[rigodeni]

  Thank you all for replies. I want a portable solution DAC/ headphone amplifier not a desktop solution. I was thinking to give a try to Meridian Exlplorer. Could this drive properly HD600?

I found some reviews of the TEAC HA-P50 found here. One in particular compared it favorably to the Meridian Explorer. Quoting him below.
 
"Received this until last night and I couldn't stop listening. I'm using Grado PS500e headphones with this and WOW, just WOW! This blows away the Meridian Explorer as far as sound. I'm just in shocked at how much better my Grado's and music sound with this unit! And what a HUGE difference when listening to Spotify!"
 
PS: Checkout this thread for more info on this new product from TEAC.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Thank you all for replies. I want a portable solution DAC/ headphone amplifier not a desktop solution. I was thinking to give a try to Meridian Exlplorer. Could this drive properly HD600?

 


My HD600 ought to arrive Wednesday at the latest. I can try it out on my DragonFly 1.2 and report back.

I won't be able to compare it to the HD600 running off proper amping until my Maverick D1 comes in. That could be another week at least. ******* China. However, I can compare how it sounds to my excellent Klipsch X7i. They are in-ear monitors, and only 50 Ohms. The DragonFly gives it all the amping it could need. Not the most ideal comparison. At the very least I'll be comparing one quality pair of properly amped phones with another quality pair that might not have enough juice.

I can tell you this, right off: The DragonFly is a great sounding DAC that works beautifully with my Samsung Galaxy S4. All you need is a USB OTG cable, and a USB audio player app. I use USB Audio Player Pro. It's $10, and the best sounding app I've used to date. This combination blows away my home PC's Realtek HD Audio chipset, using foobar.

 

[Midgetguy]

 

  Thank you all for replies. I want a portable solution DAC/ headphone amplifier not a desktop solution. I was thinking to give a try to Meridian Exlplorer. Could this drive properly HD600?

 


My HD600 ought to arrive Wednesday at the latest. I can try it out on my DragonFly 1.2 and report back.

I won't be able to compare it to the HD600 running off proper amping until my Maverick D1 comes in. That could be another week at least. ******* China. However, I can compare how it sounds to my excellent Klipsch X7i. They are in-ear monitors, and only 50 Ohms. The DragonFly gives it all the amping it could need. Not the most ideal comparison. At the very least I'll be comparing one quality pair of properly amped phones with another quality pair that might not have enough juice.

I can tell you this, right off: The DragonFly is a great sounding DAC that works beautifully with my Samsung Galaxy S4. All you need is a USB OTG cable, and a USB audio player app. I use USB Audio Player Pro. It's $10, and the best sounding app I've used to date. This combination blows away my home PC's Realtek HD Audio chipset, using foobar.

As I'd expect. Those chipsets are still kinda crappy and the amping from onboard sound is terrible.

 

[betula]

  Hello,
 
I own an Macbook Pro and I need a DAC/headphone amplifier for my Sennheiser HD600. 
 
These are my options
 
1. Meridian Explorer
2. Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2
3. Audioengine D3
4. Fiio E18/E17
 
Thanks for help!

Schiit Vali.
Best value for price pairing with HD600.

 

[perhapss]

 
Schiit Vali.
Best value for price pairing with HD600.

 
"DAC/headphone amplifier"
 
 + some sort of "DAC" I`m guessing?

 

[perhapss]

  Hello,
 
I own an Macbook Pro and I need a DAC/headphone amplifier for my Sennheiser HD600. 
 
These are my options
 
1. Meridian Explorer
2. Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2
3. Audioengine D3
4. Fiio E18/E17
 
Thanks for help!

 
Incidentally, If you are unfamiliar with tubes` inconsistent sound and implicit replacement costs I`d stay away from the "Vali".
Notice though; often people are recommended products completely unrelated to those within their stated interests....
 
EDIT: Also inline with my previous comments, The HD600 is a "warm" headphone even without tubes so consider.Also audition if possible!

 

[rigodeni]

   
Incidentally, If you are unfamiliar with tubes` inconsistent sound and implicit replacement costs I`d stay away from the "Vali".
Notice though; often people are recommended products completely unrelated to those within their stated interests....
 
EDIT: Also inline with my previous comments, The HD600 is a "warm" headphone even without tubes so consider.Also audition if possible!

+1 about tube amps with HD 600. A cleaner and faster solid state is a better pair with the already warm HD 600. However some higher end tube amps do incorporate solid state to some degree (hybrid). Solid state is also more compact, energy efficient, produces less heat, and usually has a smaller output impedance to further improve the damping factor.

 

[d4rkch1ld]

I dont get it why people are generalizing performance of tube and solid state amps. Not all tube amps are slow,warm,muddy,etc. I didnt listen to vali but imo HD600 has a strong synergy with tube amps.

 

[kman1211]

  I dont get it why people are generalizing performance of tube and solid state amps. Not all tube amps are slow,warm,muddy,etc. I didnt listen to vali but imo HD600 has a strong synergy with tube amps.

I don't get it either. I have never heard a tube amp that I found slow and muddy even the excessively warm ones, if anything I find them faster on average than ss amps personally. It really comes more down to how the amp is tuned and the quality of the amp moreso than tubes vs ss.

 

[deniall83]

  I don't get it either. I have never heard a tube amp that I found slow and muddy even the excessively warm ones, if anything I find them faster on average than ss amps personally. It really comes more down to how the amp is tuned and the quality of the amp moreso than tubes vs ss.

I agree. My DNA Sonett is one of the most resolving amps I have ever heard and it's really fast and clean.

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

  Incidentally, If you are unfamiliar with tubes` inconsistent sound and implicit replacement costs I`d stay away from the "Vali".
Notice though; often people are recommended products completely unrelated to those within their stated interests....
 
EDIT: Also inline with my previous comments, The HD600 is a "warm" headphone even without tubes so consider.Also audition if possible!

  +1 about tube amps with HD 600. A cleaner and faster solid state is a better pair with the already warm HD 600. However some higher end tube amps do incorporate solid state to some degree (hybrid). Solid state is also more compact, energy efficient, produces less heat, and usually has a smaller output impedance to further improve the damping factor.

 
These blanket statement about amps are absolutely misleading. The characteristics aren't universal for tube amps OR ss amps.

 

[Billheiser]

   
Incidentally, If you are unfamiliar with tubes` inconsistent sound and implicit replacement costs I`d stay away from the "Vali".
 

From Schiit's website:  "Vali's tubes are expected to last 10,000-20,000 hours--which is 7-14 years of listening 4 hours a day, every day."

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I dont get it why people are generalizing performance of tube and solid state amps. Not all tube amps are slow,warm,muddy,etc. I didnt listen to vali but imo HD600 has a strong synergy with tube amps.

 

  I don't get it either. I have never heard a tube amp that I found slow and muddy even the excessively warm ones, if anything I find them faster on average than ss amps personally. It really comes more down to how the amp is tuned and the quality of the amp moreso than tubes vs ss.

 

Maybe if marketing blurbs weren't going all "distinct warm sound you can only get from tubes" (or however they phrase it) this wouldn't really come about. In any case many tube amps are designed as warmifiers apart from being amplifiers, especially when the tubes are used on some kind of source output stage (DAC, CDP, PhonoPre). Of course, that ignores how many SS gear out there are designed to do the same thing, like how you can get an option for a Moon HDAM when there's Earth.

 

One other reason for thinking that they tend to be slower than the average SS amp is when for example a low efficiency, lower impedance load (or complex impedance load, as with X-way speakers with complex crossovers) are used with certain tube amp designs that don't deliver current too well, and they don't realize that a proper KT88 or 300B design can rein in those Dynaudios.

 

[Midgetguy]

  From Schiit's website:  "Vali's tubes are expected to last 10,000-20,000 hours--which is 7-14 years of listening 4 hours a day, every day."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding was that tubes aren't all that expensive. The costs aren't going to add up all that much if you only need to buy some once every few years.

 

[rigodeni]

The original question from Adu was about portable AMP/DACs, then people started suggesting desktop tube amps. Now it's a full blown SS vs Tube discussion. Sorry Adu...