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April 23, 2009 - 9:46am
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Newbie advice for headphones / amp
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Hi, Peter. Welcome to our zany forum! I think for your purposes & for your <$500 budget, you should look at some of the portable headphone amp/USB Dac selections from the likes of Ray Samuels, ibasso or iQube. I can personally recommend Ray Samuels b/c I use one for myself for portable usage. These portable amps are tiny, but they won't have any problems whatsoever driving your Senns or Etys or what-have-you. I recommend getting ones with USB Dac, since you're using PC as source... with your FLAC files, you'll get a MUCH better sound with outboard dacs, and something like the Ray Samuels Predator will suit your needs perfectly, as it will not only drive your cans, but will also improve the music coming out of your PC. I think Sam Tellig wrote a review of the Predator just a few months ago, so look it up. Cheers.
The best-sounding setup will be a combination of great headphones, a headphone amp, and an outboard DAC.
If you can swing it, that is the way to go. At work, I have some Senns, a "cheaper" headphone amp ($100-$200), and a PocketDock that uses the line out of my iPod rather than the headphone out (I haven't jumped for the DAC, and probably won't any time soon - I'm sure they are well worth it, but there are just other ways I'd like to spend my money right now). I'm perfectly happy with this setup, and it was pretty cheap. It doesn't compare to my home system, but whatever - I'd have to spend too much money.
For more specifics, selfdividers recommendations are right on.
Thank you both. My two limiting factors are 1) money (surprise!), and 2) I want to hear music better without starting an absorbing new hobby - my time is already way oversubscribed. Since I can't get headphones and amp within my budget, and since I can only get one thing for home and travel, I will get a Predator and use it with the headphone-out of my mp3 player and set it up to use its own DAC with the PC.
Unless anyone tells me that this is a mistake. I know that headphone outs aren't the right input for decent amps, but it's all I've got.
Tough call. Generally, headphones affect the sound more than an amplifier/DAC will (and significantly moreso, at least in my experience). I'd consider just getting some good easily-driven cans.
But since you're happy with the way your phones sound from the source, but not the DAP, the amp/DAC may be your best bet.
Judicata
The best that I have found to date are the Sennheiser 497s. When I browse audiophile sites, the phones I see reviewed are reviewed using an amp. Even, for example, the Sennheiser 600 / 650 (?). This has given me the impression that I am already pushing the limits of "easily-driven cans."
If anyone can point some out, I'd be happy to go with the simpler solution of better headphones without an amp, but they would have to be easy to drive indeed.
Since I think the 497s are open, I assume you're okay with open headphones:
The Sennheiser HD595s are solid headphones and really easy to drive; they work very well even directly plugged into an iPod. They won't give you quite the resolution of, say, the 600s, 650s, or AKG K701/2s (all of these really need an amp), but they within your budget (under $200) and you will not need an amp. If you can audition some phones, the cheaper HD555s are worth a look as well - you can find them for under $100.
You could also surf head-fi.org for gobs and gobs of information, and there is certain to be a number of threads on this topic.
A USB DAC would still greatly improve the sound. You could try either the DAC first or headphones first and decide where to go from there.
Grado headphones are relatively easy to drive I've known quite a few people that have used an iPod (just an iPod with no amp) to drive all of the way upto SR125 with an headphone 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. SR 60 and 80 are really great too.
I went down to J&R and listened to the Sennheiser 497, 555, and 595. Had an interesting problem with the 595: they are so efficient that they were too frelking loud to get a good opinion! The 497s, to my ear, had a better soundstage than the 555s.
Then I tried enormous and clunky Audio-Techinca ATH-AD700 cans. For about the third time in my life, my jaw dropped. Does anybody out there have some experience with these? Would they be a decent choice for stationary listening (I'm not walking around with those)?
Thanks
You couldn't adjust the volume?
I don't have experience with those ATs, but they have a solid reputation and should be efficient enough to plug right into your computer/ipod. Although, I would've guessed you would find them lacking in bass (this is from what I've heard from others - I haven't listened to them myself). They are great phones and should deliver a great soundstage. At the end of the day, your ears have to guide you.