Jimster480
Major Contributor
Another disappointing product? Even in 2013 this wasn't a great performing product...
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Review and Measurements of Rega Ear Headphone Amp
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Southall-1998
Active Member
Very interesting indeed. Always did wonder about the Rega EAR. If I see one going at a decent price then maybe I'll give it a spin. Plus, I also happen to own the lovely HD-650.
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I had the previous version at work. Looked slightly better maybe. However, the PCB was one-sided, no ground plane. You could get a notification of incoming texts by leaving your cellphone nearby.. Terrible!
The Rega EAR (I use the MKII version) design is thought out with high impedance headphones in mind. I own the Sennheiser HD 650 and I've owned the HiFiMAN HE-400i and I couldn't agree mor with Amir's opinion.
If you own a Sennheiser HD 650, the Rega EAR is a great match that will make them shine. I feed my Mark II with the output from an iFi iDSD nano that I use as a DAC connected to my computer and the sound is fantastic.
I have two complete sets in different locations, one with a Windows 10 Pro computer as source where I use MusicBee as my FLAC library player, and another one connected to an iMac with Audirvana, and both are great.
My only concerns with the Rega EAR Mark II is that construction quality is sub-par and also that I can only use less than a quarter of the volume control (in fact from 18:00 to 20:00).
For me is a perfect choice with the Sennheiser HD 650, and I've tried a lot of amps at home, including some respected names like the Burson Conductor or Icon Audio HP8 MK II.
If you own a Sennheiser HD 650, the Rega EAR is a great match that will make them shine. I feed my Mark II with the output from an iFi iDSD nano that I use as a DAC connected to my computer and the sound is fantastic.
I have two complete sets in different locations, one with a Windows 10 Pro computer as source where I use MusicBee as my FLAC library player, and another one connected to an iMac with Audirvana, and both are great.
My only concerns with the Rega EAR Mark II is that construction quality is sub-par and also that I can only use less than a quarter of the volume control (in fact from 18:00 to 20:00).
For me is a perfect choice with the Sennheiser HD 650, and I've tried a lot of amps at home, including some respected names like the Burson Conductor or Icon Audio HP8 MK II.
Little bump from me here. Thanks for the review!
I recently picked up this unit almost for free. I’m really new to the headphone game and wondering which headphones would be a good match. The review states that low impedance headphones are a no-go. I’ve been looking at Shure SRH1540 rated 46ohm. Would that be a terrible match?
I recently picked up this unit almost for free. I’m really new to the headphone game and wondering which headphones would be a good match. The review states that low impedance headphones are a no-go. I’ve been looking at Shure SRH1540 rated 46ohm. Would that be a terrible match?
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