Many Questions Need Help


Ok, first and foremost i like headphones first, then speaker listening.  Let's assume i own nothing at this moment.  I have 3 options to achieve where i want to get to.  I want something that will drive my HD 650 headphones and drive some easy-to-drive speakers, this is the end goal, i did fail to mention it needs to be tubes.  My budget for this not counting speakers, is going to be $1000.

 

1.  Headphone amp that can be used as a preamp also, problem here is not a ton of choices, Little Dot Mark 2, is not a great preamp, but Little Dot Mark 3, works as a preamp, butt ugly amp IMO.  This route only needs a decent amp and use the headphone amp as a preamp.

 

2. Get a tube preamp and a good integrated amp with a headphone jack, the problem with this approach is finding an integrated amp with a good headphone jack is not easy, most amps make the headphone jack any good.  Emotiva A2M has a very good headphone jack and speaker hookup, this is an option.

 

3  Last one but a more expensive way, but a good headphone amp, and a separate amp and tube preamp.

 

All ideas and feedback are welcome.

128x128audiomike33

@audiomike33 This checks all the boxes, but you are 1 zero short on the budget.  We can still dream though.  😄

 

Yeah short 00000, yeah nice amp wayyyyyyy out of range, come on.  Echo ii is more in line and works as a preamp.

This LTA MZ2 could well fit the bill.  It’s a really great headphone amp and preamp, and it can drive speakers that are an easy load.  Add their linear power supply later for a significant performance boost, or you can wait for one to pop up used with the LPS and it’s still not much above your budget.  I think this would be hard to beat — read the reviews. 

https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/mz2mz2-s

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Thanks guys, that LTA looks nice, have to up my budget, seems like it puts out not much power into the speakers in 100 minutes, which gets rid of many speakers, but still an option.

 

Not a fan of Schiit audio, they make a good product but the plain jane look i dont like.

Hey friend,RUN,don't walk,well let your fingers do the walking over to USAudioMart.com..Search iFi..Scroll down & find "Retro Stereo 50"..Buy it before someone else does!

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I think after looking around getting a headphone amp that's going to drive speakers also it's extremely difficult to find because one of them is going to be compromised if it's more towards headphones it's going to drive speakers okay decently if it's more focused on speakers you're not going to get that much power in the headphone jack I'm yet to find looking for a company that put focus on both of those in one amp I'd love to see it I don't care what it costs I'd love to see it.

I'm thinking tube preamp into a integrated amp that has a headphone jack maybe the best way to go and I think the emotiva a2m fits the bill perfectly cuz it's got an exceptional headphone output and it's got 50 Watts for channel to drive speakers and it's $300 I just have to find a good tube preamp I think that's going to be the better way to go.

 

You have a challenging question.

 

First, integrated amps tend to have terrible headphone jacks. They are afterthought features… often even on very expensive ones. 
 

Sennheiser HD 650 headphones require a lot of power to sound great… so definitely a separate headphone amp. But headphone amps vary wildly in current. To get the current some of my headphones need required me import an amp from Germany a number of years ago. 
 

The Red Dot amps I have seen and heard are very low powered amps and are not good matches for Sennheiser. 
 

Since you like headphones the most, I recommend you concentrate all your effort and funds to creating that system first. If you want the finest sound for the money then it is as much research and effort that a main system will require. 
 

I have owned a dozen headphone amps over the last fifteen years or so. The very best in my opinion is Woo. 
 

Sennheiser, Denon, and many others tend to be hard to drive… but extremely good sounding.

 

Focal and UltraSonde and some others tend to be very easy to drive. 
 

Hopefully this is helpful. My systems are shown under my user ID.

I'd suggest a Cavalli Liquid carbon or schiit Jotunheim for your Hd650 for about $200 used and a used Rogue Sphinx for $800 for speakers.

Stick to your budget first...

Then because i am in the same situation, i suggest as i did myself to use small active speakers as another possible road... Mine are stunning but i modify them .. I paid them 100 bucks 12 years ago and i disliked them till the day i was in the obligation to use only them for music one year ago ... I created for my listening field corner an acoustic treatment and i damp this speakers heavily , i modify their rear porthole design with various straws or various size and i coupled/decoupled the box speakers from my desk to control vibrations/resonance with a sandwich of various materials : ( shungite plate-cork plate-oak plate-sorbothane plate-bamboo plate-granite plate )

The results is a complete metamorphosis with a specs going from 80 hertz to a clear not boomy 50 hertz ... Now they beat any headphone i ever own save my top one (9 of three types) not bad for a speaker i dislike for 12 years and never use for music till one year ago ...

My main headphone is driven by an independant headphone out from a big very good amplifier though and an independant battery dac (Hidizs) ...( low cost at the times all this for dac+Sansui amp 600 bucks + 100 bucks for the speakers and because i was lucky few peanuts for the french SPS french dac ).. By the way i tried few months ago to upgrade my big Sansui alpha for a modern acclaimed tube headphone amplifier and i fail and return it and i loose 300 bucks to learn that lesson ... ...All vintage amp headphone out are not all junk ... And some headphone need more than most headphone amp ... ( as the AKG K340 my main music headphone way over the others )

Then i bought a Fosi SK01  battery pre-amplifier a S.S. (65 bucks) one with precise 3 tone controls and a loudness button with two headphone entries ...And a line out for my powered speakers and a line out for ma marvellous french battery dac ...I use this for my secondary  headphones (AKG k701 or Fostex th 7 )

To beat my two systems we must invest ten times the amount at least ...Dont think ever that my low cost system dont sound more than just good ...( i modified my headphone too for sure)

The difference between a good or a bad system if the gear pieces are compatible and relatively good is the three working dimensions controls well done or not : electrical noise floor, mechanical vibration control of the speakers and gear and especially acoustic mechanical control of the room even in near listening ...

Stick to your budget and think about the way to embed rightfully your system ...There is no comparison between my system right out of the box and after the three embeddings controls installed.. NONE ...

For sure you must pick the right components to start with ...

The rest is not a question of money but of embeddings controls ..

Stick to your budget, anyway there is always costlier better gear which will be proposed here without ceiling and without end but there is ONLY ONE WAY TO EMBED RIGHTFULLY ANY SYSTEM... learn it before buying anything very costly ......

It is my double advices : stick to your budget and learn how to install it in your room ... Anybody can suggest a costlier piece of gear, nothing is easier than suggesting always costlier gear upgrade but what matter is learning how to embed what we have already electrically, mechanically and acoustically ...

I know the Woo Audio is perfect and there are 2 for sale on eBay right now. I think now after a lot of looking i may buy a separate headphone amp, then buy a single-ended class A tube amp for speakers, or tube preamp, and then add an amp.

 

I think i will focus on the headphone amp first, Woo, Feliks, Bottlehead Crack.