Need a new headphone amp for my AKG K702s

[shafesk]

Dear all,

I'm in the states for a short trip and think I should take advantage of the "cheaper than uk" prices. So I'm looking for something that'll be an upgrade to my x-cans. Was interested in the v-can 2s but I've heard their bigger siblings and I don't think they sounded very different to my x-cans. Thinking of the Schiit audio amps but trustworthy reviews are hard to come by....a well known scam of a headphone site has lots of reviews but I don't trust them. Another one of interest is the hifiman ef5s but I don't know how they would match. Any experiences from k702/1 owners are welcome. Budget is 300 pounds but I can stretch a bit more if I see something special.

 

[shafesk]

EDIT: Duplicate thread, please delete

 

[Overdose]

Have a look in the DAC and computer audio section. Some good stuff there, including a comprehensive headphone amp and DAC list by Quadpatch.

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/dacs/usb-dac-headphone-amplifiers-list

 

[shafesk]

Thanks Overdose, I'll have a look and see if I can find anything

 

[Inter_Voice]

With your budget I would highly recommend Yulong D100 MK II though it is a Chinese product. I think you can buy one in the US but unfortunately it is not available in the UK You may buy it from eBay and ship it from the far east.

My friend has one and the SQ is really excellent when coupled with his AKG Q701. I have already requested my friend to purchase one for me when he goes to the far east again on business trip in the next few months.

D100 is actually a DAC with a build in headphone amplifier. It is well built. The DAC is also extremely GOOD. If you want to find out more search head-fi forum. According to the review D100 is comparable to Benchmark Media DAC1 costing 2-3 times more.

 

[eggontoast]

Have you considered a product from Woo Audio, they don't have any distribution in the UK which makes them expensive to import. They are also very good.

 

[shafesk]

With your budget I would highly recommend Yulong D100 MK II though it is a Chinese product. I think you can buy one in the US but unfortunately it is not available in the UK You may buy it from eBay and ship it from the far east.

My friend has one and the SQ is really excellent when coupled with his AKG Q701. I have already requested my friend to purchase one for me when he goes to the far east again on business trip in the next few months.

D100 is actually a DAC with a build in headphone amplifier. It is well built. The DAC is also extremely GOOD. If you want to find out more search head-fi forum. According to the review D100 is comparable to Benchmark Media DAC1 costing 2-3 times more.

thanks for the recommendation, I will look into it. TBH am a bit worried about it being Chinese, I really want a reliable amp but I might just be paranoid

 

[shafesk]

Have you considered a product from Woo Audio, they don't have any distribution in the UK which makes them expensive to import. They are also very good.

Love Woo Audio, they do take 2 weeks to deliver as the amps are made to order. I might not stay that long. I'll drop them an email and see what they can do.

 

[Inter_Voice]

If you prefer something from the UK you may try Fidelity Audio HPA-100 or HPA-200 they can dive AKG K702 comfortably and produce excellent SQ but the price is a bit on the high side. WHF gave it 5 stars.

 

[eggontoast]

but the price is a bit on the high side. WHF gave it 5 stars.

A bit ? more likely three times over priced.

You could get a Chinese import which performed just as well for 1 third of the cost.

 

[Inter_Voice]

but the price is a bit on the high side. WHF gave it 5 stars.

A bit ? more likely three times over priced.

You could get a Chinese import which performed just as well for 1 third of the cost.

If we compare price on similar products Chinese products are certainly much much cheaper than British home made products. We should either blame the British of charging too much or blame the Chinese of putting the price tag too low.

If OP can accept Chinese products Yulong A100 headphone amp. is also a good choice and worth serious consideration but unfortunately he does not prefer Chinese products