[Trysaeder]

I've heard a lot of people saying a properly amped headphone X is [superlative description of good].
I'm talking about headphones like the HD650, DT880 and K701.
I have an SPL Auditor coming in soon and I think it will be plenty for the above phones, but I'm scared it will be just another version of head fi's hype machine. There's no doubt I'd enjoy those headphones anyway, I've heard them at a meet from a few amps, liked the Auditor so I bought it.
 
In the end I'm worried that my expectations are too high and I'll be ultimately disappointed. What should I expect from the Auditor vs a 'not so properly amped' headphone X?
 
edit: Also I'd love it if anyone could help me choose between those three to buy first. I will definitely be getting a HD650 eventually, but only one of the K701 or DT880. I have no idea where they sell the HD650 for less than $400 shipped to Aus, so if you know of one, I'd love to know.

 

[ericj]

Some headphones (like the K70x for example) need an amp with a high damping factor to sound their best. That's what people are usually talking about when they say "when properly amped". Sometimes they're just talking about a very insensitive headphone that needs a lot of gain from the amp.
 
fwiw, everything i've read indicates that if you get a current model DT880 you should love bass above all else.
 
IMHO the k701 sounds weird. But I'm a weird person myself, so what do i know?
 
Both of those headphones are things you should really try to hear before dropping a lot of money on them.

 

[Trysaeder]

What's the difference between gain and volume?