Hi all,
Any headphone amplifier recommendations for a Rossini DAC?
Price range up to about £1000
Thanks,
Phill
I have been and remain very happy with my SPL Phonitor 2. Well matched sonically to the dCS range this piece of professional studio kit will drive most cans and has an astonishingly sophisticated crossfeed system originally intended so that producers could replicate the sound field of their near or midfield monitors on headphones. Also very effective as a limited number of sources pre-amp.
I bought mine a couple of years ago from a UK pro gear supplier at circa. £1200.
It greatly depends on what headphones you are going to use to give an advice.
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I’m using Mr Speakers AEON (closed back) headphones with 93dB/mW sensitivity to listen to mainly classical music
Checking online I come up with a slightly different sensitivity for the original Aeon closed back ; 93dB/1mW.
The other important specification is impedance and these are only 13 ohm which will cause many headphone amps difficulties.
Thanks, corrected
The 13 ohms impedance is a low impedance; the Æons will need to be driven by a headphone output stage capable of delivering enough current into such a load. So you will need a headphone amp with a matching low output impedance.
However, the Æon in practice is not difficult to drive, but you will get best results with an amp with suitable power.
Try the Violectric HPA V200-A (10th Anniversary Edition) or Violectric HPA V280, which are in or near your price range, to see if you like the combo.
If you want to have a headphone amp matching the SQ of your Rossini, I can recommend the Benchmark HPA4, but this one is way out of your price range. However, if possible, try to listen to a Violectric and the Benchmark, and see if you would be willing to pay more, based on the SQ you will experience.
I have had in house the following:
SimAudio Moon 430HA (current)
HeadAmp GSX Mini (current)
Luxman P750u (1 month demo)
Violectric V281 (2 week demo)
Benchmark HPA4 (2 week demo)
dCS Bartok (owned for 2 months)
Headphones used are Focal Utopia and Sony Signature Series Z1R. I also have a 2 amp 2 headphone Stax system however for this exercise it was not applicable.
Source used for demo - Linn Klimax DS
In a nutshell the keeper here is the (relatively) new HeadAmp GSX Mini - which is also reputed by some to sound better than their flagship GSX MK2. At $1795/$1995 it is amazing VFM.
I have never liked the SimAudio HA and have just been too lazy to sell it.
The Luxman was an impeccably built piece of equipment however imho it was let down my its LEUCA volume control.
The V281 was a stellar performer - however I preferred my GSX Mini.
The Benchmark HPA4 was a stellar performer - however I preferred my GSX Mini
The Bartok is an amazing all in one solution however, for me, while dCS first attempt at a headphone amplifier is highly impressive, I preferred the performance of the Bartok as a DAC/Streamer only and I used the HeadAmp GSX Mini for headphone amplifier duties. The Bartok’s performance as a DAC/Streamer gave me enough incentive to try a Rossini/Master Clock and this has now replaced my Linn KDS in a Naim 500 system.
Hope this helps. As always do the demos - your mileage may vary.
Best
Gregg
PS a good friend who also runs a totl Naim system for the past 25 years acted similarly and returned his demo Benchmark HPA4 and has remained with his Violectric V281.
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I second the V200. The V200 has tremendous current delivery capabilities, which you need for you phone
Hi Pete,
I’ve been reading about this SPL Phonitor Matrix technology, do you find it effective?
Thanks,
Phill
Yes but it takes a little learning. I would say that most people will say that they hear no difference the first time that they switch it in. As SPL say in the manual " This is not an effect".
To set it up you use the controls to move the sound image in your head so that it resembles the image heard sans cans. So , as a rough example, if your left speaker produces an image , say, 30 degrees from centre but on headphones you hear it as 45 degrees coming more from you left ear you can shift it back to 30 degrees on the cans. Note : it does not make the sound appear as if outside your head. It can provide a wide, deep and continuous soundstage in your head.
Once properly set you can have the heaphones and speakers on simultaneously. Listening on headphones you can then remove them yet the images heard on speakers and headphones match. I am impressed every time I do this. This enables its prime purpose which is to allow producers to mix using headphones. But it is great for home listening too.
The downside is that on some material with the matrix switched in there is a small reduction in bass drive. You need to weigh this against the naturalness brought by the matrix. Of course the matrix can be removed or reinserted at the flick of a switch.
There are other Phonitors in the range which include DACs etc. These are aimed more at home users but the crossfeed matrix is not as sophisticated as with the Phonitor 2.
First, I own a SPL Phonitor xe with the integrated DAC768. (I did not chime in with it earlier because it costs more than your stated budget.) I’ve been very happy with it. I use it primarily with a Focal Stellia. It is not connected to my Bartok, as it is my home office headphone rig while the Bartok is the main listening room headphone rig.
I have Matrix on all the time. But as with all crossfeed designs, how noticeable it is depends on the music played. E.g., modern pop/etc music won’t benefit from it much, as they are typically mixed to be “mono delivered in stereo” (a sweeping generalization, I know), so you have the same information on both channels with little separation. Matrix can’t really help this much. But if you are listening to stuff mixed with actual separation, then yes, you can hear it, but it’s subtle. It makes things sound more natural – e.g., the way your brain expects, such that you don’t notice it when its turned on, but you do do notice it when its turned off.
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Second hand Auralic Taurus Mk II if the price is below £1k.
Sold mine for around £700 a few months back and its a very good amp for the money.
I like the SPL Matrix technology. I did not stick with my Phonitor, but I will say that it was most and very impressive with my MySphere 3.2 headphones. Because of that experience, I have a feeling that the technology could be best with “open soundstage” headphones in general. There aren’t very many of these. The RAAL/Requisite are another example, but I doubt they can be driven by the Phonitor, even if one rigged an adapter. This is not to say that it doesn’t work with other types of cans; only that I found it most pleasing with the MySphere. I found its non-Matrix/crossfeed performance ultimately not persuasive for my listening.
Not to split hairs, but I think the Matrix technology is the same among the models, while the fine-tune variability options are what differs. This may just be a matter of interpretation, but that’s how I read both SPL’s literature and the reviews. Anyway, I agree with the recommendations for the Phonitor line—but do make sure you have a return privilege; every one of us reacts differently to headphone amplification—whichever model one selects, and they have options for just about every use case.
I refer you back to my post #7 in this thread where I commented on some of the amps which have made their way through here. As an update my HeadAmp GSX Mini has now been supplanted by the original GSX MK2. As good as the Mini is the “father” is definitely better. This will keep me happy for the next year until a new HeadAmp appears. They are working on another of Dr. Gilmores designs which will be a more powerful stepped up version.
I am currently breaking in a new Palladium plated Silver cable for my Utopias by Arctic Cables. So far promising things when compared to my current Kimber Axios. I also realize that I like Furutech XLR plugs better than the standard garden variety Neutrik.
Best
Gregg
PS
I forgot to mention I also had the new Violectric V550 in which is the replacement for the V281. While I found it to be better than the V281 at the end of the day it still went back.
It has been very difficult to beat the HeadAmp products. Well I should not say that. The Carbon/Stax 009S does - which is understandable as it shares the same Dr. Gilmore DNA😆
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As does the T2/Stax combo which, depending on one’s ears and tastes, can be perceived as a variation on a theme or a step up.
RAAL Requisite HSA-1b + SRia ear speakers + their silver cable.
I don’t use this with the Bartok because I use that with Heddphones in a different room. But were I to use an external headphone the above would be it. Honestly, there’s no going back. It’s the ear speakers themselves, and the amp works perfectly with them. There’s also the Schiit Jot R, but having had both I recommend the RAAL Requisite HSA-1b.
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Thanks Greg and I think we may be talking about the same point. However for clarification with the Studio range Phonitor 2 the Matrix consists of 3 adjustable elements ( Cross-feed, Centre, Angle) plus a selector ( Crossfeed/Angle, Off,All). BTW Matrix Centre should not be confused with the separate Laterality control.
The Phonitors in other ranges have more simplified Matrix or Crossfeed options ranging from omitting the Angle adjustment to simply offering a choice of two preset Crossfeed options plus off with no adjustability at all .
I agree with your recommendation to try before buy but over here spl is only obtainable from pro gear/studio suppliers and the ability to return can be very limited if it exists at all.
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I am still hoping for a stand-alone dCS headphone amp to be announced, so we can use their magnificent Expanse crossfeed technology, not only with Bartók, but with the entire dCS lineup. dCS has invested a lot of time, and resources, to develop this, and I would not want to loose the opportunity to use it, once I go from Bartók to Rossini. dCS has also already developed and implemented a headphone amp, so all hardware is readily available, now only in Bartók. dCS Praetorius, please!
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