[vrom]

am just starting the really dig deep in the issue of headphone amplifiers. I own a Creek OBH-11 with Sennheiser 600, Silver Bullets 4.0 cable and Meridian 508.24 as the source, but think the whole thing sounds WAY to bright! This and the quest for better sound makes me want to upgrade. So I wondered if there are any headphone amplifiers around that with equalizers on board that still give tremendous value for money. If that is for some reason not a good move then a darker sounding amplifier would be an alternative. In any case I was hoping for some good advice. I know that replacing the cable is an easier alternative. But I paid much for it so I am not looking forward for another investment here. What I had in mind for the amplifier is roughly $300-800.

Vincent

 

[MusicLover]

You could try one of Headroom's amps. They go very well with the HD600's and can be considered dark. If you turn on the crossfeed, it will become ultra dark, but also muddy, which is why it has a brightness switch. I would recommend getting the Cosmic.

Cosmic

 

[fewtch]

Hmmm... I never found the OBH-11/HD600 combo to be bright. I did however find it way too analytical and a bit grungy sounding, particularly with below average recordings (nature of the OBH-11, it's just not a great amp).

Could be your source perhaps... the only way to know for sure tho would be to try a different amp. Do you have a receiver or speaker amp with a headphone jack you could temporarily plug into to see if it's the OBH-11? Or a different source to see if a source change makes a difference? Good way to track down these things is to try substitutions -- even if they're lower quality they can sometimes give you clues.

 

[Todd R]

Why not try a cable swap first? It will be a lot cheaper.

 

[Rizumu]

META42 w/ OPA637's?

 

[dd3mon]

Is it an overall brightness, or a particular harshness that bothers you? I had trouble with the stock 600's sounding harsh in a particular portion of the treble - the Equinox aftermarket cable solved this problem entirely.

-dd3mon

 

[Tyson]

get a tube amp and get rid of those silver cables. Cardas cables are more relaxed. So are the Kimber Hero's.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Cheapest route: get new cables. Silver cables combined with a revealing source and Creek amp will spell harsh highs.

Expensive route: new amp. Do you find that highs effect you like this all the time, or just with your current setup? If it's all the time go with an amp with either soft or rolled-off highs. If it's just the highs on this setup try looking into some amps here. There are tons and tons of amps for under $800, many of them quite good. A little research into what you like in music and your system will help you narrow things down some.

 

[markl]

Try a tube amp, (maybe a Berning MicroZOTL). They tend to be more mellow up top. Plus, you can tube-roll, to further season the sound. Finding some mellow cables would also help.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I agree that theoretically, your most likely cause for brightness is the cable -- I would recommend trying swapping those.

But...is everything burnt in?

 

[vrom]

Thanks for the input. Very helpfull!!

I still wonder if an amplifier with equalizer wouldn't solve the problem nicely and haven't seen many references to one. So a good last tip on a worldclass headphone amplifier with equalizer would be a nice finish.

Vincent

 

[puppyslugg]

Quote:

Originally posted by vrom I still wonder if an amplifier with equalizer wouldn't solve the problem nicely and haven't seen many references to one. So a good last tip on a worldclass headphone amplifier with equalizer would be a nice finish. Vincent

I personally would avoid using any eq, if at all possible. I would only use eq. as a last resort. I'd try some of the above suggestions first.

 

[TravelLite]

Quote:

Originally posted by vrom I still wonder if an amplifier with equalizer wouldn't solve the problem nicely and haven't seen many references to one. So a good last tip on a worldclass headphone amplifier with equalizer would be a nice finish.

vrom, you simply won't find a decent (current production) headphone amp with a true integrated equalizer. They don't exist.

If at some point you came to the conclusion that you just had to use an outboard equalizer, then I'm afraid you'd also have to come to the realization that you'll need to budget some serious bucks for a good one. As you might imagine, this type of gear is just as critical as anything else in the signal chain. No free lunch, I'm afraid.

BTW, I think you've received some excellent suggestions in this thread (regarding the brightness issue).

TravelLite

 

[KShaft]

I used to own hyancith ic's

They are a bit on the detailed /lean side.

Your source should be fine.
a mpx-3 from single power will almost asuredly take away the harshness. The silver ic's will probably work well with that particular amp.

k.s.

 

[joelongwood]

I found the Sugden/CD3000 combo overly bright, and at my age (55) that's no small feat! To cure it, I tried some Cardas Cross cables.............brightness gone. I never really believed in cables having such a significant effect on the sound before I switched to the Cardas. Now I'm a believer.