AKG K701/702 and Burson Audio Headamp

[audiohead]

Hi sirs/mams. Tanong ko lang po sana kung meron na nakatry ng combo nato at kung ano impression. At kung saan makaka-audition/bili dito sa atin. Salamat po.

[Gau_Ban]

AKG is available locally from Audiophile.
The Burson head amp does not seem to have a local distro. Sa presyo niya, I would rather ask one of the local tube guys to make a headphone amp. Or you can look at the alternative available locally.

[audiohead]

Thanks for the info sir Gau_Ban... an amp built by our local tube guys would be interesting... pardon my ignorance sir, pero pagkakaalam ko kasi sa tube amp e mas mahal siya kesa SS amp hehe, baka di kaya ng bulsa. Anyway. I sent an email to Burson sales, ang reply nila e wala pa nga daw distributor dito... naghahanap daw sila baka meron po tayo mga dealers dito na gusto maging official distributor ng Burson. Also, I'm not aware of other alternative na desktop amp po sana, any suggestions po sa brand/model na available at kung saan store? THanks

[carbondated]

They sell the Grado headphone amp at Acoustic Dimension in Rockwell. I've never asked the price but it'll probably be around the same as a simple tube headphone amp

[docsialu]

Also try to visit headphiles.org

[JoeyGS]

Wow if someone from the local distributors will take the offer .... I or we are interested also in the Burson discrete opamps and dac too

Thanks for the info sir Gau_Ban... an amp built by our local tube guys would be interesting... pardon my ignorance sir, pero pagkakaalam ko kasi sa tube amp e mas mahal siya kesa SS amp hehe, baka di kaya ng bulsa. Anyway. I sent an email to Burson sales, ang reply nila e wala pa nga daw distributor dito... naghahanap daw sila baka meron po tayo mga dealers dito na gusto maging official distributor ng Burson. Also, I'm not aware of other alternative na desktop amp po sana, any suggestions po sa brand/model na available at kung saan store? THanks

[Gau_Ban]

Thanks for the info sir Gau_Ban... an amp built by our local tube guys would be interesting... pardon my ignorance sir, pero pagkakaalam ko kasi sa tube amp e mas mahal siya kesa SS amp hehe

Mayroon naman din mga mamahalin na SS amps.
May tube amps na reasonably priced din.

For a headphone amp, I would look for one that uses transistors or tubes or a combination rather than opamps.

Remember, you have to be happy with your purchase. There is an emotional component to buying audio, (ie pride of ownership, etc) so do what makes you happy.
The Burson looks like a great amp.

[audiohead]

Mayroon naman din mga mamahalin na SS amps.
May tube amps na reasonably priced din.

For a headphone amp, I would look for one that uses transistors or tubes or a combination rather than opamps.

Remember, you have to be happy with your purchase. There is an emotional component to buying audio, (ie pride of ownership, etc) so do what makes you happy.
The Burson looks like a great amp.

I agree with you 1000% here sir. Hence the Burson amp for me. They make their own "opamps" out of audio-grade discrete components (i.e. transistors, caps n resistors). Bibili nako ng amp that I can afford, because this will be a lifetime investment for me. I think the Bursons are NOT the highest end, pero I think fair yung price for the quality and value you can get. Mejo nagtingin din ako sa net ng ibang brands, which are also very good products, pero the prices are way too steep for my budget (esp. those that are from the US and EU I think). I haven't tried tube amp kasi kaya I cant say anything about them, but for sure ok na ok din sila. There are lower priced tube amps but I'm not sure of their quality. As you've said sir, we need to be happy with our purchase

Wow if someone from the local distributors will take the offer .... I or we are interested also in the Burson discrete opamps and dac too

Sana nga sir meron maging interested na distributor dito. Kung meron lang ako shop and pangpuhunan, ako nalang e hahaha. I'm really interested in getting their HA 160 amp and DA 160 dac, 'cause I've seen very good reviews from other sites. It's good to know there are also fellow music lovers/audiophiles who are interested in these products.

Also try to visit headphiles.org

Thanks for the info sir, will do that. Seems there are also interesting posts/topics there

They sell the Grado headphone amp at Acoustic Dimension in Rockwell. I've never asked the price but it'll probably be around the same as a simple tube headphone amp

Thanks also for the info sir, Will definitely visit the shop when I have the chance to go to Rockwell.

[Gau_Ban]

About the Grado amp, I'm not that excited about it. See here:

http://diyaudioprojects.blogspot.com/20 ... ifier.html

I'm not excited about paying a lot of money for an opamp based headphone amp. An opamp based headphone amplifier will probably not be happy driving an AKG K701 or 702.
There are other branded headphone amps that use opamps.

You can check with Audio Amplified if they have the Cayin HA-1A headphone amp in stock and what price. I don't know what other headphone amps are available locally.

[audiohead]

About the Grado amp, I'm not that excited about it. See here:

http://diyaudioprojects.blogspot.com/20 ... ifier.html

I'm not excited about paying a lot of money for an opamp based headphone amp. An opamp based headphone amplifier will probably not be happy driving an AKG K701 or 702.
There are other branded headphone amps that use opamps.

You can check with Audio Amplified if they have the Cayin HA-1A headphone amp in stock and what price. I don't know what other headphone amps are available locally.

Thanks for sharing your ideas sir Gau_Ban. After reading posts about the Grado amp, it seems that this is not the amp I'm looking for. I think we share similar thoughts about these amps, sir. The Cayin HA-1A is also an interesting option, but having to consider a tube-based amp is a "longer-term" investment for me (maybe after a couple of years I can already afford the tube amp I really want). But for sure, will check the Cayin amp to have an idea how it really does.

[onedown]

tube amps [headphone or otherwise] are not necessarily more expensive than solid state amps.

not sure how much you are willing to spend on a head amp, but aside from those already mentioned, you can take a look at naim [architectural audio] and musical fidelity [dcm].

[carbondated]

The Naim headphone amp is excellent but you'll need a separate power supply unless your main amplifier system uses a Naim power supply.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Grado, GauBan. I was thinking of getting this, now I can save some money

[audiohead]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, sirs carbonated and onedown. Looks like the Naim is also an interesting headamp... my concern is, as sir carbonated said, it requires external power supply? But the good this is that it's available here... btw sirs, how much does it costs (including the external power supply)?

[carbondated]

It's about £400 without the power supply in the UK, you should ring Epoy at Architectural Audio to see if they carry it. Remember that Naim has a very specific sound which you may or may not like.

I have the AKG 701 myself and enjoy it very much though it has its limitations. But if you want the very best dynamic headphones available I saw the Sennheiser HD800 at that shop on Megamall level 3 going for P70,000 (they also sell the NuForce portables). If you get that and something like a Graham Slee Solo you'll be happy for many years. Headphone amps are fairly simple circuits though and DIY (or a friend's DIY) might be the best way to go.

I make the caveat 'dynamic headphones' because the very best headphones you can get are Stax electrostatic headphones, which aren't available locally AFAIK. But the energiser for the electrostatics also serves as a headphone amp (so you don't need a separate one) and even the mid-range model is a lifetime investment and I promise you'll never go back!

[audiohead]

It's about £400 without the power supply in the UK, you should ring Epoy at Architectural Audio to see if they carry it. Remember that Naim has a very specific sound which you may or may not like.

I have the AKG 701 myself and enjoy it very much though it has its limitations. But if you want the very best dynamic headphones available I saw the Sennheiser HD800 at that shop on Megamall level 3 going for P70,000 (they also sell the NuForce portables). If you get that and something like a Graham Slee Solo you'll be happy for many years. Headphone amps are fairly simple circuits though and DIY (or a friend's DIY) might be the best way to go.

I make the caveat 'dynamic headphones' because the very best headphones you can get are Stax electrostatic headphones, which aren't available locally AFAIK. But the energiser for the electrostatics also serves as a headphone amp (so you don't need a separate one) and even the mid-range model is a lifetime investment and I promise you'll never go back!

Yes, that's also my ultimate dream headphone sir, the stax electrostatics . Hoping that I can own and listen to one in the future hehe.

For me, the Senns HD800 are good but IMHO too expensive for a dynamic headphone. I'd rather spend most of the budget for a good source, a DAC and amp.

For the amp, for my current budget, I think I still prefer the Burson over the Naim and Graham Slee.

[audiohead]

Anyone interested in a "group buy" for the Burson? We might get a discount if we buy directly from them since I can't find a distributor here in PH. I would like to organize this before the holiday seasons, para dun sa mga gusto magregalo sa sarili nila (or kahit kanino), matatanggap nila sa pasko
Dun po sa mga interesado, pwede po ako maging representative ng grupo para ma-identify ng Burson sales rep kung sino kasali sa group-buy. Pwede po kayo magorder directly from their site, para maship din direcho sa address nyo, para ma-take advantage natin lahat yung discount Pwede nyo po ako i-PM para maisali po kayo sa listahan ng group-buy members. Mas marami, mas maganda. Dun po sa mga walang paypal account na gustong bumili, pwede rin po gamitin yung account ko para magplace ng order. Sa mga suggestions po, pakipost nalang din po dito sa forum, or send PM. Thanks