[Ezumin]

I’ve had my Tor Roger for nearly two weeks now and feel I can give an honest review on how it sounds.

To start, my chain:

Cayin iDAC-6
Cayin iHA-6
ZMF Verite closed

So how does the Roger sound?

Fast, detailed, holographic although gain is limited with some tracks and the amp could do with a little more headroom. I should add that I swapped out the stock tube for a PSVANE CV181-T-M11/2 which I feel adds note weight and a greater sense of space vs the supplied stock tube.

If I swap between the Tor & Cayin amp the Cayin sounds more compressed vs the more open holographic sound through the Tor. Vocals on the Cayin sound a tad closer with the Tor sounding a little airier in presentation. Detail I would say is on par and I prefer the sound of the Tor for sure. Bass weight is more palpable with the Tor and you defiantly feel it with the mids adding that holographic sound you get with the best tube amps.

The treble feels and sounds airy and real with no obvious roll-off. Soundstage and depth perception is fantastic, and you get a real sense that you are there in the room with the music. With the ZMF’s you forget more that they are closed back which is something I couldn’t get away with when listening through the Cayin. With the Cayin I always feel as if the presentation has limits when it comes to boundaries but with the Tor the sound feels so much more open and expressive.

This is not my first tube amp and I bought and sold a Cayin HA-3A which on reflection didn’t sound that tubey for want of a better word. It had stacks of gain but just felt a little lacking when it came to giving you the warmth and holographic presentation you expect with tubes.

Streaming with Tidal there is a headroom issue with the amp and when playing ‘The Cream of Clapton’ I can get the amp to max volume without it blasting my ears! For the same volume on the Cayin I’m at around 11 o’clock so headroom is lacking for sure. I would say I’m usually somewhere between 1 o’clock and 3 o’clock with the TOR and my only critique would be this.

I should add that from order it took around 5-6 weeks to receive the amp and it came well packaged in a large cardboard box with plenty bubble wrap. Fit and finish is excellent with no wobbly parts although you do need to buy a mains lead and interconnect which is no big deal.

To conclude the amp is definitely a keeper and beats the Cayin with regards to sq I just wish there was more gain.

I use my GSX-mini as a preamp to my Tor Audio Balanced. It gives me more volume and it sounds a little better.

 

[Lindholdt]

I'm very close to ordering the Roger amp from Tor Audio. Has anyone any experience with them paired with the HiFiMAN HE1000 series?
Edit, as I know very little about tube amps: Tor advised to get the Roger with a rectifier tube. What will I miss out on, if I go with the Nick without the Rectifier tube? Tor sais it does very little to the sound, so I assume it has another function as well?

 

[reg66]

I'm very close to ordering the Roger amp from Tor Audio. Has anyone any experience with them paired with the HiFiMAN HE1000 series?
Edit, as I know very little about tube amps: Tor advised to get the Roger with a rectifier tube. What will I miss out on, if I go with the Nick without the Rectifier tube? Tor sais it does very little to the sound, so I assume it has another function as well?

Well i can't say for sure, but there was barely enough power in my Nick amp to power my Focal Clear MG Pro @55 ohms (loudly). Your Hifimans (V1?) are planars with an even lower impedance of 35 ohms and sensitivity of ~87 dB/mW. I would say any of the Tor line up would struggle to power planars. They say the output is 450mW but they fail to say where that optimal output is ie 450mW @ 250ohm for example. Although the website advertises down to 25ohm, the output power at around those figures is quite low.

I am not saying they're lying, technically you will get some volume out, but it won't be much with planars. Maybe I'm, and I hope I am, wrong. But I just wouldn't want you to spend out and be disappointed

 

[574613]

I'm very close to ordering the Roger amp from Tor Audio. Has anyone any experience with them paired with the HiFiMAN HE1000 series?
Edit, as I know very little about tube amps: Tor advised to get the Roger with a rectifier tube. What will I miss out on, if I go with the Nick without the Rectifier tube? Tor sais it does very little to the sound, so I assume it has another function as well?

I have Abyss Diana V2's although not tried them on my Tor but will have a go over the weekend and see what the result is like.

 

[ansel1]

I've got a Roger. Works great with my HD6xx, but definitely not enough power for LCD-4. Not sure how the HEK compares to that sensitivity, but I'd be wary with planars in general.

 

[Lindholdt]

Well i can't say for sure, but there was barely enough power in my Nick amp to power my Focal Clear MG Pro @55 ohms (loudly). Your Hifimans (V1?) are planars with an even lower impedance of 35 ohms and sensitivity of ~87 dB/mW. I would say any of the Tor line up would struggle to power planars. They say the output is 450mW but they fail to say where that optimal output is ie 450mW @ 250ohm for example. Although the website advertises down to 25ohm, the output power at around those figures is quite low.

I am not saying they're lying, technically you will get some volume out, but it won't be much with planars. Maybe I'm, and I hope I am, wrong. But I just wouldn't want you to spend out and be disappointed

I have the Stealth wich should be 90dB, so not 87dB, but also certainly not the same as the 104dB on your Focal. This does worry me a bit, even though someone did write that Aria was okay, earlier in this thread.
I'll as Tor Audio about what impedance the 450mW is measured at, they ha e been very responsive so far.

I have Abyss Diana V2's although not tried them on my Tor but will have a go over the weekend and see what the result is like.

Would love to heat how that goes.

I've got a Roger. Works great with my HD6xx, but definitely not enough power for LCD-4. Not sure how the HEK compares to that sensitivity, but I'd be wary with planars in general.

It looks like Audeze and HiFiMAN measure sensitivity differently, and that makes it a bit hard to compare. But I'll ask Tor Audio and hear what they say.
Otherwise, I have HD600 on my wishlist this year

 

[Lindholdt]

Regarding the rectifier, here is what Tor Audio answered when I asked them about it, if anyone else is interested:

There is no significant difference in sound between these types of rectifiers, because the amplifiers use the same circuits and components, so you can choose between their design. Balanced amplifier and Roger amplifier is the choice for people who want an all-tube circuit. However, with each higher model of the amplifier, the sound quality increases. Thank you.

 

[michael2v]

I just tested my Modhouse Argon Mk3’s (~90dB sensitivity, 50-ohm as far as I can tell) on my Roger and it gets plenty loud enough; my “normal” listening volume would be around 50% on the dial with these, to give you a sense of headroom. That said, I can see with even less sensitive headphones some might start to feel it lacking if you really like to crank the volume (but I’d be a bit worried about your hearing long-term!). I’m feeding it with a Wiim Pro to a Modi 3+ using SPDIF.

I’m not 100% on the specs for these headphones, but hopefully this is a useful benchmark for others.

 

[Lindholdt]

I just tested my Modhouse Argon Mk3’s (~90dB sensitivity, 50-ohm as far as I can tell) on my Roger and it gets plenty loud enough; my “normal” listening volume would be around 50% on the dial with these, to give you a sense of headroom. That said, I can see with even less sensitive headphones some might start to feel it lacking if you really like to crank the volume (but I’d be a bit worried about your hearing long-term!). I’m feeding it with a Wiim Pro to a Modi 3+ using SPDIF.

I’m not 100% on the specs for these headphones, but hopefully this is a useful benchmark for others.

That is very useful, thanks a lot
I don't listen at loud volume, as I need to take care of my hearing, so I don't need a lot of power.
Think I will take the chance

 

[reg66]

I have the Stealth wich should be 90dB, so not 87dB, but also certainly not the same as the 104dB on your Focal. This does worry me a bit, even though someone did write that Aria was okay, earlier in this thread.
I'll as Tor Audio about what impedance the 450mW is measured at, they ha e been very responsive so far.

I asked them once before what the 450mW was measured in ohms/optimal impedance and didn't get a direct answer to that one

 

[Lindholdt]

I asked them once before what the 450mW was measured in ohms/optimal impedance and didn't get a direct answer to that one

Same here, just got an answer, but it's not specific at all.
But as I don't need a lot of volume, I think I'll go ahead with the order

 

[reg66]

Same here, just got an answer, but it's not specific at all.
But as I don't need a lot of volume, I think I'll go ahead with the order

Oh yeah, if you don't need much volume then fingers crossed for you dudeHope you like it

 

[jonathan c]

Same here, just got an answer, but it's not specific at all. But as I don't need a lot of volume, I think I'll go ahead with the order

• The Hifiman HE1000 has 35 ohm impedance & 90 dB/mw sensitivity. This equates to 104.6 dB/volt which is about 8 dB below the median across a wide range of headphones.
• However, being a planar headphone, the HE1000’s impedance should vary little across the frequency spectrum.
• So, if the Tor Audio h/p/a that you are considering can produce ‘close’ to the stated 450mw (maximum?) at impedances of 30 ohms - 50 ohms, you should be fine. If the actuality is 100mw or thereabouts, volume may be quite restricted.

 

[Lindholdt]

I've placed the order now, hopefully I'll have the amplifier in 2-3 weeks from now

 

[saujamhamm]

• The Hifiman HE1000 has 35 ohm impedance & 90 dB/mw sensitivity. This equates to 104.6 dB/volt which is about 8 dB below the median across a wide range of headphones.
• However, being a planar headphone, the HE1000’s impedance should vary little across the frequency spectrum.
• So, if the Tor Audio h/p/a that you are considering can produce ‘close’ to the stated 450mw (maximum?) at impedances of 30 ohms - 50 ohms, you should be fine. If the actuality is 100mw or thereabouts, volume may be quite restricted.

i live in USA, ordered my tor roger oct 3rd and yesterday it hit the sorting center in my city. i expect delivery by friday at the latest. total time oct 3rd to nov 17th.