hottyson
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Oct 8, 2003
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I just hooked up my $100 amps to my system because I wanted to revisit them with the Fostex T50RP and make certain that I still believed what I had stated above. From what I just heard, here is the rating of the aforementioned three amplifiers.That Fostex T50RP is a fantastic headphone! It sounds better than it's big brother the T60RP.
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Too many people making baby steps with audio upgrades. The JDS Labs Atom is a great amp if you really must stay at $100 budget. The Schiit Magni amps have the most power for the Fostex T50RP at the $100 level. However, if it were me, I would save up $200 to $300 for an amp that will make a much greater upgrade impact. For the Fostex T50RP you could get a SMSL SP200. It drives them notably well with serious impact. However, that pairing does suffer with a slightly narrow sound-stage. But, then again it is an amp that can be found used under $200. If you plan on running other headphones, the SMSL SP200 is not a good choice. For driving a variety of headphones, save up for a better all around headphone that will play with many headphones.
1st place = Schiit Magni 3 Plus
2nd place = JDS Labs Atom
3rd place = SMSL SP200
All three are fairly close and the order would change depending on my mood. But, I will have to retract my comment about spending more for the SMSL SP200.
I think many would be happy with the Schiit Magni 3 Plus or the JDS Labs Atom. I was really impressed with the Schiit Magni 3 Plus driving the Fostex T50RP. That pairing brought a very three dimensional, enveloping sound stage. The JDS Labs Atom was very clean sounding but just as detailed as the Schiit Magni 3 Plus. The SMSL SP200 has a smoother sound. I usually prefer the SMSL SP200 over the other two. But, tonight I prefer the lively, snappy, wide sound of the two cheaper amplifiers and they will play nice with a large variety of headphones unlike the SMSL.
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I did follow up with the six other more expensive amplifiers that were also hooked up and of course they sounded even better. But for those on a $100 budget, the Schiit Magni 3 Plus or the JDS Labs Atom sound awesome with the Fostex T50RP.
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