Home Headphome amp for Ultrasone Edition 8

[agentsmith]

I am in between homes and is forced to live off a hotel for the next few months with no access to my main gear. So on a whim I bought an Ultrasone Edition 8 and was pleasantly surprised how wonderful and full it sounds with my Macbook Pro and iPhone with no external DAC or amplifiers.

 

Seeing its potential I will keep it for the long run and anticipate using it with my main gear. But my DAC (dCS Debussy) and amplifier (Octave V70) have no headphone so I will have to get myself a headphone amp.

 

Does anyone have any experience/recommendation for a headphone amp for the Edition 8? Since it is so easy to drive I do not think I need expensive box with mega power, I just want a relatively transparent amp that does justice to the dCS decoding.

 

Any ideas?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Agentsmith - I just ordered a Ray Samuels Audio SR-71A this morning. I'm mainly going to use it for traveling but the fact it runs off batteries is nice anyway. I will have to try it with my Sennheiser HD600s and Debussy.

 

http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/sr-71a

 

If you have only your MacBook for a while I recommend the Wavelength Audio Proton. It's a great portable async USB DAC and headphone amp in one. Very nice piece.

 

[agentsmith]

Thanks Chris for pointing me to the right direction. I never thought about getting a portable amp but looking at their quality this may be an option for use of both desktop and portable use. Good idea on the battery operation.

 

I just looked up the Ray Samuel's site and they seem to make a dizzying array of models. It'll take me a while to digest all that info.

 

Balanced input may be good, as I have a spare balanced output on my Debussy. Chris the headamp will it off straight off the balanced output of the Debussy?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

The SR-71B can accept balanced & single ended input and balanced & single ended output. You need special adapter cables to go from the Debussy balanced to the SR-71B balanced but it looks like a really nice option. The SR-71B is balanced from input to output.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

This one is balanced as well. You can see the cable you need in the photos.

 

http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/protector

 

[flatmap]

I drag along my Wavelength Audio Proton all the time on business trips. High quality signal, battery power (charged by the usb cable), and built-in headphone amp. It's not minuscule... but is a very nice portable package. Really makes those hotel stays tolerable IMO.

 

Here's a picture showing relative size next to my AKG K-702 headphones.

 

 

[agentsmith]

Nice setup flatmap. It may a little too rich for my budget but very nice. Does it take analog inputs?

 

BTW, Chris, what is the difference between the SR71A to the other Ray Samuels Emmeline amps? The SR-71 does not seem to have the rechargeable option like the P51 Mustang, but yet it seems to be more expensive than the other amps. Does it have features that is unitue to the others?

 

[CryoParts]

The RSA Apache is a fantastic amp, well worth the price of admission, IMHO. Runs the HD800's, ED8's, ED10's, HD6xx's, ED9's, and the all other cans I have with aplomb.

 

Plus, Ray is a true gentleman, and his customer service is fantastic.

 

Another few options are one of the upper Eddie Current amps, the Burson (disclaimer--I am a dealer for Burson), or one of the upper priced Woo's.

 

But, if I was forced to only have one amp, it would be the Apache.

 

Peace,

 

Lee

 

[edit-sorry, I just noticed the "might be too rich for my blood" comment above, all of the amps I mentioned above are pretty pricey, except for the Burson. Sorry, I'll read the posts more closely next time.]

 

[VT Skier]

I agree with all the comments on RSA amps, having purchased a P-51 for iPod use with Utimate Ears monitors based on Ray's recommendation. Every bit as good as my Creek OBH-11 and PS Audio GCHA.

 

I've heard the Edition 8s and agree that they are phenomenal headphones. Plus, they are easy to drive, so you can probably pick almost any amp.

 

A good way to try some out is at one of the local meets advertised at Head Fi, or at a national meet (Can Jam, RMAF, etc.) later this year. I went to the Salon Son & Image (Montreal Hi Fi show) last year because so many Head Fi people were going, and got to try a broad variety of headphones and amps. People were very friendly and generous with their gear and knowledge.