[Shindengumi]

I just got a pair of SH595 which i ordered from ebay for about 200$ shipped.
This is my first experience with headphones so I don't really have anything to draw on to assess their performance

One thing i've noticed though is that they don't sound nearly as loud as regular IEMs on my portable mp3 player (i use the sony nw-s705f which comes with noise canceling earbuds)

Sony NW-S705F Noise Canceling Walkman (2GB, black) MP3 player reviews - CNET Reviews

And when listening to music or watching movies on my pc i always find myself having to crank the volume to the highest level


Is this just how it is with headphones?

 

[lonereaction]

Erm.. they need more power to drive, like how a bigger car needs more juice. =)

 

[intoflatlines]

Full-size headphones usually have a higher impedance than IEMs, meaning that they require more power to drive (as lonereaction stated). You should get an amp to drive your new headphones effectively.

 

[Shindengumi]

what would be a good affordable amp for the sh595s?

 

[intoflatlines]

It depends what "affordable" is to you. I don't know much about amps, but I know that there are tons of them out there from like $20 to thousands of dollars.

 

[Shindengumi]

something that won't cost more than the headphones themselves

 

[intoflatlines]

So, less than $200?

I'm not kidding I really don't know much about amps at all. I have just started building my own. I'm sure someone on here can recommend something that will mix well with you Sennheiser HD595 for that price.

 

[krmathis]

Feed them more power and they will most certainly play louder than your IEM's.

 

[Shindengumi]

Any recommendations for under 100$?

 

[Ethan211]

There's an entire forum dedicated to amps; I'd recommend that you have a look at a few of the shootouts that've been done, then maybe check out the BST and see what's available used.