"Want" a new Amp, any above and beyond ones?

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Headphone Amps
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I was going to purchase the THX AAA 789 and be done with it, but I missed the last drop of the year yesterday since I was at work, so now I am looking for one better than that. I currently have the Schiit Jotunheim, and the SMSL Su-8 Dac.

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You’re getting into the land of pro audio at this point with severe diminishing returns. With your current setup I would look at other headphones instead if you’re looking to improve sound quality.

BUT, because you asked I’m not going to leave you blue balled. I personally don’t have any experience with these, but I have a few pro-audio friends in industry recording, live audio, and mastering/mixing careers. Most of these recommendations are coming from one dude and his wish list, so definitely look further into it, but the brand names dropped were:

https://www.littlelabs.com/


https://spl.audio/?lang=en (I was told “over-priced, but excellent”)
https://en.cayin.cn/
https://www.teac.com/

Hope this helps! Sorry I don’t have any specific recommendations, but I was told these are the “pro-audio” go-to brands.

Edit: formatting was weird. The Rupert link made it’s own text box. I did not mean to emphasize it in any way. It’s supposed to just be a link.

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I’ve got the RNHP on order, and the SPL Phonitor on my wish list! Nice to see I’m not the only one.

I’d add the Benckmark HPA4 to a list of top tier amps.

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NFB-1AMP is a solid option.

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Neurochrome HP-1. It might be the best amp you could get your hands on without spending a small fortune. It’s one of the best amps ever tested by Audio Science Reviews. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-neurochrome-hp-1-high-performance-amp.5324/

Also, you are going to hate me saying this, but I would take a JDS Labs Atom over the Jotunheim any day of the week. The Atom far surpasses the Jot in clean power and has no trouble powering any headphone on the market.

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Definitely! Just be prepared to take out a small loan to buy one :rofl:

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I heard it is good, but, I love my 4 pin XLR, and balanced inputs and outputs on the back of my Jotunheim.

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Haha, Seriously. This definitely isn’t the cheapest of hobbies. :laughing: