I can’t remember if I already sent this to you, but this is a good video on that topic.
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Starting this right now!
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The Bottlehead stuff seems to get a lot of good reviews. I am the antithesis of handy, however, so not really a good option for me.
Tuba amp may struggle with the Arya from what I am seeing, though I could be misunderstanding.
Terrific, terrific video - set me straight when I was looking for exactly what you’re looking for @elliot
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Outta curiosity, where’d you end up?
Tried the Monoprice Cavelli Liquid Platinum, but returned it because I heard great things about the Hagerman Tuba amp - great price, really enthusiastic review in that $1000 amp video, and it did nothing for me at all. Couldn’t tell a difference from my solid state amp.
Rather than scale up the ladder, I dove in and after speaking with Justin of ampsandsound, got the Kenzie Ovation, which I am in love with. Great sound, less of a tube-roller’s delight than a set-it-and-forget-it model, but it brings everything to life. Well north of the $1000 budget.
I’d spend the time with that video that was recommended to you. They spend a ton of time on the category and I bet you’ll find something you love.
HA! I am in exactly the same boat. Questioning if I should just blow it up and get the newest iteration of the OG or something else from Justin. What DAC did you end up pairing with, outta curiosity?
I’m short order I went from the Topping D90 straight to the Chord Hugo TT2 and loved that so much I paired it with the M Scaler.
Absolutely love the Chord sound…I have the Qutest in my office which is a lot more reasonably priced. Went with the TT2 at home since it had a solid state headphone amp built in, not that I use the amp part all that much, what with the Kenzie nearby.
The TT2 has great detail and a warm well-rounded sound. I’m a newbie so don’t look to me for reliable descriptions. It’s just all-enveloping and inviting.
All I can say is I heard the limitations of the Topping (technically accurate but unappealing to me) and with the Chord it seems to bring out extraordinary detail in recordings I thought I knew. Pairs great with the ampsandsound gear.
I’ve been following your adventures and it sounds like you tend to want to get to great right away, which is my own M.O… Going to the top end of whatever your budget is will increase the odds you’ll be happy right away and not have to worry about reselling, constantly upgrading.
Good luck!
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Thank you! Yeah, I’m not good at dipping toes. 
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We’ve discussed this several times. Start with these threads:
The OTL models (e.g., Bottlehead Crack) will work only with high impedance dynamic driver headphones. For the Arya in the sub $1K bracket, you’ll likely end up with a tube hybrid such as the Lyr 3.
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Yes, for this reason, I am back to stretching my budget yet again and the question arises: Is there anything closer to $1.5-$2k that is “worth” not just simply stretching for something from ampsandsound? I think I keep walking myself into the same semi-conclusion.
Calling @ProfFalkin’s attention here. Somewhere in these threads or on one of the Headphone Show videos he states that there’s a performance gap between the $500 Lyr 3 or (real world) $500 to $800 completed Crack versus the $2K+ tier. Also search for @Torq’s amp comparison comments in particular, for he has tried a huge variety of common, rare, and exotic products. I don’t have nearly as much experience as they do.
Thank you!
I have watched some videos and read a lot. I think once you cross $2k specifically, it really opens up. Ampsandsound (including Pendant and Forge), DNA Stratus, Primaluna EVO 100, Feliks Euforia, etc. If I am being honest with myself, they are probably all nothing short of wonderful and I am NOT the most analytical listener, so am surely over-analyzing. Unavoidable, nonetheless.
Between 1-2K, I have seen a few, such as the WA2 or Feliks Elise.
There is always upgrading tubes as well, but I would have to ask questions in that vein after finally making a purchase and pairing with an appropriate DAC.
A few options:
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There does seem to be an empty performance space in that price range.
I remember looking a while back and the impression I got was that the products at 1- 1.5K were OK but not a lot better than the sub 1K amps and that once you pass the 2k mark (maybe 2.5 to 3 now with the price inflation that has been occurring) you started getting into higher end, potentially end game amps for a lot of people.
Prices start to sky rocket after that real quick for possibly only marginal gains depending upon your criteria. And then of course tube costs get added in.
So, unfortunately, its almost stick with entry levelish tube amps or go big.
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That really does seem to be the consensus, which puts the Kenzie OG Rev 2 in a good spot, along with the DNA Stratus.
Have to pick a DAC to pair 'em with, but they seem to my untrained eye to be the standouts.
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With both, whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong.
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Sorta figured. There’s something that always seems to pull me to ampsandsound. I think it’s down to the new OG or the Pendant with the vintage tubes upgrade. Both around the same price. Seems like the Pendant may have a slightly better time with the Arya from specs I am reading, but I imagine either can drive that quite well.
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Bear in mind that the Stratus is $4.5K, which is well above the other amps you’ve mentioned.
If you go with the Kenzie or Forge, think about how you want the Low Z and High Z outputs to be configured:
- The Pendant comes with 8/100.
- The new Kenzie OG comes with 32/600.
- The Forge comes with either 8/100 or 32/300.
This is just my personal preference, but if I were buying the Kenzie, I would ask Justin if he could change it to 8/100. On my Pendant, I use the 8 ohm output for my Stellia and RAD-0 and 100 for my Verite and I’m very happy with the sound. On my Nautilus, which has a lot more choices (8, 16, 32, 100, 300), I tend to use the 32 ohm output for the Stellia and RAD-0, and 100 for my Verite. I tried the 300 ohms output with the Verite and although it was interesting at first, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as 100 ohms.
Others may prefer other setups.
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And this is why some start small. Some may find they don’t care about tubes, or they don’t want to deal with their costs, fragility, and maintenance.
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