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Headphone Amp - Perreaux vs Musical Fidilety

I am considering going for the headphone amp and my choice is between the Perreaux SHX1 and Musical Fidelity XCANS. I have not heard either of them but have read many reviews. The source would be Philips 963SA and headphone in question is the Sennheiser HD580.

My understanding is that the Perreaux having a good reputation when it comes to low end may complement the 580 (not famous with bass freaks) in a better way compared to the Xcans. On the other hand the Xcans may have better tube like midrange. Both headphone amps surely, as is always the case with any hifi gear, have their plus and minus points. There are surely other attributes associated with both amps as well which I am not in position to discuss since lack of audition on my part.

I do not listen to Rap, Metal or Hard rock otherwise all other genres of music I enjoy. The speakers I have are the LS3/5a’s and the Paradigm Studio 40 v.2.

If anyone has compared the two I would appreciate if they can share their opinion. If not, I'd still like to hear from anyone who has used either.

If you were to choose between the two in question, which one would it be, and why?
128x128quadophile

Showing 1 response by chams_uk

chams_uk
159 posts
 
I used to own the Perraux, liked it but sold it due to getting a higher end OTL tube unit (Audio Valve RKV).

The Perraux has plenty of power, you won't have to worry about driving Senn's high impedence. And your thought on bass is right, it's strong with the Perraux.

The Perraux DOES have a softness or warmth to it (once fully broken in), reminiscent of tubes, though not quite as lush.

I haven't heard the X-Cans v3, but it seems to pick up some nice reviews or comments (Stereophile, a couple on www.head-fi.org). It MAY have a slightly better in-head soundstage than the Perraux, something I found that was bettered by my RKV, and also my other headphone amp, Ray Samuels XP-7.

BVut if you want a slight warmth, and value a strong balance and accurate tone, then you won't be unhappy with the Perraux.

I would suggest hopping over to head-fi, or www.headwize.com, and search for the X-Cans comments, see what you find.

Lots of luck.
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