A home for my cans


Hi Goners,

Have spent last year researching headphones,whether they should be balanced or single ended,proper power cables and interconnects and lastly tubes vs. ss!

Phew...Can you guys and gals save me some time and point me towards a good preamp/headphone amp combo from the same source?
My headphones include Senns, Grados, Model 8's etc. and this is to be a bedroom system.
Have heard of Todd the vinyl junkie, Woo and Ray Samuels but would appreciate some guidance...

Thanks to all,

Jake
128x128azjake
Any thoughts on tube vs ss?

Sure. I used to have a more myopic viewpoint on that topic, but the more I hear great implementation of both topologies, the more I believe both have tremendous potential. There's no right answer there. I'd stress that your three different cans are going to mesh differently with any choice you make. I don't know that you're going to find one single amp that makes all three sound their best, but it will certainly offer some choices when listening to various types of music. Tubes are definitely more high-maintenance (also more tweakable), whereas SS is set-it-forget-it friendly. Tubes are more friendly when pressed to clipping. Of the favored HP amps I mentioned there are representatives of both topologies. I'd suggest, if possible, try to listen to a few options and see where your preference lies. You can go over to Headfi.org and see if there may be meets in your area. I know it's more difficult to find a dealer that carries many options. There's one in Portland, OR called 320 Ohm that is all about headphone products. With the speaker right at your ear, you definitely do not want an amp that is going to distort or run out of headroom (clip) or you will find yourself investing heavily in Advil. If I were going to put together a little system like you are, I might shift my focus from headphonecentric choices to more conventional choices, like a Cary SLI80 integrated (tubes) or a Portal Panache (SS), both of which have respected headphone sections. I have a Portal in my office and can tell you the headphone output is excellent, though not quite up to the dedicated Woo, it certainly is about 80% there. My bedroom is headphone only, so that's why I went that direction there.
If your looking for a good headphone/preamp combo the Manley 300B preamp might do the trick.
I've had a Blue Circle HPT in my system for about a month now, I absolutely love it. It is solid state, can accept 2 sources, and has pre out. The power supply is also user upgradable. The headphone output sounds great and really drives my Grados and AKG very well. A definite level or two above my previous amp, Channel Islands VHP1. I'm in the process of finding a power amp to go with it so I can't vouch for the quality of the pre-outs yet but I have owned several blue circle pieces over the years and would be very surprised if it weren't also excellent. Gilbert at Blue Circle is very approachable and often frequents the Blue Circle Forums to answer any questions.
I haven't heard the other pre/headamp combos mentioned above, but I can recommend the Ray Samuels B-52 without hesitation. It can be used with balanced or unbalanced cans. He also offers some other models at different price points. If you're ever inclined to move to Sony MDR-R10 cans, the R10/B-52 combo is amazing. I believe Ray voiced the B-52 with the R10s. Since I've been using the B-52 as a preamp in my main rig, I haven't felt the urge to move to a more expensive dedicated pre. I used to use an EmmLabs DCC2se pre and the B-52 in the same league but with the added tube magic; and it beats the Krell KCT that I had previously in pretty much every department. Different strokes for different folks, so I recommend listening with your headphones before you buy.
thanks guys...you've given me some great places to start...

I think, among auditioning for myself, a trip to the next RMAF is in order...:)

Jake