[Bassix]

I looked at a few tutorials and such, and they are either extremely advanced, or so dumb they don't explain anything thats worth knowing.
 
Here are some questions I would like answered:
 
What is an amp?
What does it do, specifically for headphones?
How much is a decent amp for a "noob" Audiophile?
What amp would go best with the AudioTechnica's M50's
 
Cheers,
 
Bassix

 

[214324]

Quote:

I looked at a few tutorials and such, and they are either extremely advanced, or so dumb they don't explain anything thats worth knowing.
 
Here are some questions I would like answered:
 
What is an amp?
What does it do, specifically for headphones?
How much is a decent amp for a "noob" Audiophile?
What amp would go best with the AudioTechnica's M50's
 
Cheers,
 
Bassix

1. a device that increases the power of a signal
2. you need a headphone
amp for headphones and it makes the signal strong enough to overcome the resistance of the headphone so it produces sound.
3. I'm going to guess $60-$70 (price of the E11. There are less expensive ones but they won't be able to drive more resistant headphones)
4. that depends on what you want.

 

[Bassix]

Quote:

1. a device that increases the power of a signal
2. you need a headphone
amp for headphones and it makes the signal strong enough to overcome the resistance of the headphone so it produces sound.
3. I'm going to guess $60-$70 (price of the E11. There are less expensive ones but they won't be able to drive more resistant headphones)
4. that depends on what you want.

That confused me >_<
 
MOAR QUESTIONS!
 
What does increasing the power of the signal do?
Resistance of the headphone? Which means?
Depends what I want? I want clear, beautiful rock music. I also listen to dubstep and rap, but I don't know what an amp could do for rap or dubstep.

 

[mikeaj]

A (headphone) amp is an electronic device that takes in two analog input signals (voltages) and outputs two analog signals (voltages), with the electrical performance characteristics to send those to headphones.  There's more or less one signal for L channel and one for R channel.  Traditionally you would expect the output of the device to follow the input as closely as possible, so they look the same.  (Some devices tinker with the input, intentionally or not.)  Every device with a headphone jack has a headphone amp integrated.  A lot of times when people say "headphone amp" they're talking about a dedicated external device though.
 
Generally most amplifiers can make the signals louder (also softer), hence amplify them so your headphones sound louder.  If you increase the level your headphones get, they will be louder.  If you get more sensitive headphones, they will also be louder.  A lot of times, a more powerful headphone amplifier capable of outputting a higher voltage or current may not be necessary for more sensitive headphones.
 
Depending on the electrical circuit of the amplifier and the headphones they are connected to, they can have different performance characteristics.  In other words, the output of the device may deviate from the input that was given.  If the output deviates less from the input, then we say that the amplifier has higher fidelity.  These are analog systems, so of course we can't do anything with 100% accuracy; however, we can get so close that you (or anyone else) can't tell the difference.  Hence a better amplifier could improve the overall fidelity of the system.  Getting better headphones will also do this, potentially by more.
 
In general the headphones make a lot more difference in the sound quality, so just get the headphones you like and then get an amp that's suitable for driving them.  Many times the integrated amp of whatever you are using should be sufficient.  Something more expensive may be a little better, but different and more expensive headphones would have also been better too.
 
A decent "reference" low-cost amp is like a FiiO E5 for $20.  You can use it to see if the headphone out of whatever you are using is really bad or not.  If the E5 sounds significantly different, it integrated amp was no good for your headphones.  I wouldn't necessarily expect that for ATH-M50 though, as they're not particularly problematic to drive.

 

[Bassix]

Quote:

A (headphone) amp is an electronic device that takes in two analog input signals (voltages) and outputs two analog signals (voltages), with the electrical performance characteristics to send those to headphones.  There's more or less one signal for L channel and one for R channel.  Traditionally you would expect the output of the device to follow the input as closely as possible, so they look the same.  (Some devices tinker with the input, intentionally or not.)  Every device with a headphone jack has a headphone amp integrated.  A lot of times when people say "headphone amp" they're talking about a dedicated external device though.
 
Generally most amplifiers can make the signals louder (also softer), hence amplify them so your headphones sound louder.  If you increase the level your headphones get, they will be louder.  If you get more sensitive headphones, they will also be louder.  A lot of times, a more powerful headphone amplifier capable of outputting a higher voltage or current may not be necessary for more sensitive headphones.
 
Depending on the electrical circuit of the amplifier and the headphones they are connected to, they can have different performance characteristics.  In other words, the output of the device may deviate from the input that was given.  If the output deviates less from the input, then we say that the amplifier has higher fidelity.  These are analog systems, so of course we can't do anything with 100% accuracy; however, we can get so close that you (or anyone else) can't tell the difference.  Hence a better amplifier could improve the overall fidelity of the system.  Getting better headphones will also do this, potentially by more.
 
In general the headphones make a lot more difference in the sound quality, so just get the headphones you like and then get an amp that's suitable for driving them.  Many times the integrated amp of whatever you are using should be sufficient.  Something more expensive may be a little better, but different and more expensive headphones would have also been better too.
 
A decent "reference" low-cost amp is like a FiiO E5 for $20.  You can use it to see if the headphone out of whatever you are using is really bad or not.  If the E5 sounds significantly different, it integrated amp was no good for your headphones.  I wouldn't necessarily expect that for ATH-M50 though, as they're not particularly problematic to drive.

Much better of an explanation =) What is an integrated amp? Also, would the FiiO E5 be a good way to test out whether it'd be a significant thing to invest in with my M50's? Like something I would want to use, so i could buy a more expensive amp?
 

 

[mikeaj]

By "integrated amp" I just mean some electronics that function as a headphone amp, that are a part of some system that is generally not considered a standalone headphone amp.  Here the headphone amplifier is integrated into a larger whole.
 
e.g. part of a computer (or phone, or whatever) onboard audio chip functions as a headphone amp; some more expensive computer sound cards may include a circuit comprised of several parts, that together function as a headphone amplifier. The headphone amplifier on an Asus Xonar Essence STX is better than a lot of cheap dedicated headphone amplifiers, for example.  It's fairly similar to the FiiO E9 actually.
 
A lot of times people describe not having a headphone amp, which is a misleading description in my opinion.  If you're listening to headphones, you're listening through some type of headphone amplifier.  Thus you're interested if one headphone amplifier is (audibly) better than another, (1) for your headphones, (2) for your music, (3) for how loud you listen, and (4) for your ears.
 
I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting an E5, though you can try that since it's cheap.  Mostly I recommend buying from somewhere that has a good return policy.

 

[Bassix]

Quote:

By "integrated amp" I just mean some electronics that function as a headphone amp, that are a part of some system that is generally not considered a standalone headphone amp.  Here the headphone amplifier is integrated into a larger whole.
 
e.g. part of a computer (or phone, or whatever) onboard audio chip functions as a headphone amp; some more expensive computer sound cards may include a circuit comprised of several parts, that together function as a headphone amplifier. The headphone amplifier on an Asus Xonar Essence STX is better than a lot of cheap dedicated headphone amplifiers, for example.  It's fairly similar to the FiiO E9 actually.
 
A lot of times people describe not having a headphone amp, which is a misleading description in my opinion.  If you're listening to headphones, you're listening through some type of headphone amplifier.  Thus you're interested if one headphone amplifier is (audibly) better than another, (1) for your headphones, (2) for your music, (3) for how loud you listen, and (4) for your ears.
 
I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting an E5, though you can try that since it's cheap.  Mostly I recommend buying from somewhere that has a good return policy.

I'm still unsure what I'm getting I'm in between a portable and a full-sized one right now >_<

 

[Bobsama]

I'm still unsure what I'm getting I'm in between a portable and a full-sized one right now >_<

Well where/how do you listen right now? I personally have Koss PortaPros for listening to my iPod and a more serious system for home use.

 

[Army-Firedawg]

Wish this thread continued I find it to be rather informative. So for example my Beyerdynamic T70p very high impedence for a mobile headphone at 32ohms and my Bowers & Wilkins P7 which is much lowers at I think 22 or something ohms. I listen to my music at 60-70% TOPS and find them very comfortable at said levels, would buying i.e. Fiio E17 Aspen (plugged straight aux to aux to my LG G3) improve the sound quality of my headphones? Now when I'm listening to them I feel the music is more lively-er (spelling) but from reading I'm unsure if it's actual or psychosomatic. I've zero interest in raising the volume (dB) levels of my headphones but if there's something to improve the audio quality of these low resistance headphones, please explain to me more.

 

[jodgey4]

The 32 ohm impedance of the T70p's is certainly a low impedance, which means the output of your amp should be quite low (<4ohms ideally). You won't necessarily get a cleaner signal (you're amping the dirty one from your phone), but you might get the benefit of a lower output impedance from an external amp - which could mean less of a bloated sound, usually in the bass. Plus, having more power in your amp can mean you can push more clean power down at normal volumes. Putting your phone at a low volume and your amp at a high one could be a cleaner sound for that reason. The E17 also has a dedicated DAC section - which can help lots as well if your phone can use it.

 

[Army-Firedawg]

Appreciated and the E17 DAC is only through the port at the bottom port which I would have to buy an adaptor for since I don't have an apple device. So how about a home unit would getting the Schiit Magni and Modi combo improve any performance with said low impedence headphones. The cleaner sound is appealing where I currently don't own any high impedence headphones I'm really battleing myself rather the $200 for them is worth it with what I currently have.