How does a real amp sound?

I'm surprised you're happy with 600 ohm headphones not being driven by an amp.  It's important to know that amplification isn't just about increasing volume.  With proper amplification, you'll get better clarity, soundstage and control.  Your bass will tighten up and your phones will really start to sing.

 

The E7/E9 combo isn't a bad place to start.  If you can nail down a budget, that would make it easier to give alternative suggestions.

 

And don't worry about what other people think.  If you enjoy music and sound, and it makes you happy, just do it.  There's not a single choice you can make in your life that will satisfy everybody, so don't bother trying.

Forget the fiio and get a nice otl tube amp to drive those high impedance phones. For a little over $200 you can build a Bottlehead Crack (a very beginner friendly, step by step, "paint by number" style DIY kit) that will sound superb with your phones.

A good amp will improve clarity, dynamics, the size of the soundstage, bass response and the separation between instruments, among other things. It will also reveal flaws in your source though.

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Edited by skeptic - 5/20/11 at 3:19pm

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet....

 

In general a good headphone amp will:

 

Offer improved dynamics (more punch and impact, more bass)

Offer greater control over the membranes (a nice tightness to the sound that feels very clean and airy)

Improved stereo imaging

Give more life and energy to the sound if the headphone are been underdriven (sound flat)

 

It will be though to find a headphone amp that can do the 600 ohm DT880 justice for $200. I'm no DT880 expert but I think a lot of people favor tube amps with that one.

Edited by TwoEars - 5/20/11 at 2:55pm

Quote:

Entry-level DAC/amp combinations are not horribly expensive.  $200 will buy you the FiiO E7/E9 combo, or an Audio-gd NFB-12, both of which fulfill your requirement for both a DAC and an amp.  I feel the NFB-12 is the better value of the two options.  But both have more than enough power to drive your cans.

 

You won't be able to buy good tube components cheap.

Depends on your definition of cheap.  As I mentioned above, the crack is an excellent tube amp kit and very budget friendly to build in stock form (or, for that matter, to pick up if you can find one used).  It is currently in the top ten on Skylab's list, and to my ears, it is totally deserving of the rave reviews it has received from Steve Guttenberg (cnet) and numerous other experienced head-fiers (see http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php?crn=44&rn=442&action=show_detail if you want to skim the testimonials.)  As discussed in the crack thread, it is also fairly easy to upgrade down the road if/when you have some spare cash to throw at it. 

 

In any event, I just want to make sure the OP isn't resigned to the notion that tubes are only for listeners who can afford a four figure amp.  If you have a chance to attend CanJam, you will see/hear that there are quite a number of good budget options depending on your cans and the sound signature you like.  Presently, I am simply loving my HD800's with my slightly modified crack, and I can confirm that it also sounds great with my DT880's and HD650's.

 

As for the lifetime of tubes, it varies.  My understanding is that the 12au7 variety (used as the input tube in the crack) is generally expected to last around 10,000 hours.  Some premium 6dj8 equivalents (like the 7308) are rated for upwards of 15,000 hours.  Others may be quite a bit shorter though depending on the amp you select and the tubes it uses.

A real amp is about the transformers. You  need a good quality transformers in the chain. Yes, you can get by without it and still get a nice fun sound but if you are serious about the tone and juice, quality transformers is part of the muscle and the tone. An amp without good transformers is like a womanly man.

 

I understand your dilemma. I too have other hobbies too. My guitar hobby gets first priority. Money goes first into tweaking my guitar gear, second goes to my audio stuff and lastly, photography gear gets the 3rd consideration. For me, I would rather spend more on guitar related gear. Creativity comes first. 

Yes, transformers are important, but mostly for tube amps. Solid state uses low voltage and you can get away with inexpensive ones. Tubes usually run at least 200V, though you'll find higher values often. And circuit design is hugely important. Great transformers in a lousy circuit still sound lousy.

The Bottlehead Crack is a great option. Yes, it requires soldering, but don't be afraid. Visit the DIY Forum and we'll get you up to speed, just like hundreds of others have. Everyone starts at the beginning and it really is fun. It's good to know how to DIY if you're a guitar player, too. You'll be able to build your own effects and a killer tube amp - and save lots of money. Give it some thought.

I play a little bit of everything. I play from the heart Brotha.

 

DeltaOne, the way to judge tube amps is by the power supply. Running just a transformer through diodes and caps is the cheap way to do it. That setup often puts some AC ripple into the power. Consider that the power is blended directly with the signal, and you'll notice that it injects a bit of noise directly in. There are several ways to deal with this. I like having chokes, but those cost money. Also, cheap power supplies put AC on the tube heaters. That causes them to waver a bit, which also goes into the signal. Putting DC on the heaters also involves additional cost and complication. Better amps will also use a tube to change AC into DC. This can require another transformer or a more expensive transformer.

You'll notice that all of the good tube amps have fairly complex power supplies. Putting clean power into every part of a tube amp really increases the cost. You could build the output stage of a Zana Deux fairly cheap and put it on a cheap, corner-cutting power supply. But it wouldn't sound clean and crisp. It'd be fuzzy and imprecise, like cheap tube amps are. You can take a cheap amp and put it on a good power supply and drastically improve it. But then it would cost something like $1,500.

There really isn't a way to do a good tube amp on the cheap. You have to buy a lot of transformers and complicate the power supply to do it right.

Solid state costs much, much less to do right. Most of the popular ones have exceptionally clean DC, regulation and other goodies because that's a lot cheaper and easier to implement. You don't have to spend the big money on transformers.

Also, tubes are not necessarily "warm." It all depends on the circuit. Some are as clean and neutral as solid state. You'll find a wide variety of sound signatures with tubes; they all sound different.

45$ shipping isn't much at all imho, my last purchase cost me $160 in shipping. Some may find that alot, others might find that normal. It all depends on what you consider to be "much money" which brings me to your other question. Some find a $700 amp a lot of money, some don't. I'm sure most people here have the money to spend, if not I wouldn't advise spending thousands of dollars on this hobby, but then again, that's everyone's free choice.

 

Just buy a new headphone when you can and when you feel like it, you don't need to spend huge amounts to like your music. Take it easy. An there's always the FS section as well