I recently bought some Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm headphones. I bought them with a FiiO E9 headphone amp, which seemed okay but sort of boring sound-wise. I wanted something warmer.
What really set me off in search of something “better” than the E9 was Ken Rockwell’s DT880 review wherein he said you need an amp with more than 2 volts RMS to drive these things right. Off I went.
I landed on the Maverick Audio A1.
Runner-up was a Little Dot MKIV for $289 plus about $45 shipping from China. But I found that one after I had ordered the A1 and the A1 seemed a little more appealing to me, so I kept my order.
The A1 arrived last night. The sound is warm but detailed. Incredible bass. It doesn’t seem super spacious, but it’s damned nice and it puts the E9 to shame. I have more to say about the sound.