Warm Fun Class-A amp sound

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Headphone Amps
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Not looking for the best, but for money’s worth and performance that can be heard.

Let’s get real here: I don’t have much in-person experience with Class-A amps, but I heard they are very powerful and linear from reviewers. From this, what I am looking for is a fun, warm sound with not much linearity and a huge sound stage with depth and width while keeping the detail, imaging, and technicalities intact. In these sound profiles, I found these amps: the EarMen CH-Amp, the Burson Audio Soloist 3X Performance, the Burson Audio Soloist 3X Grand Tourer, and the HeadAmp GS-X mini, so from these, you can see my price range maxing out at $2500. With these, I am mixing a tube amp that has full tube output, and I decided to buy the xDuoo TA-22.

Now my setup will be a DAC (Fiio K9 Pro or Cayin RU6) with balanced output to an xDuoo TA-22, which has tube-full output but with RCA out only, to a Class-A amp to balance headphones.

What will I be using this setup for? Mostly movies and TV shows.

I know I am crazy and asking for a lot, but I am very curious. I would love to have an opinion about Class-A amps in this setup and which will be best, or maybe even go in a different direction and save money.

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I own the Burson Soloist 3XP and it is a very capable amp, but you also have to factor in the supercharger if you want to get the most out of it. There is also a new player that came out recently, but reviews are not available yet Schiit Audio: Audio Products Designed and Built in Texas and California

The Mjolnir 3 has a larger footprint, so that would also have to be taken into consideration. As for the Soloist GT most reviews state that it improves on the sound characteristics of the XP along with more power output. It is a hefty investment over the other two, and it would depend on your headphone collection as to which one would work best.

Good luck with your decision!

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