[DrGonzo]

Hello Head-Fi Community,
 
I have been browsing these forums for about 3 weeks now searching for some good headphones.  I am a long-time music lover, but new to music gear.  For years I have been listening to my music from my 80gb iPod Classic through crappy earbuds or through computer speakers.  I finally got fed up and ordered a pair of TMA-1, which should arrive any minute now via UPS.
 
Upon my readings on these forums I hear alot of you talk about headphone amps.  Again, may I remind you that I am totally in the closet about amps and other music gear, but I do want the most out of my listening experience.
 
So my question is do I need an amp for listening the my TMA-1's and iPod Classic/Computer?  If so, can you folks reccommend an amp that is portable and inexpensive (under $100)?  I've read some recommending the FiiO e5.
 
If it helps I listen to all sorts of genre's: Rock, Folk, Alternative, Hip Hop, and even Bluegrass.
 
Thanks for the help.

 

[pow3rtr1p]

If you're not looking to spend a ton of money, then the consensus seems to be the Fiio stuff for entry level portable rigs. However, at only 40 Ohms impedence, chances are your AiAiAis wouldn't need an amp to sound great. Would it help? Perhaps, but the big advantage of an entry-level amp is not so much for quality improvement, like a desktop tube model, but more as a boost to simply drive your headphones properly. You may not notice the biggest change in tone on those cans, but it doesn't hurt to try, I suppose.

 

[EddieE]

No, you absolutely don't need a powerful amp for these, the amp you already have inside your ipod or computer will do the job fine.

 

[DrGonzo]

Thanks to you both for responding. I think I will just run the TMA-1's straight from my iPod for now. As a matter of fact, I received them shortly after my initial post. So far I love them. I am no expert, so I can't give a good review, but the highs are crisp and not too bright. The vocals really stand out. And the bass is perfect for my liking. I had the opportunity to try Phiaton MS 400's for a little while and I like the TMA-1's alot better. I've also tried Dre Solos and Pros, but they have way too much bass.

 

[EddieE]

Glad you like them, I think with these ones it really depends on your music collection. I owned these for a short while and for electronic genres, male vocal stuff, rock, hip hop etc they sounded good, but with more acoustic stuff, female vocals, the treble was too rolled off and as a whole they were way too dark. They certainly look the business though!