Should I sell my headphone amp?

[watchnerd]

I rarely listen to headphones, except when I'm trying to be quiet, or just messing around with EQ.

In my office, I have an RME ADI-2 Pro which has a pretty dang good headphone amp for 1/4" SE lower impedance / normal sensitivity cans.

In my living room, the headphone out jack on my Luxman L-590AXII does quite well driving my Sennheiser HD6XX. And for my crazy HE6SE, I actually like driving them from the speaker outs.

But as a sidecar, I have a Schiit Mjolnir in my living room, too. TBH, it's mostly there for entertainment for those times when I get the urge to mess around with tubes / tube rolling. But when it comes to just listening to music, it seems superfluous.

What would you do?

 

[BeeKay]

Didn’t you answer your own question - somehow?

To my shame - I still have a Topping stack (L30II and E30II) in a drawer. Somewhere :/

 

[watchnerd]

Didn’t you answer your own question - somehow?

To my shame - I still have a Topping stack (L30II and E30II) in a drawer. Somewhere :/

Did I?

It's just hard to give up the overkill massive wattage of the MJ2, "just in case".

 

[BeeKay]

See?

 

[kemmler3D]

I'd lean toward selling it, except that with tariffs coming in (and partway out, and maybe in again), pricing on replacements down the road is unpredictable. So if you think you might get different cans (that are even harder to drive) at some point, it might be wise to hang on to it for a while.

 

[Mort]

Why wouldn't you? You have no need, and they still have solid value. Hassle? That's not something we can gauge for you.

 

[watchnerd]

Why wouldn't you? You have no need, and they still have solid value. Hassle? That's not something we can gauge for you.

Why wouldn't I?

Because then I wouldn't have any use for this box of 20+ pairs of mostly NOS tubes, either.

 

[watchnerd]

I'd lean toward selling it, except that with tariffs coming in (and partway out, and maybe in again), pricing on replacements down the road is unpredictable. So if you think you might get different cans (that are even harder to drive) at some point, it might be wise to hang on to it for a while.

I actually need to sell some of my excess cans I don't use.

The only phones I've remotely considered getting are the Senn HD620S and/or the HD660S2, which almost certainly can be driven adequately by the RME and/or Luxman.

 

[kemmler3D]

I actually need to sell some of my excess cans I don't use.

The only phones I've remotely considered getting are the Senn HD620S and/or the HD660S2, which almost certainly can be driven adequately by the RME and/or Luxman.

Well, then my advice is to sell it a month or so after schiit raises their prices due to tariffs, if they do. Not sure how many of their parts are from overseas but it can't be zero.

 

[watchnerd]

Well, then my advice is to sell it a month or so after schiit raises their prices due to tariffs, if they do. Not sure how many of their parts are from overseas but it can't be zero.

Oh, nice idea!

But the Mjolnir 2 was already discontinued 3-4 years ago.

 

[kemmler3D]

Oh, nice idea!

But the Mjolnir 2 was already discontinued 3-4 years ago.

Yes, but IME new prices are used as benchmarks for used prices... for example: just my luck, they're blowing out the Focal Elex just as I try selling mine, they used to be $800 and everyone is asking me if I'll sell for $300 because the new price is $500 now - specifically citing the retail price for new. No mystery there. Used price used to be $400-500.

If new prices go up, you can ask more for used, even if it's not the same model.

 

[Tell]

That's a no-brainer to me, if I don't use something (especially if it's something expensive) I'd definitely sell it, that's money I can spend on something way more useful than electronics gathering dust while someone else at the same time can get some nice gear that to actually use for a decent price.

 

[watchnerd]

That's a no-brainer to me, if I don't use something (especially if it's something expensive) I'd definitely sell it, that's money I can spend on something way more useful than electronics gathering dust while someone else at the same time can get some nice gear that to actually use for a decent price.

Oh, I use it. Just not regularly.

About every 6 months I'll get some weird desire to play with tubes.

Then I'll do serious tube rolling for about a month, then realize I'm going nuts and getting neurotic trying to hear things, and then not use it for another 6 months.

 

[Timcognito]

In the sell camp. BT has gotten so good that one good transmitter covers a good sized house and can be added to any digital out. Like you I prefer speakers and use phones for stealth mode. One transmitter and one Qudelix-5K and done.

 

[watchnerd]

In the sell camp. BT has gotten so good that one good transmitter covers a good sized house and can be added to any digital out. Like you I prefer speakers and use phones for stealth mode. One transmitter and one Qudelix-5K and done.

I like Roon

 

[Timcognito]

I like Roon

Me too with my tablet, Qudelix and IEMs I use get sound anywhere except my detached garage even while moving around doing domestic tasks. I actually prefer my BluOS interface with HPs a simpler quicker interface.

 

[A Surfer]

So were you genuinely looking for guidance? It just seems like such a personal decision that only you can make. For me, I would absolutely sell a bunch of gear in your position, but that's me.

Saying that, if you're a person of means and you really don't need the money or the space, why not keep the gear? Or, if you are a person of means perhaps consider gifting a rig to someone who could appreciate it but lacks the means.

 

[Holmz]

If the headphone amp does not work for purpose then sell it.
If no headphone amp works, then maybe getting a different set headphones would be another option?

 

[Robin L]

Oh, I use it. Just not regularly.

About every 6 months I'll get some weird desire to play with tubes.

Then I'll do serious tube rolling for about a month, then realize I'm going nuts and getting neurotic trying to hear things, and then not use it for another 6 months.

Message to golden-eared audiophiles posting at ASR for the first time...

Hello friend. Hey, listen...we know how it is. Believe me, most of us have been there too. You've spent years toiling in the muck of audiophilia. You read ALL the reviews. You watched ALL the youtube videos. You visited ALL the other forums where everything always makes a difference. You...

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[watchnerd]

Me too with my tablet, Qudelix and IEMs I use get sound anywhere except my detached garage even while moving around doing domestic tasks. I actually prefer my BluOS interface with HPs a simpler quicker interface.

Yeah, I don't listen to music in the background while doing other stuff.

I spent 3 hours today doing yard work.

Didn't listen to anything, not even podcasts.

Just the birds chirping.