[Koukol]

 

  OK...I ended up taking the Sound Blaster Zx back for a full refund...kept my Titanium Fatal1ty Pro sound card and purchased a "cheapish" headphone amp just to see if it made any difference to my AKG K612 Pro's.
 
YES YES YES it did!! Volume is now waaay up and I am now satisfied with the level of volume.
 
The headphone amp I purchased is a PRESONUS HP4 http://www.presonus.com/products/HP4

Inputs
Connector Type	¼” TRS, balanced
THD+N	0.0025%, 1 kHz, unity gain
Max Input Level	+18 dBu, <0.5% THD+N, unity gain
Input Impedance	10 kΩ
Frequency Response	20 Hz - 20 kHz, ±0.5dB

Monitor Outputs
Connector Type	¼” TRS, asymmetrical, impedance-balanced
THD+N	0.0025%, 1 kHz, unity gain
Max Output Level	+18 dBu, <0.5% THD+N
Output Impedance	51Ω
Frequency Response	20 Hz - 20 kHz, ±0.5dB

Headphone Outputs
Connector Type	¼” TRS, stereo
Max Output Power	130 mW/Ch., <0.5% THD+N, 60Ω load
Frequency Response	20 Hz - 20 kHz, ±0.5 dB, 60Ω load
Headphone Impedance Working Range	32Ω - 600Ω

 
Is this a reasonable amp? Should I be looking at anything else?
 
 
 
I am wondering if looking at anything else like a amp/dac combo would further enhance my listening enjoyment.
 
My AKG's have come alive and will never go back to "gaming headphones" again.

Usually stand alones are better than combo's. The first thing you should do is get a "proper audiophile amp" (if you are comparing your current to most setups your amp is not reasonable). BUT, you are on the brink of an extremely slippery slope so choose your next question carefully 

Too late!
Anthony is already wondering what will be better.

 

[anthonyl]

OK I'll bite!
 
What suggestions can you make that would be "better" than my current amp....fire away.
 
Bear in mind that I have 6 kids / 2 dogs / 1 "minister of finance" to consider when purchasing "luxuries"... lol

 

[kid vic]

  OK I'll bite!
 
What suggestions can you make that would be "better" than my current amp....fire away.
 
Bear in mind that I have 6 kids / 2 dogs / 1 "minister of finance" to consider when purchasing "luxuries"... lol

I feel for your wallet, lool. I'm partial to tube amps so I would suggest one in the $50-150 range.
 
Depending on your patience and willingness to take small risks there are plenty of no-name chinese amps that would be good starters, if you don't like the idea of that there are plenty of little dot amps (MK 1/1+, 2, 3) to be had used or brand new in that price range and a few DYI Elekit or Garage1217 amps that you can get for around there. For what its worth my $50 chinese amp has served me valiantly for 2.5 years and I'm only upgrading to bring my system closer to my feasible end game.

 

[anthonyl]

My current rig is an i5 4690K / Corsair H80i watercooling / Z97 Sabretooth MKII / 16Gb Ram / Dual GTX 970's / Asus Rog Swift 27" Gsync / Fanatec Clubsport wheel base with Formula rim / Clubsport V1. pedals.... my wifes wallet is used to being opened in persuit of my hobby.
 
This installment of "wallet raiding" is sound based...so any suggestion (within reason) is welcome..any specific amps you had in mind?

 

[kid vic]

My current rig is an i5 4690K / Corsair H80i watercooling / Z97 Sabretooth MKII / 16Gb Ram / Dual GTX 970's / Asus Rog Swift 27" Gsync / Fanatec Clubsport wheel base with Formula rim / Clubsport V1. pedals.... my wifes wallet is used to being opened in persuit of my hobby.

This installment of "wallet raiding" is sound based...so any suggestion (within reason) is welcome..any specific amps you had in mind?

Little Dot Mk (1+,2,3) all of which can be bought used for sub $200

Elekit TUH80 (diy kit is sub $200)

Bravo Audio v2 (super low priced and gets good reviews)

Also check the used forum here

 

[kid vic]

I just took a quick look through the used amp section here and there are good amount of sub $200 amps including a few that i mentioned that would make a good starting point

 

[393699]

I would suggest you up the budget a bit, and grab this puppy. It is well worth it for the current sale price at 250. One of my customers has it paired with his K712 Pro, and it sounds amazing. I have also heard it with my K612 Pro, and it offered fantastic synergy. The sound quality of the K612 Pro changes so much depending on source. The price just cant be beat right now. You will be very impressed.
 
http://www.amazon.com/xDuoo-TA-03-WM8740-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00L25RM2G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421130843&sr=8-3&keywords=tube+amp+dac

 

[benjitb]

Hi everyone, considering buying the 612's, just dipping my toe in this thread, thanks all who have answered any PM's, I have read this thread, phew. Today i did some testing of the AKG K612 pro & compared with the 712 pro (too expensive), I wanted to try the 702's as a rich option, they are double the price, but not in stock.
 
I found the 712's to be a bit clearer and more expansive and the 612's to be stronger in bass (using phone &flac/mp3). I have never used an headphone amp and this thread maintains that it" scales well" with the right amp. Can anyone help elaborate of how the sound changes, or how certain amps change/improve the sound?
 
I did like the 612, but find it hard to imagine this HP amp business. I liked the 612, but am wondering if i should spend big on the 702 in case its soundstage and clarity is approachng the 712.
 
I currently have an A/V Reciever (Yamaha RX-V475), no idea how pre amps/double amping works. But would be prepared to buy a dedicated amp if neccesary, suggestions on budget ones/great current deals welcome! [EHP-O2/NFB-15/Schiit/Matrix M-stage]

 

[cel4145]

Hi everyone, considering buying the 612's, just dipping my toe in this thread, thanks all who have answered any PM's, I have read this thread, phew. Today i did some testing of the AKG K612 pro & compared with the 712 pro (too expensive), I wanted to try the 702's as a rich option, they are double the price, but not in stock.

I found the 712's to be a bit clearer and more expansive and the 612's to be stronger in bass (using phone &flac/mp3). I have never used an headphone amp and this thread maintains that it" scales well" with the right amp. Can anyone help elaborate of how the sound changes, or how certain amps change/improve the sound?

I did like the 612, but find it hard to imagine this HP amp business. I liked the 612, but am wondering if i should spend big on the 702 in case its soundstage and clarity is approachng the 712.

I currently have an A/V Reciever (Yamaha RX-V475), no idea how pre amps/double amping works. But would be prepared to buy a dedicated amp if neccesary, suggestions on budget ones/great current deals welcome! [EHP-O2/NFB-15/Schiit/Matrix M-stage]

An AVR might power the K612 fine. Hard to know for sure since the headphone output is not the same on every receiver. Worth trying to see what you think before purchasing an amp.

The thing about the K612 is that they are insensitive. So many people find that phones, mp3 players, tablets, or computers barely have enough juice to drive them (sort of depends on how loud you like to listen). And if a headphone is already near the limits of an amp, then you are probably losing dynamics. 2nd, they are very resolving, so a better amp/dac setup allows them to be even more resolving.

 

[kid vic]

Hi everyone, considering buying the 612's, just dipping my toe in this thread, thanks all who have answered any PM's, I have read this thread, phew. Today i did some testing of the AKG K612 pro & compared with the 712 pro (too expensive), I wanted to try the 702's as a rich option, they are double the price, but not in stock.

I found the 712's to be a bit clearer and more expansive and the 612's to be stronger in bass (using phone &flac/mp3). I have never used an headphone amp and this thread maintains that it" scales well" with the right amp. Can anyone help elaborate of how the sound changes, or how certain amps change/improve the sound?

I did like the 612, but find it hard to imagine this HP amp business. I liked the 612, but am wondering if i should spend big on the 702 in case its soundstage and clarity is approachng the 712.

I currently have an A/V Reciever (Yamaha RX-V475), no idea how pre amps/double amping works. But would be prepared to buy a dedicated amp if neccesary, suggestions on budget ones/great current deals welcome! [EHP-O2/NFB-15/Schiit/Matrix M-stage]

Its hard to describe the difference that a headphone amp makes because it either sounds like hyperbole or like its a placebo. The best way i can think of saying it is that some headphones will be better able to show you micro details in music with an amp and will also give you a more gripping sound presentation.

Why not by a K612 used here and then wait for the K7XX drop? You'll get both and save tons of money.

 

[guitarmann88]

 
 

 

[kid vic]

K612 Pro are amazing, but you have to be prepared for some things:
1st: it's not suitable for all types of music.Best for Jazz, Classical, Rock and Metal.With the 39500 Hz you can hear amazing details, specially with old classic rock recordings and Jazz.
2nd: It's monitor Headphones and bad mastered music will sound bad.
3rd: Don't expect to drive them from mobile devices.You need a very good amp.
About the Yamaha RX-V475:
According to the manual, the Headphone Jack Output/Impedance specs are: 100mv/470Ω.
K612 are 120Ω.I think should be fine.Before buying a Headphone amp, try the Yamaha first.
I drive my K612 from a Yamaha R-S500(410mV/470Ω) and the sound is very nice and even better from some cheap Headphone amps.
Go with SSD amps.Schiit Magni 2 or Uber, is a very good choice.With AKG I don't trust the tube hybrid amps like Little Dot or Bravo, because tubes distort the signal.I had a bad experience with a bravo Ocean and K612.


 

^^ the beauty of any opinion based discussion! Out of all the headphones i have i find the K612's to be the best all around. The K7XX and K340 do jazz better but the K612 is close, the HE500 does vocals and classical better but these are no slouch. The DT770's (imho)
only have marginally better bass impact and that's if im splitting hairs. Also i like tube amps specifically for the way it aftects the sound.
Best bet is for Benjitb to try it himself.

 

[CADCAM]

Just to chime in here I have the K612 and run them from a Keces HA-171 amp and the sound is impressive, perhaps the best I have heard. I also have a Little Dot MKIII that sounds very good with them. This headphone is very dependent on the associated equipment, when I first got them I did not like them, a few amps later and they are my go to 75% of the time. Who would have thunk it?
 
Oppo->Bushmaster MKII->Keces HA-171->K612=

 

 

[benjitb]

Cel, kid vic, GeorgeKar & CADCAM, you chimed and i heard.
 
"Old" Rock is the only rock. (and i like it...)    &  Alt-Rock / Folk-Rock / Folk / Acoutic / Soul / Indie/ Classical.
Hopefully the 612's will sound good for these genres and with Blu-rays & the odd bit of gaming i do on the PS3.
 
I've found a decent deal for the 612's, so i think i'll buy it and wait to see if i want to upgrade/buy amp after hearing my Yammaha power it.
Signed up to massdrop awaiting the 7XX/702, don't know about shipping/customs fees to the UK.
 
Bonus is if I buy the 612 over the 702's i save 50%, that can go towards some closed backs.
DACs/Amps, how will this endevour end?

 

[CADCAM]

Just be careful it doesn't end prematurely, this headphone sounds very different out of different amps. I almost sold it off without hearing its full potential. It really scales up well if you find the right equipment.
I have the Beyer DT-880 and Little Dot MK III combo and although they sound incredible together the K612\Keces pairing may surpass them in the fine resolution and micro details of a well recorded piece.