Interested in purchasing an amp for $100 or under. Not sure where to start looking.

Not entirely sure about which ones wil work best with that set of headphones, but seeing as I have been in the same price range for my Denon D2000's you should take a look at FiiO amps, the E6 especially does a good job for a small little device. The Digizoid ZO2 would probably do great, especially if you like the bass, but you dont have to boost the bass if you dont wanna. I believe iBasso offers something a bit more expensive than $100 but maybe you could find it for cheap/used. 

-iBasso offers the iBasso D-Zero for $109 on their website. It's a DAC/Amp combo, which would seem to be good, though it does not have any EQ settings. 

-FiiO offers a few different options. The E6 is one of the newer ones and it about $28 on Amazon. I own one, it's a noticeable difference from the sound unamped on my various headphones or sound systems. I dont think many people would argue with the generalization that this would be the best bang for your buck if you are going for the cheap route. 

-The digiZoid ZO2 is actually being revised right now, should be out in the next week. It's some pretty interesting stuff, check out their website (digizoid.com). 

Price points/Links:

- iBasso D-Zero ($109) - http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=73

- digiZoid ZO2 ($99) - http://www.digizoid.com/zo/

- FiiO E6 ($28.99) - http://www.fiio.com.cn/product/index.aspx?ID=31&MenuID=020301

EDIT: Also, the iBasso is a bit more than $100 but it also is a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) and can act as either one of those standalone or even as a soundcard for your computer. So it does have a bit more built in/advertise versatility than the other options I talked about

Quote:

Originally Posted by venalitious 

Hello everyone I am new to amps. 

I plan on buying HFI 580's once they're in stock again on bhp, and to go along with them I am interested in purchasing a portable amp.

Thing is, I have no clue which are good and which aren't, so I am asking for a little guidance.

 

I'd prefer it to be the size of or smaller than a fourth generation iPod Touch as that is what I will be using it with.

 

I'm not sure what else to say, so if anyone is kind enough to help I'll answer all questions.

 

Thanks in advance everyone.

I have used in the past the iBasso T3, FiiO E5 and BSG CMoy mainly with GRADO headphones and Xears IEM.

I'd prefer the FiiO E5 to the iBasso T3, however a good spec/built CMoy will blow those two out of the water at any time in my experience.

You can get a kick ass CMoy for around $50-70 USD on eBay. If you are in Australia consider buying it from Fred_Fred_2004 he is on eBay also on Head-Fi and builts top quality Cmoys.

I would skip the e6 all together and go with the e11. It allows more options in the future and a much better amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by venalitious 

Sorry for asking, but what is a CMoy and why is it a lot better?

No worries, have a look here and here for an more in depth explanation of what a CMoy amp is. 

It is basically a DIY amp that fits inside an Altoids Mint tin, it has is such a decent sound for what it is that some people build it to sell them as well.

Comparing the CMoy with the FiiO and iBasso I found that the CMoy has more clarity and instrument separation, nicer tighter bass with plenty of kick as well, and overall more powerful when comes to drive headphones. It is very good for the money and I think it is great as been portable as well.

No one is going to tell you what is best for you.  That depends on several options you have to decide on: sound, size of the amp, etc.  Some amps are clean and detailed, some are more warm and musical.  Some amps offer a bass boost, others don't.

You just need to do some searching here in this forum, and then do what many of us have had to do.  Buy one that seems to meet your wants and needs, and if you don't like it, sell it on the forum and buy another.  You can buy used here as well as a cheaper way to find what you want.

Quote:

Originally Posted by venalitious 

Alright so I'm thinking of ordering the Fiio E7 right now, since it's a DAC and headphone amp.

Is there a better alternative?

I was in the same boat as you few months ago and I decided against Fiio and got Biosciencegeek CMOY from ebay. For me, ability to amplify headphones of various ohms was importance as well as boosting the musicality of the headphone output. From all the reviews I've read, Fiio is not very versatile when it comes to headphones of various ohms and output is a bit cold. It might be worth reading up on reviews for different amps and see what fits your need.