Confused about headphone amplifiers

[theflyingwasp]

Are headphone amps for people with high end systems? I'm listening to my CDs through tho ruark r4i and my other music through the apple gear using the bowers and Wilkins p7 hêadphones.

a lot of the amps are certainly not cheap and with my equipment is it worth buying one.will I find a big difference in sound quality.

 

[Al ears]

If you mainly listen to CD's then probably not.

P7's I really rate by the way. It all comes down to source quality in the end.

 

[bluedroog]

That can make a big difference if the headphones are hard to drive but most headphones aren't too hard to drive and as such a headphone amp will have little impact other than perhaps a bit more volume. If they are hard to drive you'll get better dynamics and will bring them to life.

i have a decent but budget Fiio E17 and it doesn't make much difference to my Grado 325 is in all honestly but they are not a hard load.

 

[matthewpiano]

I'll be needing to get one soon as neither my Exposure amp or Roksan CD player have a headphone output, and I enjoy listening with my Beyer DT770PROs quite regularly. The latest Musical Fidelity V90 one looks good, as does the Creek one at a similar price.

 

[matt49]

Headphone amps come up pretty frequently in the classifieds on PFM and Hifi Wigwam.

A nice Class A one, eg the MF M1HPAP, can be a thing of beauty.

Matt

 

[theflyingwasp]

What does "hard to drive" mean? I listen to the majority of my music using the Bluetooth Ruark wireless speakers.

but if I put a cd into ruark r4i using the bower & Wilkins p7 headphones will I Benifet from a headphone amplifier then?

Also so im getting hissing from the headphones using the 4m extension jack from the ruark r4i?

 

[ISAC69]

Are headphone amps for people with high end systems? I'm listening to my CDs through tho ruark r4i and my other music through the apple gear using the bowers and Wilkins p7 hêadphones.

a lot of the amps are certainly not cheap and with my equipment is it worth buying one.will I find a big difference in sound quality.

I bought the P7 as well , I use them trough my Rotel 1580 pre amp and it's fine although I heard them in my dealer store with Musical Fidelity tube

headphone amp and it was a little better.

 

[eggontoast]

Headphone amplifiers have there place in certain systems and with particular headphones.

TBH though the B&W P7's are not difficult to drive as they are aimed at the portable market anyway. They are not particularly transparent or high end either as you are paying for style over substance, you would get little benefit from adding a headphone amplifier.

 

[NHL]

:dance: :dance: Hi eggOnToast!

which head phones would be worthwhile to use for a dedicated amp?

Cheers!

 

[theflyingwasp]

Thanks,the p7s weren't cheap ,when you go past the £500-£600 mark is it a massive jump in quality?

 

[ISAC69]

Usually the more you pay the better you get .,But I don't agree with eggontoast , the P7 are excellent headphones : transparent . detailed , deep bass

and I enjoy every minute listen to them . Do you need headphones dedictaed amp ? Well , it depends on your headphone input source as advised

before on this forum . You can make a demo and decide by yourself .

 

[eggontoast]

:dance: :dance: Hi eggOnToast!

which head phones would be worthwhile to use for a dedicated amp?

Cheers!

Depends really, I've found various models from different price ranges which have benefited from a good amp. One the stands out is the Beyerdynamic DT770 80 ohms, they definitely need a good amp to perform at their best. Sennheiser's HD600/650's, AKG K712 etc benefit, Grado's don't.

Thanks,the p7s weren't cheap ,when you go past the £500-£600 mark is it a massive jump in quality?

hmm, no they aren't cheap but not all headphones are equal, it all depends on the target market. No one in there right mind would suggest that a pair of Beats is worth £300 on sound quality alone, but that's not the point of them is it, they are built for the fashion market. The B&W P7's also fall into this category but obviously a different demographic to the Beats, same concept though. £300 can buy you a lot more headphone sound quality wise, don't get me wrong I like there fit and finish and the sound is, pleasing. However, I after listening to the P7's for some time and becoming conditioned to them I had to do some comparison tests between some HD600's, AKG K712 etc. Going back to the P7's after that highlighted their short comings, it made them unlistenable for a time, thinking about it I'm not sure they've been out the draw since. So in answer to you question you don't have to spend £500-£600 to improve on the sound quality, there are better out there for the same price or less.

 

[nima]

I'm no headphone buff. I was recently disappointed by the sound I was getting from my budget Sennheiser HD 558, I was sure I could get better without buying expensive cans and I ordered Schiit Vali head amp. It sells for 120USD and with customs, postage and everything it did cost me just a little bit over 120GBP (if I make the calculation from EUR). As I understand in the UK one can order it for 120GBP - and probably can return it, if one doesn't like it.

I only have it for a few days now, and I am very impressed and for that kind of money I can't recommend it enough. My cans + amp costed me around 230GBP and I am absolutely sure it's impossible to get that kind of sound from headphones for that kind of (or double the) money alone.

I am planning to write more thorough review of the thing. ATM I can just hearty recommend considering it, both as an alternative to no amp or as an alternative to more expensive amp. And that goes for any kind of source.

Some first impressions thought: (1) rock sounds fabulous; (2) I especially like the improvement on classical vocals – Teresa Berganza's voice in El sombrero des tres picos is amazingly involving; and (3) the sound of classical percussion is amazing.

I know I may sound like a broken record or even risk of being acussed of being on a Schiit payrole, but I really think, that the money spent on Vali was the best audio-related spending I ever did.

 

[ID.]

I think all headphones can benefit from better amplification.

Both my Sennheiser in ears and Grado SR80i, which are easy to drive and work plugged directly into my iPod, sounded better even with a little portable FiiO headphone amp. They sounded even better again when plugged into a Firestone FUBAR IV (headphone amp and DAC).

 

[josh05]

I know I may sound like a broken record or even risk of being acussed of being on a Schiit payrole, but I really think, that the money spent on Vali was the best audio-related spending I ever did.

You wouldn't be the first person to praise Schiit. They make some damn good Schiit! I have their Modi DAC and think it's very good for the money!

Just for interests sake, some people over on head-fi are running Hifiman HE-6's directly off 50 to 100 watt speaker amps. Another power hungry monster that comes to mind is the AKG K1000, think that needs even more power than the HE-6. Basically because of the design of certain headphones, some need more power to sound their best than what a portable device can provide.

 

[Crystalarts]

P7s suffer from style.... If they looked uglier then people would OOh and AAh about how good they sound but they happen to look brilliant, so therefore its difficult to get Style over substance out of your head.

For me after testing a whole load of headphones the P7 stand head over shoulders above anything else that you can get in terms of Beats, B&O (although with a bit more Bass, the B&Os would be incredible.. they are sooo comfortable), many of the sennheisers, Parrots, and other manufacturers. Sure there is the odd one that will be more transparent or have a wider soundstage etc. for the price, but to make the P7's unlistenable.... I think this would only affect 0.5% of global headphone listeners. you would need to have some serious listening sensitivity and spend long hours listening to them. I also believe that P7 offers this level of sound WITH the superior packaging/style so it just depends if you want something pretty with excellent sound or something less pretty with the slightest of better strengths...

as i say unless you have superior listening sensitivity, you dont have to bother.

I personally cant believe how good the P7s are, hearing new things in songs every time i listen. And i dont use a headphone amp... yet... although my Intergrated Amp does have a headphone amp but i dont notice a difference between it and playing direct from iphone.

 

[NHL]

The m2tech dual class A headphone amp must be the coolest around. :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :dance: :cheer: :cheers: :type:

 

[ISAC69]

I did notice an improvement by hearing the P7 through the MF tube headphones amp but it's not much better than my Rotel 1580 pre input so I decided not to buy a dedicated amp . maybe in the future ...

 

[NHL]

The m2tech dual class A headphone amp must be the coolest around. :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :dance: :cheer: :cheers: :type:

Pair this with

http://www.audeze.com/products/headphones/lcd-2

and I imagine yummy!

However, have had tinitus, do not want speakers one cm from the eardrum.

 

[SnowyJohn]

thinking about it I'm not sure they've been out the draw since.

Want my address? You can keep them in my drawer.

 

[NHL]

Audeze are on the front page of the latest Stereophile and also reviewed favourable in the latest Audio.de.

 

[josh05]

Audeze are on the front page of the latest Stereophile and also reviewed favourable in the latest Audio.de.

I have their LCD-2's and they are incredible everytime I put them on I'm amazed by their level of resolution. Some say they don't have enough treble but I disagree. I can listen to them forever without ever being fatigued, there frequency response is so smooth, no peaks at all.

i can't explain it because I don't know what the word is nor understand it but every planar magnetic headphone I've heard seems so much more natural than any other headphone/speaker I've heard. I think it might be something to do with nothing touching the diaphragm in a planar design but I don't know for sure.

 

[NHL]

Audeze are on the front page of the latest Stereophile and also reviewed favourable in the latest Audio.de.

I have their LCD-2's and they are incredible everytime I put them on I'm amazed by their level of resolution. Some say they don't have enough treble but I disagree. I can listen to them forever without ever being fatigued, there frequency response is so smooth, no peaks at all.

i can't explain it because I don't know what the word is nor understand it but every planar magnetic headphone I've heard seems so much more natural than any other headphone/speaker I've heard. I think it might be something to do with nothing touching the diaphragm in a planar design but I don't know for sure.

Since suffering from tinnitus, do you think they are a wise decision to have?

 

[josh05]

They are easily the easiest on the ear of all headphones I've heard or owned and I've owned grado, akg, hifiman and Philips (my Philips are quite good as well). As far as I know they are meant to have less treble than all other headphones at this price level. It's hard for me to say whether they will be right for you. Best bet would probably be to explain to the dealer your tinnitus and make sure they have a good return policy.