Headmaster

I've been ghosting on this forum for sometime now, frankly, I'm getting downright itchy and I'm thinking of getting myself a proper headphone rig.
I have no intention of letting go my speaker system, but.....the itch for headphones is there.
My current headphones are SR60s plugged into my NAD C370, and MX500s plugged into my PCDP. I rarely listen to headphones at home.
Since I don't want to give up my speaker system, and the headamps for home, and I don't want to have to change cables and I don't want a switch box to degrade the sound (yes, I'm damn picky, sorry). I was thinking that the headmaster might be perfect for my needs, since I am in the market for a preamp anyways.
I got 3 sources at home (CD, DVD, TV) and my amp has a pre-out/in, so I can use the NAD as a poweramp, bypassing it's preamp facilities. Use the headmaster as my pre, and also my headamp. (which means I will be buying new cans too)

Cut the long story short, has anyone used the headmaster as a preamp proper, and how does it sound? (I've looked online, but mostly it was as a headamp)

I have no particular taste in music, generally very eclectic selections(no country/western). but I value accuracy and transparency above all else.

Thanks very much.
Kelly

My system. Marantz CD17mkII KI, NAD C370, Dynaudio Acoustics BM6P.

 

I used to have a Headmaster/Ampmaster combo.

Headmaster - extremely good headphone amp. Works very well with either Grados or Sennheisers IME. Very nicely built too. Not the greatest preamp in the world, but almost certainly better than the preamp section of your NAD. Recent versions have remote volume control, something most headphone amps are lacking.

BTW, you don't need to swap cables or use a switchbox to use a headphone amp, just connect it from the tape out on your main amp. In case there's something connected to the tape out already, most headphone amps have outputs, so you can connect up whatever's already on the tape out directly to the headphone amp.

My current preamp is an ATC CA2. More expensive than the Sugden new (£750), but a bargain secondhand, it's both a significantly better preamp than the Sugden and also has an excellent heaphone output.

-- Ian

 

Meier Audio Prehead is easily better than the Sugden Headmaster, which only really competes with amps at its price level when modified, according to the crew over at headfi.

www.meier-audio.de