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do i need a headphone amp? - Page 2

post #16 of 29
10/16/05 at 11:12am
My vote is definitely for an amp with an ipod and iem's- I have had a huge improvement with this setup. However hiss can be a problem even with an expensive amp, with the wrong opamp or gain setting-so be sure to post once you have narrowed down you choices and try to get feedback from someone with a similar setup.
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post #17 of 29
10/16/05 at 11:19am
I think a lot depends on how and where you listen to your music. If you are in a noisy setting and or you are not critically listening an amp is in my opinion of little use. Reading posts here you will get the idea that an amp is like a silver bullet that will magically make everything sound orders of magnitude better. When critically listening in a quiet environment you can definitely hear the impact an amp makes. If your surroundings are noisy or your source and recorded music are less than optimal I would question the expenditure.
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post #18 of 29
10/16/05 at 11:35am
Why ask? You know the answer. JUST BUY IT!
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post #19 of 29
10/16/05 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KenW
Dude, you have no idea what a can of worms you've just opened up when you found this place on google. No idea!!!


1) I say you do not need an amp, ever.
2) I also say you shall never even try an amp in order to find out whether 1) is true.
3) I say if you want to ignore the warnings here see if you can find a used Xin Supermini or Supermicro in the 4sale forum.

From there it is downhill and within a few months you'll be on a ramen-only diet that will make it hard for you to lug your rig around in this http://www.headphone.com/products/sy...aveler-bag.php
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post #20 of 29
10/16/05 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by john_jcb
I think a lot depends on how and where you listen to your music. If you are in a noisy setting and or you are not critically listening an amp is in my opinion of little use. Reading posts here you will get the idea that an amp is like a silver bullet that will magically make everything sound orders of magnitude better. When critically listening in a quiet environment you can definitely hear the impact an amp makes. If your surroundings are noisy or your source and recorded music are less than optimal I would question the expenditure.
If an amp has little effect, then please tell me what the bass-boost or crossfeed does?
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post #21 of 29
10/16/05 at 2:17pm
No you do not need an amp. In some setups it will improve the sound quality, but the difference will not be huge.
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post #22 of 29
10/16/05 at 2:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chri5peed
If an amp has little effect, then please tell me what the bass-boost or crossfeed does?
it boost the bass and feeds the cross.

those are features that come with some amps, but they aren't part of the actual amplification.
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post #23 of 29
10/16/05 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa
it boost the bass and feeds the cross.
Honey, I'm out in the yard, the cross needs feeding!
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post #24 of 29
10/16/05 at 3:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa
it boost the bass and feeds the cross.

those are features that come with some amps, but they aren't part of the actual amplification.
Well obviously, the actual amplification at the lowest form is just making it louder.
These additions may not be part of the amplification, but they're features of the amplifier, i.e. most people will still regard it as a form of amplification, even if its not. I also know these are pretty common additions to many amps.
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post #25 of 29
10/16/05 at 3:26pm
Bass boost is also a feature of my mp3player. Don't need to get an amp to get more bass.

My whole point is that they are additional features to change the sound. The discussion was what amplification would do, not what additional features would do.
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post #26 of 29
10/16/05 at 3:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa
Bass boost is also a feature of my mp3player. Don't need to get an amp to get more bass.

My whole point is that they are additional features to change the sound. The discussion was what amplification would do, not what additional features would do.
My point is that most people don't give a crap what the technical definition of amplification is. Like to most people DAPs are iPods, the box underneath is an amplifier, any additional features are integral.
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post #27 of 29
10/16/05 at 3:52pm
Actually, I myself would rather have my amplifier just do amplification, with coloring of the sound and so on left up to the user.
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post #28 of 29
10/16/05 at 5:07pm
just cut to the chase and save yourself money in the long run and get this amp

http://www.singlepoweraudio.com/maestrozr.htm

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post #29 of 29
10/16/05 at 5:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by K2Grey
Actually, I myself would rather have my amplifier just do amplification, with coloring of the sound and so on left up to the user.
I couldn't care less if my sound gets coloured by the amplifier, sounding better is my only consideration.

Every headphone you buy adds colouring. Why do some people prefer Grados over Sennheisers? Why should an amp necessarily be completely neutral?
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