Have tubes been dismissed?
I guess a darkvoice or little dot could be an option, although personally not a big fan of those amps, but they are a cheap enough entry point into otl and would do the job fairly well as long as the stock tubes were swapped for nice nos. Itās just that with the dark voice or little dots you do trade some technical performance in comparison to some of the solid state at a similar price, imo hard to get a good tube amp at this price bracket
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I asked Thomannās Romania customer service mail how long would it take for an order to arrive. Hopefully theyāll reply today.
@lafonte Oh, my bad, I forgot there is a Zen CAN, which is just an amp. Actually, I can find the Zen CAN here at 160 euros. What do you think about it @M0N ? Itās much cheaper than the Lake People or X7s. Depending on what you think, Iāll probably include this one on the list too, so Iāll have 3 alternatives.
As a short history, I was mainly going to buy the DT770 250oms. I can say Iām a basshead since Iām a bassist, so I wasnāt really impressed by the idea of open-back headphones, because I wanted a subwoofer-type bass. Well, I aināt cRaZy for bass, but it seems I got quite used to it, since the EQ preset I was using until one month ago had pleeenty of bass (and I didnāt even know that).
Iām also an advanced pianist, so I said āWell, letās choose a great pair of open-back headphones I can enjoy classical music with, and maybe boost the bass in the EQ for other genres I listen to - metal, funk, rock, bossa etcā. (at the time, I thought I was ok using a Fiio K3, so no stress for the ampās price). Then I came across the so-known DT880 600ohm, and it seemed to be the best option for my needs (since Iām sensitive to treble, 990s would beā¦ a little too much). I realized that the K3 would be a funny joke for 880 on 600 ohm. So I started doing research for days, during which I was told by everyone to increase the budget. Ok, my budget became 300 euros, but I didnāt get along quite well with the idea of buying a 300 amp. I thought that maybe Iād better get the L30 at 140 euros (which people seemed to praise and absolutely love) AAAND someday satisfy my needs for bass with DT770s.
L30 (140 euros) + 770s (120euros) = 260 euros, so even cheaper than 300 euros.
I got so used these days to the idea of spending 300 euros on hifi (880s not included in the 300 euros range, Iāll buy them anyway), that now I feel the absolute need of doing so XDDD
Now Iām thinking of buying the Zen CAN and, besides the the 880, the 770s. This would be Zen CAN (160 euros) + 770s(120) = 280 euros.
So the question is: is the Zen CAN much inferior compared to the Lake People or the X7s? I mean, I could buy the Lake People/X7s now, save some money and buy the 770s next year, but Iāll have to wonder one year straight āhow great would the bass on the 770s be?ā
Also, I see an offer of Hifiman Sundaras + iFi Zen CAN FOR JUST 410 EUROS. But I donāt like the Sundaras, I hate that type of cups and bass is weaker than the 880ās AFAIK. I like He400iās cups way more.
Zen can? Itās nice but I canāt say it powers the 600 ohm all that well, even if you balance the 880 imo. You can tell it gets overly strained sounding, not really an enjoyable experience with the 880s
the bass on the sundara is way better compared to the 880 in quality and quantity, and the sundara is definitly a better allrouder compared to the 770 and the 880. The 880 is a good choice for classical music but with other music can sound not really great especially if youāre a treble sensitive guy. The 770 is a good closed back for the price a lot of sub bass and treble, really v shape is funny with good quality electronic music but the treble can sound really harsh it does really well compared to other closed back in the same price range in soundstage. I personally will choice the sundara over the other two if you donāt need the isolation and you can live with a pretty neutral and flat bass estension.
The Zen CAN amp really canāt handle hi impedance cans, especially in the bass, like iFi claims. If you want to juice the bass of the 880 tho, I can confirm that the Zen Dacās bass boost routed through a more powerful amp can get the 880 bumping pretty well. The G103s should do that for you.
I have more complete thoughts on Zec CAN here: š· iFi ZEN CAN Headphone Amplifier - #3 by WaveTheory
Hmmā¦ canāt find any LakePeople g103 reviews on youtube and I see very little discussion about it on google. I see that the g109 is more popular. Any crucial difference between the two? I donāt intend to buy the 109, but just saying.
I see it has very high power (the 103). How well would easy to drive headphones sound on this? Letās say some HyperX Cloud Alpha I have. Did you recommend it because itās powerful and would match well the 880s, or is it a very good amp overall, even for easier to drive headphones?
Honestly, I think Iāll buy 770s for now, then save for the 880s. Or should I get that Hifiman Sundaras deal I was talking about the last message I sent? And what amp should I buy now if I wonāt buy 880s in the future? Still the LakePeople, or is the Zen CAN ok in this case? If Iāll buy the Sundaras Iāll probably never buy 880s, so the Zen CAN included in this deal should be enough for anything Iāll ever buy. For the moment, Iādā say that I wouldnāt buy something more than 300ohm Sennheisers, or even if Iāll buy 880s in the future, Iād be somehow binded to choose the 250ohm version. I think your opinion would really help me. @WaveTheory Iād like to hear your opinion too.
Indeed there isnāt much out there
Itās an older model, itās now been replaced by the g111
Yes, the 111 and 109 are more just fairly neutral slightly smooth, while the 103s has that bit of warmth and extra body added to it. The 109/111 are a step up overall when it comes to technicalities like better detail, improved spatial recreation, more impressive dynamics, etc. But all share a fairly similar house sound but with different levels of performance
Pretty dang well depending on the headphone, although I havenāt tried that exact pairup with the hyperx
A bit of both, it has pretty excellent synergy with the 880 for the money, but it also drives other headphones pretty well, just depends on what headphones are in question for how well they pair with it
I guess it depends on your priorities
The lake people would still be my preference but you wouldnāt have any issue with the zen can either as long as you balanced the sundara imo. It wouldnāt be as technically impressive as the g103, but it would have enough power on tap with a warmer richer more fun signature
Lake People doesnāt seem to send out review units. The only reviews you see are from people who own them and outside of this forum I think knowledge of their existence is somewhat low. Itās a shame really because their products are rock solid.
I think the G103s will give you more freedom in the future to explore headphones be they hi-Z, low-Z, or planar. The Zen CAN is fine for easier to drive planars and lo-Z dynamcis. I think youāll be overall impressed with the CAN + Sundara if you go that route.
I think itās probably reasonable for you to grab the Sundara and CAN combo right now given your situation. Listen to that for awhile. I could see a reaonable upgrade path for you to be starting there and then getting a Lake People G111 and/or Feliks Echo down the road. I caution against saying āIāll probably never buy ___ā This hobby has a way of making you eat those words, lol.
Agreed on the low profile. I had never heard of Violectric until I bought it. I just assumed that was due to it being a European brand.
Haha I know how it goes 
āIāll probably never build a house that expensiveā -next day āI wonder how much would it cost if x and yā¦ OH SHIT ITāS 200000 dollarsā¦ well then, Iāll probably never buy an expensive carā -next day āBut that Aston Martin is sooo greatā¦ Iāll probably never invest in a home studio thenā -next day āomg I want this and this and this and this because they all sound SOO DIFFERENTā
Itās always like that, I know.
Iāll do some more research on the Sundaras this week, but most likely Iāll end up buying 770s and LakePeople
You can find somethink about the lake people if you go back to the hifi magazine era
@M0N Oh Godā¦ 2 days ago it was written on Thomannās site that theyāll restock the LakePeople in 2-5 days, this means anytime monday-friday. I took a look at it now, and it says āAvailable in ~one weekā and I think this means theyāll restock next weekā¦
About the shipping. Iāve asked my guitar teacher how long his deliveries took, and he said mostly 1 week and a half, sometimes 2 weeks. 2 weeks shipping + 1 week restocking = 3 weeksā¦ aghh I canāt wait, Iām so hype right now that I think Iāll go to Germany myself XDDD just kidding
By the way. Question for all of you @lafonte @M0N @WaveTheory . Would I be ok using EQ to get the 880s bass-heavy or just bass-oriented? Or should I buy the 770s first?
@lafonte I wonāt take Sundaras. I just canāt love them, I canātā¦ DT series was instant love, but Sundaraā¦ I kind of hate them, I donāt like the headband, the earpads, the design and especially THE CABLE and I wonāt pay for another cableā¦
My DT880 responded really well to the bass boost on the zen dac routed through Asgard 3 or Liquid Platinum. Itās not a bass cannon, but did well, and I am a bit of a bass head too.
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Iām not a fun of the eq with the headphones but the dt-880 gets less distorted in the bass compared to others open headphones when the bass is boosted but desnāt become a bass moster. The 770 if youāre looking for the sub is a better option but is not the best headphone out there, about the amp if you are really on a buget and especially if you donāt plan to get the 880 I personally will think twice before buy the lake people, in terms of quality/price is really far away to be a good deal.
Personally I think itās a pretty good value for what it has to offer, canāt say the same about some of the other options I have tried in the price bracket, although 270 euro is higher than I remember them going for in the past, but I have no idea how shipping and customs adds to things in the eu
I owned the 109 and if was a good quality price amp some years ago in the today market I will not define it has convenient. After I know something about the electronic and Iām willing to pay the premium cost for a premium products with that I mean a good electronic topology, a good design, features, sound, and I canāt see any of this quality here
An amp than in my opinion is a box without a gain switch in the cheapest version and with a switch inside the amp in the more expensive version with a topology designed for minimize any cost used in the cheapest stereo, radio and big bluetooth speakers. After if you think is sounds great is a perfect combo with the 880 is ok everyone have different tastes and preferences.
Well, what would be an example of something that you think showcases good design at the 300 ish price point? Getting something that uses higher quality components is pretty hard at this price point from what I have seen (unless you build something yourself perhaps), and honestly thereās nothing in the design of the lake people to me that screams poor design, but Iām not an amp designer so I probably wouldnāt catch that anyways. In the end for me at least, the sound is the final test and the determining factor, and if the components in the lake people are really all that bad theyāve done a nice job at making them sound good for the price point
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I didnāt try any of the schiit or jds products because Iām in Europe but personally Iām a bit jealous. Because they managed to design nice products with in most of the cases good electronic topology and componets, a nice design, features, usa made and for a good price somethink that is missing in the european market (lake people, lehmann, graham, splā¦) that continues on the path of the really expensive high end but donāt offers good quality price products compared to what there is in the usa and in china. Here in europe especially on a budget since is pretty expensive and difficult import products from the us I will personally move on chi-fi, I personaly did it and Iām happy with my choice thatās why I suggest to others to try this products. Fox example the aune x7s (270 euro) for me is better then 109g (here in europe still possible find it new for 450 euro) with the headphones i have in my personal experience. Out there there are many amps for 300 euro and also dac/amp in the same price range for very different tastes (SMSL SP200 XDUOO TA-10 SMSL SH-9 aune x1s)
You did not give any reason as to why one of them is better than the other thoughā¦?
Most people starting in the HiFi world, especially headphones will just parrot the ābig numbers goodā-thing from ASR and then buy some cheapo chinesium thing.
So why compete there in the first place?