Obtainable Headphone Amplifiers: $999.99 - $1999.99

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Luckbad, Aug 23, 2017.

  1. MrTeaRex

    MrTeaRex His head's not fat, he's my brother!

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    @ButtUglyJeff tried to politely curb the ridiculous adding of amps just because they exist early on and got ignored. There was even an attempt to add one that hadn't even been released yet... Maybe @HitmanFluffy 's method is the only way to get any traction.
     
  2. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    EC needs to bring back the Super 7. Maybe with less than 7 6SN7 tubes. But definitely with something like the Mk1 OPTs, and maybe a few mods incorporated as standard. We need some sort of amp that good under $2K on the market.

    There are very, very few amps between the likes of the Vali 2 and MCTH that make me feel they are a good middle ground between those and the likes of a S7 or similar tier (usually $2K+ easily).
     
  3. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Well in the tradition of Pyrates of old. I don't like the Sennheiser HDVA 600. Too long since I heard it, but I remember thinking meh. Just thought it was not up to Senn standards. I also find the Ragyy to be fatiguing after a while. A lot of the others I haven't heard.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2017
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    ^ This. What I had in the back of my mind as I scanned the list, but spoken with clarity by Tyler. Even today, with a few exceptions, $500 to $2000 is a no man's land of mediocrity. Unfortunately $2000 and above is probably littered with more true turds, but there are some gems up there too.

    Maybe this should be a list of amps not to bother with and to instead save up $150 a month for the next year to get something that would truly make a difference.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2017
  5. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    Yeah pretty much. Or conversely a list of amps between these that are a good deal, it would be a much shorter list after all.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2017
  6. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    It must have been unclear in my original post that I'm starting with information gathering, then I plan to separate all of the amps into categories.

    If we have trusted impressions, they will go into Good or Bad categories. If not, they'll remain in Unknown.

    There is no need to leave something off this list just yet, but a lot of things will be nuked and will make their way to the Discard pile with a reason. EC Black Widow will go there because it's no longer available. Lynx Hilo might go there because it's a combo unit and probably doesn't belong.

    The original idea in my mind was to pick up where the Tube Amps Under $1000 left off, and I kept solid state in for the time being.
     
  7. tomchr

    tomchr MOT - Neurochrome

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    I suggest posting links to the reviews and "trusted opinions" so readers can form their own opinions. Maybe summarize each review in a two-line pros/cons or something. This way you preserve the information rather than digitizing it into a binary good/bad format. Just a suggestion.

    Tom
     
  8. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    That's the plan.
     
  9. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I had mentioned this before in one of those "how to improve the forum" threads... but as this place gets bigger, what we need are "curator" threads that compile information into easily accessible tables or links or whatever. I think something like this would be a decent start.
     
  10. Bulldog

    Bulldog New

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    I would like to add the Ear Max Sliver Edition $1200 & SPL Phonitor E $1499 to that list.
     
  11. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    Color me a skeptic on the Earmax. I'm seeing about 10% of the total cost in parts, including the case, based on internal shots (assuming they pay retail for everything and drink a few beers during the build).

    Adding it, but it's getting instantly shoved into the Chopping Block section.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2017
  12. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    I had to look up what the Ear Max Sliver Edition looked like. Looks like one of those sub $50-100 cheap Chinese amps that sell on alibaba or aliexpress.

    They sell for $1,200 you say.
     
  13. FredM

    FredM New

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    Hope that this topic/initiative won't spin into a Schiit fan page, bashing non-Schiit products along the way.
    (A topic with similar approach on DAC's started promising, but ended in a questionable comparison)
     
  14. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Well seeing as how Schiit only makes one headamp in the $999-$1999 bracket, that's going to be kind of hard to do. I'll try my best though.
     
  15. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    This thread might be doomed to fail. I've been searching out impressions on a lot of the amps in question, and very few of them seem to be worth buying. Most seem like they are overpriced or nearly as expensive as something much better. This price bracket is a No Man's Land that could use a lot more love from manufacturers.
     
  16. tomchr

    tomchr MOT - Neurochrome

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    Some of us are in the position to be able to provide this love. What kind of love would you like to see? What's missing in the $1k-2k price bracket in your opinion?

    Tom
     
  17. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    For what it's worth, as a tube noob who's seriously considering spending an inordinately large amount of money (from his perspective) on one of the amps listed here, I'd appreciate categorising them into Schiit, not-Schiit, and Outright Crap categories :p

    .... Okay, that was a poor joke even by my standards.

    But yeah, the title of the thread itself (i.e. "Obtainable") doesn't necessarily specify that the amps listed herein are any good. I do think that compiling the list of all amps in the $1-2k range before sifting the chaff out is rather dangerous for people who aren't as familiar with higher-end amps. Case in point, I have no idea if the Decware amp recently brought to my attention is any good, but the only reason I hadn't bought one yet is because I'm still very early in the process of saving up for one, lol.

    Bucking popular opinion on a public platform takes either a stout heart or an inherent contrariness (online disinhibition effect not mentioned because that should be a given), so it's understandable that people act agreeably and parrot consensus by default. While understandable, it also flies in the face of one of the things this forum stands for, which is something I appreciate: helping people get the best performance for least spent.

    Having said all that, I feel there should at least be a disclaimer stating in no uncertain terms that the amps listed here so far have are not necessarily any good for the price, as they may not have been examined by veteran ears attached to trusted tongues.
     
  18. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    There are very few non-hybrid all-tube headphone amps in the category. Something like the Eddie Current Super 7. Musical, detailed, clean, low noise floor tube magic.

    @ampsandsound is one of very few to offer anything in the category worth looking at, and all of them are at the high end of the price bracket.
     
  19. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    So you're saying you'll provide access to these worthy non schiit products to known proven reviewers so this issue won't come up?

    Problem is alot of these companies do not have the consistent value proposition that schiit products continue to have. Sure it would be nice to see other companies step it up but for the time being that is largely not the case.
     
  20. Jh4db536

    Jh4db536 Friend

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    Here's a headphone/speaker amp from a well regarded company that will be released in a few months:

    www.diyaudio.com/forums/elekit/308263-elekit-tu-8600-300b-set-amp.html
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    rumored to cost between $1200-1700 INCLUDING tubes and lundahl OPT options
    I doubt that it will ever come premade though, however, complete kit and chassis are rare these days i.e. T3 kit
    i'd volunteer to build a loaner unit free of charge if SBAF desires to circulate one.
     

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