[Dondoh]

OK.
I show up here a couple of weeks ago, almost by accident (if anything in this world is an accident). I was looking to replace some Sennheiser PMX60s that had gone on the fritz.

A week later and I am considering all sorts of headphone choices way above the budget I had been considering.

Another week goes by and now I am even considering a simple amp...

I have read a blue million posts here, and in that process I believe someone wrote something like the following....

"An amp allows you to get the fidelity at lower volumes that you could only hear at higher, more dangerous, volumes without the amp"

I really don't want to listen to anything louder than with my current setup, but I would love to get better, fuller, more accurate sound at lower volumes.
Is this, in fact, what amping offers?

 

[takezo]

yes, i'd agree with that statment strongly...as you go up in price range for amps,
the better ones will present a sound with higher resolution, increased clarity of the
soundstage and layering of sounds, weight and nuance to even the background
notes being played, lower floor noise thus better separation of notes, and most
importantly all of the above even at whisper volume...you'll notice this most
prevalent in home amps nearing the $1500+ range...and to a lesser degree in
portable amps...i've yet to hear a portable amp able to provide superior level
of resolution and weight to the notes at whisper volume...

 

[poo]

Consider starting with your original plan of purchasing headphones that you enjoy the sound of, and building from there if necessary. Spending a little extra on the cans up front means you have a solid base to your system if you choose to expand later...


Lets face it... now you've found Head-fi... you'll be spending more later...

 

[Penchum]

Poo is correct. Stick with your original plan for now. The statement about an amp is correct as long as you have a good clean source. Many folks here can give you a good idea if your current source will be great amplified, just do it later after you have enjoyed your headphone purchase some. HeadFi never sleeps, so we'll be here to help.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dondoh /img/forum/go_quote.gif "An amp allows you to get the fidelity at lower volumes that you could only hear at higher, more dangerous, volumes without the amp" I really don't want to listen to anything louder than with my current setup, but I would love to get better, fuller, more accurate sound at lower volumes. Is this, in fact, what amping offers?

True, but you must consider the headphones used, the amp you choose and your source (both player and the recorded music). For example, if you want to start out with good headphones and move onto an amp later on, you don't want to pick headphones that require an amp to sound decent. If you choose high-impedance headphones, for example, you'll need to budget for an amp that can drive them as part of the deal. On the other hand, there are plenty of good low-impedance headphones, especially if you're looking at iems or portable options. Also, the quality of an amp, the amp's gain, and how well it matches with the headphones should be considered. Certain headphones do best with a home amp. Other headphones, like iems, need an amp, if you even chose to use one, with a low gain. Also, garbage in, garbage out. If you're using mp3 quality music with a portable dap, do you really want highly revealing headphones? Some headphones are more forgiving of poorly recorded music and music recorded at a low bitrate; some are brutally honest with what they reveal.

I agree with the above posters who said to stick with your plan for now, but be careful with your choices, ask a lot of questions, and pay attention to who is giving you advice. You can enjoy good sound at every level, but think of your whole system and buy based on your needs and budget. There's always room to grow.

 

[Dondoh]

Thanks for the thoughtful and informative replies.
I will go carefully down this road.
On to the phones...