Hello Everyone, I hope you are all doing well, I am again coming to seek some wisdom from this great community and receive some good answers to my questions.
I have recently purchased ZMF Eikons and I am already an owner of HD660s and the Audeze LCD-X 2021 and have been looking for good amp and dac for quite some time now. I have asked previously but a lot has changed which raised new set of questions.
My dad sent me his “old” Aqua La Voce S3 dac, which I am still waiting (we live in different countries).
I also decided to use a streamer as source and I am buying the Cambridge Audio CXN V2
Dac will be sorted which is good, but I am still looking for an amp, now I have stopped on the following 4:
Singxer Sa-1
SPL Phonitor E
Cayin iha-6
Kinki Studio THR-1
I would appreciate any thoughts on any of these or further recommendations, I’ve heard that the Singxer is amazing but I am not sure if its going to have enough power?
My next question is, do I need a preamp, as I can see none of these are preamps? If I need, is there anything you recommend under £500-600?
I think the Cayin iHA-6 might be the best of the bunch for your setup. Your headphones have quite a range of impedance and sensitivity, so being able to use the balanced output (which is only .3 ohms) with the LCD-X, and either the low single ended (10 ohms) or high single ended (120 ohms) with the HD660S or Eikon would give you a lot of flexibility. In my experience ZMF’s really benefit from higher output impedance. The other amp on your list that could do that is the THR-1 (around 50 ohms balanced and 100 ohms single ended), but the LCD-X is so sensitive, you might not have much use of the volume control with it.
And yeah, as @NickZ said, no preamp needed. That’s mostly a concern in the speaker world where you have a power amp with no volume control, and need a separate unit to control volume. Headphone amps always have volume potentiometer, so you’re good to go.
Meze 99s. Love the looks, their reputation as bass cannons scares me.
The reputation is very much deserved based on my time of ownership. These are nowhere near neutral. 99 Classics are fun and beautiful, but they’re basically Beats in a tuxedo. Avoid.
Audio Technica M50X. I’ve heard they’re V shaped and bassy.
They’re V-shaped, with super-hot and crispy treble. Also the most uncomfortable headphones I’ve ever worn.
Focal Elegias. Probably the ones I want the most, but I’ve heard mixed reviews. Some people say they’re neautral, others that their tuning is totally weird and the mid range is off.
Elegia’s are a genre-specific can, from my experience of ownership. Superb for mids-focused music, such as classical, acoustic and vocals. Can be good for EDM due to slam of bass, which isn’t constant. But they’re not good rock and pop headphones because of the weird tuning and because they’re unforgiving as hell to source recordings. A lot of rock and pop tracks are overproduced victims of the loudness wars in the studios, and those poorly mixed and mastered tracks sound like crap on Elegias.
You’re welcome! Just know that I don’t actually have any direct experience using that Cayin amp…maybe others here who have heard one can chime in if they think it’s a good fit.
I own the Singxer SA-1. While it does sound very good with a few select headphones (eg. Monoprice M1570), it is not a good selection for someone hoping to amplify a large variety of headphones. With the majority of my headphones the SA-1 consistently ranks relatively low in comparison to my other amplifiers.
Of your headphones, I only own the Audeze LCD-X 2021. Pairing the Singxer SA-1 with the LCD-X 2021 leaves some things to be desired. The holographic nature of my good pairing amps disappears. The airiness turns dry. For these reasons, I rarely get a chance to recommend the Singxer SA-1 to anyone. I would suggest taking the SA-1 off of your list of possible candidates.
The Phonitor requires strict usage guidlines to avoid electrical shocks and damage to equipment. It’s not an amp I would recommend for someone not used to dealing with such things.
My local dealer used to have a Phonitor. Beyond the handling requirements, it’s a technical amp aimed at the studio/mastering market and not something most of us would choose to use over other amps. Give me tubes please.
I just got an offer for Headamp GSX Mini for a very good price, I would appreciate if anyone has thoughts to share on this amp. How does it compare to lets say the Burson 3x peformance?
I own the Headamp GS-X Mini with 24 step DACT. It is a solid performer. It drives most all headphones to great depths and levels of potential. While it is not my favorite amplifier, it consistently delivers clear airiness about it compared to most of my other amplifiers. It is definitely a keeper and forever amplifier in my collection.
Thanks for the feedback on the amp, what I am looking for is , just to give you an example , while listening to Amon Amarth - Raven’s Flight and testing Burson Conductor 3xr and Chord Anni and Qutest i was loving the drum slam from the chord side, it was amazing you could feel it, when the Burson was too smooth and careful it was mixing it with the rest of the music, and I was listening it on LCD-X which is know for good slam… Now I am basically deciding if its worth the extra £500 and move from Cayin iha6 to the gs-x mini… tough decision when I cannot test either of them…
Hello all, new user here but have been reading a bit over the past few weeks.
I’m looking for insight on a new amp. I currently have an Arcam rHead and have an LCD-2 (2018 model year) and an AKG K702. This will be part of my 2-channel system. My phonostage (Moon 310LP) and DAC (Denafrips Pontus II) are connected via balanced cables to my integrated amp (Ayre AX7e).
I’m looking at a few options available to me used: Schiit Jotunheim 2, Lyr 3, Rebel Amp, GSX Mini, and Phonitor X. The Phonitor X would be the most expensive of the available options.
I believe all of the amps mentioned double as a pre with single ended outputs. This is a great feature as I can connect it to another 2-channel set up.
I’m also looking to add a ZMF Aeolus and possibly an HD800/800S in the future.
I mostly listen to female vocals, alternative, folk/Americana, a bit of pop, jazz, soul, and, hard rock. I’ve been using headphones lately as there has been a change in lifestyle/routine. I’m not after hyper-detail, neutral/flat, technical sound. I enjoy a more laid back, relaxing listening experience.
Out of the amps listed, which one would be good match for my current headphones, and possible additions down the road.
Blue11, Welcome to your headphones.com community.
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Of the amps on your list of potential amplifiers, I own Schiit Jotunheim 2, Schiit Lyr 3, Rebel Audio RebelAmp, Headamp GS-X Mini. All four of these are excellent amplification choices for various reasons. Since you stated that you shall be adding the ZMF Aeolus, and since the Aeolus is my favorite headphone, my recommendation would be for you to choose an amplifier that pairs well with it.
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Of the four amplifiers I find the Headamp GS-X Mini the best sounding with ZMF Aeolus. The brightness of the GS-X Mini synergizes well with the darkness of the Aeolus. The other amplifiers that you listed also sound good pairing with the Aeolus with the exception of the Rebel Audio RebelAmp. I find the RebelAmp to be a little too dull and polite when paired with the already laid back mellow characteristics of the Aeolus. Not to say the RebelAmp is a bad amplifier. It is usually my favorite solid state amplifier when amplifying many of my planar magnetic headphones. However, with Aeolus headphones, they are a poor match to my ears.
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Down the road, you should expect to have good results from pairing other headphones with the Headamp GS-X Mini. There might be the rare exception to this such as the HifiMan Sundara in which I found the pairing with my GS-X Mini too bright since my Sundara lack bass performance in the first place. I actually get better performance out of Sundara with my RebelAmp which is a third of the price of the GS-X Mini.
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Anyhow, good luck with your amplifier hunt. May your ears find years of pleasing sound.
Thanks for the info hottyson.
How would you describe the Lyr 3 and Aeolus pairing vs the GSX Mini and Aeolus?
I came across a post previously stating the Aeolus pairs well with the Lyr 3. However, I’ve been thinking about going with a balanced cable for my LCD-2. The Lyr 3 doesn’t have a balanced option. Would the Jotunheim 2 limit the Aeolus’ capabilities?
The Headamp GS-X Mini being superior of the the two all of the time, with all music tracks to my ears. If using the GS-X Mini as the benchmark for only this comparison, the Schiit Lyr 3 sound is thinner. Bass becomes recessed in comparison. Highs become COMPARATIVELY piercing. Highs are NOT piercing at normal listening levels on Lyr 3, just more piercing comparative to GS-X Mini.
What you have read about the Lyr 3 pairing well with Aeolus was correct. However, concern with having a balanced cable is not always a concern with some amplifier/headphone pairings. For instance my Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 does not have a balanced output yet it performs comparatively with equal level of performance as the GS-X Mini with the Aeolus. My Lyr 3 also performs admirably with just single ended output. When pairing with the Aeolus, my Lyr 3 single ended amplification is on par with my Jotunheim 2 balanced amplification. For some tracks I prefer the Lyr 3 and for some I prefer the Jotunheim 2.
Which brings us to your last concern of Jotunheim 2 limiting Aeolus performance. My ears tell me yes Jotunheim 2 will limit performance COMPARED to GS-X Mini. However, my experience also leads me to believe that performance of the Aeolus with the Jotunheim 2 is at a level that should be considered very good. I really do enjoy pairing the Jotunheim 2 with the Aeolus. However, I never pair them when I have the GS-X Mini set up. My wallet and bank account keep reminding me that a $400 Jotunheim 2 is approaching not too far behind a $900 HR-2 and a $2,000 GS-X Mini. That is an amazing value feat if I have ever heard one! So, choice might boil down to how much money you want to save, versus how much money you want to spend, and what steals and deals you find in the used market.
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