2. headphones
  3. 156248-6055

Beginning of a new journey...

I had never been a headphone guy, up until very recently. My main rig in my home office is built around Harbeth P3esr, Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Cambridge Audio Azur 851D, and Bluesound Node 2i. I'm extremely satisfied with the performance of this system, and cannot ever imagine parting ways with the P3esr's. They tick all the right boxes for me.

Having said that, my headphone journey started with my wife buying me a Bose Soundlink pair of headphones about a month ago. I put those on, and the first word that came to mind was 'meh'. I tried them with and without amplification, but the result was always the same. Meh! I concluded that maybe headphones were not for me. But then a friend of mine told me that Mass Drop (now just Drop) were running a special on the Sennheiser HD6XX headphones. With the first-timer discount, and free shipping, the cans were going to run me $175 + tax. I figured why not. I am in love with the Harbeth midrange and smooth sound, so 6XX's sounded like the right choice.

Now, I also have a Naim Unituque (V1) that was in my system before I upgraded to the Cronus Magnum. The display light had started to fade and eventually went out completely. So much for Naim quality! Anyways, I was hoping that the Naim would be a good match for the HD6XX's. But nope! Not at all. The sound was anemic, slightly better than running them straight from my iPhone, but not that much better. The bass was almost non-existent. I guess headphone amplification was an afterthought on the Unitiqute. I wasn't sure if it were the 6XX's, or just that the synergy with Naim was not optimal.

On a whim, I hooked the cans to the Cronus Magnum's headphone out, and immediately they came alive. The bass was much tighter, the midrange, vocals, treble -- everything was noticeably better. I can see why these headphones have achieved such a legendary status in the world of affordable hifi equipment. They definitely scale with better equipment, unlike the Bose. So now, I need some advice regarding a good headphone amp. Given the limited room on my desk, I would prefer something with a smaller form factor, and a single box solution with preamp/amp/dac. It will be a bonus if the unit can have a built in streamer, but not a must. I want to stay between $500-800, new or used. I'm sensitive to high frequencies, so tubes will be my preference but don't want to rule out smooth sounding SS amps.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!
128x128arafiq
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,599 posts
 
I've put about maybe 20 hours on the Anandas so far. I know it's too early to form an opinion but so far they're quite good. The two things that I wish could be improved upon are better, deeper bass and maybe slightly smoother treble. I'm finding the treble a little too hot for my taste. Let's see if these aspects improve after burn in. Otherwise, these are really, really good and definitely a huge improvement over HD6xx.

@213runnin -- I might be completely wrong but from what I've read on other forums, the Vali 2 is not recommended for planars in general. I'm looking into the Jotunheim with the multi-bit DAC module installed.

@oddiofyl Thanks for suggesting the Quicksilver. Given that I'm particularly partial to the tube sound, I'm seriously intrigued. I know it's a little over my budget, but on the plus side this is something that I can buy once and never have to worry about upgrading for quite some time. I've only heard great things about the company. This amp can form a  stable foundation as I try out other headphones. Can you provide more details on how they compare to other headphone amps that you own or have owned in the past?
213runnin
914 posts
 
I wasn't suggesting the Vali 2 for the Ananda phones.  I was suggesting the Asgard, but the Jotunheim should be even better.
soix
8,729 posts
 
 @arafiq — you initially stated you have a preference for tubes, so why not look at the Lyr instead of the Jotunheim?
davehg
85 posts
 
The HDXX is a very high impedance headphone- like nearly 600 ohms. It needs a slug of power to come truly alive. Paired with a powerful headphone amp, it outpunches its weight.

For me, the Woo WA22 is ideal with the HDXX, when running in balanced mode with a balanced source and balanced cables. The WA5 is also stellar but significantly more expensive.

You can land a used first gen WA22 for about $1200. Pricier than your budget but you won’t ever regret it.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,599 posts
 
@soix TBH, I wasn't even aware of the Lyr up until now. Will definitely look into it. Right now, I'm seriously considering either the Quicksilver headphone amp or the Feliks Audio Espressivo Mark II. But will definitely check out the Lyr's reviews as well.

@davehg I would love to get my hands on a Woo Audio amp but they're just too rich for my blood. I haven't seen a used WA22 anywhere. Let me know if you know someone who might be selling it.
More to discover