I look forward to all of @bagwell359 âs posts as he obviously knows what heâs talking about. @Nick_Mimi has a great post about synergy between headphones and sources, and I really think thatâs the magic equation weâre all trying to figure out. Your favorite headphone will possibly sound like shit on your friendsâ setup, and finding your personal sweet spot is what this hobby is all about
I was just thinking that too⊠it really just comes down to synergy and combinations of things. The 789 is going to sound one way if youâre running it from an SU 8 vs an Aris R2R⊠and thatâll mix in with whatever your headphone is doing and come out with a result.
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The headphone out on the Sprout is similar to the headphone out on my 1974 Marantz 2325. It has a lot of power I didnât expect it to provide, and it has a tube-like sound that I prefer to what the THX 789 offers. Not saying its better by any means, but I think the headphone out is the last thing people consider when buying a Sprout and I was pleasantly surprised with how capable it is. I used it for a few months waiting for my 789 to ship, and at this point I find myself preferring it to the 789 in many situations
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Right now the best combo I have is the Airist r2r > La Figaro 339 > ZMF Eikon. I have a SMSL D1 that I use with the 789, but I try to tie the Airist to my tube amps. The Eikon is so good. Desperately trying to trade my LCDXC for it
I had to look it up (the 2325) and wow, what a legendary piece and it looks timeless!
Itâs an absolute tank. I am thinking about sending it in for work, but I kind of want to leave it the way it is because it sounds so good as is. My elderly neighbor initially wanted to give it to me for free because she literally hadnât powered in on since the 90s. I had to talk her into letting me give her $300 for it. They sell broken for $1k just for parts, so it was a total steal for me.
I keep telling people that vintage is the way to go because you can get a great deal if youâre patient. People donât care about what their devices can do if they donât look modern. I spent $1500 on my turntable, and see equal or better ones for <$50 at thrift stores all the time
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Since youâre in Singapore, try to look for a vintage Sansui 9090. You may have a better chance of finding that than a Marantz 2325, and that was the endgame debate back in the day. Iâve had a chance to listen to one, and it was incredible.
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idk, the sprout is primararly a speaker amp. iâd rather get something dedicated to headphones. keep in mind im just a poor boy, but what would you recommend as a step up from the 888?
âpoor boyâ who has a brand new Aeolus on the way⊠
lol
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Iâd look at the Sprout if looking for nearfield speakers only. You should be good
Wow thatâs like one in a million chance, a neighbor in possession of an end game item wanting to rid of it. Thanks for sharing that, definitely an eye opening to the world of vintage gear. On the lookout for some elderly with Sansui 9090 
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That seems to be the way the vintage market works. Donât set you sights on a specific unit, but be ready to pounce when you find one for cheap. In my opinion its the easiest way to get your endgame setup as long as you can be patient
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Anyone have thoughts on how well the Elex handles tubes?
Not too well with the Dark Voice. It muddies up the sound a bit too much, IMO. Maybe with a good hybrid tube amp, though.
I would look for a hybrid like the ta10 or ta20, or possibly a SET design like the Eddie current massdrop
You can still have a solid state amp thatâs very clean outperform the thx. I really like my headamp a ton, itâs a class a beast
Look at the Cronus Magnum. Measures poorly, but it sounds pretty damn fine. Amps, pre-amps, DACs, seem to be places you can play this balancing game.
Hard to do with speakers, cans. Low output moving coils - I think there is something other than HD going on with some of those. Mix in exotic stylus shapes, noise from transformers and step-ups, and unusual electrical loads. Some of sort of phase tricks seem to go on - in particular in the treble. If you get the right match to your ear, it can explain why you will spend $2 or $3k on one or two or more. If you never heard one on a really great rig, then its hard to understand how seductive and right it can be.
Impedance is too low.
Theyâre not bad on the low impedance output of the Eddie current ZDT Jr, but on the high impedance output the Bass and low mid range are pretty bloated.
Their is a noticeable difference in quality on the Eddie current between low and high impedance outputs, with the latter being obviously better. But thatâs largely to do with the implementation, the output transformer has a single tap, and the low impedance output uses a pair of resistors to match. A design with multiple transformer taps might be better.
Having said that I still prefer the Elex through the lower impedance output, to anything else I own through the high, but the 6XX sounds pretty damn good through the high impedance output.
So not an ideal match, but OK.
Yeah itâs decent, but not the best match. Hybrid is prob the best match here
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Enjoying this conversation about finding amp/dac/can synergy. This is why I always ask about amps for a specific set of cans. Still searching for the best portable Elex match. Iâll probably be doing some comparisons at the ole headphone bar sooner or later.