Any experience with headphone amps?

[tweakmm]

I am looking to buy a new pair of headphones and all of the ones that I'm looking at recomend an amp. I am checking out the headphone Airhead or the Airhead Total. Does anybody have experience with either of these amps? Do they really improve the sound that much?

 

[erikiksaz]

You might want to head onto head-fi.org, they're really helpful there. But, the first things they would ask are:

1)what headphones will you use?
2)what source?
3)how much $$ are you willing to spend?

But anyways, most people would wholeheartedly take the Total Airhead over the Airhead, as it has higher quality components.

Do they really improve the sound that much?

This ties back to your source. Depending on the quality of the head-out (and the headphones), there may not be a significant improvement. BUT, that's only an IF, chances are it WILL improve the sound. Again, this ties back to the headphones and the source you're using. But if all you're listening to are 128kbit mp3s, then you need not apply to any of this "audiophile" stuff

 

[tweakmm]

Well, one of my sources is going to be my computer, but I have a Game Theater XP (pretty decent output) but I'm also looking around for a decent CD player

 

[flood]

what headphones are you planning on using?

 

[yellowperil]

I think you would need a headphone amp only if the headphones you are using has a high impedence and needs the extra juice to drive it. Otherwise the money could be better spent on an upgraded sound card. There is a rackmount headphone amp made by Behringer (model HA4600) for $100 that is popular for home studio enthusiasts (here)

 

[erikiksaz]

Behringer? Doesn't ring a bell. It's been over a year that i've been looking into the audiophile forums, and i haven't seen that name. Strange. But anyways, i forgot about DIY amps. They'll run you pretty cheap, and the guys that could possibly make them for you are VERY friendly. But yes, it's true, low impedance cans will not require an amp in the same sense as high impedance cans. BUT, you'll still benefit from the amp components compared to the cruddy headphone-out of your source.

 

[yellowperil]

Behringer is a German company that has been around for a little while. They make excellent products at even better prices, like mixers, studio monitors, mics, and other home recording gear. I own several of their products, a V-amp 2 modeler and a condenser mic, and they are very good values. The downside is that they've been blamed for designing their products too similarly to their competitors (and at much lower prices) and have been hit with a lawsuit more than once.

 

[tweakmm]

I'm looking at a couple pairs of cans:

Sennheiser HD570 (amazon is selling them for $79)
Sennheiser HD 497
Grado SR60
Grado SR80

although I'm leaning more towards the HD570s' because they look to be the best and I can get them for around the same price

 

[flood]

as mentioned in this thread, the sony v6 is a great alternatiave.
It seems that you are buying these online. You should buy headphones only after listening to them.
Magnolia Hi-Fi will have several of the ones on your list.
The bass from the 570's may be too boomy for your tastes.

Regardless, any of the ones on your list do not need or require a headphone amplifier.

Tell me what kind of music you lisetn to and I can give you a recommendation on the headphones.

 

[tweakmm]

Regardless, any of the ones on your list do not need or require a headphone amplifier.

not according to almost everything that i've read

 

[erikiksaz]

The only one out of that list that NEEDS an amp to get decent volume (depends on the source yet again) is the hd570. The rest of them are 30 ohms and below, right? Those should be fine out of a portable. I'd say since it's your first trip into audiophile cans, you might want to start with something that doesn't require an amp, like the Sr60 or Sr80. But it really depends on your musical tastes.

 

[flood]

Ive tried these out on my own system:
Sennheiser HD570
Grado SR60
Grado SR80

None of them needed amplification. They got plenty loud out of my sound card and headphone jack on my cd player.

 

[tweakmm]

I previously had a pair of sony MDR-V600s

 

[tweakmm]

Tell me what kind of music you lisetn to and I can give you a recommendation on the headphones.

I really listen to every type of music except for country heh