Pics of my new headphone amplifier with vacuum tubes - Little Dot MKIII

[Born2bwire]

OOoooh! The aesthetics have definitely improved over the original version.

 

[lamere]

i just stumbled across this thread...are you guys using your headphone amps through a PC or home system?
Just curious, because i'm using mine (headroom microamp with desktop module) through my PC and i'm wondering what soundcards you are using if anyone is running through a PC.
M-Audio, Creative, etc.....

I am using a Creative X-Fi and am wondering if I should go M-Audio instead......

Suggestions welcome....

 

[montypythizzle]

I have a AV710 optical out to an Onkyo HT receiver and it sounds pretty decent.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: lamere
i just stumbled across this thread...are you guys using your headphone amps through a PC or home system?
Just curious, because i'm using mine (headroom microamp with desktop module) through my PC and i'm wondering what soundcards you are using if anyone is running through a PC.
M-Audio, Creative, etc.....

I am using a Creative X-Fi and am wondering if I should go M-Audio instead......

Suggestions welcome....

For my computer rig, I actually have a Meier Audio Aria that has a USB DAC in it. But I never really felt cheated by my Creative Audigy 2, especially since I have lossy formats on my computer.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: aphex
I have a pair of westone UM2's, but no 1/8" -> 1/4" jack. I may be able to pick one up later today, if so I will definitely let you know my experiences.

I'd really appreciate it!

Ok FINALLY got around to testing the amp with the UM2's...

Warms up the sound quite a bit, BUT, the highs are now recessed. Lows sound strong, mids are liquid, but the highs just arent there.

I actually prefer my UM2's unamped, more of a pleasing overall sound IMO.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: montypythizzle
HD485s....
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/n...ail.asp?transid=500266

These are mine: HD595

The most freaking COMFORTABLE headphone i've ever worn, hands down. I can wear it for 8+ hours and not even get uncomfortable...

Plus they can be found for awesome used prices, usually $120-140 over at head-fi

. I've been using my HD 595's that I got last week extensively with my Total Bithead amp, and I'm just not impressed. My IEM's sound better, are much more comfortable, and my 595's sound as if there's a veil covering the sound. They're not fully burned in yet, but as of now, they're going back to Headroom.

Burn them in with pink noise overnight for a few days. Then listen to them. The Senn veil isn't as bad on the 555's/595's compared to the 580/600/650.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: lamere
i just stumbled across this thread...are you guys using your headphone amps through a PC or home system?
Just curious, because i'm using mine (headroom microamp with desktop module) through my PC and i'm wondering what soundcards you are using if anyone is running through a PC.
M-Audio, Creative, etc.....

I am using a Creative X-Fi and am wondering if I should go M-Audio instead......

Suggestions welcome....

I'm using an X-Fi with a HD 555, sounds good. I wanted a EMU 0404 USB, but it wouldn't provide the 3d positional audio that the X-Fi does.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I wish I had some money to get an amp right now. There's a couple of Zhalou DACs, a Little Dot II, a Little Dot MKIII with extra tubes, and a Darkvoice 336 all in the Head-Fi FS forum for decent prices. I'm kinda thinking that I'm just going to save up and get a good DAC/amp combo for about $1000 or so, which should hold me over for a long time. There's the Corda Opera, and there was another one that I seem to remember. I'm thinking it was the Benchmark DAC or maybe the DAC1 or something, I just remember it had DAC in the name, and was supposed to be nearly unbeatable for that but also had an exceptional headphone jack.

 

[dwell]

I've been thinking about getting this for a while:

http://www.impamp.com/

Pretty pricey though ($699.00). Can probably find a vintage tube receiver for $100 on Ebay.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
I wish I had some money to get an amp right now. There's a couple of Zhalou DACs, a Little Dot II, a Little Dot MKIII with extra tubes, and a Darkvoice 336 all in the Head-Fi FS forum for decent prices. I'm kinda thinking that I'm just going to save up and get a good DAC/amp combo for about $1000 or so, which should hold me over for a long time. There's the Corda Opera, and there was another one that I seem to remember. I'm thinking it was the Benchmark DAC or maybe the DAC1 or something, I just remember it had DAC in the name, and was supposed to be nearly unbeatable for that but also had an exceptional headphone jack.

The little dot MKIII for sale is mine

Gotta pay the bills

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
I wish I had some money to get an amp right now. There's a couple of Zhalou DACs, a Little Dot II, a Little Dot MKIII with extra tubes, and a Darkvoice 336 all in the Head-Fi FS forum for decent prices. I'm kinda thinking that I'm just going to save up and get a good DAC/amp combo for about $1000 or so, which should hold me over for a long time. There's the Corda Opera, and there was another one that I seem to remember. I'm thinking it was the Benchmark DAC or maybe the DAC1 or something, I just remember it had DAC in the name, and was supposed to be nearly unbeatable for that but also had an exceptional headphone jack.

The little dot MKIII for sale is mine

Gotta pay the bills

Hmmmm tempting... Still... I've got enough amps at the moment...

 

[CorCentral]

Are these necessary if you have a decent Onkyo $800.00 Receiver you plug your headphones into?
What's the difference?

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: CorCentral
Are these necessary if you have a decent Onkyo $800.00 Receiver you plug your headphones into?
What's the difference?

The amp in your Onkyo that's powering your speakers is completely different then what's powering that headphone jack. Most receivers throw all of their amplification power for the speaker connections, and throw in a little thing for the headphone connection. These devices are intended to be used with speakers, and thus have the power design for speakers. Headphone amps are designed only with headphones in mind, thus the power design is more appropriate for this use.

 

[CorCentral]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: CorCentral
Are these necessary if you have a decent Onkyo $800.00 Receiver you plug your headphones into?
What's the difference?

The amp in your Onkyo that's powering your speakers is completely different then what's powering that headphone jack. Most receivers throw all of their amplification power for the speaker connections, and throw in a little thing for the headphone connection. These devices are intended to be used with speakers, and thus have the power design for speakers. Headphone amps are designed only with headphones in mind, thus the power design is more appropriate for this use.

Are there comparisons on this? I understand what you're saying but after reading a few things, they always say....... it "may" have better sound quality than what your receiver can output.
I just don't know. Hey, if someone can prove to me that a $200. headphone amp is better than going through a decent $800.- $1000. receiver, I'm all for buying one

Bought these about 2 years back and cost around $200. JVC HA-DX3

 

[darkswordsman17]

The reason there's no real definite answer about headphone jacks on various non-headphone amps, specifically recievers is that there are a lot of them and most people don't crack them open to find out what the headphone circuit looks like. Most recievers attenuate (not sure if thats the correct word I'm looking for) the speakers amplified signal and so it tends to end up being noisy by the time it reaches your headphone drivers. Of course, even knowing what the path is won't necessarily say if its good or not, the only real way to tell is to listen.

The big issue comes in when people are able to get plenty of volume and so they think its getting good amplification. Also, some people don't even notice how noisy the signal is. In my experience, the headphone jacks on recievers tend to be adequate, but a good amp will offer a cleaner signal. I don't have a problem using a reciever for games and movies for the most part, but for music I'd much prefer a cleaner signal. The Onkyo reciever that I've used has a pretty good headphone jack, but it is noisy compared to the headphone amps I've heard. Also, the reciever sounded much more raw and tends to give a cold harsh sound in comparison, which causes it to be less musical compared to a real dedicated headphone amp.

The unfortunate thing is that as you go higher in the price range, it doesn't seem to be you get better headphone jacks on recievers, as the extra money goes towards better features (more connectivity, more decoding options, probably better DACs, more power, etc). Some of the really high end recievers do have some good headphone jacks from what I've heard, however its more feasible to get equal performance for headphones for less money with a headphone amp.

All that being said, will most people be happy with the headphone jack on a reciever for use with a nice pair of headphones? Yes. Will a headphone amp be better? Most likely. For me personally, a reciever just isn't that practical as I like to listen to music while reading before I go to bed, or sitting at my computer, and so a headphone amp would fit those situations better. Now if I'm playing a console or watching a movie then I've been happy with using the reciever's headphone jack.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: CorCentral

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: CorCentral
Are these necessary if you have a decent Onkyo $800.00 Receiver you plug your headphones into?
What's the difference?

The amp in your Onkyo that's powering your speakers is completely different then what's powering that headphone jack. Most receivers throw all of their amplification power for the speaker connections, and throw in a little thing for the headphone connection. These devices are intended to be used with speakers, and thus have the power design for speakers. Headphone amps are designed only with headphones in mind, thus the power design is more appropriate for this use.

Are there comparisons on this? I understand what you're saying but after reading a few things, they always say....... it "may" have better sound quality than what your receiver can output.
I just don't know. Hey, if someone can prove to me that a $200. headphone amp is better than going through a decent $800.- $1000. receiver, I'm all for buying one

Bought these about 2 years back and cost around $200. JVC HA-DX3

Well, I have a CD player that originally retailed for $1.2K (obviously didn't buy it for that much though) and the headphone jack on it was abysmal. The only way you are really going to know is if you find out yourself. A lot of dealers have 30 day money back guarantees. Places like Todd the Vinyl Junky and Headroom are the first to spring to mind (Ray Samuels also will do this by Todd carries his products already). All you really risk is shipping costs.