I know there are a lot of these types of threads that crop up every day, but I'm hoping someone is willing to offer their opinion to a neophyte.
I have a couple pairs of entry-level headphones (Grado SR80 and Audio Technica ATH-M50) that I've enjoyed over the last few years. I've started wondering though, whether I might get improved sound by running them through a headphone amp. It doesn't necessarily have to be a portable amp, although after reading about my typical setup, you'll see why I've posted my question in this category.
The two genres I listen to most frequently are jazz and metal. Classical and blues occasionally get playing time too.
I listen to CDs and high-quality digital audio files on my notebook (Windows 7). Sound plays through my IDT HD codec. I don't have a convenient line-in, but would be able to use a USB port for something like a FiiO E7.
I also have a Creative Labs Zen Vision M as my portable player. The digital audio files on there aren't as high quality as on my computer. The volume goes from 0-25, and I typically listen to my Grados on level 12 or 13. There is a convenient line out built into the thing, so I wouldn't be reliant on the headphone jack to run something into it. I do frequently take it with me wherever I go, but I'm more interested in finding something that might enhance the sound out of my headphones when it is sitting on my desk.
I don't feel like I'm lacking anything in my sound (that is, I'm not sitting here thinking about how to get better resolution of my mids), but it could very well be a case of not knowing what I'm missing.
So, again, the basic question is: would buying a headphone amplifier in any way boost my listening experience with the headphones and set-up I have?
Or would any gains be extremely minimal and it would make much more of a difference to upgrade other components--e.g. next level of headphones up, dedicated CD player, some kind of DAC?
Thanks in advance!
