What are your thoughts on the Ember, by the way?

Its a versatile amp, chameleon-like in its ability to reflect the type of tube that one uses. I first used an RCA 12AU7, the sound was on the brighter side with good mids that are forward though and the vocals are very well presented. Nowadays, I use the Amperex Bugle Boy and the sound is a little on the darker side. My DAC is the Uberfrost with the Wyrd. Power is no issue and even the HE-6 comes across as decent but I don't use that HP with anything other than a speaker amp. The HD 800 used to be much brighter compared to my Vali and of course the ZD but with the Anax mod, its tamed enough.

The gain and output resistance settings allow one to customize sound to the extent possible - I use the medium setting for both.

Merry Christmas gentle folks,

I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands and would love any suggestions from you dear fellow members. It's not really "headphone, IEM" exactly, but I hope it fits under "Other Audio Related Discussion"... If not, well spank me and call me Susan...

My sources: Apple TV (toslink), my cable box (toslink) and my Oppo 105 blu-ray.
My amplification: Naim NAP250. It's about as old as the hills, way back in the olive days. You know, when the Naim 3-pin XLR meant L, R and ground.
My speakers: Kef LS50

I arrived at this setup more or less by chance. The ATV and cable box are connected to the Oppo to perform DAC duties (the ATV goes into a W4S Remedy as Toslink and comes out as coax s/pdif). Originally, this fed a pair of Audioengine A5+ but then I bought a pair of LS50's for basically no reason. So I had to dig up my geriatric NAP250. My Naim Pre (82+SuperCap) made a scratching noise when I turn the knob and the channel balance pot seems weird so I abandoned it and wired the Oppo up to the 250 direct. To be honest, I'm surprised the 250 is still alive and TBH it sounds pretty good so far.

So what more do I need?

Well, the Oppo is connected to the power amp directly and volume is controlled via its digitalness. While it sound pretty good to my ears, the system sounds a bit thin and shallow and the soundstage could be more solid. By thin, I don't mean it lacks bass (or at least I don't think I do) but it's more of a lightness not unlike the difference between my Lehman Linear and my Mjolnir. The former does everything very well, but the mjolnir just has more depth and slam. My apologies for not being able to articulate more clearly, but I hope it's given some indication of what I'm lookng for. (I've spoken to a few people and a few have said that I should use pre amp in between but none of them are familiar with the Oppo. Do I really?)

Also, as I'm now a little nostalgic, I'm sending the Naim stack back to the UK for some rejuvenation or sale depending on diagnosis. So I'll need amplification. The Kef's are something like 85dB  (in)sensitive and the brochure says 8 Ohms but apparently it spends quite a lot of its life around 4 Ohms.

I was going to get the Ragnarok but the wife needs a remote controller. It's a real shame, but that's how it is - our cable TV operator can't seem to work out a way to have every channel a similar volume level. I originally planned for a Rag so my budget is around $1.5-$2k...

Anyway, from my feeble googling, these are my options:
1.) Peachtree 220SE - roughly $2k
Pluses:

• Has 2 optical inputs, don't know about quality but at least I can use one remote for source selection and volume control.
• Apparently has ample power for the kef's and most anything I might use them with in the future.

Minuses:

• Single ended-only. The Oppo's specs indicates that the balanced output is "better". I'm not sure how much truth/marketing goes into this, however.
• I can't get a demo. Or at least no within a few months.
• Class D. Again, I've not heard one for a long time. But least I tried, digital amps are not really my cup of tea.

2.) W4S mInt - on a bit of a sale for $1.1k at the moment
Pluses:

• Has 2 s/pdif inputs, same plus as the above.
• Apparently has ample power for the kef's and most anything I might use them with in the future.
• Small and cheap.
• No tube so I don't have to live in fear of it dying if I leave it on all the time, which I tend to do.

Minuses:

• Single ended-only. See above.
• Local dealer a bit useless.
• Class D.

3.) Emotiva XSP-1 + XPA-2 - roughly $1.5k ( + my Gungnir)
Pluses:

• Future expandability???
• 2 x balanced inputs.
• No tube so I don't have to live in fear of it dying if I leave it on all the time, which I tend to do.

Minuses:

• I have to manually select between ATV and cable box. Which is sort of okay but not ideal.
• No local presence and very few (internet) opinions.
• Lots of boxes. May need to Dremel shelf.

4.) Hegel H80 - roughly $2.5k
Pluses:

• Can demo.
• 1 x balanced input for the Oppo
• 2 x optical inputs.
• No tube so I don't have to live in fear of it dying if I leave it on all the time, which I tend to do.
• Small, appears to be wife friendly.

Minuses:

• Most expensive option here.
• Some glowing reviews, but a few saying it's a little boring.

5.) Job 225 - about $1.7k (www.jobsys.com)
Pluses:

• Same operation as before. This saves time training the family. Which normally requires about 3 attempts. Then someone will call me at work telling me the tv went quiet and they don't know why.
• Pretty good names behind it.
• No tube so I don't have to live in fear of it dying if I leave it on all the time, which I tend to do.
• Small, appears to be wife friendly.

Minuses:

• No demo possible.
• Single ended only. If that matters.

As you can probably gather, I'm a bit lost here as there are so many options and each day there seems to be more, specially with people putting dacs, pre's and power amps in any number of permutations. I also know that I'm a bit of a a$$hat when it comes to making decisions. As such, any advice/alternatives/thought/insult/etc. appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

C

Hello pirates! In your opinion, what would you qualify as the better bang for the buck for driving the K7XXX / Modded T50RP?

• Magni 2 + Modi 2 (Uber)
• Geek Out 450 + Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII

Thanks in advance.

The leckerton really isn't that good with full sized headphones compared to the Magni 2U, especially when it comes to less efficient or high impedance headphones. I own the magni 2U, GO 450, and uha-6s. So I think as long as you don't need the portability, the magni 2 and modi 2 would be a better choice for your headphones.

good "cheap" (~500-600 or so?) DAC+amp for HE-560 possible at all? I mean, it sounds good from a lot of cheap things that I have tried, but I want the best for around that price if possible.
I have had a Vali but it was ringing too much from the tubes, so I don't know if I want to go that route... but I do like a little smooth, just not tubey. not a fan of the cold/sterile sound from the O2 and the likes.