Recommend HP Amp for Senn 58X & Hifiman 4XX, < $200

[Old Guy8]

What's your experience with <$200 headphone amps?
Recommend For:
Massdrop Senn 58X at 150 ohm & 104db at 1V, 1 KHz.
And Massdrop Hifiman 4XX at 35 ohm & 93 db sensitivity.
1)What would you recommend for amps either Solid state, tube or hybrid in $100 to $200 budget range?
2)Are Schiit Magni 3 at $99 and Vali 2 at $150 good options at thier price points?
3) OR, do I have nothing to gain (for sound quality) at this budget level over Rogue Sphinx V1 Integrated headphone stage for instance?

I have a Schiit Modi Multibit dac fed from older i7 PC source and various CDPs. Have RCA input switcher for two inputs available.

Getting back into headphones after years of neglect.
For jazz, blues, folk, rock. Live Concert volume levels not required.
Thanks.

 

[WobblySam]

There are some good amps in your price range. There are a few Chinese made tube amps that are quite good in that range. The only caveat with those tube amps is output impedance. With the 400s at 35 Ohms, you'll want an amp with an output impedance of 4 Ohms or less to avoid any freq response interactions. I would spend some time with your Rogue, listening to sort of baseline the headphones. The Schiits are pretty good amps and given they offer a trial period, it may be a good place to start. It's all about finding a sound that YOU like rather than someone else's opinion.
Enjoy your new phones.

 

[JoeESP9]

I've never been disappointed by any OTL tube amp. Consequently, I suggest giving the Little Dot MKII a listen ($147 @ Amazon). It has three adjustable gain settings for low, medium and high impedance phones. The variable gain makes it compatible with just about any headphones ever made.

I have one and very enthusiastically suggest it.
PS: With a tube amp there is always tube rolling.

 

[Old Guy8]

There are some good amps in your price range. There are a few Chinese made tube amps that are quite good in that range. The only caveat with those tube amps is output impedance. With the 400s at 35 Ohms, you'll want an amp with an output impedance of 4 Ohms or less to avoid any freq response interactions. I would spend some time with your Rogue, listening to sort of baseline the headphones. The Schiits are pretty good amps and given they offer a trial period, it may be a good place to start. It's all about finding a sound that YOU like rather than someone else's opinion.
Enjoy your new phones.

Thanks for post. Just received 4XX phones today and listening through Rogue.
I have the Sphinx tube/ class D hybrid and Cronus Magnum tube amps. My Rogues don't have tone controls, but can change with speaker placement and tube rolling.
With headphones, tube rolling option in a HP amp might be good idea. Given only way to change tone.

 

[Old Guy8]

I've never been disappointed by any OTL tube amp. Consequently, I suggest giving the Little Dot MKII a listen ($147 @ Amazon). It has three adjustable gain settings for low, medium and high impedance phones. The variable gain makes it compatible with just about any headphones ever made.

I have one and very enthusiastically suggest it.
PS: With a tube amp there is always tube rolling.

Thanks, I looked up the Little Dot mkii. Interesting. Tubes with rolling option might be answer.

 

[MX117.MC7150]

If you can stretch your budget a bit, am quite pleased with the Schiit Valhalla 2 with Senn 650s. Depends on how much time you will spend with headphones on your head.

 

[Old Guy8]

Anyone have experience with Darkvoice 336SE OTL? Massdrop lately has for $200.
Does it sound "tubby" with stock tubes, to you?

 

[Old Guy8]

If you can stretch your budget a bit, am quite pleased with the Schiit Valhalla 2 with Senn 650s. Depends on how much time you will spend with headphones on your head.

Have you used your Valhalla 2 with any phones that are close to 35 ohms? I have no experience with it.

 

[ConfuciusSay]

Valhalla 2 was a little dry sounding to me but overall very good. Vali is great because you can usually find a used one cheap and can tube roll for 50% off (only one tube!). There is a little dot on barter town at the moment that I would be all over if I was in the market

 

[WobblySam]

Thanks for post. Just received 4XX phones today and listening through Rogue.
I have the Sphinx tube/ class D hybrid and Cronus Magnum tube amps. My Rogues don't have tone controls, but can change with speaker placement and tube rolling.
With headphones, tube rolling option in a HP amp might be good idea. Given only way to change tone.

If you want to "sweeten" the freq response, you might take a look at the little Loki from Schiit. It could be an option for you - maybe less expensive than tube substitution.
Good luck

 

[Old Guy8]

If you want to "sweeten" the freq response, you might take a look at the little Loki from Schiit. It could be an option for you - maybe less expensive than tube substitution.
Good luck

I had been considering trying one with my Rogue amps in past. A viable option, with for example a Magni 3, if used with restrant. And Loki could have multiple applications. Thanks.

 

[Old Guy8]

I think for now, going to sit tight with headphone stages of the newer Rogue and vintage Sony, Sansui integrateds/receivers, that I have.
Unless down road able to one on one compare some dedicated HP amps against what I have. Not sure I need one. Compact foot prints aren't required for me.

 

[olderroust]

For the 4XXs, you can get away with no HP amp better than you can with the Senns.

The planar magnetic 4XXs have a near uniform impedance across the audio band, so the juice going to them isn't going to react too much to frequency.

The Senns, though - you want an amp for those unless you've got a very low impedance HP Jack on the rogue. You may; I don't know the gear.

Senns, and most conventional headphones, have variable impedance across the audio band, and reactive impedances sound very bad with high impedance HP jacks which are common in non-hp gear. My senn 598s sound like Beats cans connected to my receiver, sound very good connected to a dedicated HP amp. My 400is don't care - they sound great with either.

Much better explanation here:

https://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html