[amdj]

Hi all,

I haven't been in here for years...

First of all, THANK you in advance if you can answer my questions.

I've been an owner of the UM2s for about 3.5 years. I started using them again recently and decided an amp would be nice to increase the quality of my music. I usually listen to MP3s rated around 200kbps and sometimes 320kbps.

However, I have little knowledge about which amps are good for my purposes. I am looking for one which can connect to my laptop/desktop and iPod Video (old school 60gb). If I get an amp such as the CORDA 2MOVE (which has USB connection), I don't have to worry about upgrading the sound card on my laptop, correct?

Also, I noticed that theres a program that fixes MP3s so that it doesn't distort on the iPod. I never played with it, but was wondering if it made a huge difference. There is definitely distortion with EQ on with my iPod Video.

Is there anything else I should be concerned with or get?

I plan to use my 280s for games. How much of an improvement would an amp be? Is the CORDA 2MOVE good for this headphone as well?

Any experiences posted will be truly appreciated!

Thanks again!

 

[lewislink]

One thing I've discovered so far since using an LOD (line out device) for the iPod is some amps don't respond very well to not having an already volume controlled signal. What I'm seeing, since an LOD bypasses the internal iPod amp and volume control, the amp controls the volume and some amps aren't very good at low volume maintenance.

The Practical Devices XM4 is one in particular. turning the amp volume down real low presents an imbalance between the lift and right channels. The channel volumes aren't sync'd well at low levels. One channel will be louder than the other. And since this amp has no gain control the volume is very touchy, it goes very high with minimal twisting of the knob.

If you go with an amp and do the LOD thing, which provides the cleanest signal possible...but not necessarily a perceived cleaner or better signal...you should look at a high quality amp like an RSA, HeadAmp or others. And definitely read reviews that do testing through an LOD.

I know nothing of the Corda or any of the others that are considered to be high quality so I can't comment on their LOD performance. I can comment about the RSA Hornet I have. It is definitely the one I will use with an LOD among all of the few amps I have because it has gain control and provides higher quality low volume level performance.

 

[amdj]

Thanks for the quick response!

I just checked out this:
HeadRoom Total BitHead @ HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

Primarily interested due to the USB connection and lower price than other amps.

It seems to be what I'm looking for. Is it possible to fine tune the bass and treble to how I want it in say Winamp without distortion with this amp?

 

[briank996]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amdj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi all, I haven't been in here for years... First of all, THANK you in advance if you can answer my questions. I've been an owner of the UM2s for about 3.5 years. I started using them again recently and decided an amp would be nice to increase the quality of my music. I usually listen to MP3s rated around 200kbps and sometimes 320kbps. However, I have little knowledge about which amps are good for my purposes. I am looking for one which can connect to my laptop/desktop and iPod Video (old school 60gb). If I get an amp such as the CORDA 2MOVE (which has USB connection), I don't have to worry about upgrading the sound card on my laptop, correct? Also, I noticed that theres a program that fixes MP3s so that it doesn't distort on the iPod. I never played with it, but was wondering if it made a huge difference. There is definitely distortion with EQ on with my iPod Video. Is there anything else I should be concerned with or get? I plan to use my 280s for games. How much of an improvement would an amp be? Is the CORDA 2MOVE good for this headphone as well? Any experiences posted will be truly appreciated! Thanks again!

I could never hear a difference between amped and no-amped UM2s.

 

[Luminette]

just sell one or both of those and get a better pair of headphones that don't need an amp

 

[Spyro]

UM2's are so efficient I can't possible think an amp would help anything and could even diminish the SQ since an amp is another signal between IEM and source.