Headphone-based system?

[Joe Schmoe]

I am considering a pair of really good heaphones (leaning toward $300 Grados) so that I can listen as loud as I want whenever I want and not bother the neighbors (or vice-versa.) If the sound is good enough (and they are comfortable enough) that they end up being all I listen to except when I have company, that would be fine by me.

My question is will the headphone output on my integrated amp (Cambridge Audio Azur 340A) be good enough to do them justice, or do I need to invest in a really good headphone amp (perhaps also Grado) at the same time?

Another option I have considered is a CD player with a quality headphone output separate from my current CD player (this would allow me more freedom in where I sit, and I could travel with the full system.) Any thoughts about going that route?

 

[zhimbo]

Pro: Headphone amp = more cool stuff. Grado headphone amp = wood = extra cool.

Con: Grado headphones aren't that hard to drive (they have the same impedance/sensitivity ratings almost all the way up and down their product line), so I suspect it wouldn't be necessary, though. Maybe someone with actual knowledge re: your integrated amp can chime in.

 

[WmAx]

No factual data exists to support that fancy exotic amplifiers actually accomplish anything in terms of true audibility. It comes down to basic measurable factors that essentially determine if an amp is electrically suitable. However, this is not to discount the human mind. Human perception is easily skewed by things such as appearance, reputation and cost. A pretty high cost amplifier, there for, in sighted comparisons, will usually be perceived as superior 'sounding'.

The functional reason I can see to go with a dedicated headphone amplifier is to get certain features that may only be available on certain stand alone units. For example, many people like a cross feed headphone circuit. This helps some people listen to headphones longer by producing a more 'speaker like' presentation. Also, if you have an unusually low efficiency headphone(Grado headphones are very efficient, though), then a stand alone unit with higher voltage output may be more suitable for your application.

The above have being made clear, there is nothing wrong with having a nice looking brand name headphone amplifier just to look nice on the desk/rig.

$300-$400 is probably the range to consider for a medium sized, pretty high end headphone amplifier. You can spend far more, but this dollar range can get you a full featured nice looking well known unit.

If you just want a straight up, solid performing headphone amp, and none of the other stuff is important to you, a Behringer Xenyx 802 or 1002 mini-mixer board has a transparent headphone amp section that can drive virtually anything, from a Grado SR60 to an AKG K1000, with no noise and with a practically unlimited volume range.

-Chris

 

[highfigh]

I am considering a pair of really good heaphones (leaning toward $300 Grados) so that I can listen as loud as I want whenever I want and not bother the neighbors (or vice-versa.) If the sound is good enough (and they are comfortable enough) that they end up being all I listen to except when I have company, that would be fine by me.

My question is will the headphone output on my integrated amp (Cambridge Audio Azur 340A) be good enough to do them justice, or do I need to invest in a really good headphone amp (perhaps also Grado) at the same time?

Another option I have considered is a CD player with a quality headphone output separate from my current CD player (this would allow me more freedom in where I sit, and I could travel with the full system.) Any thoughts about going that route?

Headphone jacks are connected to the power amp, with added resistance.

 

[TLS Guy]

I am considering a pair of really good heaphones (leaning toward $300 Grados) so that I can listen as loud as I want whenever I want and not bother the neighbors (or vice-versa.) If the sound is good enough (and they are comfortable enough) that they end up being all I listen to except when I have company, that would be fine by me.

My question is will the headphone output on my integrated amp (Cambridge Audio Azur 340A) be good enough to do them justice, or do I need to invest in a really good headphone amp (perhaps also Grado) at the same time?

Another option I have considered is a CD player with a quality headphone output separate from my current CD player (this would allow me more freedom in where I sit, and I could travel with the full system.) Any thoughts about going that route?

Using your amp or a CD headphone jack will be fine.

I have always felt that Sennheiser phones have given the best performance price ratio. They are also very robust.

Personally I don't lke headphone listening, except to check an edit, or perform an analog tape edit. My son likes headphone listening. I got him these phones and he is very pleased with them.

 

[Haoleb]

Headphone jacks are connected to the power amp, with added resistance.

Not always, Sometimes they have their own amplifier circuits and sometimes they are good, sometimes they are rubbish.

The Grado amp is really nothing special. If you look at my website I have built a few clones using better parts than what they use and still ended up only spending about 50 bucks for everything, jacks,knobs,pots etc. There are a ton of DIY headphone amp designs around if you wanted to go that route, some are really simple like the grado or cmoy and some of them come out looking like a high power amplifier for a set of speakers.

 

[gus6464]

I am considering a pair of really good heaphones (leaning toward $300 Grados) so that I can listen as loud as I want whenever I want and not bother the neighbors (or vice-versa.) If the sound is good enough (and they are comfortable enough) that they end up being all I listen to except when I have company, that would be fine by me.

My question is will the headphone output on my integrated amp (Cambridge Audio Azur 340A) be good enough to do them justice, or do I need to invest in a really good headphone amp (perhaps also Grado) at the same time?

Another option I have considered is a CD player with a quality headphone output separate from my current CD player (this would allow me more freedom in where I sit, and I could travel with the full system.) Any thoughts about going that route?

Have you heard the Grado's? I am guessing you are looking at the SR325i? From what I hear Grado is a love or hate headphone as they definitely have their own sound signature.

I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 that I got when amazon was selling them for $100 about a month ago just for fun and so far I am hooked. I haven't been listening to my speakers as much so that definitely says something. Since my Beyers are 300ohm I am going to get a little dot MK II just to see if there is a difference from my receiver. It's only $150 so I don't really lose much although I am pretty sure I will enjoy it. I got to hear the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 after I bought my headphones and I enjoy the Beyers a lot more. Go and check out Beyerdynamic, Grado, Sennheisser, and AKG to see which you like best. My local guitar center carries Sennheisser, Beyer, and AKG so those should be easy to find.

 

[Exit]

I would recommend you look over

www.headphone.com/

website as they have many headphones for sale. They rate them and tell you if you need an amplifier or not. You can buy where ever you want but it is a good place to shop a lot of different manufacturers and get comparisions. You could probably call them and get information and recommendations or advice

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Have you heard the Grado's? I am guessing you are looking at the SR325i? From what I hear Grado is a love or hate headphone as they definitely have their own sound signature.

No. They merely have an excellent reputation. I have never really had an opportunity to audition any headphones over abour $150, as none are sold locally. I will probably have to take a "buy it and try it" approach.
The site linked above has several different brands/models that look inviting, so making a choice could be difficult.
Since I sit about 8'-10' away from my integrated amp, I will need a long cable. Other than that, it sounds like I probably don't need a dedicated amp or other accessories, so maybe I can spend a bit more on the phones themselves.
My one real concern is that I will not be able to enjoy headphone listening, either because of the pressure from the cups (I wear glasses), the noise generated by the cable rubbing on things, or the "inside the head" sound. These are issues I have had with headphones in the past, but of course those were not in the same league as the ones I am considering.
(Note: I currently have a pair of fairly cheap Sennheiser portables. They sound amazingly good for the price, though they are a tad bass-heavy. The on-ear design prevents me from listening for long at a time, though.)

 

[Davemcc]

My one real concern is that I will not be able to enjoy headphone listening, either because of the pressure from the cups (I wear glasses)

Take off glasses, turn off lights, close eyes, listen to music, relax.

Problem solved.

 

[gus6464]

No. They merely have an excellent reputation. I have never really had an opportunity to audition any headphones over abour $150, as none are sold locally. I will probably have to take a "buy it and try it" approach.
The site linked above has several different brands/models that look inviting, so making a choice could be difficult.
Since I sit about 8'-10' away from my integrated amp, I will need a long cable. Other than that, it sounds like I probably don't need a dedicated amp or other accessories, so maybe I can spend a bit more on the phones themselves.
My one real concern is that I will not be able to enjoy headphone listening, either because of the pressure from the cups (I wear glasses), the noise generated by the cable rubbing on things, or the "inside the head" sound. These are issues I have had with headphones in the past, but of course those were not in the same league as the ones I am considering.
(Note: I currently have a pair of fairly cheap Sennheiser portables. They sound amazingly good for the price, though they are a tad bass-heavy. The on-ear design prevents me from listening for long at a time, though.)

I wear glasses too and my Beyers are extremely comfortable. The longest listening session I have had with them was about 8 hours while I was doing some work in my office and afterwards my ears did not hurt one bit. The pads on them are more of a soft cloth texture. I can take a closeup picture if you are interested in checking them out.

 

[EYEdROP0]

Headphones are cheap, fun, and easy. There is no acoustics to worry about. However, if you are getting open air headphones, you will want a quiet environment. Im talking pretty much silent to be truley enjoyable. You could get IEM's for wicked isolation and portability, or a nice set of sealed phones for home. Its all based on prefrence and convinence. Brands to look at are Grado, Sennheiser, AKG, Audio-technica, Etymotic, ultimate ears, westone, Denon, Beyer, sony, and ultrasone. All of them are high fidelity and sound good, but each has its own flavor. Some sound colored, some dont. Some are comfortable, some arent. Your desicion is based off what you want in a heaphone. Do you want soundstage or in your face sound? Do you want Flat or boomy? Rich or dry or warm? treble dominant? Do your research and decide based off of reviews that talk about the sound signature in depth.

 

[Brian_the_King]

...If you just want a straight up, solid performing headphone amp, and none of the other stuff is important to you, a Behringer Xenyx 802 or 1002 mini-mixer board has a transparent headphone amp section that can drive virtually anything, from a Grado SR60 to an AKG K1000, with no noise and with a practically unlimited volume range.

-Chris

Seriously? Head-fi never mentioned this, as I wait for $400 to fall into my lap... I trust the members on that forum less each day.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

All of them are high fidelity and sound good, but each has its own flavor. Some sound colored, some dont. Some are comfortable, some arent. Your desicion is based off what you want in a heaphone. Do you want soundstage or in your face sound? Do you want Flat or boomy? Rich or dry or warm? treble dominant? Do your research and decide based off of reviews that talk about the sound signature in depth.

My two highest priorities are comfort and imaging that sounds like speakers (or better yet like live music) rather than like headphones. Indeed, an almost hallucinatory level of imaging would do more than anything else to make the investment worthwhile.
Usage will be 100% indoors and more than 90% at home, but my room is merely quiet rather than silent.
I prefer natural-sounding bass that blends with other frequencies to extra-powerful, dominant bass. Clean, detailed treble is good, but not shrill or piercing.
I like rocking out now and then, but my music collection is dominated by mellower material such as jazz, new age, and psychedelia. (If Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Alan Parsons sounds insanely great on them, then I am likely to be happy with them overall.)

To forget that I am wearing them and think I am listening to great speakers would be ideal.

Does that help narrow my choices?

 

[zhimbo]

My two highest priorities are comfort and imaging that sounds like speakers (or better yet like live music) rather than like headphones.

You might want a crossfeed feature if you get an amp. My little portable Headroom amp has it, and it's a nice feature. While not awe-inspiringly different, it helps moderate that weird "inside your head" sound you sometimes get with headphones, and definitely helps with material that's mixed so that completely different signals are in each channel.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Having looked at numerous models and reviews, I am wondering if perhaps a pair of electrostatic headphones might best achieve the type of sound I am looking for. There is a Koss electrostatic system available for about $600 (MSRP $1000) that looks nice. Anyone have experience with those, or with electrostatics in general?

 

[TLS Guy]

Having looked at numerous models and reviews, I am wondering if perhaps a pair of electrostatic headphones might best achieve the type of sound I am looking for. There is a Koss electrostatic system available for about $600 (MSRP $1000) that looks nice. Anyone have experience with those, or with electrostatics in general?

I have ne experience with the Koss, but I have Stax. If you ask any experienced knowledgeable engineer in the world, who makes the best headphones? The answer will be Stax. They made the first electrostatic head phones over 40 years ago for professional engineers. Stax headphones like these sound simply wonderful.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I have ne experience with the Koss, but I have Stax. If you ask any experienced knowledgeable engineer in the world, who makes the best headphones? The answer will be Stax. They made the first electrostatic head phones over 40 years ago for professional engineers. Stax headphones like these sound simply wonderful.

At $160 more than the Koss, those might be worth saving up for. I assume one simply connects the (analog) output from a CD player to the included amp, and that no additional equipment is required?

 

[TLS Guy]

At $160 more than the Koss, those might be worth saving up for. I assume one simply connects the (analog) output from a CD player to the included amp, and that no additional equipment is required?

That assumption is correct.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

After reading many reviews of top-rated headphones (including the Stax), I have noted a common denominator: Virtually every review mentions that headphones sound fundamentally different than both live music and speakers. This may mean that the illusion I am trying to achieve (of the sound being out in the room instead of inside my head) is unobtainable. If that is the case, I may have to give up on the idea of headphones altogether.

I love my stereo, and the sound through the speakers is excellent. The only problem is that I have to keep the volume (relatively) low and limit my listening to daytime, in order to avoid complaints from the neighbors.