[magiccabbage]

Was wondering what is the cream of the crop when it comes to portable headphone amps. I have sennheiser hd280 pro, hd 595 and hd 650. Usually dont take them outside the house but i just bought the cowon j3. I have read a lot about fiio e11 and e17. I also seen the electric avenue pa2v2 ranked at number 1 here on this site. Is it ranked so high because of the price or is it really that good? I really just want to find the best to match my hd 650,s. money is not a problem.

 

[kenman345]

Good Luck, HD650's are apparently very hard to drive, haven't had a pair myself. I would imagine you should be looking for something very powerful. Try looking into the ALO Audio Rx MK3-B. It should have enough juice for you. Also the Arrow 4G claims it can handle that amount of juice, but don't really know. Also, I think the iBasso DX100 might interest you in terms of a quality DAC and for it's amp. Apparently it gives off some crazy amounts of juice. Early reports when it came out were of using it to drive two 600 ohm Headphones simultaneously and it having enough power to supply both decently without causing distortion. I know you just got a J3, but some of the other options are huge, so you might want an all in one solution. 
Quote:

Was wondering what is the cream of the crop when it comes to portable headphone amps. I have sennheiser hd280 pro, hd 595 and hd 650. Usually dont take them outside the house but i just bought the cowon j3. I have read a lot about fiio e11 and e17. I also seen the electric avenue pa2v2 ranked at number 1 here on this site. Is it ranked so high because of the price or is it really that good? I really just want to find the best to match my hd 650,s. money is not a problem.

What else....I believe their are a few other amps I am not even thinking of just yet that are fully capable of driving the headphones you want to use, but as I don't own anything with that type of power hungry properties, I have no idea which will be best, but I'm sure you'll be able to find something. If money is not a problem, you'll be sorry by the time these forums are done with you.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Was wondering what is the cream of the crop when it comes to portable headphone amps. I have sennheiser hd280 pro, hd 595 and hd 650. Usually dont take them outside the house but i just bought the cowon j3. I have read a lot about fiio e11 and e17. I also seen the electric avenue pa2v2 ranked at number 1 here on this site. Is it ranked so high because of the price or is it really that good? I really just want to find the best to match my hd 650,s. money is not a problem.

 
HD 650 comes in at the higher range of most portable amps. That means its drivable, but you'll need to check the specs beforehand. Power is not an issue for most amps, lower impedance usually demands more current  (hence power) for the same Vrms.

 

[shigzeo]

Still, you don't have to burst your eardrums to enjoy the HD650. Honestly, I enjoy the 650 very much from an iPod touch. I don't use the two together much as the combo is unwieldy. If you want a great amp, pick the ALO National and be done with it. If you don't, then don't. I think you'll be able to enjoy your music heaps with just the right headphone.

 

[magiccabbage]

thanks i was actually thinking of getting something like the national or an ibasso. a friend has the fiio e11 maybe this this will do the trick?
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Price/performance w/ DAC = Leckerton UHA6S
 
Price no object = ALO RXmk3
 
Form factor/features = Arrow 4G
 
Cheap = O2
 
Don't like National/Continental, iBasso, Fiio, RS SR71B, Pico Slim, Portatube and a few others.
 
Have yet to hear the Portaphile.

 

[tme110]

yea, you have to be careful with asking for the best on here.  Some portable amps (some mentioned above) cost 10x what the components you initially mentioned cost.
 
The 650's do need some amping and more amping than many other phones but they aren't hard to power with an amp.  I was pretty sure people were saying the e17 could power it but you'd have to check that thread to verify.  I would think that it would be on the very edge of being able to power 650's but I still think it can do them. I sold my 650's so I can't check for you.

 

[dallan]

I have used my Triad Lisa lll with my HD650s often.  It used to be the setup i used in my car or in other places.  It is one of the top portable amps although big for portable.  The HD650 does need a powerful amp to sound it's best, thats for sure.  I have a RSA Hornet and a normal sized Headamp Pico.  Both will run any headphone i have tried except neither run the HD650 or 800 to their potential.  They can make the HP's loud but not drive them to sound full.  The Lisa comes as close as you can without a dedicated home setup.  I think the new updated model is called the L3.  Good luck!
 
Edit with link      http://triadaudio.net/order-now/

 

[proton007]

Quote:

yea, you have to be careful with asking for the best on here.  Some portable amps (some mentioned above) cost 10x what the components you initially mentioned cost.
 
The 650's do need some amping and more amping than many other phones but they aren't hard to power with an amp.  I was pretty sure people were saying the e17 could power it but you'd have to check that thread to verify.  I would think that it would be on the very edge of being able to power 650's but I still think it can do them. I sold my 650's so I can't check for you.

 
From the power requirements it seems so, but the impedance of the HD650s changes wildly in the 500Hz range, somewhere close to 500 Ohms.
This can cause changes in the actual frequency response of the headphone when paired with a source of high output impedance.
So in theory, an amp with close to zero impedance would be best, as it would act as a near-ideal voltage source.

 

[Anaxilus]

L3 is very nice but not at all portable even compared to the O2.  I think the RXmk3 is better than both in absolute terms but the damn thing costs a magnitude more than the 650 itself.  O2 would be the wisest choice keeping in line w/ the 650 if it meets your needs.

 

[voodoo do-er]

I like my E6
it cheap small and sounds good

 

[Craigster75]

Best value portable amps (combination of sound quality and price)
 
for Iphone 4/4S:  I.Fuzen HP-1   $60-$100- Iphone attaches to form one unit, doubles as battery backup, nice warm sound
 
for everything else:  FiiO E11  $75- compact and light, significant clean, full bodied volume boost, excellent two-step bass boost, typically packaged with spare battery and charger
 

 

[DigitalFreak]

If you're considering the ALO MKIII and don't want to spend so much why not go with the MK II instead. It's a nice amp and it's a bit cheaper.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

If you're considering the ALO MKIII and don't want to spend so much why not go with the MK II instead. It's a nice amp and it's a bit cheaper.

 
I think the mk3 is a clear step up and for the price and drop off I'd go w/ other alternatives.  I think there's a misconception that the mk3 is just a mk2 w/ balanced out.  I'd be wary of those reviews, ahem.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

 
I think the mk3 is a clear step up and for the price and drop off I'd go w/ other alternatives.  I think there's a misconception that the mk3 is just a mk2 w/ balanced out.  I'd be wary of those reviews, ahem.

Gotcha thanks