Headset amplifiers

[PCJake]

I just got my Sennheiser PC 350 headset in the mail yesterday. I'm running it through a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 sound card.

I don't know much about the technical aspects of audio gear. I bought the PC 350's because I wanted a comfortable headset with clear high tones. I was well aware when I bought them that they had a relatively high impedance (150 Ohm) and that if I wanted more powerful bass and mids then I would need to get an amplifier (hopefully this is the correct thinking). That's the stage I'm at now, and I need help with picking the right one.

This is one of the first things that I haven't been able to figure out by Googling. All the information I've found on amplifiers is too technical for me to figure out at this stage. I don't even know what a decent one costs, so I'm not going to suggest a budget yet. I want something that will give me more powerful bass and, if possible, give the microphone more power (it's clear, but it's also quiet even at max volume).

Thanks!

 

[Christobevii3]

How much are you looking to spend?

 

[PCJake]

Originally posted by: Christobevii3
How much are you looking to spend?

Definitely less than $100. Around $50 or $60 would be perfect, but like I said in my original post, I have no idea what a decent one costs. I certainly don't need anything high end, I just want to get the most out of the PC 350's.

 

[moonboy403]

Maybe a cmoy.

 

[PCJake]

Originally posted by: moonboy403
Maybe a cmoy.

Meh, could you be a little more specific please? Don't overestimate my expertise in this area .

Edit: I've done some reading on the CMoys and I've browsed them on eBay a bit. They look simple, which is what I want, but would they have a noticeable impact on the quality of the PC 350's? Also, would a CMoy help the microphone at all, or just the headphones?

 

[moonboy403]

I personally have no experience with any cmoy. However, that's about as cheap as an amp can get and people seem to have a positive experience with them. However, I wouldn't really bother with one. I would rather save up and get something better(DAC/Combo) in the $200 range(Essence STX, Audio Gd Compass...etc).

Alternatively, you can try looking for used gear on head-fi for cheap. They are a bargain compared to new gear.

 

[PCJake]

Originally posted by: moonboy403
I personally have no experience with any cmoy. However, that's about as cheap as an amp can get and people seem to have a positive experience with them. However, I wouldn't really bother with one. I would rather save up and get something better(DAC/Combo) in the $200 range(Essence STX, Audio Gd Compass...etc).

Alternatively, you can try looking for used gear on head-fi for cheap. They are a bargain compared to new gear.

Is there anyone with a CMoy around here that has seen a decent improvement with it?

 

[Rio Rebel]

I bought a CMoy off ebay (there are quite a few advertised by people who make them). It was about $35.

I am a low level audiophile - I am very demanding of audio quality up to a point, but I don't claim to hear noticeable differences between brands of speaker cable or models of amps.

Bottom line for me is that my Grado's can sound really good with a headphone amp, and I simply wanted something to amplify the signal from my ipod without noticeably degrading the quality. I got that with a CMoy, and it is well worth the price to me.

 

[aphex]

CMOY's are a fantastic start to the world of headphone amps, if you want to spend less than $50 they are about the best you can find (though used PA2V2's are cheap as well, I actually preferred my latest CMOY to a PA2V2).

This was the most recent CMOY i built - Chimes CMOY

 

[PCJake]

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
I bought a CMoy off ebay (there are quite a few advertised by people who make them). It was about $35.

I am a low level audiophile - I am very demanding of audio quality up to a point, but I don't claim to hear noticeable differences between brands of speaker cable or models of amps.

Bottom line for me is that my Grado's can sound really good with a headphone amp, and I simply wanted something to amplify the signal from my ipod without noticeably degrading the quality. I got that with a CMoy, and it is well worth the price to me.

I'm exactly where you are, I just couldn't quite articulate it. I am also very demanding up to a point.

Originally posted by: aphex
CMOY's are a fantastic start to the world of headphone amps, if you want to spend less than $50 they are about the best you can find (though used PA2V2's are cheap as well, I actually preferred my latest CMOY to a PA2V2).

This was the most recent CMOY i built - Chimes CMOY

Looks cool! Is it as simple as plugging the 3.5 mm headphone jack into the amp, and the running another 3.5 mm cable from the amp to the sound card (do I need to order an extra cable, too)?

 

[43st]

The new Auzentech X-fi Forte has a remarkably high quality headphone amp on it. Over $100 though.

 

[PCJake]

Originally posted by: 43st
The new Auzentech X-fi Forte has a remarkably high quality headphone amp on it. Over $100 though.

I already have a $90 sound card, so I think it would make more sense to spend $50 or so on a decent amp and add it on to my current setup instead of replacing something good.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

Micro CMoy

Jelly CMoy

Which one is best (if they're not equal)?

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: PCJake

Originally posted by: 43st
The new Auzentech X-fi Forte has a remarkably high quality headphone amp on it. Over $100 though.

I already have a $90 sound card, so I think it would make more sense to spend $50 or so on a decent amp and add it on to my current setup instead of replacing something good.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

Micro CMoy

Jelly CMoy

Which one is best (if they're not equal)?

My first CMOY was from Juice (the 1st link), I was very happy with the sound. The 2227 is a great little op amp. Haven't heard the second one.

 

[PCJake]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: PCJake

Originally posted by: 43st
The new Auzentech X-fi Forte has a remarkably high quality headphone amp on it. Over $100 though.

I already have a $90 sound card, so I think it would make more sense to spend $50 or so on a decent amp and add it on to my current setup instead of replacing something good.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

Micro CMoy

Jelly CMoy

Which one is best (if they're not equal)?

My first CMOY was from Juice (the 1st link), I was very happy with the sound. The 2227 is a great little op amp. Haven't heard the second one.

Excellent, I think I'll get the one from Juice. Now, just to make sure before I order, the amplifier won't just increase volume, right? It'll add to the bass and overall sound quality?

 

[Tiamat]

Also, which of the budget headphone amps are better suited for higher current loads as opposed to the higher voltage loads?

Since my phones are low impedance, i need the headphone amp to have its circuitry more aligned to higher current demands (and the required heat dissipation area) rather than higher voltage requirements as needed by high impedance loads.

 

[abaez]

Nuforce Icon Mobile: http://www.nuforce-icon.com/Product-Icon-Mobile.htm $99 with good feedback:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/...ly-impressions-386019/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/...rce-370729/index3.html

I have the regular icon with the s1 speakers and its fantastic.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: PCJake

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: PCJake

Originally posted by: 43st
The new Auzentech X-fi Forte has a remarkably high quality headphone amp on it. Over $100 though.

I already have a $90 sound card, so I think it would make more sense to spend $50 or so on a decent amp and add it on to my current setup instead of replacing something good.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

Micro CMoy

Jelly CMoy

Which one is best (if they're not equal)?

My first CMOY was from Juice (the 1st link), I was very happy with the sound. The 2227 is a great little op amp. Haven't heard the second one.

Excellent, I think I'll get the one from Juice. Now, just to make sure before I order, the amplifier won't just increase volume, right? It'll add to the bass and overall sound quality?

What an amplifier can do depends greatly on the headphones you use it with - i.e. Some respond significantly more than others. In all cases, it will never sound worse, but it might not be a huge improvement off a non-amped source with some phones. Usually, they allow you a strong full sound without having to push the source volume too high (which can cause distortion as they are commonly pretty weak) with improvements in Bass, Treble, Mids and overall Balance and Tonality. My wife summed it up best, "It just sounds crisper and cleaner with the amp"

In my setup I keep my Macbook at about 30-40% volume, output going through a Firewire DAC (taking the digital to analog conversion off the computer/source reduces the noise and interference in the signal), then via RCA to my Millet Hybrid MiniMAX Vacuum Tube Amp, then out to my Denon D2000 headphones.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: abaez
Nuforce Icon Mobile: http://www.nuforce-icon.com/Product-Icon-Mobile.htm $99 with good feedback:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/...ly-impressions-386019/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/...rce-370729/index3.html

I have the regular icon with the s1 speakers and its fantastic.

I've heard good things about the Nuforce amps and phones, need to try them out soon.

 

[moonboy403]

I had the Nuforce Icon. It was a very versatile unit with good sound. A truly all-in-one solution for anyone that wants good sound on a budget.

It was a DAC/amp that has plenty of input and output including preamp capability.

Note: If anyone's looking for a can that's perfect for Jazz, acoustics, and classical, look no further than the discontinued AKG K501. They cost around $150 used, but they're a truly bargain.

For the genres they excel in, they outperform everything in the $500 price range.

To summarize the K501's sound:
-lean but very well defined bass
-extended highs with a bit of emphasis
-magically smooth and soothing midrange that goes especially well with female vocals
-extremely wide soundstage with pinpoint imaging

 

[PCJake]

Hey guys, one more question. Is there anything I can do about increasing the volume of the microphone on my PC 350s? At 100% it's very clear but just barely loud enough, and when I enable the +20dB microphone boost in the Vista sound options the microphone loses some clarity and doesn't sound as good overall (although it is louder).

I haven't ordered the CMoy amp yet, but I'm still planning to. Is there some sort of amplifier solution to solve the quiet microphone issue too?

 

[Killmenow]

Just get a FiiO for the placebo effect and call it a day (should be much cheaper than a decked out CMoy... somewhere like < $20 shipped) I personally found that cheaper amps tend not to be as transparent, so sometimes they change things for the worse (depending on what its paired with). Synergy is pretty important too, I wouldn't jump headfirst into something too expensive. Something like the PA2V2 might add more weight/volume to the bass/lower end in general (kinda like the BOSE effect ), but at the same time, I found that it would muddy the sound a tad. It didn't bother me too much though since I found the sound kinda fun. But yeah, its all pretty subjective. You might want to look into spending the $$$ more on upgrading or modifying your source (maybe switch up the opamps, or the caps) instead of dropping $50 on an amp; especially if you don't know for sure if the PC350's would even benefit from amping (I had HD555's which were 120Ohmz... but guess what? They really didn't benefit all that much from a cheap amp, most of what was gained/added was the coloring from the amp itself). Then again, $50 might be peanuts for you

 

[ivan2]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
Also, which of the budget headphone amps are better suited for higher current loads as opposed to the higher voltage loads?

I think PA2V2 is a high current amp relative to the Cmoy which is a high impedance one (good for senns).

I have the PA2V2, depending on the phones that it's driving, it can be great or it will be totally useless. I used a pair of Livewires plugged into an ipod gen 4 all the time now, they are too sensitive to be amped by the PA2V2 because it's noise floor is quite high(hissing). But when I plug a Sony v6 to it the difference is very noticeable as the sound it pumps out becomes cleaner and the soundstage is apparently widened (the stereo is better).

Customer service for the PA2V2 is top notch, it fried once after 2 years of usage and Gary(the maker) fixed it for me at no cost.


to answer OP's question: yes it will make it louder.

 

[moonboy403]

Originally posted by: Killmenow
Just get a FiiO for the placebo effect and call it a day (should be much cheaper than a decked out CMoy... somewhere like < $20 shipped) I personally found that cheaper amps tend not to be as transparent, so sometimes they change things for the worse (depending on what its paired with). Synergy is pretty important too, I wouldn't jump headfirst into something too expensive. Something like the PA2V2 might add more weight/volume to the bass/lower end in general (kinda like the BOSE effect ), but at the same time, I found that it would muddy the sound a tad. It didn't bother me too much though since I found the sound kinda fun. But yeah, its all pretty subjective. You might want to look into spending the $$$ more on upgrading or modifying your source (maybe switch up the opamps, or the caps) instead of dropping $50 on an amp; especially if you don't know for sure if the PC350's would even benefit from amping (I had HD555's which were 120Ohmz... but guess what? They really didn't benefit all that much from a cheap amp, most of what was gained/added was the coloring from the amp itself). Then again, $50 might be peanuts for you

It's not placebo as the Fiio E5 boosts the frequencies below 500hz by 3db I believe.

 

[Killmenow]

Originally posted by: moonboy403

Originally posted by: Killmenow
Just get a FiiO for the placebo effect and call it a day (should be much cheaper than a decked out CMoy... somewhere like < $20 shipped) I personally found that cheaper amps tend not to be as transparent, so sometimes they change things for the worse (depending on what its paired with). Synergy is pretty important too, I wouldn't jump headfirst into something too expensive. Something like the PA2V2 might add more weight/volume to the bass/lower end in general (kinda like the BOSE effect ), but at the same time, I found that it would muddy the sound a tad. It didn't bother me too much though since I found the sound kinda fun. But yeah, its all pretty subjective. You might want to look into spending the $$$ more on upgrading or modifying your source (maybe switch up the opamps, or the caps) instead of dropping $50 on an amp; especially if you don't know for sure if the PC350's would even benefit from amping (I had HD555's which were 120Ohmz... but guess what? They really didn't benefit all that much from a cheap amp, most of what was gained/added was the coloring from the amp itself). Then again, $50 might be peanuts for you

It's not placebo as the Fiio E5 boosts the frequencies below 500hz by 3db I believe.

Was saying to get it for the placebo; wasn't implying that the amp is useless This way, he gets his piece of mind, an very efficient amp to help drive the PC350's, a warm fuzzy feeling inside, and is only short around $20. If he decides that the FiiO is insufficient, and is pondering if he should have invested for a "better" setup, then chances are that the CMoy would have resulted in a similar course of action. If that's the case, then his wallet is in for a world of hurt.

 

[moonboy403]

I didn't mean it that way. I was only saying that the Fiio might not be a good choice.