[oogabooga]

I don't have a headphone amp, but I'm considering buying a portable one. However, before I do I'd like to "test" out what a headphone amp would/could do for my IEMs. My question is this - if I plug my IEMs into my A/V receiver (a Harmon Kardon AVR 110), would that do the same/similar thing as using a headphone amp?

If the answer is NO, my sense of curiosity would be grateful for the reason!

Thanks,
Sameer

 

[billybob_jcv]

Maybe. It depends on the receiver and how the headphone plug has been implemented. In some amps, it could just be some resistors on a tap from the speaker output channels, or it could be a nice dedicated headphone circuit within the preamp. Maybe someone here can tell you what a H/K 110 has - I don't know. In any case, I'm not sure it would really tell you very much about how a portable rig would sound - there's too many other variables. Would you at least be feeding your portable player as the source into your AV receiver? With that said, I would give it a try anyway - what have you got to lose? If it does improve the sound of your 'phones - at least you will know the 'phones have some unused potential.

 

[oogabooga]

Thanks for the answer. I did try it out this morning, using my iPhone 2G and e2c's. The e2c's have weak bass when used directly out of the iPhone - however, I heard a noticeable improvement in the bass when I passed the iPhone audio through the H/K. Looks like I'll need an amp (or an MP3 player that can properly drive the IEMs).

If anyone has conflicting or corroborating evidence, please do share!

 

[Lunchbox2]

the e2c's are very sensitive. make sure you have them sealed well for bass response also. I've been using them with an iphone, ipod nano, and my laptop for the last year or two and I've never had a bass problem, or noticed that one source had better bass response than the others. I've also plugged them into my receiver and haven't noticed a difference there. I mostly listen to hip hop so bass response is something I'm always aware of. You shouldn't need a headphone amp to drive e2cs. I think they have 113db sensitivity or something like that.