Best solid state amps for around a $1000

Personally this is approximately the most I would pay for a headphone amp and I'm sure many of you may feel the same way. I haven't heard any TOTL amps other than brief listens at Canjam London so I won't comment.

Im curious to discover SBAFs favourite amp in this price range.

 

If you are only driving dynamic headphones not plannar magnetic headphones, then the Phasemation EPA-007x will be IMO the best amp for USD1,000:

http://www.phasemation.com/product/epa-007x.html
http://www.head-fi.org/t/612433/epa-007x-headphone-amplifier-phasemation-japan
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/phasemation/1.html

It is only available from Japan, with street price of Yen121,000: http://kakaku.com/item/K0000710751/

You can get but it through Japan shopping/package forwarding service like zemmarket.jp: http://zenmarket.jp/

.It sounds best when being fed with AC100V. So you have to get a 115V-110V power adaptor transformer. This is actually a good thing as the power adaptor transformer will help filter powerline noise.

This amp redefines "transparency", "naturalness", and "refinement" if you are coming from amp like the Ragnarok

The only short-coming is it does not have the power to drive plannar magnetic headphones.

 

You could do a whole lot worse than either a closeout Schiit Mjolnir (for $550 + shipping) or a Schiit Mjolnir 2 with LISST (B-stock w/ LISST only is $829 + Shipping). I've seen a couple Bryston BHA-1's up recently at around $850-950 too and those are pretty damn nice for the money too. 20 year transferable f'ing warranty on those too.

I'm using a Mjolnir 2 right now, with both LISST and solid aftermarket tubes. With LISST in, the amp is tonally neutral and pretty resolving. It's more polite than the stock Mjolnir (lacks that amp's spitty treble problems) and Rag (due to not being quite as dynamic), but still has enough solid state incisiveness and bite.

Other good options around that price range would be a used Headamp GS-1 (saw one of those up recently for a crazy good price, almost jumped), a Krell KSA-5 Klone (really wish I hadn't sold mine, but emergencies are emergencies), the Cavalli Liquid Carbon (if you can wait 6 or so weeks for delivery), or a Schiit Asgard 2 (cheap option that is still really really good).

 

What @AustinValentine said. Mjolnir 2 with LISST option (fully solid state) probably the best value for money and flexible for tube option too.

EC Black Widow might be interesting too, once Marv and Craig figure out what they want to do

 

Thanks guys, this is exactly what I needed. I picked up a NAD M51 for $788 and an HD650 for $325, just need an amp to complete the system, leaning towards the Mojo 2 now.

 

Yeah, but EC can't get it together to release the Black Widow again. I've saved for it since July.

 

FWIW, I prefer Mjolnir 2 with tubes too - at least with the higher impedance Senns. The gap closed a bit with the PM-1 though (and I suspect a PMx2 would be a nice match for the Mjolnir 2 w/ LISST).

Re: the BW, making a large revision on a product takes time I'd have liked to have had the BW as a purchasable option at the time when I was shopping for a Gungnir Multibit mate, but when you're dealing with a small boutique audio manufacturer sometimes product launches don't sync up well with individual purchasing cycles. It's just the way it is. Maybe on the next go around!

 

Hello Austin. I was wondering if you could share with us a brief comparison between the Valhalla 2, which I have owned (and liked), and the Mjolnir 2 (with tubes) when both are driving high impedance headphones.

 

An invaluable post, to be sure. I just have one question for clarification: were you saying you prefer the Mjolnir 2 (with tubes) to the BW, or rather that you prefer the Mjolnir 2 with tubes to the Mjolnir 2 with LISST? Thank you!

 

EC Black Widow prototype was easily the best SS headamp I've heard hands down. I've never heard an SS amp sound so good with the HD800. And considering the fact that BW is said to perform just as well if not better with orthos, you have one amp to rule 'em all.

The production version BW is said to have a more advanced power supply. I would wait patiently if I were you.

 

X2, curious about this

 

I can get some thoughts up on this later today or tomorrow - work, work, work + Holloween.

 

Had a few minutes between trick or treaters.
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A few highly subjective (IMO, YMMV, etc.) impressions Re: the Schiit Mjolnir 2 (tubes) vs Valhalla 2:

1. On Stock Tubes: I think that the stock Russian tubes better in the Valhalla 2 as opposed to the Mjolnir 2. I'm...not a fan of the included Canadian 6BZ7's. Maybe mine haven't burned in long enough, but they seem pretty harsh. I wasn't very happy with the Mjolnir 2 at all until I replaced the stock valves. Blame Canada. (Joking, I head up to Toronto every May. I love Tim Hortons and Joni Mitchell. Congrats on Trudeau btw.)

2. Tube Rolling: I think that the Valhalla 2 scales up with upgraded aftermarket tubes less dramatically than the Mjolnir 2, which really does sound like a different amp with decent replacement tubes. Rolling tubes in the Valhalla 2 hits the point of diminishing returns way much quicker. With Mjolnir 2, budget for an upgrade.

3. Plankton: Here's the kicker - I don't think that the Mjolnir 2 resolves better or provides more microdetail than the Val 2. At all. The Mjolnir 2 won’t get you additional clarity either (and with LISST, it might be even less clear sounding than the Valhalla 2). I think they're pretty much equally resolving and clear, so if that's the primary metric that you use to decide on amplifier purchases, just save the ~$500 and stick with the Valhalla 2. Seriously. No, seriously. The Mjolnir 2 is a sidegrade in this regard.

4. Beyond Plankton: the Mjolnir 2 has better low end extension and definition, better macrodynamics across the board (slam, etc.), and better staging than the Valhalla 2. It also has a quieter blackground. These are all small improvements – we’re not talking “night and day” here.

5. In Valhalla 2’s Corner: I think that Valhalla 2 has slightly better microdynamics. The Valhalla 2 is pretty damn tonally flat. Because tube rolling has a lesser effect on it, the Val 2 seems to retain this tonal character better than the Mjolnir 2 (which is tonally neutral with LISST, but is very impacted by tube choice).

6. What’s the biggest thing?: The Valhalla 2 has a softer, more graceful overall presentation where the Mjolnir 2 is more aggressive and energetic. The other differences that I’ve mentioned thus far are completely subordinate to the aggressive/graceful presentation difference, which is the real significant difference between the two.

7. The takeaway, because somehow my condo building has trick-or-treaters and I keep getting interrupted: I’m not going to say “don’t buy the Mjolnir 2 for high impedance Senns" because it’s a great amp for them. The Valhalla 2 is a way better value than the Mjolnir 2 for those specific phones. I actually think that the cumulative small differences do make the Mjolnir 2 the better amp for the HD580/6X0/800 lines. I really enjoy the Mjolnir 2 for both my HD650s and PM-1 as a particularly good match. How the HD800 will synergize with the Mjolnir 2 will really depend on your treble tolerance, tube choice, and DAC selection. (What's new, right?) Unmodded with stock tubes or LISST, I couldn't listen to it very long.

8. Why buy?: Buy the Mjolnir 2 because it’s a pre-Michael Bay Transformer, an origami-folding triple changer that sounds great with both low efficiency planars and classic Sennheiser phones. If you already own a Valhalla 2 and only plan on using the amp only with high impedance Senns, I think you should take advantage of Schiit’s 15-day Satisfaction Guarantee and try it before you commit completely. Don’t sell your Valhalla 2 and then buy the Mjolnir 2 just trusting that you’ll like it more.

 

I haven't heard either amp, but that's how a subjective audio review should be written.

 

Thanks, really helpful. I'm really enjoying HD650 + Val 2 where the graceful presentation is nice, but I'm liking what you're say about the mj02 being more aggressive/energetic. Great info - puts the Mjolnir 2 back into the mix for consideration as an upgrade (which is a tough task given the value of val2) along with the Torp3 and maybe the BW.

 

Great insight Austin.

 

I love Audio-GD. Their stuff is built really well and is a great value. I've had the C-2 and Roc amps and both were awesome.

I'm sure the NFB-1AMP is great for balanced as it's the latest version of the Roc I had and the C-2 is for single-ended (mine was a generation earlier).

I like their stuff enough that I ordered a Master-11.

I haven't heard the Cavalli Liquid Carbon, but Head-Fi is obsessed with it even though only a few have heard it and orders are finally starting to ship in a week or so.