amp HD600

[maxla]

Hello,
I'm buying a Sennheiser HD600 very soon and thinking about a portable amp to use with my macbook/iphone. I've noticed the Sony PHA-1A which seems to be pretty good and not too expensive (can't go beyond that). Is it a good choice knowing that I mainly listen to classical and prog rock ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[yepimonfire]

I’d just get a fiio a1 for portable use. A properly built amp should sound the same as any other. With some headphones, the biggest concern is making sure the output stage is as close to 0ohms as possible, with headphones that have a varying impedance vs frequency, a higher output impedance will drastically change the sound, usually in a bad way. The fiio a1 is much cheaper than the Sony, and if you’re using it for portable use, can be hooked directly to the hp output of a phone.

For the most part, most quality dacs sound the same as well. Using an external hp amp will greatly reduce the noise from the phone. If you want something to use with a pc or laptop that can also be used portably, the e17 is a good choice as well.


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[maxla]

I wanted the Sony because it is convenient for ios devices as I don't need CCK. I will use it indoors with a laptop as well (could even be my main use). The other advantage with the Sony is that it is available easily compared to other products (the amp is a gift). My main concern is how does the combination HD600+PHA1-A sound and is the PHA1-A good for 300 ohms headphones.

 

[maxla]

Actually I might use it with the macbook more than with the Iphone. Other opinions ?

 

[yepimonfire]

I stick by my original recommendation of the fiio e17. The Sony is a waste of money in comparison. All you need to hook it into an iPhone is the supplied 3.5mm cable.

The DAC and analog audio section of Apple devices are excellent, have you tried driving the headphones straight from the iPhone/iPad? If you can obtain enough volume, you don’t need an amp. A MacBook should have no problem driving the headphones.

Try using the headphone output on your devices first to see if you can get enough power to drive them before you waste the money.

If the audio section (i.e. quiet analog section and low output impedance) is decent (which it is in Apple devices), a headphone amp will offer no improvement over onboard audio except in cases where the built in amp isn’t powerful enough to drive the headphones.


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[maxla]

Sorry I forgot to mention that I have an iphone 7 plus so I can't plug the headphone directly. I have read that the lightning to jack adapter does not sound as good as the previous iphones .
I thought it would be a better idea if I bought an MFI (Made For Iphone) amp because the fiio e17 is very good but I will have to add the cost of the CCK. In the end Fiio E17+CCK cable will cost almost as much as the Sony Dac (MFI amp and no need for CCK). I was not thinking about an amp at the beginning but I have heard and seen that it would be almost a disgrace to not use an amp with a Sennheiser HD600.
So I still don't know what to do, what do you think is the best option in this case ?

 

[everettT]

Sorry I forgot to mention that I have an iphone 7 plus so I can't plug the headphone directly. I have read that the lightning to jack adapter does not sound as good as the previous iphones .
I thought it would be a better idea if I bought an MFI (Made For Iphone) amp because the fiio e17 is very good but I will have to add the cost of the CCK. In the end Fiio E17+CCK cable will cost almost as much as the Sony Dac (MFI amp and no need for CCK). I was not thinking about an amp at the beginning but I have heard and seen that it would be almost a disgrace to not use an amp with a Sennheiser HD600.
So I still don't know what to do, what do you think is the best option in this case ?

This article compares the IP6/4 with some A/DACs to give you an idea

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2014/10/measurements-apple-iphone-4-iphone-6.html?m=1

 

[maxla]

Actually I have noticed that it is possible to get a Sennheiser HD 598 (the open back one) for less than half of the HD600 price (130 vs 300£). Do you think it is better to choose the HD598 over the HD600 knowing that I mainly listen to classical and a bit of rock ?