Hi all.

Trying to figure out where my problem lies. I had a Dell DJ that I used with my MDR-7506's. Loved the sound. Sold the DJ and got a 1 gig iPod Shuffle and now the sound is not as punchy as it was with the DJ.

Is the Shuffle too weak to drive the 7506's? I love the way they sound, should I get an amp, or is there a similar or better sounding set of phones for the same amount of money as an amp? DO you have recommendations for either amp or phones? My budget is $150, MAYBE $200 if it's REALLY worth it. Would be buying sometime this summer. For what it's worth, I would rather not add an amp if I don't have to since I want to keep the setup as portable as possible.

Thanks in advance.
-Seb

i haven't heard the Dell DJ but i've heard all the iPod iterations, and i think the Shuffle sounds the best of all of them. one thing to realize is that the iPod has a rather neutral response and lacks the midbass hump that some other players have. this may be why you are percieving the Shuffle as being less "punchy", assuming the DJ has such a hump. the Shuffle should drive the 7506's just fine. i would certainly suggest living with your set up for a while before you buy anything else, as you may experience some "brain burn in".

like EdipisReks said, give your current setup some time and draw up your conclusions after a while. when i first switched to the iPod, i like you didnt like the neutral sound of the iPod. but once i listened to it more and more, i began to enjoy the sound over the bass heavy players that i used to have.

that, my friend, is how ipods sound. either love it or hate it
(<----hates it)

Thanks for all the input so far. My biggest question has been answered, the Shuffle should have enough power to drive the 7506's. I should have elaborated on my "punchy" statement. Basically, I love the sound at higher volumes, but at lower volumes it lacks the depth and "power" that the DJ had, if that makes any sense... Since it only happened at lower volumes, I wondered if there was enough juice.

I will stick with the set up for a few months. I usually listen all day at work and at least an hour before bed, so if I don't get used to it by then I'll start shopping around.

Thanks everyone.