Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Best portable amp for HD580's?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Best portable amp for HD580's?

post #1 of 19
3/16/07 at 1:48am
Thread Starter 
i recently got a pair of HD580's as a present , and my PA2V2 just doesn't do anything for them. i would consider a home amp, but i really don't have too much space left in my room. plus i like to travel with my music. so what would be a good amp for me?
Reply

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

post #2 of 19
3/16/07 at 1:49am
Thread Starter 
forgot to add that my budget is $300. possibly a little more.
Reply
post #3 of 19
3/16/07 at 1:55am
porta corda or hornet.
Reply
post #4 of 19
3/16/07 at 1:01pm
I enjoy using the headphone.com total bit head, its kinda-cheap, a DAC, and amp in one.
Reply
post #5 of 19
3/16/07 at 2:49pm
My HeadRoom Micro amp, and Total Airhead amp, both drive my HD580 just fine, with good SQ.
Reply
post #6 of 19
3/16/07 at 2:59pm
I have not personally heard it, but maybe the Ray Samuels Audio Hornet?
Reply
post #7 of 19
3/16/07 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 
yeah, i was leaning towards a hornet, but wanted to know if there's anything else around with equal performance. i think i'll just wait for a hornet.
Reply
post #8 of 19
3/16/07 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 88Chris View Post
yeah, i was leaning towards a hornet, but wanted to know if there's anything else around with equal performance. i think i'll just wait for a hornet.
Rumor has it that the Hornet was designed with the HD 600 in mind, so I would think that it wouldn't disappoint with the HD 580. I certainly wouldn't buy any less powerful amp than the Hornet to drive those headphones, probably not even a Tomahawk, although I'm sure there are many here who would attest that the Tomahawk drives even high-impedence headphones just fine.
Reply
post #9 of 19
3/16/07 at 4:15pm
Thread Starter 
is the tomahawk rechargable?
Reply
post #10 of 19
3/16/07 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by silverrain View Post
My HeadRoom Micro amp, and Total Airhead amp, both drive my HD580 just fine, with good SQ.
Would you share your opinion on the relative quality of these two amps? I'm shopping for an upgrade, and with the current Airhead on sale for $100, I'd like to know what I'd be missing with a more expensive amp.

Phones will be Ety ER4S.

Thanks!
Reply
post #11 of 19
3/16/07 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 88Chris View Post
is the tomahawk rechargable?
No. It does not recharge, you will need a separate charger. The whole challenge of the Tomahawk is taking away everything you do not need to have when it is in your pocket.
Reply
post #12 of 19
3/16/07 at 4:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by swduncan View Post
Would you share your opinion on the relative quality of these two amps? I'm shopping for an upgrade, and with the current Airhead on sale for $100, I'd like to know what I'd be missing with a more expensive amp.

Phones will be Ety ER4S.

Thanks!
The Micro Amp is probably not something you want to haul around with you to power your IEMs. The Airhead ought to be quite nice for the ER-4S, especially at the sale price. I'm thinking of getting one (never thought I'd want a second amp) because I have my ER-4S in the mail right now and can't bear the thought of stuffing my expensive Hornet in my pocket.

I'm sure there are many members here who have used the HeadRoom mobile amps with the Etymotic ER-RS, and hopefully someone with direct experience will comment on how they work together.
Reply
post #13 of 19
3/16/07 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaska View Post
The Micro Amp is probably not something you want to haul around with you to power your IEMs.
Actually, I'd just keep it in my purs...er...manbag. I contacted HR to see what improvement a new Airhead would have over my 8-year old model, and they said improved clarity and resolution, with perhaps a smidge of bass.

I'd rather spend more and get a _lot_ more, if a lot more is to be had.

I used my ER4's when I'm sitting usually (those cords are way to noisy for any kind of movement), and a largish amp is not necessarily a problem. Small is good, but...

For running or any kind of activity I use my PX100's & no amp.
Reply
post #14 of 19
3/16/07 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by swduncan View Post
Actually, I'd just keep it in my purs...er...manbag. I contacted HR to see what improvement a new Airhead would have over my 8-year old model, and they said improved clarity and resolution, with perhaps a smidge of bass.

I'd rather spend more and get a _lot_ more, if a lot more is to be had.
Well, if the toss-up is between the Airhead and the Micro Amp, and you already have an older Airhead, I would seriously consider other amps altogether. I almost bought a Micro Amp w/Desktop Module, but to tell you the truth the main thing that swayed me away from it is the lack of a recharging circuit. There's simply no way I would want to fish out two 9V batteries every night and charge them in a separate charger, then get up extra early in the morning so I could stuff the charged batteries back in the amp and refasten the back plate before going to work.

I personally would think of a Hornet, Tomahawk, Headphonia or the like. All of these should sound substantially better than an Airhead, and be far more practical than the Micro Amp.
Reply
post #15 of 19
3/16/07 at 5:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaska View Post
I personally would think of a Hornet, Tomahawk, Headphonia or the like. All of these should sound substantially better than an Airhead, and be far more practical than the Micro Amp.
Tomahawk is tempting, Hornet is unavailable until July (so I read here somewhere), Headphonia and others are tempting. I'm not really heading for the micro expect to possibly pair it with the micro DAC, which is a bit of a long shot.

So far, I'm leaning toward the Tomahawk, mostly because of size, fit & finish, and popularity here. I plan to go down and try one out soon (it's an hour's drive south) when I have the money to spend.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Best portable amp for HD580's?