[bladefd]

Disregard this thread guys since I still need a true soundcard (not onboard) that can powerup an amp.

Here is the other thread that matters:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/new...ndcard-419290/

No need to post here since this is not relevant anymore. Thanks.




Hey, I just received my DT880s and was wondering if somebody could recommend me some amps for around $50 or lower. I posted a thread in the general full-sized headphones forum, but it was not amp specific so responses varied.

Anyways, I don't know if any of you ever tried a DT880 without an amp, but here is what I hear. I have been listening to them for a couple hours now, and I can barely feel them around my ears (comfortable as hell). The bass is decent and treble is decent (both perfectly fine for my ears). The only thing is that the sound doesn't seem that vibrant to my ears. I feel as if I am listening to these while trapped in the middle of a tunnel (without the echo).

I assume that it is due to lack of amplifier. Somebody in the other thread in headphones forum recommended a Fiio E5 or CMOY but I am not sure how it would sound with the 880. Maybe somebody has tried it or at least has some idea??

I am sure you guys are wondering how am I able to hear the sound at all to begin with. Well, I currently have a cheap external USB soundcard connected from my old Icemat Siberia headphones. It has a sound controller on it so I am able to raise the volume and stuff on my 250ohm 880s.

Honestly, I don't mind buying an used amp from ebay or something if I have to. I really cannot afford to spend $100 on amp though unfortunately. Too expensive for me (besides, I got these headphones used for $105 shipped so decent price for me). Thanks folks!

 

[fjf]

Look for a mini3 (a portable, battery operated). It costs about $125 new, but it may be cheaper used. This amp makes the DT880 sing beautifully!.

 

[dukja]

I have found that Sansa Clip drives DT880 pretty well. Clips smooths out the sound and it actually sounds better than one well received cheap amp I used with 880 so I found there is no reason to spend the additional money with Clip. Clip is just about $50 at Walmart if you live in US.

I was in the same situation that try to find a cheap AMP/DAC to match DT880. The thing is that you will like it a lot more better if you can find a warm sounded but also detailed amp and source. I like my current setup really well with MF V-dac and Arietta really well, which is out of your limit but you might check other amp with the same trend of sound.

Other thing that you want to try if you use computer as source is to use this thread to equalize DT880. It is very effective and you will remove quite a bit sibliant sound by dampen the peaks at around 7k and 11k about 2~3dB.

Good luck!

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukja /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have found that Sansa Clip drives DT880 pretty well. Clips smooths out the sound and it actually sounds better than one well received cheap amp I used with 880 so I found there is no reason to spend the additional money with Clip. Clip is just about $50 at Walmart if you live in US. I was in the same situation that try to find a cheap AMP/DAC to match DT880. The thing is that you will like it a lot more better if you can find a warm sounded but also detailed amp and source. I like my current setup really well with MF V-dac and Arietta really well, which is out of your limit but you might check other amp with the same trend of sound. Other thing that you want to try if you use computer as source is to use this thread to equalize DT880. It is very effective and you will remove quite a bit sibliant sound by dampen the peaks at around 7k and 11k about 2~3dB. Good luck!

The Sansa Clip is pretty much MP3 player. I really do not plan on wearing these DT880 when I go out to places. This is WAY too big for me to be lugging it around to places; it is mostly for home use.

Anyways, it looks like I am pretty much limited because there really are no amps that I can get new for under a $100 that can fully power the 880's. I would be willing to get an used amp though without a problem. If only I could find an used mini3 or something under $100. I emailed the person that sells the PA2v2 and he emailed me back saying that the PA2v2 can power everything within 4 ohms and 320 ohms. Anyone ever tried out a PA2v2 with the 880 before? I really wonder how well it works.

 

[dukja]

There is no rule that you can not use Clip at home. I did.

I am not suggesting you to wear 880 outdoor, but use Clip at home. Clip is capable of FLAC (more than "MP3" player) and its DAC is the most flat response among MP3 players in the market. It has enough current to drive my 250 ohm 880 with high-gain mode. The point is that you might find Clip drive 880 almost as good, or even better in my previous case, than a non-synergistically-matched amp.

Certainly you can give them a try. (It is the sucking power of this forum

) To hear is to believe. Just my personal opinion.

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukja /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is no rule that you can not use Clip at home. I did. I am not suggesting you to wear 880 outdoor, but use Clip at home. Clip is capable of FLAC (more than "MP3" player) and its DAC is the most flat response among MP3 players in the market. It has enough current to drive my 250 ohm 880 with high-gain mode. The point is that you might find Clip drive 880 almost as good, or even better in my previous case, than a non-synergistically-matched amp. Certainly you can give them a try. (It is the sucking power of this forum ) To hear is to believe. Just my personal opinion.

lol I think you misunderstood (or I misunderstood) and I also did not make myself very clear. I want to use these 880's for not just music on portable mp3 players but also for playing games on my pc. I am on my computer hours at a time straight listening to music while surfing the web or even while watching tv (which is located directly next to my pc), I turn music on low while watching tv. Instead of having an mp3 player with music alone, I am able to do much more at the same time with the 880 connected to pc, etc. To be honest, since I am home a lot I really don't even need an mp3 player like others that are outside all day might.

Hopefully, I explained myself a bit better this time. I would post a thread in the for sale/trade forum asking if anyone is selling their mini^3 or some other decent amp for under $100, but it says that I would need 50 posts to start a thread unfortunately. Guess I will just have to participate in threads around here a bit more for a couple days to get my post count up to 50. Dang it, I have been looking and reading stuff on these forums for years but really found no need to post daily. This is the bad part about being a small-time poster

 

[Dat_Dude]

If you can go $30 more I have a HeadRoom Total BitHead for sale. I actually prefer that to the Mini^3. Check it out (in my sig).

EDIT: I forgot to mention that it drove my DT880s quite well.

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dat_Dude /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can go $30 more I have a HeadRoom Total BitHead for sale. I actually prefer that to the Mini^3. Check it out (in my sig). EDIT: I forgot to mention that it drove my DT880s quite well.

I really don't plan on going past $100. $100 is actually past my limit already so there is no way I can push myself to go farther. Thanks anyways.

Dang it, I wish there was a recent review of all the lower end amplifiers reviewed together and compared with each other. A quick look through google didn't get me anything. I am not going to rant on this too much but why in god's name are the decent amps so mad expensive? This is crazy lol. It is much easier to find an used top of the line headphone like the DT880 for under $200 than it is to find a decent high-end amplifier under $200. Maybe I would have been better off buying a slightly lower-end headphone (such as D1001 or AD700) than the DT880 since I wouldn't have had to worry about getting an amp.

 

[Dat_Dude]

I think you said it earlier. You will find a difficult time driving the DT880 for under $100. That is a great deal on the DT880, but unless you power it well you will not see the benefits.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Take a look at the PreSonus HP4. They run right around $100 and you should be able to find an Interne seller with no tax and free shipping.

The HP4 shares the same amp circuit with the PreSonus Central Station. I owned a Central Station for awhile and thought that it did well with the DT880. Check out the various Central Station reviews - others think it sounds good, too.

Another option is to track down a vintage receiver with a headphone jack. Some sound better than others, but I know of no list of models. Take your headphones along and give each one a listen before you buy. Check with friends and family first - they might have one they'll just give you. Next, try garage sales, thrift stores, junk shops, anywhere that has used stuff. Finally, consider Craigslist and eBay. You should be able to find something for $50 or less.

Yet another option is to build your own. A SOHA kit runs (IIRC) about $50, and you can scrounge a case for it. DIY is not that hard and is hugely rewarding. Give it a try if that interests you.

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Take a look at the PreSonus HP4. They run right around $100 and you should be able to find an Interne seller with no tax and free shipping. The HP4 shares the same amp circuit with the PreSonus Central Station. I owned a Central Station for awhile and thought that it did well with the DT880. Check out the various Central Station reviews - others think it sounds good, too. Another option is to track down a vintage receiver with a headphone jack. Some sound better than others, but I know of no list of models. Take your headphones along and give each one a listen before you buy. Check with friends and family first - they might have one they'll just give you. Next, try garage sales, thrift stores, junk shops, anywhere that has used stuff. Finally, consider Craigslist and eBay. You should be able to find something for $50 or less. Yet another option is to build your own. A SOHA kit runs (IIRC) about $50, and you can scrounge a case for it. DIY is not that hard and is hugely rewarding. Give it a try if that interests you.

I found some HP4 on eBay and also 1 being sold locally for $75 on Craigslist. I am really considering buying it possibly. It has 4 headphone outputs so would the power still be fairly balanced if I were to plug in just 1 headphone and keep the other outputs empty?

I really am not able to build my own amp. I don't have any experience in that kind of stuff and not willing to risk it lol. TBH, I can probably wait a few days and see if any new threads are posted in the headphone-Amps for sale/trade forums on these boards and hope something comes up.

 

[bladefd]

After some googling, I found a thread where somebody tried an HP4 with their DT880 and he gave a positive feedback at very end of the thread. Presonus HP4 voltage - Hydrogenaudio Forums

Hm, I think I might order the HP4 by tonight. Hopefully somebody else on here tried it and can provide some more feedback on it before I order it?

 

[bladefd]

I have one more question regarding the HP4. The back of the HP4 has following input/output connections.

What kind of wire goes in there? I am a newb when it comes to amplifiers since I never owned one before so don't mind me asking.

 

[upstateguy]

My 880s play pretty good through my HP laptop's headphone jack.

USG

 

[royalcrown]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bladefd /img/forum/go_quote.gif After some googling, I found a thread where somebody tried an HP4 with their DT880 and he gave a positive feedback at very end of the thread. Presonus HP4 voltage - Hydrogenaudio Forums Hm, I think I might order the HP4 by tonight. Hopefully somebody else on here tried it and can provide some more feedback on it before I order it?

lol, that's me in that HA thread.

To answer your question: the HP4 takes mono 1/4" TS/TRS cables. You can find adapters to stereo RCA or 1/8" TRS stereo (headphone cable) adapters on the web or locally at a guitar center or like place. What does your source take?