Best Headphone amp for iPod classic 160gb?

Well UPS willing I should get my new iBasso T3 in today or tomorrow, so I will try to let you know how that pairs with the iPod and my brother's Shures. Anyway welcome to Head-Fi! I'm sure you will find (more than) what you need in terms of advice.

 

P.S. You will most likely want to get some sort of line out dock for the iPod if you are using external amplification. Also the amp/iem synergy is probably going to be far more important than how the amp pairs with the classic IMO.

Edited by Caphead78 - 6/30/10 at 3:40am

A line out dock is a cable that bypasses the integrated amp in the iPod, and feeds a cleaner signal to the amp you are using. Here is an example of an inexpensive one manufactured by FiiO: http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=87. Anyway I have little to no experience with the headphones in your inventory but I would say if you want amplification, a FiiO E5 (I like mine, nothing spectacular but does its job at a great price. I am listening to it right now.) would probably be the way to go for now. You should probably save up and get some other headphones before splurging too much on an amp.

I have the 160g as well and like the above poster really recommend a line out dock, Search for Barqy here on the forum, he made me one for around $30 and was excellent quality!

 

I really noticed a difference in using a LOD  compared to the normal 3.5mm-3.5mm headphone out.

 

As for amps, I do not have much experience, I have Garys PA2V2 which is a lovely little amp at a great price but a little warm sounding for my IE8's, perfect though for my K701's! I have gone the NuForce icon mobile route which should be arriving any day now. I chose that one after much research as it should balance out the stronger bass on my IE8's. I also like the excellent customer communications and business ethos of that company!

You will most likely benefit more from getting some better earphones/headphones. If you like Shure, consider the new SE535.

I thought IEM's didn't need to be amped and were ok through the headphone jack. Isn't the amp good for cans like AKG 701 that need the power? I also have the PA2V2 with a LOD cable made by a member here too.

I too have the iPod 160gb and I must say the Westone 3 IEMs sound ethereal right out of the HO unamped.

At first the treble was perhaps overly detailed to the point of being " brittle", but with burn-in (of the IEMs or the wiring of my brain, take your pic) the SQ has balanced out and is absolute bliss.

Nonetheless, like others in this community I just can't leave well enough alone and so I'm anxiously awaiting delivery of the portable amp everyone's raving about, the Headstage Arrow 12HE 2G.

I'll let ya know how that changes things, but in the meantime get the W3s before doing anything else!

Hi,

Headphones > Source (including source material) > Amp

 

That's the rule of thumb for how much difference each part of your system makes to how good the music sounds. Decide on a pair of headphones you really like first, then look at whether your music player has any flaws and/or whether your music files are compressed, were bad recordings to begin with, etc.

An amp should be the last thing you look to acquire, otherwise you will keep chasing for a level of sound quality that doesn't exist.

I also have a 160GB classic with a line out cable, and recently upgraded from the FIIO E5 to the PA2V2.  I used the e5 for over a year on a daily basis and was realistic with my expectations from such a low priced device.  It did the job, in that it provided that little bit more juice that I needed to drive my cans so that my ipod was not insanely cranked to 90% volume levels all the time.  It did not really improve the sound that much, and the bass boost function was hit and miss.  In my opinion, the PA2V2 destroys the e5, no comparison.  I paid 55 bucks for it (including shipping) and having used it for a few weeks now, I can honestly say it was one of the best purchases I've ever made.  I know there are better portable amps out there, including the ibasso ones, but this little guy is truly amazing for the price you pay.

BTW, I am using audio technica M30 and M50's.  Both are fairly low impedance phones that don't 'need' a headphone amp, but I find that they go from being great to stellar with one.

 

As your location is NY, you should go to the NY Area Meet.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/516571/official-new-york-area-meet-nov-20-white-plains-ny

 

You could hear one of the best portable rigs:

iPod >> digital output >> Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo >> ALO Audio RX mkII portable amp >> Audez'e LCD-2

 

or one of the best home rigs:

iPod >> digital output >> Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo >> RWA Isabellina HPA LFP-V >> Audez'e LCD-2

 

 

 

 

"I'll be bringing:

 

- Red Wine Audio Isabella LFP-V Edition (fully loaded of course)

- Red Wine Audio Isabellina HPA LFP-V Edition

- Audeze LCD-2s

- Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo!

- ALO Audio RX mkII portable amp

 

 

 

All - I've integrated the Class-A output stage for the headphone output.  It is blowing my mind with the LCD-2s, and the K1000s have never sounded this good! 

 

To everyone bringing K1000s, can you connect them to a 1/4" stereo jack?  If not, can anyone recommend to me the required adapter so everyone can listen with their K1000s (I know some use a 4-pin XLR, some use bananas, etc.).  I just want to be sure to have the adapters in place so you can all listen.

 

And DO connect your LCD-2s, HE-5s, 6's, Senns, and any other can you want.

LiFePO4 battery power + LFP-V tube input stage + Class A output stage =      

 

Getting very excited for this meet!

 

Vinnie (Red Wine Audio)"

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/516571/official-new-york-area-meet-nov-20-white-plains-ny/180http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/437559/isabellina-hpa-owner-s-thread-and-impressions/360

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/437559/isabellina-hpa-owner-s-thread-and-impressions/360#post_7010301

Wait, digital output from an iPod in a portable rig?  How do you do that?  I thought only home-based systems (eg, Wadia) were able to extract un-DAC'd digital from an iPod?

" ...

Vinnie Rossi: "I am most impressed by the Solo's digital output. How it extracts USB data from Apple devices in deslaved asynchronous mode and generates a pristine reclocked S/PDIF output via coax really makes the iPod, iPhone and iPad into serious high-end transports (assuming lossless or WAV files are installed of course).  iPod and serious high-end transport no longer are an oxymoron with the portable Solo. Portability of course is primarily geared toward the headfi crowd but we will make the high-end home audio crowd aware that connecting the Solo to their home audio converter will be an ear opener. The analog output of the Wolfson chip is a standard 2Vrms out and we're not using any opamps in the output stage. Impedance out is ca. 100Ω to drive anything downstream with ease. And with Li-Ion power, there's no SMPS involved except for the battery charger."

 

Under the right conditions, the AlgoRhythm Solo could revolutionize the portable audio market with true audiophile quality sound from the iPod. Some of the attendant requirements seem simply insurmountable. For one, it'll require uncompressed files. Most of my civilian friends with iPods tend to have theirs loaded with MP3s. The even bigger question is, will a sufficiently large percentage of the iPod nation learn about the existence of the Solo to embrace it? 

 

..."

http://6moons.com/audioreviews/aloaudio2/2.html