[MCC]

Update: I have reserved a HeadFive and I am very close to sending the payment. Given my needs and current equipment, is this a good choice?

I spent several hours listening to the following setups today, and I am now convinced I need an amp for my Sennheiser HD 595s.

1. iAudio X5L->Cheap headphone to RCA cable->Pioneer "Reference" VSX-99 AV receiver (fuller sound than direct from the X5, but with recessed vocals-my main complaint about the X5)
2. Pioneer DV-C36 DVD player->dual RCA->Pioneer VSX-99 receiver (background noise, hard to listen to for significant amounts of time)
3. Pioneer DV-563A DVD player->digital coax->Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver (very clean, wonderful sound, makes songs I almost never listen to direct from the X5 or my computer sound great.)

I need a dedicated headphone amp with a similar sound signature to setup 3 (and maybe even better quality), but that doesn't cost too much. I just turned 17, so money really is an issue. I'd like to avoid the sound of setup 2, since it was rather fatiguing to listen to. My tastes in music include Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Eagles, The Who, Queen, Ozzy, Neil Young, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Journey, orchestral pieces/movie soundtracks, etc. As you can see, I need an amp that will sound great with pretty much everything I throw at it. My plan is to hook the headphone amp directly to the digital optical out of my Chaintech AV-710, so a digital input would be good but not required. If not, I can always mod the Wolfson analog out of the card with black gates. The majority of my music is FLAC or 320k MP3. I look for detail and warmth in my music. The bass needs to be there, but not in copious quantities. Remember, this amp needs to be cheap, probably $300 absolute max, but I'd prefer something in the $100 range if I can get impeccable sound out of it. Am I asking for too much?

Edit: Would a HeadFive amp be good for this setup (from the AV-710's wolfson output, which I will mod w/ black gates if I get an amp w/o a built-in DAC) or do I need a better sound card than the 710? I really like the looks of the HeadFive, it seems to be a well built amp. The amp needs to last and keep sounding better as I improve the source. I don't want it to quickly become the limiting factor of my setup. The ability to run on batteries would be a big plus. Also, as I'm still in the preliminary stages of my search, any input would truly be appreciated.

 

[MCC]

I have just sent in a reservation for a HeadFive before they all dissapear. I'm really liking what I've read about the initial impressions of this amp, as well as the circuit design and overall finish. Before I finish this transaction, though, I would like to know: is this really my best choice for the price (as it appears to be, I have looked at amps a bit in the past) or is there something similarly priced that will fit perfectly with my 595s?

Thanks.

Edit: The fact that the 595s are the first Sennheiser headphones listed for sale on the maker's site reinforces to me that this amp was created for headphones like mine. Is this a correct assumption?

 

[MCC]

Bump

 

[db597]

It is probably too early to expect a good reply to this. Few people have got their HeadFives as yet. Those who have are reporting good things, but it might be the initial euphoria. One of the the newer reviews says that the bass is good, but the treble isn't as revealing as the other Cordas (Aria etc). It's probably fine for something like the HD595, which is one of the more forward sounding Senns, but not such as good match for the HD650, where the bass is already rather pronounced in comparison to the treble.

It should also be kept in mind that this doesn't mean that the treble is bad - it's being compared against amps twice it's price. Also, the lower amount of treble detail makes it more forgiving of the rest of the setup. IMHO, it would be a fine match for a mid-range headphone like the HD595.

 

[1Time]

I have the AV710 in my HTPC but only use it for home theater to my receiver. I notice a slight bump in the upper treble of my HD595 that occasionally bugs me. I suggest getting an amp that has a neutral treble or a one that is slightly rolled off, maybe a tube amp. With my LDM+ amp and my HD595 the highs are too strong for my taste, but then I've only used my LDM+ for about 3 hours now. It actually sounds better coming from my Kenwood VRS-7100 receiver like this: VRS-7100 > LDM+ > HD595. I would be interested in learning what amp you choose for your HD595 and how it works out for you.

 

[MCC]

Thanks. I've chosen the HeadFive, as I've read that it has a very "tubey" sound. I have also found that the opamps used in the HeadFive, rather uncharacteristically for solid state, clip in a soft, tubelike way. Not like I want it clipping in the first place.

I very recently tried my HD-595s with an old McIntosh 1500 tube amp. I liked the overall sound signature, even though it's in great need of repair. There's a buzz in the left channel and most of the tubes (11/13!) are original and many probably need to be replaced. Even though the sound wasn't that great due to bad tubes, I could tell that this is the kind of sound I want. But, I don't want to move this ton-and-a-half amp between houses. I also don't want to pour money into an amp I won't be able to use often. So, hopefully the HeadFive will have at least part of the tube-like sound I'm looking for!

 

[1Time]

You also might want to try the HeadFive from your receiver, just as an experiment to see how it sounds that way. Hope you will like your HeadFive amp.