Im looking for a desktop tube amp and want some recommendations for optimal tube sound.
What headphones do you plan to use with it, and what dac do you have? And when you say tube sound, are you looking for something more fun tuned or warmer in character?
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my stuff:
Stax l500s (Stax srm 252)
Audiotechnica ATH-m40x
Sennhieser 58x
Senhhieser hd 598s
(and Argon mk 3s coming in the mail)
Sources:
Little bear mkII portable tube amp
Ifi hipdac
JDS labs Element II
Im looking for a tube that makes the sound smooth and warm and gentle.
Sounds like a plan. I’ll also try to aim for something with a pre out so you can use it with stax if you want. I would honestly say that you don’t have many headphones that respond super well to a tube amp (with the 58x being the most tube friendly if what you have imo), so in this case I think you would want to lean towards something transformer coupled or a hybrid amp. An OTL amp would give you what you want imo, but it wouldn’t play well with most of the headphones you have. What price range are you thinking?
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A pre output would be awesome for the stax! anything under 1000$, but I am also looking to get good bang for my buck, so if budget options exist Ill take em. I would also like to know some headphones that play nice with tubes.
Yeah it can be very nice to fill them in sonically and also improve timbre
I suggest trying stuff like HD600s, DT880 600 ohms for something cheaper but really high preforming on a tube, on a bit higher end the beyerdynamic t1.2, adx5000, zmf cans, and more
I think if you wanted something very colored to your sonic preferences, the feliks echo or espressivo mk ii, it’s laid back, thicker sounding, very enjoyable imo. It doesn’t work well whatsoever with the m40x, 598, or the argons, but would work great with the 58x and the other headphones I mentioned, also very good for the stax in preamp mode.
For something more usable with the headphones you have, the cayin ha-1a mk2, it’s still warmer and thick, but a bit more energetic and tighter, along with adjustable output impedance so you can use it to better success with lower impedance or more demanding cans
I would give a nod to the bottle head crack + speedball for its really enjoyable sound for a really good price, but you have to build it yourself and it has no pre out (also picky about what headphones sound good with it)
If you have to go real low, the little dot mk2 is actually pretty nice for the price as an otl and tube preamp, but the higher end stuff is more worthwhile in this case imo. If you found a deal on an Eddie current jr that would also be very sweet
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right now the echo and espresso look the most appealing. I have an unrelated question now if you dont mind; you know what gear I have, so what do you think I should upgrade/replace/add to my setup. if that question is too broad, ignore it. thanks for being so in depth about the tube amps!
I mean, I think that would depend on what you feel you want more or less of? Do you feel like there is something you are missing or wanting in your setup? Do you want to upgrade based on what you have and like already, or looking to change things up and try something new? There are a ton of different paths you can take and things to try, just depends on what you are after
when building my current setup I had primarily variety in mind, if I want bass; hipdac + argons, clarity; element + stax, warmth; m40xs.
Gotcha, so moreso trying to cover all your bases? I mean there are lots of things you can do, the hd600 or hd650 I mentioned would easily fit under the warmth category with the Feliks as an upgrade (or the 880 600 to a lesser extent).
To upgrade your stax you could grab a nicer energizer which will elevate them overall, so improve on that front (since now it makes more sense to stick in the stax ecosystem).
Bass wise, seems like you got it covered if you wanted something high in quantity and fun, you could go higher there as well (but perhaps wait to get the argons first).
Grabbing a nicer DAC can really help out your stax and the headphones on the tube amp as well, something like a bifrost 2 or ares ii would pair well and be worthwhile imo (after you get a tube amp and/or higher end energizer).
I do think you could go higher end headphone wise of course, but personally I would try out some more of the mid-range stuff before going up to the 1k range (like if you wanted to get a zmf auteur/eikon or t1.2 for the tube amp)
I think for now you would want to focus the stax and tube amp setup since that’s where you will have/already have the highest investment
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Awesome! thanks for helping me lay out a roadmap of sorts for headphones and amps!