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What is the best amp for the HD6XX under $200?

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I'm looking for an amp, preferrably tube of hybrid if it helps the soundstage. Looking for a more musical than analytical signature. Currently considering the Schiit Vali, but was wondering if the Project Starlight might be better.
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Louiee
9
Oct 6, 2018
put a little more $....the emotiva a-100 it has the power to drive my hdxxx to its potential, put the jumper and will give you hp more life just be careful not to blow them up and a DAC would be good addition as well.
rastus
1391
Oct 5, 2018
Sermilion
63
Oct 4, 2018
I wanted DarkVoice but ended up with Cavalli Hybrid Tube. Really good. Works great with bright headphones as it calms the highs down a bit.
ohsigmachi
232
Oct 3, 2018
I highly recommend the Darkvoice 336se. It pairs very nicely with the 6xx even with the stock tubes.
Epic_Taco_Dude
34
Oct 3, 2018
ohsigmachiyeah I hear that alot but i also heard it’s a fire hazard. Is that true?
SOULSIK
1500
Oct 3, 2018
Epic_Taco_Dudefrom my experience, no. It runs hot cuz its tube but as long as you don't attempt to cook an egg... I also heard it causes hum, mine did at the beginning but it went away with 24 hours of usage. Another good amp that is more clean/less tube-y would be the woo audio wa7 but that is also triple the price. If you can, I'd say try to go for something used, like the wa7 sometimes sells for less than a thousand USED. forget about gen 1 vs gen 2... dac is the mostly what changed and I promise you... you would be happier with an inexpensive external dac like the ones from ifi or schiit that uses non-sabre dacs.
ethanchan
270
Oct 2, 2018
Without knowing what kind of sound you like it is a bit difficult to make any suggestions, but, if you are just looking for an amp because you already have a dac you are happy with I would suggest what I use for my sennheisers, SMSL sAp 9. It is a great little amp that does balanced and unbalanced and has enough to push everything I have outside of the high end headsets. The price tag on it is about $110 on amazon so if you don't like it you can always send it back. As for tubes, the only way to know what is going to work for you is by buying it, tube rolling and seeing if you can get the sound you like. I don't do hybrids because I don't really hear any appreciable difference even with the Lyr I had picked up. I hope I was able to provide some help and good luck with your search.
Epic_Taco_Dude
34
Oct 3, 2018
ethanchanHow does the SMSL compare to the Magni? Have you tried the Vali before?
ethanchan
270
Oct 3, 2018
Epic_Taco_DudeI have not tried the vali but I did have the Lyr which i'm pretty sure is the Vali with a dac. But I have not direct compared them so can't say for sure, I would imagine that the Lyr is probably a better amp though considering it is a $500 dac/amp, could be wrong though. As for the SMSL, I was surprised that it is as good as it is considering that it is just $100. SMSL just tuned that thing to be an amp and nothing else. I love that it has both balanced and unbalanced too. I use it quite a bit for my mid tier balanced planar headphones and it pushes them without a problem.
SOULSIK
1500
Oct 2, 2018
"Best" is very subjective so I will put out MY "Best" recommendation. I'd say go for an ifi product like the nano idsd or schiit stack (the classic)
heck, I probably have something in this price range that I reviewed before on my channel but just can't remember right now. Anyhow, these two brands would do you some good.
If you can increase your budget a little, dark voice is worth a look.
SOULSIK
1500
Oct 6, 2018
Hey bud. You can definetly blow a few grande to get what you are looking for. But id suggest to try ifi nano black idsd or micro for that matter. I found the sound to be clean without being thin sounding. Cheers
Keth
760
Oct 6, 2018
SOULSIKAppreciate it. The only reason I was looking at the Schiit Asgard was that I can use it as a preamp for my monitors as well.
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