What is the key factor(s) to look for when considering the use of a stereo/speaker purposed amplifier, as a headphone amplifier?   I recently came across a Monacor SA-100, and having tested it, it does a good job to the point where I think it's better than my O2 amp.   However spec wise (as...

Is it just me or do headphones seem to need about 5-10 minutes of playback to "warm up" and really start to sound good? It seems to me (at least with my cans) that they don't really sound all that great until they've been playing for a few minutes. At first I though it was in my head, and...

The 1st Greek Headphone Festival will take place in Athens, Greece, on October 4, 2014, 10:00-19:00, in Caravel Hotel.    It is organized by the AVClub in Greece.   Visitors will be able to see and experience the latest models of headphones, earphones, headphone amplifiers, DACs, etc. from...

I ask this question because I really want a pair of basshead headphones, yet I want the mids and highs to be warm and clearly bought out. BTW, I like to listen to jazz and contemporary music, as well as hip-hop and dubstep. I know that when buying a pair of bass-heavy headphones, the quality can...

I was astonished by the number of posts on the 6SN7.   As a designer of high-end tube audio gear (coffmanlabs.com) I thought it worth sharing my experience from the design side. YMMV  And just to make it clear--I do plan offer some of my products with the 6SN7; I have around 4,000 to 5,000...

I have recently taken the risk to purchase NOS vacuum tubes from a well-known auction site. While they appear original and the sellers have extremely good reputation, I cannot find background information on the origin and quality of these tubes.   In my previous research, the only...

So is it true that any tube speaker amp, with a headphone output will be optimal, and preferable over an OTL amp design powering low impedance headphone loads?   Furthmore in such a design with a headphone plugged in and speakers disconnected, Where does the unused power go? Being that...

I was wondering, how about I get myself a retro amp like Yamaha or Denon or something for a few bucks from a garage sale and use them to drive my headphones? these retro amps weight a ton and should have pre amp / dac and everything built into them, right? So I can just take a 3.5mm to RCA...

From what I know, in speaker systems the separation between the power amp and the pre-amp is strongly advocated, as it further separates the initial signal and the final amplification, forming a cascade of amplification, giving a cleaner sound signal with lower noise and interference and...

I needed a headphone amp to drive my pair of headphones, not like they needed amplification in terms of SPL but in terms of SQ (Sennheiser HD555 with foam pad removed and damping added on the surrounding walls around the drivers).    I wanted to design my own amp that would upgrade the sound...

I have a marantz pm325 amp that power a pair of floorstanding speakers I have   It has a headphone jack and I was wondering if there was any instrument or anything I could do to find out how much power (in watts?) this amp puts into headphones     looked all over the place online and...

Have had no luck finding info about these. The smaller one (less tubes) is $200 on eBay shipped, the other is under $300 shipped. Are these any good? Just look at all those tubes!! The only info I found was about the transformers not being the best a few years ago and some QC issues. Would a...

Hi folks,   I'm afraid this could be a dopey question, but I am prepared for any humiliation and ridicule coming my way :-)   So, I would like a convenient method of switching a source between my three amps other than pulling the L/R RCA's and moving them between amps.   Is there any...

Is anyone but Sennheiser making cables for the HD25 that are not super expensive? I have little belief in gaining any significant sound improvements by using $100+ on a cable for such a headphone, but the stock cable is really, really bad.   I've owned two, and both have had problems with...

Hello everyone. This is my first post here. I really enjoy reading and learning from the many knowledgable and enthusiastic people and posts. I'm trying to decide what setup to buy.   My musical taste (as you can probably tell from my name) is mainly Soul/R&B like Sam Cooke(favorite singer)...

Hi ,all i'm going to buy the shure srh440(44ohm) headphones and i would like to find a suitable headphone soundcard. I found the asus xonar soundcards but i don't know wich one is better for headphone listening cause some have amps and some don't.I'm looking for amplified headphone sound cause...

I've been looking at headphones for a while now, and all of a sudden amps start showing up. What are they, how do they work? Do they need batteries or external power? Are they actually useful for portable devices?     Sorry, lots of noob questions. Ignore this post, or direct me somewhere. 

I recently bought Sennheiser HD 439's and I feel like I'm not getting enough bass out of these. Would a decent headphone portable amp (pocket sized maybe?) be of any help? Black friday's coming up so I thought might as well.   Also a modding guide would be cool too, never done any of this...

Hello guys,   I'm quite new to headphone world (while experimented in hifi), and want to go for a tube amp for a HD650.   Reading this forum a lot, I started to select one, and then basically choose: - Schiit Lyr, - Woo WA3, - Woo WA6 (or WA6-SE), - eventually Ray Samuel Raptor...

I have a premium account on Spotify (320kbps), playing from my iMac, with Audio Technica M50s, but would a headphone amp boost the quality?

Does anyone know of a high-end headphone amp that has a "mono" switch (i.e., that will combine both channels before outputting to the headphone jack)?  I recall seeing one somewhere on this site, but can't seem to find it again, and I wasn't having much luck searching this forum (but I may not...

Hello,   I currently own a pair of Sennheiser 595's and have decided to make the move to the 650's. From what I was able to read in reviews and in this forum the 650's need an amp to really get the best out of them. The only issue is I don't have a clue as to what amp to get?   The...

Hi Everyone,   First off, this forum is terrific.  Lot's of cool information on here that's certainly helped in my headphone and amp-buying experience.     My question is with respect to the variations in line-level designations and its relationship to consumer headphone amps...

ok first off im kind of new to the whole audiophile thing i have had v-moda's crossfade m80s for like 8 months and im thinking ill get an upgrade which would probally be the sennheiser hd 650 and i hear they take a decent amp to use i have a fiio e11 i dont know if that is a good enough amp for...

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