot in your initial post.
I have the Grado SR80i cans and managed to buy a second hand Little Dot hybrid 1+ amp along with 2 extra sets of tubes for a very good price. I'm impressed with the sound and am looking forward to trying a bit of tube rolling with them.