[JDoyle]

And I wasn’t sure where to post since the Headphone Mania circle is closed.
So, here I am, it’s sort of Salk related, and I’m happy to plug my Encores (love ‘em!).
So for therapy with the Covid times we’re dealing with I ordered some Beyerdynamic T1’s (2nd Gen). It was a Great deal, and with all I’ve read, they seemed to be the Goldilocks of headphones with the price, quality and comfort I was looking for.

I own a Benchmark Dac 3 HGC and Benchmark said the dac/preamp was up to snuff to power them. 
Barely.   
I know that they’re brand new, but I’m a bit disappointed to say the least.

Cut to the chase, do I return them for a more efficient headphone?  (these are 600 ohm).
Buy a headphone amp?  (the Woo WA7 firefly interests me) for $1k
Really step up for the Benchmark HPA4 for $3K. I do have the Benchmark AHB2 amp powering my Salks.

I’m sure the HPA4 will also improve my Salks and it’s not that I can’t swing it...  but I’m wondering how significant the improvement will be to justify the difference. I know I can demo it, but part of my problem is that I don’t have enough room for it and it will be a struggle to place it in my setup.

FYI, I like Jazz, Classical and of course Rock, I’m primarily streaming Roon/Tidal on my Salkstreamer.

Any and all replies are appreciated! 

Thanks,

JD

[FullRangeMan]

If it was a good deal I think you may keep the T1 and add a powerful tube amp capable of drive also a planar HD for the future.

[FullRangeMan]

Hi again,
As you may know single ended banana plug offer poor sound quality and smaller soundstage, you could order a Decware Rachel EL34 with a XLR4 output if funds allow, this amp can double as a speaker amplifier.
Good luck.

[JDoyle]

Hi again,
As you may know single ended banana plug offer poor sound quality and smaller soundstage, you could order a Decware Rachel EL34 with a XLR4 output if funds allow, this amp can double as a speaker amplifier.
Good luck.

Thanks for this... now I’m glad I posted my quandary as I was not familiar with Decware... I will look into this. 

JD

[borism]

If you are comfortable with DIY -  the Bottlehead Crack is a great OTL tube amplifier kit. It supposedly pairs very well with the Beyerdynamic T2. I built one to use with my Sennheiser 650s.

Also it is a great value!

[JDoyle]

If you are comfortable with DIY -  the Bottlehead Crack is a great OTL tube amplifier kit. It supposedly pairs very well with the Beyerdynamic T2. I built one to use with my Sennheiser 650s.

Also it is a great value!

Interesting, thanks!

[DFpritchard]

I am using a Schiit Bifrost and Lyr combination with my Sennheiser HD-800s.  Sounded very good then started tube rolling with the Lyr.  Switched out the original tubes for a pair of matched NOS Amperex 6922s.  Everything opened up, sounded like the Sennheisers were moving a lot more air and conveyed much more 'information' in 3D.  Not being able to leave well enough alone, I next switched out the stock cable for a Cardas cable.  Huge step backward, on first listening.  The cable veiled everything.  Over time (a long time, 100+ hours) the cable has really opened up and now sounds terrific.  Maybe it just took a long time but this is now a great combination.

The Schiit amp + DAC is a very nice combo and a great value.  While I do not have experience with Schiit and the Beyerdynamics, a call to Schiit regarding compatibility would not be remiss.  I do like the ability to change tubes = change sound.

[FullRangeMan]

If anyone want facilitate the Headphone Mania Circle PM adminRH