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Preview: Trafomatic Audio Experience Head One reference headphone amp
| Permalink | Headphone Amps , Headphones - Full Size , Writer: Danny Kaey | Posted by Danny Kaey on May 27 '08
Preview: STAX SRS 3010 Earspeaker System
COMMENTS (2) | Permalink | Accessories , Headphone Amps , Headphones - Full Size , Writer: Danny Kaey | Posted by Danny Kaey on Apr 13 '08
Future of Headphones
Leave it to Sony to blaze trails in the world of high-fidelity. Here's their latest wonder invention:
"Sony's Tokyo research lab has found a way to connect headphones to portable music and video players without the need for fiddly wiring. They simply feed an audio signal straight through the listener's body."
With the cable obsession in the audio world, one has to wonder if a human cable is the best cable of all. No RF interference (except from those fillings in your mouth), skin effect or other gremlins of wire tech. Of course, the article goes on to say there's only a few millionths of an amp going through your body, but I'm sure that can be upped a little. For all you AKG K1000 groupies, Phillips has a really nice portable solid state amplifier called the HeartStart that may be sufficient:
COMMENTS (5) | Permalink | Headphone Amps | Posted by Josh Ray on Nov 28 '06
Headphone Clarity with the Headroom Desktop and Beyer DT880 by Sandy Greene
Sandy Greene delves into world-class headphone territory, taking a look at the Beyer Dynamic DT880s ($299), Headroom Desktop amp ($599) and the maximum bliss that can be had from cans on your head...
I’m sitting in my 11x17 living room listening to the Red Wine Audio Signature 30 ($1299) and Red Wine modded Olive Symphony ($649 mod) through Audio Note AN-E/Lx speakers. The speakers are set up along the 17’ wall. The house is quiet, the kids are asleep. I’m not listening too loudly, but certainly not quietly. I’m listening to REM’s “Monster” and the sound, even at this moderate volume, is filling the room. I feel it in my body, I hear the reflections around the room and I am experience the why of this hobby… being immersed in the moment...
Permalink | Comments (6) | Posted to Hard Drive Servers | Headphone Amps | Headphones - Full Size | Writer: Sandy Greene
HE2006: HeadRoom
HeadRoom, feeding your near-field addiction, created a headphone saloon with many different listening stations to sample their entire line of products. Seems many people spent a whole day in this room alone.
Below, the "special room." John from VRS saw me, took me by the arm, and led me through a door into a tiny space I can only assume is used for brooms and bad children. There, away from the causal listeners, sat an all-out headphone assault. The Wadia "more-expensive-than-sin" CD player fed the $4000 HeadRoom "anything-but-portable" Max headphone amp and the top models from Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic and AKG. After a few minutes of listening, I was wondering if I could carve out the desk space for this system.
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps | Headphones - Full Size | Headphones - In Ear | Shows and Expos
HeadRoom Storms the Net
HeadRoom, feeding the high-end headphone culture like a drug dealer, scores a couple of reviews from across the net. If you're not aware, HeadRoom not only sells their own line of headphone amps and components, but also loads of headphones, accessories and more. Unlike the rest of the internet hi-fi world, you can actually get everything you need from one shop.
In any case, American Wired covers the Micro line of components, starting at $299. AW writer Matej Isak says this about why oh why you should buy a headphone amp in the first place:
One would say: “Why in heaven would I need a headphone amplifier?” Well if you would ask me the same questions some years back, I would also nod why? But having heard numerous amplifiers and headphones this is not a subject of wonder anymore. As with most things in life, it is the same with audio: once you taste something better it is hard to remain as ignorant as you were ;-). There is a whole cult going on at www.head-fi.com. But I’m warning you. Once there you might be converted yourself.
The review goes on to cover the rest of the Micro Amp and the Micro DAC for even better performance. Read it all.
Also, Stereophile's Wes Phillips takes a look at the Desktop line, with its Amp starting at $599. Here's how he describes the sound:
Rich, warm, punchy, powerful, detailed—I'm pretty much using up all my store of adjectives on the pimped-out Desktop.
I think they should rename the amps "Pimped-Out Desktop." Throw in a shiny chrome volume knob, flashy paint and 30dB bump from 10Hz to 300Hz and you have an instant bridge to the youth culture. Keep reading for all the love.
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
Grace m902 USB DAC Headphone Cuisinart
Stereophiles gets its game on with the Grace m902 audio Swiss Army knife. Pay attention here: it's a headphone amplifier that has analog out to act as a preamp. It also sports USB for computer connectivity as well as traditional S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital inputs. So it's a mini preamp, DAC headphone amp and USB transport. It's okay to be confused. Simply, the m902 does just about everything except make waffles.
Stereophile says this of the Grace's DAC:
The Levinson processor cost a whopping $17,500 when last available, and yes, it did sound slightly better than the tenth-the-price Grace m902!
So is the Grace amazing or the Levinson way overpriced? Probably the latter. This is how the Grace stacks up against the $1000 Benchmark DAC-1, a nearly identical leatherman product:
At $1700, the Grace m902 costs 75% more than Benchmark's DAC-1. Is it nearly 'twice as good'? Probably not, by any rational calculus. But, using an emotional calculus, can the m902 provide twice the listening pleasure and twice the pride of ownership? I'd say 'yes.' Highly recommended."
Then goes on to say:
While it doesn't sound significantly better than the cheaper Benchmark, merely different, the fact that it offers analog as well as digital inputs and a remote control puts it in a different product class.
About those digital connections, Wes Phillips says the USB is vastly inferior to the antiquated connections. What's up with that? If that is true, then the USB was thrown in without really putting the effort in to making it great. USB, as I constantly say, is potentially a superior connection. Sad, sad, sad. Read the full article for a lot more comparisons and tests all across the board.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to DACs $1k to 5k | Headphone Amps | USB Audio
Headroom Millett Tube Amp
Headphone amps are all the rage these days and Headroom has the game locked with their online retail store offering all the top cans as well as their whole line of amplifiers. Positive Feedback checks out Headroom's Millett tube amplifier and says this:
Their addition of tubes is not a gimmick—the tubes added flavor and liveliness that brought me closer to the music. They won't turn chicken shit into chicken salad, but they will "open up" your MP3 files and older CDs.
Hey, chicken salad is what tubes are all about. At $649, the Millett slots in as the most expensive amp in their "desktop" line and below their much more expensive Max line with a top price of $4k. That lower box is a separate power supply and, naturally, you're able to roll tubes to your little heart's content.
Headroom Millett Tube Amplifier Review [PFO]
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
HiFi500 DA100 USB DAC
Taking a cue from the mild roar around USB audio, Korea's April Music has unleashed a new, low-priced component to help your transition to the glory land of hard disk-based audio. April Music, if you don't remember, blew up the scene with their Stello line of moderately priced separates. In Vegas they debuted a new line called Hifi500 which consists of a $595 HP100 headphone amp and, more importantly, the $695 DA100 USB DAC.
I had a chance to listen to the DA100 running into a powered NHT system in Vegas, not that I could tell you anything profound about its sound. The only USB DAC to get a lot of press recently is the $1750 Wavelength Brick which received responses along the lines of "well, it's interesting" in various magazines in the last few months. There are a few other options out there like Firestone's $120 Fubar USB DAC and, of course, Empirical's USB transports (mix in your own DAC) plus a handful of manufacturers shoehorning USB inputs into their integrated amps.
In any case, hit up the lovely hifi500 site for more details and - gasp - internet purchasing. If their Stello line is any indication, expect the DA100 to be killer.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Posted to DACs under $1k | Headphone Amps | USB Audio
Singlepower MPX3 Heaphone Amplifier Review
Here's a beginner's review of the SInglepower MPX3 headphone integrated amplifier. The reviewer, to his credit, comes out in the beginning and says it like it is:
I had never reviewed a headphone amp before having the opportunity to spend time with the Singlepower MPX-3.
So as long as you're not a hard core headphile coming into this expecting an in-depth analysis of the MPX3, this is, in fact, not a bad little review for those just getting involved in the high-end headphone craze. For those looking for hard core prose, who better than 6Moons to give it to ya. Srajan compares the Singlepower MPX3 against all kinds of headphone and regular equipment to arrive at a Blue Moon award for tubed awesomeness.
The Singlepower MPX3 starts at $949 and goes up depending on tweaks. The MPX3 falls in the middle of SInglepower's pack with the $649 PPX3 at the bottom and the $9000 Maestro ZR at the top.
Singlepower MPX3 Headphone Amplifier Review [Enjoy the Music]
Singlepower
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
Firestone Cute Big Joe Integrated Amplifier
"Big Joe" is a new mini integrated amp from the "Cute" series of products by Firestone Audio, a company out of Taiwan making tiny components bridging the vast chasm between audiophiles and Hello Kitty-philes.
The $200 Big Joe provides 16 watts into 4 ohms and comes with a little flame graphic on the front. Other products like their $120 "Fubar" USB DAC sport a red faceplate and a graphic of dog drunk, stoned or both. They also make are variety of too-cute headphone amps priced at $170 (flattering reviews here and here).
Firestone Audio [via 6Moons]
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps | Integrated Amp under $1k
Channel Islands VHP-1 Headphone Amp
We covered Stereophile's Wes Phillip's embarrassingly gushing ramble -- excuse me, "review" -- about the Channel Islands Audio D-100 Digital Monoblock amplifiers before and he's back with the $349 VHP-1 headphone amp. A lot less gush and a lot more comparisons, the CIA VHP-1 goes up against the likes of the $399 Emmeline SR-71 and the $449 Musical Fidelity X-Can.
Interesting read if you're in the market. No clear winner in all the comparisons, but it's obvious CIAudio has another killer product on their hands.
Channel Islands Audio VHP-1 Headphone Amp [Stereophile]
CIAudio
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
Stereophile Covers Emmeline SR-71 Headphone Amplifier
We've covered Ray Samuel's Emmeline SR-71 here and now Stereophile provides their own review. Here's a choice quote:
"I have yet to hear a portable headphone amp that sounds as good as Ray Samuels' little wonder."
Can't get a better review than that. Price is $395 and the SR-71, as well as Ray Samuels' higher end products, can be purchased directly from the Emmeline's website.
Emmeline SR-71 Headphone Amplifier [Stereophile]
Emmeline Home
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
PS Audio GCHA Headphone Amplifier
PS Audio has released their new headphone amplifier the GCHA. Its output power is "a couple of watts" and includes a USB input as well as RCAs. In addition, they include their Gain Cell technology that promises crystal clear clarity and, as the reviews conclude, it's pretty much true.
Price runs $999 and we're sure to be seeing a lot of reviews soon. PS Audio is known for killer products -- we've covered the GCC-250 Integrated, the xStream Resolution Cables and the UPC-200 Power Center before. In you're looking for even more dirt on this amp, PS Audio's forums are pretty busy and a good place to start.
PS Audio GCHA Headphone Amplifier
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
HeadAmp GS-1 Review
Ryan Clarin of 6Moons tackles the HeadAmp GS-1 headphone amplifier and likes what he hears. The GS-1 is a solid state amp with a couple of inputs and outputs and costs $749. While not in tube territory for warmth and the midrange, paired with the right cables, this amp runs with the best.
HeadAmp GS-1 Review [6Moons]
HeadAmp Home
Permalink | | Posted to Headphone Amps
