Quote:

imahawki said:

First of all, thank you all SO MUCH!  I appreciate all the feedback.  Not a single person said "do a search" or made an unhelpful comment, especially to a new poster.  Props to you all.
 
So it sounds like I've got two options, get an amp or get headphones that will perform near their peak potential directly from a portable device.  The AD900s look like a good option to investigate.  Any word on the Beyerdynamic T70ps?  Headphone.com has them listed as coming soon.
 
But assuming I have my irrational heart set on the AKGs how much power do I need?  Are they just on the edge of being efficient enough and pretty much any amp would work?  I'm thinking something like an AirHead but ideally maybe a rechargeable option.  Is that powerful enough?

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They will take as much juice as you can throw at them with a portable amp, even including high-end DAC/Amp models like a Fostex HP-P1.
 
Fiio E11 is a good start and should power them reasonably. It will never be a substitute for a dedicated desktop amp but it's a good start.
 

Think of an amplifier as something more than something that will simply increase volume, a great amp will have full control
over the headphone drivers adding depth, bass, definition and general goodness all round.

I'm looking for transportable, not portable.  I have the Q460s at work and really like them.  I'm looking for a big boy version of those for home.  I want to be able to move the rig from den to bedroom etc. but its not something I'm expecting to take out of the house.  I started a thread about the E9i but haven't gotten any responses.  I listen to my iPhone a lot.  I know its not a good source by the judgment of people trying to set up a truly premium rig, but its what I have and its got my music on it.  I could see an E9i on the end table next to my chaise in the bedroom... dock the iPhone and go to town.  And the E9i is easy to find on Amazon etc.  The Valhalla is more than I would want to spend at this point.

Sounds like some Ripley's believe it or ****

Quote:

imahawki said:

I'm looking for transportable, not portable.  I have the Q460s at work and really like them.  I'm looking for a big boy version of those for home.  I want to be able to move the rig from den to bedroom etc. but its not something I'm expecting to take out of the house.  I started a thread about the E9i but haven't gotten any responses.  I listen to my iPhone a lot.  I know its not a good source by the judgment of people trying to set up a truly premium rig, but its what I have and its got my music on it.  I could see an E9i on the end table next to my chaise in the bedroom... dock the iPhone and go to town.  And the E9i is easy to find on Amazon etc.  The Valhalla is more than I would want to spend at this point.

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See previous post back on page one, last post. Lots of questions on headphones, not just amplification.
 
Very best,
 

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malveaux said:

Heya,
 
You keep referring to a portable device. Are you planning on walking around with open air headphones that are hard to drive? Or are you simply referring to it since it's your primary source of music even when simply sitting at home? Also, what's your maximum budget? And what kind of sound are you looking for honestly? Do you want analytical? Neutral? Bass heavy? You mentioned the T70P so I have to ask, as it seems you're willing to spend $600, which is very, very close to the entry cost of some very good flagship headphones (especially used) which would be a very nice thing to jump to if you're already willing to drop this kind of money right away like this.
 
Very best,

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Sorry, missed this in the page roll-over.
 
This isn't a portable system I'm looking for.  I.e. I'm not taking it on walks or the bus or train etc.  Like I said, I'm looking for something that can be moved from room to room without too much hassle. 
 
Right now my ONLY two sources would be my iMac and my iPhone.  I actually sold off my stereo (Gallo Refs) several months back.  My source music is going to be digital files all of the time.  I've pretty much committed to media-less music.  I did vinyl for a while even in the stereo rig.  Streaming or portable audio player is much more my style.
 
Budget is flexible but probably closer to $400 total ideally.  Amazon has the AKGs for $250 so I'd have about $150 for an amp.  Or I could get $400 headphones without an amp if that's a better idea. 
 
I think my ideal situation would be a headphone that would be NEAR its potential without an amp, straight out of an iPod.  But obviously something that could still benefit (e.g. the Apple ear buds are AT their potential straight out of an iPod pretty much.)
 
The CLOSER the headphones are to their potential straight out of the iPhone, the more "stationary" the amp could be.  If they really need the amp to sound good at all, it would be nice if it were more portable (perhaps a small desktop amp with a rechargeable battery built in) so that I can move it from one room to the next without having to move a power cable.  Also, in general the more flexible the amp is (i.e. if I could find a good one as described, rechargeable etc.) I'd probably be willing to pay more for it.
 
I think the theme here is flexibility.  GOOD sound straight out of the player, responds well to a budget oriented and semi-portable amp.  That's ideal.
 
 

Quote:

imahawki said:

Sorry, missed this in the page roll-over.
 
This isn't a portable system I'm looking for.  I.e. I'm not taking it on walks or the bus or train etc.  Like I said, I'm looking for something that can be moved from room to room without too much hassle. 
 
Right now my ONLY two sources would be my iMac and my iPhone.  I actually sold off my stereo (Gallo Refs) several months back.  My source music is going to be digital files all of the time.  I've pretty much committed to media-less music.  I did vinyl for a while even in the stereo rig.  Streaming or portable audio player is much more my style.
 
Budget is flexible but probably closer to $400 total ideally.  Amazon has the AKGs for $250 so I'd have about $150 for an amp.  Or I could get $400 headphones without an amp if that's a better idea. 
 
I think my ideal situation would be a headphone that would be NEAR its potential without an amp, straight out of an iPod.  But obviously something that could still benefit (e.g. the Apple ear buds are AT their potential straight out of an iPod pretty much.)
 
The CLOSER the headphones are to their potential straight out of the iPhone, the more "stationary" the amp could be.  If they really need the amp to sound good at all, it would be nice if it were more portable (perhaps a small desktop amp with a rechargeable battery built in) so that I can move it from one room to the next without having to move a power cable.  Also, in general the more flexible the amp is (i.e. if I could find a good one as described, rechargeable etc.) I'd probably be willing to pay more for it.
 
I think the theme here is flexibility.  GOOD sound straight out of the player, responds well to a budget oriented and semi-portable amp.  That's ideal.
 
 

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Heya,
 
Denon D2000
Ultrasone HFI 2400
 
Very best,
 
 

Quote:

imahawki said:

First of all, thank you all SO MUCH!  I appreciate all the feedback.  Not a single person said "do a search" or made an unhelpful comment, especially to a new poster.  Props to you all.
 
So it sounds like I've got two options, get an amp or get headphones that will perform near their peak potential directly from a portable device.  The AD900s look like a good option to investigate.  Any word on the Beyerdynamic T70ps?  Headphone.com has them listed as coming soon.
 
But assuming I have my irrational heart set on the AKGs how much power do I need?  Are they just on the edge of being efficient enough and pretty much any amp would work?  I'm thinking something like an AirHead but ideally maybe a rechargeable option.  Is that powerful enough?

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IME, you need a lot of power in order to get the Q701 to perform as well as they can. I've written in another thread that I'm getting top-notch performance out of my AKG. (Ultimately, they take a back seat to my top performers just because the HD800 do just about everything they do, as "neutral-sounding" phones, with "cleaner", less "splashy" highs and bass that's a shade deeper. Still, the AKG soundstaging is the widest I've experienced. It's a mightily impressive runner-up.) That's with all my Rudistor amps and the HeadRoom Fat Pipe Cardas cable. The excellent portable Ray Samuels Protector has been unable to drive it properly. Performance was also very disappointing on my 2007 HeadRoom Desktop amp (which does a good job on my Denon's and Grado). (I'm yet to try it on the Grace m902.)
 
These phones need to be pampered.
 
 

OK, I'll scratch the AKGs.  It sounds like some good next options would be the Denon AH-D2000s and the Audio Technica ATH-AD900.  Both seem suited to running off a portable in a pinch.  One other thing to mention, my top sonic priority is a non-bright headphone.  I am very sensitive to bright highs.
 
The Ultrasone HFI 2400 don't seem well suited to portable player use based on the specs.  Am I missing something?

Quote:

imahawki said:

OK, I'll scratch the AKGs.  It sounds like some good next options would be the Denon AH-D2000s and the Audio Technica ATH-AD900.  Both seem suited to running off a portable in a pinch.  One other thing to mention, my top sonic priority is a non-bright headphone.  I am very sensitive to bright highs.
 
The Ultrasone HFI 2400 don't seem well suited to portable player use based on the specs.  Am I missing something?

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Heya,
 
If you really like AKG's, don't just toss the idea. Look at other models. Look at the K240 MKII and the K272 HD. Also, look for K601 models, they float around for around $150. I think there's one in the for sale section right now.
 
Very best,

Quote:

soundinista said:

 
These phones need to be pampered.
 

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But all I have are Huggies.  Am I amping them wrong?

Back to the first post, it is a fact. If you aren't prone to loud listening, you'll be fine running the 701s out of an iPhone. Headphones aren't magical beings that need pampering, they're simple electroacoustical devices and they will run on common electronics. Try them out without an amp.
 
Given your predisposition to the Q460, the 701s will be quite a change and may not be to your liking, regardless of how they're amped. So I suspect it's possible that you get these and don't initially like them, post on head-fi, and get a dozen responses that say either a. you need an amp or b. they need burn-in. While there's some truth to these suggestions, the 701 will still sound like a 701. If, on the other hand, you get it and wind up loving it, which is probable since there are some things the K701 nails (soundstage, clarity), but you would like more headroom than your portable device will provide, then check out the new O2 amp which should run around 120$ built by a DIYer.
 
I can't believe that thusfar no one has expressed their sorryness about your wallet

Thanks, I'll look into that.  For some reason I feel like I want open headphones.  Should I just be assuming that open headphones inherently have a quality I'm desiring over closed?

Soundstage and spatial imaging, in the case of the 701.  You should check out some closed cans too, you may find that the bass response is more to your liking.
 
Lots of very different options out there, each with a distinctive flavor.  If you've listened to the closed cans that you're interested in, and find that you want more space, there are other closed recommendations for you, or else you really do need open-backed.

I haven't listened any of these.  There aren't any dealers locally that really do headphones.  There are a few high-end audio stores, but none of them sell headphones.

It's easier for headphone engineers to get better audio quality out of an open design. Closed designs have to deal with resonances, oddities in bass response, etc. Plus open headphones generally sound more... open - a greater sense of space, a greater soundstage.
Quote:

imahawki said:

 There are a few high-end audio stores, but none of them sell headphones.

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And they wonder why high-end audio stores are tanking. The choice not to stock high-end headphones is a choice to disregard one of the fastest growing segments of the market.