Headphone amps

[nm2285]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD590s (120 ohm) and was considering a headphone amp for them. I enjoy the way they sound now straight from my laptop and was wondering how much of a difference an amp would make. Also, do more expensive amps really make that much difference or is it similar to home audio where the amps don't matter nearly as much as the speakers?

 

[cornelius]

go to headphone.com

 

[furrycute]

In my opinion, unless you are willing to spend a considerable amount ($300 and above) for a decent home headphone amp, cheap headphone amps really aren't worth it.

Headphone amps aren't as mainstream as home amps. As a result, dollar for dollar, you don't "get your money's worth" with headphone amps.

I once had a Grace 901 reference headphone amp. That amp was nice, has a built in DAC. It was the best I have ever heard. But at over $900, I had to let it go.

 

[mustang_steve]

I like my Creek OBH-11, but that's just because it mates well with my Grados...I would'nt recomend that amp for any other phones, since it has some weird problems of it's own.

It's basically a case of two products with their own quirks actually working well together...I lucked out.

It depends what you want out of your amp. Keep in mind you will be essentially double-amping off a notebook, and that has it's own issues, namely distortion will be higher...BUT, if your headphones are being underpowered, then they would be distorting far worse than if there were two amps in line so it's a tradeoff of sorts.

I use the headphone amp on my computer since I get home well after everyone else is asleep and I like my music a bit on the loud side

You can have a nice amp built for you as well if you can find a reputable builder. I have no experience with him, but I heard MisterX (he posts on hardforums as well as one of the headphone boards) makes some nice amps.

 

[WmAx]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD590s (120 ohm) and was considering a headphone amp for them. I enjoy the way they sound now straight from my laptop and was wondering how much of a difference an amp would make. Also, do more expensive amps really make that much difference or is it similar to home audio where the amps don't matter nearly as much as the speakers?

Let's get some facts straight so that the situation is looked at from an objective standpoint.

Headphone.com, as referenced by another user, I can not recommend using for any sort of information purposes. They present facts mixed in with fiction: you can't trust them. They appear to typical hi-end audio minded people.

There is nothing inherantly superior, audibly, from a mega-buck headphone amp that can not be acheived from a much cheaper version has been proven to exist. The main reason to buy a mega-buck headphone amplifier is for cosmetics, imagination(you think it sounds special) or just to show off to audiophile friends.

The real issues for a headphone amplifier purchase, after you know what you need, should be:

-Does it have sufficient gain(output level vs. input level) for your headphones and source combination?

-Does it have an audible noisefloor(hiss) within normal volume settings?

-Does it have a crossfeed acoustic filter(some people need this to enjoy headphones, but I don't personally like crossfeed)?

-Does it meet your requirement for portability?(Size, power sources, etc..)

-Does it have a switchable 0/120 Ohm output impedance? (Some headphones were expressly designed to work with a 120 ohm source impedance, it will affect frequency response slightly--you can achieve the same thing by using a 120 ohm resistor in line with the headphones if the amp does not have the feature built-in)

As for an amp improving your laptop output -- that is entirely dependant on the specific headphone/laptop sound section combination. Some headpone outputs may have severe distortion that approaches audible levels with some very low impedance headphones. You can fix this by using a resistor in line with the headphones, but the soundcard will have to produce higher voltage output in order to compensate, and many will not have the additional voltage available so it will end up being not loud enough. Some audio outputs have audible hiss and other noises; the only rememdy in that case is to use a different soundcard.

-Chris

 

[cornelius]

Now go back to headphone.com with Chris' comments. They make a lot of sense, good to have a little "grounding" when looking at audio gear.

I just mentioned headphone.com for a starting point. I just have one of their Airhead amps as an on-the-fly volume control while I edit on my laptop. Although I'm not sure about the cross-feed for accurate listening, I do like it for all day(and night) fatigue free listening.

 

[twheeloc]

Quite a few options

Check out headphone.com just to get an idea of some of the options out and around. Then start checking in on some forums such as headfi.org
You can just lurk and learn a lot. It's been a while since I've looked into it but one designer I believe named Xin has quite a following. Be mindfull of the type of headphones that you're using and what reviewers are using and what they like music wise and sound wise to get an idea of what you want.

 

[Mudcat]

Inexpensive Units

Here's five that won't break the bank. And I didn't even get to the letter C

ALTO HPA4 - $100
ALTO HPA6 - $160
ART 406 - $155
ART Head Amp - $50
Behringer HA4700 - $110

 

[nm2285]

So what about all those CMoy clones you see floating around ebay (ex: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=40138&item=5773200461&rd=1 )

Are they worth the time? Right now I'm not willing to spend much on an amp. It's either buy a cheapie like this now or wait for a while and get a better one. I wouldn't mind buying the cheapie now and a more expensive one later, but I want to make sure that the cheap guy would be a worthwhile intermediary.

 

[WmAx]

So what about all those CMoy clones you see floating around ebay (ex: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=40138&item=5773200461&rd=1 )

Are they worth the time? Right now I'm not willing to spend much on an amp. It's either buy a cheapie like this now or wait for a while and get a better one. I wouldn't mind buying the cheapie now and a more expensive one later, but I want to make sure that the cheap guy would be a worthwhile intermediary.

I do not recommend CMOYs due to:

(1) The Op Amps are directly driving the low impedance headphone loads -- the typical op amps being used are not optimal for the purpose. This can cause raised distortion levels and even part failure.

(2) The CMOY design used a standard resistor split virtual power supply. The use of a ground/split buffer(a cheap part but ignored in the CMOY design) is needed, because when the battery starts to get low the sound will heavily distort as the virtual split supply becomes unbalanced. Of course, if you get a CMOY that has an op amp designed for low impedance use and you do not mind shortened use time(due to distortion when battery gets low), then a CMOY should be fine. If you are intending to spend around $65, get a properly designed unit such as this(output current buffers and split supply buffer):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=40138&item=5772537041&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

-Chris

 

[Audiosouse]

Canada

Here's five that won't break the bank. And I didn't even get to the letter C

ALTO HPA4 - $100
ALTO HPA6 - $160
ART 406 - $155
ART Head Amp - $50
Behringer HA4700 - $110

Anybody know what's available in Canada, specifically the GTA in the spirit of above list? How come the yanks get all the selection?