Which headphones sound good with the Solo ULDE?
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: Headphone Audio
Forum Name: Graham Slee Headphone Amps
Forum Description: Questions, answers and product information zone for Graham Slee Headphone Amplifiers
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5239
Printed Date: 27 Mar 2026 at 5:57am
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Topic: Which headphones sound good with the Solo ULDE?
Posted By: apj
Subject: Which headphones sound good with the Solo ULDE?
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 4:34pm
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Hello there, i am here on direct recommendation from Chord electronics on an amp to pair with the qutest, i was wondering which headphones you guys like to pair with the Solo ULDE as it will be my first system and i would like to get something that i know will sound nice. I don't mind price though cheaper wouldn't be a bad thing and im open to both planar and dynamic drivers. I noticed the amp wasnt awfully powerful unless im interpreting it wrong and im used to looking at power hungry planars so im not too sure what to get, i like headphones that arent bright or sibilant with some nice timbre if that helps. Thanks in advance! P.S: i am also looking at the 2 monoblocks for power hungry headphones if anyone has done that and can confirm its safe to do it would be greatly appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 6:00pm
 Solo Ultra-Linear and Proprius monoblocks both drive AKG K1000 fully. Impedance of the K1000 is 120 Ohms and its electrical sensitivity is 74 dB/mW, so inefficient. Both setups are pretty much equally capable. Other headphones can be used from the speaker amps if you implement a resistive cable. ------------- We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 6:09pm
 ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
apj wrote:Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 8:16pm
| Thankyou so much wow that’s a lot more powerful than i thought that’s very appealing to me thankyou. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 8:18pm
| Haha i was pretty surprised since i’m just getting into this hobby id never heard of your stuff but i’m glad i asked because your stuff is truly gorgeous and if it’s as good as chord said it was i should have met my end game in my first system i’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again shortly :) |
Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 9:52pm
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I prefer to adapt headphones to work with the speaker amps so that I can switch between a headphone setup and a speaker setup, without having additional cables, power supply and metal box. Some headphone loads are not suitable for use with the Proprius; I assume most/all of them can be adjusted with a cable but I don't know this for sure and I do not have the know-how to advise on making such cables. I really like my Slee gear, it is superb and easy to use. The Proprius can have a bit of audible hiss at certain dial positions depending on the connected load. I get around this by careful choice of dial position so that they remain dead silent, to my ears. I do not recommend turning the gain dials "out of circuit" but instead and for simplicity, 9, 12 or 3 o'clock depending on impedance/sensitivity, usually 9 or 12 then I adjust volume with the preamp dial. Keeps a dead quiet background; lovely. ------------- We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 11:40pm
| Thankyou for the insight into your system, ill keep that in mind going forward ill most likely get some of the cheaper KEFs down the line to use at my desk since i wouldnt use them too often and ill run monoblocks with those, for now i think the Solo ULDE with a used qutest (good price ~£800 which is why im picking it for my fist system i also love the aesthetic and sound as its described) and headphone of my choice should run nicely, though id love to explore both chord and slee stuff more because it does seem like its exactly what i want especially the majestic, its truly gorgeous. Thanks again for the help. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2021 at 11:43pm
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[QUOTE=apj]used qutest (good price ~£800 which is why im picking it for my fist system i also love the aesthetic and sound as its described) I have thought about getting a used hugo 2 maybe for £1300 so i could use it out and about too but im not sure if its worth the money since a mojo 2 may be coming soon.
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Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 7:58am
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Majestic into Proprius is an incredible combination and I doubt I will use anything else now. Solo ULDE is more versatile with a wider range of headphone loads but Proprius have more power available. Both produce equivalent purity of sound, in my opinion. ------------- We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 11:51am
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And even the AKG240C! I've been satisfied with Grado's cheapest models too. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 1:26pm
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Hi Adam, If possible try to hear the Sennheiser HD800S with the ULDE. The detail & dynamic power with a good recording is something else.. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Aussie Mick
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 2:11pm
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Qutest - Solo ULDE - Focal Utopia user. Very satisfied. Mick.
------------- Rega RP8 - Apheta 2 - Accession MC Enigma PS -Solo ULDE (Focal Utopia) - PS Audio M700 - Fical Kanta No2 |
Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 5:49pm
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MySphere 3.1 or 3.2 would absolutely slay everything with the Solo ULDE driving it. Sadly they are prohibitively expensive. AKG K1000 is a good alternative at a lower price if you can find a decent one. If not, the Sennheiser HD540 or HD560 models would be where I'd look for a well-balanced musical sound. I'm sure there are other good headphones but you'd have to go on a buying and selling adventure to find them. Reading reviews about headphones is usually just storytelling, not fact. Many reviewers mislead... ------------- We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 11:30pm
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I'll most likely grab the Solo ULDE first then later down the line when ive got some more money burning a hole in my pocket ill grab the majestic and proprius thanks for the insight. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 11:32pm
| I'll try get something super easy to run at first so i can hear the difference going from phone/motherboard into the amp it should be one to put a smile on my face. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 11:34pm
| Thankyou i might have to take it out to a local place to try different headphones once ive bought it i'll have to try find some place local to demo stuff though shouldnt be too difficult hopefully. |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2021 at 11:38pm
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They're definitely something i'd like to try at some point i might start somewhere around the 880 600 ohm or maybe anandas or sony Z1Rs as id be able to run those off of my motherboard to feel that contrast going from a motherboard to a really nice dedicated amp im not too sure at the moment, ZMFs are something im interested in too. I tend not to look at reviews that arent entirely subjective because i dont really see the point of measurements if its all inaudible anyway, i'd only care for measurements and the like if its something very audible. Thankyou to everyone in this thread for the warm welcome.
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Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2021 at 10:09am
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We try to make things simple so we started the Loaner Program. If Chord did the same? Then you trial the ULDE with it, and we can even supply the interconnect to try. As for headphones, I've suggested a starting point on the cheap, and as Amazon sell them, you can use distance selling rules to get your money back after trying them for two weeks. Even if you didn't get your money back, you only lose £53.20. I know it may sound a bit far fetched getting such weird advice direct from the designer, but I thought I'd offer it anyway. Also, contrary to popular belief, I don't have money to splash around, which is why I started doing this thing 23 years ago. If you're not satisfied you only lose some P&P costs. If you are satisfied (and I think you will be), you're at the start of the journey, which, in my opinion, you should take step by step rather than trying to go the whole hog at once. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2021 at 8:47pm
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Thats good advice honestly but im at the point where i dont really make enough money to buy cheap and work my way up i guess is the best way to put it? It's not really economically viable for me to get something cheap then slowly work my way up as the overall cost will be so much higher than if i just started around the 1500 mark since i can get some really nice headphones at that price (clear, arya, used he1000, used hd800s, etc) and at some point move up to the summit when i know exactly what i want. Thats just my perspective anyway im young, a student and currently on minimum wage i should get a wage bump very soon which should be nice and maybe my perspective might change. Something like the 880 600 ohm is really good for the price apparently and i could get that to use on my amp and dac of choice (the reason im starting somewhere in the upper middle with amps and dacs is because i think its a waste if im plugging something nice into something cheap and id have to upgrade then to get the most out of the headphone anyway) and actually be able to use it rather than just having it sit whilst i save up for a while. I do appreciate the advice highly though especially from someone as experienced as yourself. If i do go for the Hugo 2 and have to save up for the amp i might be interested in the loaner program to hear the difference for a bit of motivation but something about somebody sending me an entire system to try is slightly uncomfortable as theres a lot of responsibility there and it just worries me really as silly as it sounds. PS: My sister does have some k240s as a backup haha.
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Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2021 at 9:34pm
Wouldn't worry too much. I know the Isle of Axholme quite well  ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: apj
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2021 at 10:17pm
I did forget you know where I live now haha. Nice to know there's someone local let alone the person who makes them  .
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Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2021 at 10:39pm
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Our own John C is looking after the UK loaner program and is 22 miles from you in South Anston if you wanted to collect (hint). Gringley, Blyth, Oldcotes, Dinnington, ... not giving away your exact location ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2021 at 10:48pm
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I'm a bit of an opportunist here but I intend to sell my last AKG K1000 soon. I would ask £1700 for it, due to the excellent condition and it is complete with box and manual. So that is close to your starting point. It beats the HD800 in my opinion and if you take care of it, it will maintain its value, unlike the HD800. Just an idea; I would like to do a few more listening comparisons with it against MySphere 3.1 before I finally part with it. ------------- We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are. |
Posted By: Aussie Mick
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2021 at 4:52am
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Ash is so right about the K1000 vs HD800. Comfortably. It’s an acquired visual taste, but if you’re after sound it’d be tough to beat at that price. I think your idea of buying secondhand is exactly the way to go. You’ll get a much better product for the money. Same with the DAC. A used Qutest plus a used high quality headphone could have you set for years. Then a Solo ULDE would make perfect sense. Please borrow one from the loan programme. Then you don’t need to take anyone’s opinion because you can form your own. As for headphones, my first quality one was the Jecklin Float Model 2. It blew my mind for detail and soundstage. After that I bought a HD600 used. I instantly understood why it’s a classic. And it was bang on half retail price. When I sold it I got my money back - that’s the beauty of the used headphone market, you can try and if you don’t like it, re-sell for little or no loss. Good luck! Mick ------------- Rega RP8 - Apheta 2 - Accession MC Enigma PS -Solo ULDE (Focal Utopia) - PS Audio M700 - Fical Kanta No2 |
Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2021 at 7:39am
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I support Mick's suggestion about buying good quality second-hand headphones to learn and progress. That is exactly what I did and I managed to experience products that would have otherwise been unobtainable. If you do wish to use the K1000 with the Solo ULDE, it will give you an insight into what MySphere can do. The Solo doesn't have enough gain to use the K1000 drivers completely fully opened out at high volume; you would need the Proprius for that. I used Majestic DAC into Solo UL with fully-opened K1000 about 6 years ago and both gain dials were being almost maxed out. If I recall correctly, I set Majestic to maximum but Solo could not go past 3 o'clock without pushing the signal into severe distortion; it had reached its very limit. So you will have to use the drivers closer to the ears to reduce the required amplification. Half-open drivers will allow you to provide plenty of volume while maintaining signal fidelity. A very musical experience that led me to sell all of my "chambered" headphones as the difference of listening in completely open-air was VERY significant compared to having the ears enclosed. The bass; oh my god! I never understand people who say K1000 lacks bass, WTF?? Amp them properly and position them on the head with some care and the bass quality slays the competition, assuming you don't want a highly elevated dB SPL response. Although you could apply EQ to tweak it if you want. The mid-bass to low midrange is actually slightly elevated by a couple of dB SPL so I would personally use an EQ to attenuate this slight emphasis. But it can be fun with some music and barely affects the tonal accuracy of the whole.
P.S I don't currently have a jack cable for the K1000 and would have to obtain one so you can plug it in to the Solo. I would request an additional £50 and some time to source it and have it made.
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Posted By: lfc jon
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2021 at 9:28am
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Hi apj I'm a bit late to the party Are you going to be only using headphones? and what way are you going to listen to music ie vinyl or digital? If you are going to be only listening with headphones that's fine. But if you going to be listening with speakers too may I suggest as you are on a budget you get a amp with out a headphone amp and phono amp as I did, as I was going to use GS gear for this. this can save you money and may get you a better sound with speakers listening, this is not a given but why spend on a amp with both when you are not going to use them. ------------- Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze. |