Headphone amp with a laptop

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Hope someone can help.

At the moment I listen to music using my laptop which I have connected to a very old Aiwa Hifi via the laptops headphone socket and the hifi's line in. I mostly listen to music by plugging my Sennheiser HD25's into the Aiwa Hifi. Now, I have nothing to compare it with but I think the sound I get is really pretty good.

Now circumstances have changed a little and I haven't really got room for the Aiwa hifi so was wondering if a headphone amp would give me as good sound as my old Aiwa Hifi? And if so has anyone got any recommendations? I guess I'd be willing to spend anything up to around £200 to replace the Aiwa Hifi. Just want to know if it's going to be as good as the old Hifi before splashing the cash on one and being very disappointed!

Hope someone can help!

Thanks, Llyr

 

[richie60]

Hi, as the cheapest route, I would go for a nice headphone amp with combined USB DAC as a start to give you a taster for better sound quality.

You could try this link: http://www.njc-audio.co.uk/html/monitor_i_dac.html

It's British made, not Chinese for a change!

Richie

 

[BenLaw]

Or the new Fiio E7, reviewed in this month's mag. Can find it for £55.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your responses.

Do you think the Fiio will be as good as the sound through the hifi at the moment?

 

[PJPro]

The headphone amps in hifi amps are usually something of an after thought, so dedicated headphone will usually be an improvement.

I am not familiar with the Fiio but the team certainly seemed to like it.

 

[BenLaw]

Not heard it, so I imagine you'll get a more definitive answer from the WHF reviewers. But I would be surprised if, even at that price, it was not a substantial improvement on the internal DAC of your computer. And as it is a dedicated headphone amp, I would imagine that would be at least as good as on an 'old Aiwa hifi'. Plus you can buy online and if you're really not happy return it.

 

[BenLaw]

PJPro beat me to at least part of that!

 

[idc]

Other potential options come from the companies iBasso, HeadRoom and Firestone Audio. Most are portable, but that is no reason not to use them at home as your main system.

 

[richie60]

Another option is the Beresford Caiman.

http://www.homehifi.co.uk/products/Caiman.html

This way, you get a built-in headphone amp, usb, coax & optical inputs and if you decide to take it further, you have the DAC as a starting point.

Richie

 

[ESP2009]

I have been using the iBasso D2 Boa for over 18 months now and have found it to be a great addition to both my laptop and my iPod. Although WHF only gave it 4/5 stars, I have found it to be a good performer. However...

...following the review of the FiiO E7, I decided to give that a try (well, it is over £100 cheaper!) It arrived today and my initial impressions are generally very good. For approx £65 this is an excellent purchase. Certainly, out of the box, it is not far off the Boa in performance. So, I will give it a bit of a listen over the next couple of days and see how it goes. I do have to say that there are aspects of the Boa I prefer, but I will deal with those later.

Oh, just to satisfy curiosity, I also expect delivery of the NJC Audio Monitor I headphone amp/DAC later this week. Reviews are very good and I thought it would also be good to support a British outfit. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your responses.

I've since gone ahead (based on your recommendations!) and bought the Fiio E7. I am very pleased with it. While it doesn't quite have the punch my old Aiwa Hifi has when listening through headphones it isn't far behind.

Thanks for all your help,

Llyr

 

[ESP2009]

Excellent news! The FiiO E7 is really great value. I am very pleased with the one I purchased recently. For the price it has to be a great buy. It certainly improves the sound coming from my laptop, removing background noise and taking the edge off an overbright sound, making it altogether a much more pleasant listening experience.

 

[cheyworth]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FIRESTONE-AUDIO-FIREYE-2-HEADPHONE-AMPLIFIER-DAC-/260739108483?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cb5430e83

something like the Fireye would do, look at the home site

http://www.firestone-audio.eu/shop/

costs less than £90. I have one, runs off USB power!

Chris

 

[ESP2009]

Right then, the third DAC/amp in my collection has been back with me for several days now. We have had something of an odyssey (please see related thread: http://community.whathifi.com/forums/post/583376.aspx) but I think there is now a happy ending.

Admittedly, I failed to do my homework and made the assumption that any head- or earphone will work with any amp. The iBasso D2 Boa and the FiiO E7 are obviously designed for use with sensitive earphones used primarily with personal players. Then we come to kit like the NJC Audio Monitor I DAC/amp. Straight out of the box it was not optimised for very sensitive 'phones like my Shure SE530 pair, which meant that there was a discernible background hiss at all volume levels. Yuk - disappointing!

However, Nick believes in customer care and suggested I return the unit for a tweak or two and insisted on returning it to me by Next Day Special Delivery by last Friday. And "Hey presto!" Here is the message I left on his website today:-

"I just thought I should drop you a line to thank you for your great product and aftersales service.

Firstly, the product itself: now that it has been optimised for high sensitivity IEMs such as mine, I can safely say I am well pleased with the sound. There is no background hiss, save for any produced by the source material, unless I turn the volume up to unlistenable levels. Certainly, depending on the source recording, the comfortable levels are somewhere in the region of 9-10 o'clock. The overall sound quality is wonderfully balanced. With other DAC/amps in my possession the top end of the Shure SE530 earphones has tended towards a touch of unwanted sibilance and harshness, but this has been tamed. However, the detail and clarity are not sacrificed, bringing out extra little nuances from the music I had previously missed. The mid-range is nicely musical and (to my ears at least) accurately represented. The bass is punchy and controlled with no boom or dullness. I have listened to a range of mp3 quality and also lossless files over the past couple of days - all are improved in presentation.

Secondly, I really appreciate the care and attention paid to your customers. I am no expert in hi-fi matters but at no time did your communications overwhelm with technicality or seem patronising. You were happy to help out and spend time (and extra money) to ensure I was happy with my product. This service is very much appreciated. Based on my experience to-date, I would have no hesitation in recommending NJC Audio to friends who have sufficient enthusiasm and funds to move beyond the budget end of the market. (It's just a pity they're all complete Philistines!)

I hope NJC Audio continues to thrive."

NJC Audio is based in Cornwall and for £175 (inc P&P) I am happy to support a small UK-based company - well done! I reckon the Monitor I will have pride of place next to my laptop from now on. Even so, the FiiO E7 is brilliant value and perfect for on-the-move.