Best Integrated Amp For £1,000+ headphones?

[matts]

Money No Object (semi hypothetical)

Recommendations for the best integrated amplifier, which includes a half decent headphone amp that will drive a pair of your average £1,000 - £1,500 headphones, please?

The amps that are most attractive to me are the following;
Yamaha A-S3200
Anything for McIntosh
PS Audio Stella Strata

Any other suggestions please?

 

[Gray]

Money No Object (semi hypothetical)

Recommendations for the best integrated amplifier, which includes a half decent headphone amp that will drive a pair of your average £1,000 - £1,500 headphones, please?

Assuming you already own the headphones, maybe take them and try in a few different amps.

Or:

Seeing as you've got loads of hypothetical money, you could consider buying an integrated amp with a fixed line output AND a Topping A90D headphone amp - which gives you an option to use balanced headphones.
(You'd have quite a search to find an integrated to drive your headphones as well as that does).

 

[Al ears]

Assuming you already own the headphones, maybe take them and try in a few different amps.

Or:

Seeing as you've got loads of hypothetical money, you could consider buying an integrated amp with a fixed line output AND a Topping A90D headphone amp - which gives you an option to use balanced headphones.
(You'd have quite a search to find an integrated to drive your headphones as well as that does).

I would agree with @Gray, if you're looking at spending this much and driving headphones is a priority then a separate headphone amp is the way to go.
Like internal phono stages most manufacturers only provide headphone sections that are 'sufficient '

 

[Friesiansam]

My Pathos is good enough to do justice to headphones at that level but, the price has risen a lot since I got mine, i.e. £1295 up to around £1750…

 

[landco]

Money No Object (semi hypothetical)

Recommendations for the best integrated amplifier, which includes a half decent headphone amp that will drive a pair of your average £1,000 - £1,500 headphones, please?

The amps that are most attractive to me are the following;
Yamaha A-S3200
Anything for McIntosh
PS Audio Stella Strata

Any other suggestions please?

Funny question. Why do you need £1,500 headphones at home? Use a classic audio system; headphones are needed either by professionals or by those who listen to music outside the home. But even professionals do not usually buy such expensive headphones.

 

[Al ears]

Funny question. Why do you need £1,500 headphones at home? Use a classic audio system; headphones are needed either by professionals or by those who listen to music outside the home. But even professionals do not usually buy such expensive headphones.

Please attempt to answer the OPs question and not impose your own way of thinking, as it's simply wrong.

 

[WayneKerr]

Funny question. Why do you need £1,500 headphones at home? Use a classic audio system; headphones are needed either by professionals or by those who listen to music outside the home. But even professionals do not usually buy such expensive headphones.

You seem to have many fixed, almost self-righteous, opinions about many things with very little evidence to back these opinions up. Are you a hifi god?

 

[Gray]

Funny question.

Funny answer.

 

[Gray]

Funny question. Why do you need £1,500 headphones at home? Use a classic audio system; headphones are needed either by professionals or by those who listen to music outside the home. But even professionals do not usually buy such expensive headphones.

I had to re-read your reply.
With respect, it's a contender for the most ridiculous post I've ever seen.

Credit where credit is due though, your last sentence is perfectly correct.

 

[Al ears]

I had to re-read your reply.
With respect, it's a contender for the most ridiculous post I've ever seen.

Credit where credit is due though, your last sentence is perfectly correct.

Professional what?
I am never too sure what this member is on about.
I am pretty sure professional musicians do not use cheap and nasty headphones, nor do recording engineers.
To assume only those into their hifi spend over a grand on headphones is a tad unsubstantiated.
If the OP is in a situation where headphones take priority over a pair of hifi speakers then so be it, many of us use speakers that cost over a grand.
I would suggest the said forum member seriously considers his comments in future.

 

[Friesiansam]

I had to re-read your reply.
With respect, it's a contender for the most ridiculous post I've ever seen.

Have you looked at some of his other posts?

 

[landco]

Funny question. Why do you need £1,500 headphones at home? Use a classic audio system; headphones are needed either by professionals or by those who listen to music outside the home. But even professionals do not usually buy such expensive headphones.

Apparently this needs clarification, or is my English so bad that people here don’t understand it?

A classic stereo system will be better than any headphones (even expensive ones), which is why I expressed bewilderment, why buy such expensive headphones at home, what will you get in return, other than to please your own vanity?)

Professionals, as a rule, do not use expensive headphones. All classic, time-tested Pro headphone models usually do not cost more than $500. And using £1,500 headphones outside the home is even funnier.

 

[daytona600]

Lehmann Audio Linear Headphone amplifier & Stamp power p Amplifier

 

[Friesiansam]

Apparently this needs clarification, or is my English so bad that people here don’t understand it?

A classic stereo system will be better than any headphones (even expensive ones), which is why I expressed bewilderment, why buy such expensive headphones at home, what will you get in return, other than to please your own vanity?)

Professionals, as a rule, do not use expensive headphones. All classic, time-tested Pro headphone models usually do not cost more than $500. And using £1,500 headphones outside the home is even funnier.

Why do you think you have the right, to tell other people what they should buy, for their own use, with their own money, just because your preference is different?

 

[Dom]

The Naim SUPERNAIT 3 for headphones between the £1000 to £1500.

i'm just throwing a dart at the wall.🎯

 

[matts]

For those who are struggling, let me simplify.

One Box Solution!!!!

Amp, DAC, Power Amp, Headphone amp all in one box ... or as the industry calls it, an Integrated Amplifier - capable of powering more than a pair of stock earbuds, that used to come with an iPod!

For those who answered, or attempted to provide suggestions, many thanks.

 

[matts]

The Naim SUPERNAIT 3 for headphones between the £1000 to £1500.

i'm just throwing a dart at the wall.🎯

Lehmann Audio Linear Headphone amplifier & Stamp power p AmplifierView attachment 5338

Thanks for the suggestion. Being slightly picky, I'm looking for one box. But I also love small box(es), Cyrus, PS Audio Sprout etc.

 

[matts]

Apparently this needs clarification, or is my English so bad that people here don’t understand it?

A classic stereo system will be better than any headphones (even expensive ones), which is why I expressed bewilderment, why buy such expensive headphones at home, what will you get in return, other than to please your own vanity?)

Professionals, as a rule, do not use expensive headphones. All classic, time-tested Pro headphone models usually do not cost more than $500. And using £1,500 headphones outside the home is even funnier.

I guess it depends on what you call professional.

As a speaker builder, this is what I call a professional audio/acoustic engineer

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZaRQT3Rvaw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5ijVq2QzE


He kinda knows how to design speakers/subs I don't see him drowning in McIntosh amps, or Wilson Audio speakers!

 

[matts]

I guess it depends on what you call professional.

As a speaker builder, this is what I call a professional audio/acoustic engineer

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZaRQT3Rvaw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5ijVq2QzE


He kinda knows how to design speakers/subs I don't see him drowning in McIntosh amps, or Wilson Audio speakers!

And if some of you want to name the type/order(s) of the enclosures pictured (before you watch the videos), that might be fun. Obviously, the above speaker designs aren't your average B&W or KEF design!

However, I'll still await some suggestions for Integrated Amps.

 

[Gray]

Professional what?
I am never too sure what this member is on about.
I am pretty sure professional musicians do not use cheap and nasty headphones, nor do recording engineers.

He didn't actually say they use inferior headphones Al.

Although everything else he said is just his opinion (and wrong), what he says about professionals is correct - if by professionals he means the headphones worn daily by broadcasters, musicians etc.
The majority use headphones costing well under a grand.
A common model is the Beyer 770.
Loads of local (and a few national) radio presenters use old 50 quid Sennheisers.

'Professional' doesn't necessarily mean the highest quality though. One of the most popular headphones used over the years by musicians used to be the Beyer DT100.
I couldn't believe how bad they sounded when I tried some.
Durable, reliable they may have been - hi-fi they certainly weren't.

Sennheiser 600 seem good enough for plenty of sound engineers.

Of course, if he's saying that professionals wouldn't buy £1000+ headphones for their own home use - he's wrong about that too

 

[Gray]

A classic stereo system will be better than any headphones (even expensive ones).

See again, that's your opinion - and quite a few people would disagree with it.
They would tell you that for the same amount of money they could achieve a higher performance (with none of the detrimental room effects) by using the highest quality headphones.

The problem is not your language, but your sweeping, opinionated generalisations.

 

[matts]

I did say

My Pathos is good enough to do justice to headphones at that level but, the price has risen a lot since I got mine, i.e. £1295 up to around £1750…

I haven't looked at mainstream hi-fi for a while. however, high price … cough ... high end hi-fi seems to have jumped up a lot. I remember when the Beolab 90's first came out, they were around £50,000 if my memory serves … or even less ...

2015

This $40,000 speaker is ridiculous

Bang and Olufsen BeoLab 90

www.theverge.com

Bang & Olufsen Launches $26,995 Beolab 90 Speakers

This B&O speaker cost $26,995 and is epitome of luxury in sound.

www.thequint.com

2023

Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90

Three years in the making, the hand-built to order, BeoLab 90 is the culmination of B&O's wildest dreams. And with no less than 8200 watts per loudspeaker, by far the most powerful sound experience they've ever built.

petertyson.co.uk

BeoLab 90

Perhaps the world’s most advanced digital loudspeaker. Unprecedented power and acoustic performance adapting seamlessly to your living space and listening modes.

www.holburnonline.co.uk

 

[Gray]

However, I'll still await some suggestions for Integrated Amps.

Well as you like small boxes and even mentioned Cyrus, then Cyrus is my recommendation to you matts.
I bought an XR-i7 and I can tell you that its headphone output is good.

If your budget reaches the XR-i9, get that, or consider the 'Classic' model.
They'll be great on speakers too.

It's never bothered me, but reviewers and users alike complain about Cyrus headphone sockets being on their back panels.
No problem. If you can't leave the headphones plugged in, then just run a wire from a plug to a panel-mounted socket (or cable mounted socket / extension cable).

 

[landco]

They would tell you that for the same amount of money they could achieve a higher performance (with none of the detrimental room effects)

All the richness of musical sensations is created by the room with its reflections and re-reflections, just like in a live concert. Headphones can't do this. If you don’t understand this, then you don’t understand the very essence of music

 

[Gray]

All the richness of musical sensations is created by the room with its reflections and re-reflections, just like in a live concert. Headphones can't do this. If you don’t understand this, then you don’t understand the very essence of music

Funny enough I was a professional sound engineer for a while, working in live music venues.
I can assure you that I do understand 'the very essence of music'.

However, I'm having more of a problem understanding you to be honest.

As it happens, like some others, I prefer listening on speakers rather than headphones.
But you cannot tell others that speakers will always sound better to them.