Please recommend a dual voltage amp

Etherea1

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
274
Hey there, I recently got stationed in Germany and will be here for a few years. My old AVR is 110v and is already bulky enough, I don't feel like adding another clunky power transformer to the office setup. Onboard audio is not very good. Could someone please suggest a decent 100-240v headphone amplifier to buy, one that I can take back to the US with me after my time here is up? I am using AKG K712 Pro headphones and would like to spend no more than $500.
 
If you're going to stay a few years, just sell the amp when your tour is up. Only mass produced gear usually has dual voltage support and headphone amps are a niche product.
 
I will probably end up having to do that, I did my own research a bit before I made my post and came to a similar conclusion. I was just hoping someone here might know of something I overlooked that would save me the hassle of re-selling later. Already have a big list of kitchen appliances we will have to get rid of before the move back.
 
Don't you have a recycling program where you could transfer the device to some other serviceman starting their tour?
 
Not sure, maybe one exists officially but if it does, it’s not widely known/utilized. Most outgoing people try to sell their 220v stuff and other European specific furniture like wardrobes directly to the new tenants that move in to the house they are vacating, and the leftovers get posted to online marketplaces at a low price to get rid of it quickly. Like you said, an amp is more of a niche product that most people don’t care about so I’m not optimistic on getting a good price back if I were to re-sell later.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, I looked it up and I’m seeing mixed reviews. Do you have any personal experience with one, or know people who do? Any idea on which specific model to go for?
 
Unfortunately, no. Stereophile reviewed the Cobalt (which is the most expensive one, unfortunately) and appeared to have a positive impression of it. I'm still reviewing my headphone amp needs and I haven't settled on a contender yet. The biggest reason why I suggested DragonFly is it doesn't rely on off-board power to work and you can simply bring it back with you; no investment lost.

Alternately, you could consider one of the Schiit products with off-board power supply bricks. (I'd hope you could simply swap the brick depending on which region.)
 
I think I'm leaning towards ordering a 110v Schiit Jotunheim and using a small step-down transformer for it. I really wanted to avoid cluttering my tiny office but oh well.
 
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