[infernoRS]

I currently have Sennheiser HD 555's (foam modded, they are pretty much out of order) driven by PC => optical => Creative X-Fi HD => RCA => Pioneer A-447. I honestly have no idea how capable the amp is to drive higher ohm headphones. I'm looking for a wide, separating and detailed sound and also more powerful and accurate punch compared to these 555's. They just simply do not deliver the experience I'm after, I like my music huge and very enjoyable since I listen to it a lot.
 
I listen mostly to progressive and symphonic metal and rock, for example Nightwish, Dream Theater, Kamelot, Transatlantic, Fish and Genesis but also some electronic music like Lindsey Stirling and Armin van Buuren and hardstyle like Noisecontrollers. 
 
My budget isn't big but I've been considering different headphones, like Beyerdynamic DT 880/1350, HiFiMAN HE-300/400, Sennheiser HD 600/650, AKG 701/702 and such. I will try to find a place to listen to these as soon as possible. Headphones have this "problem" that in every price point there is no clear winner but it's up to your own tastes. I would like to hear some suggestions still from more experienced people, on both headphones and amping them. I live in Finland so basically I would not like to start ordering anything from the US.
 
Tell me if you need any more info, I'm all open to any suggestions. 

 

[Nirvana Woman]

Just wondering if perhaps you're experiencing any bloat of the lower frequencies?

I've found one way to determine whether a receiver works with the headphones of your choosing is to figure out impedances. With my Marantz 7200 I get way too much boosts in low frequencies on my Hd650, to the point where it easily overwhelms lots of the mids and becomes fatiguing because of it.
 
I have however found no issues driving the hd598's with the same amp. So that's something you maybe want to consider when determining whether you need a new amplifier.
 
I would need someone to confirm this, but I think if your amp has an output impedance of anywhere between 100 and 150 ohm, there's a good chance you're gonna suffer from that bloat in the lower frequencies when driving Sennheiser 6xx's or Beyers for example.

 

[infernoRS]

Quote:

Just wondering if perhaps you're experiencing any bloat of the lower frequencies?

I've found one way to determine whether a receiver works with the headphones of your choosing is to figure out impedances. With my Marantz 7200 I get way too much boosts in low frequencies on my Hd650, to the point where it easily overwhelms lots of the mids and becomes fatiguing because of it.
 
I have however found no issues driving the hd598's with the same amp. So that's something you maybe want to consider when determining whether you need a new amplifier.
 
I would need someone to confirm this, but I think if your amp has an output impedance of anywhere between 100 and 150 ohm, there's a good chance you're gonna suffer from that bloat in the lower frequencies when driving Sennheiser 6xx's or Beyers for example.

Nah, unless I use some boosts like loudness or bass boost the 555's have so weak low end that it's barely audible so no problems with floating 

Loudness can make it a bit bloaty in certain songs at high volumes but that's expected with it.

 

[Nirvana Woman]

Quote:

Nah, unless I use some boosts like loudness or bass boost the 555's have so weak low end that it's barely audible so no problems with floating 

Loudness can make it a bit bloaty in certain songs at high volumes but that's expected with it.

Thanks for your reply.
 
I would like to point out though that your 555's have a way lower impedance than the Beyer800/900's or the Sennheiser 6xx series. Like I said, my HD598, which also has a way lower impedance than those headphones, doesn't suffer from the bloat either.
 
So ideally and for as far as I can see, you'd have to find a way to make sure your amp won't boost the lower frequencies with high impedance headphones. A good way to start, is to figure out your Pioneer's output impedance.
 
I may be totally off base here, so it's probably wise to wait for someone to further comment on this.

 

[infernoRS]

Quote:

Thanks for your reply.
 
I would like to point out though that your 555's have a way lower impedance than the Beyer800/900's or the Sennheiser 6xx series. Like I said, my HD598, which also has a way lower impedance than those headphones, doesn't suffer from the bloat either.
 
So ideally and for as far as I can see, you'd have to find a way to make sure your amp won't boost the lower frequencies with high impedance headphones. A good way to start, is to figure out your Pioneer's output impedance.
 
I may be totally off base here, so it's probably wise to wait for someone to further comment on this.

Yep, that's exactly why I'm concerned about the amp. These are not hard to drive at all so I can't really say anything about is it sufficient or not. I think that before I decide what headphones I will buy I'm not that concerned about the amp... 

 

[ostewart]

JDS Labs O2 amp for your headphones, and maybe some SoundMAGIC HP100 or HP200 as headphones, you would have an excellent setup that will not break the bank.

 

[Nirvana Woman]

Quote:

Yep, that's exactly why I'm concerned about the amp. These are not hard to drive at all so I can't really say anything about is it sufficient or not. I think that before I decide what headphones I will buy I'm not that concerned about the amp... 

 
You'd then first need to get a better idea of what headphones you would like, I guess. It's probably worth noting that if you listen to rock/metal a lot, many people seem to suggest Grados for that specific genre.