[Modulus]

Hi there,

I was hoping someone could give me a few pointers to get me going in the right direction towards amping my phones on a bit of a budget.

I just recently got a pair of HD555's and am trying to figure out which amplification route to take. Basically I have a few questions: I am running my sounds through my laptop and was wondering if audio quality is going to bottle-neck right out of the starting blocks with my generic sound card. I had been planning on buying an amp but was wondering if this would give me any improved quality, or whether it will merely pump out the inferior sound from my card at great volume.

So is it perhaps a better option to just buy a good sound card, like an Audigy external without an amp, or would it still be worth it to just get an amp with my current card? (As I'm on a budget I'm afraid I have to choose between one or the other)

The other question I have is presuming that I do get an amp; what is the difference between, for example, a Sony 140w RMS hi-fi amp and a dedicated headphone amp? Are Hi-Fi amps inferior for headphone output? I ask this because Hi-Fi amps are far more accessible to me.

Thanks!

 

[gkl]

Portability needed? What's your budget? E-MU 0404 USB is a good value external soundcard, the built-in headphone amp will be good enough for HD555.

And welcone to Head-Fi, sorry for your wallet

(always wanted to say that)

 

[SubDiv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modulus /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...was wondering if audio quality is going to bottle-neck right out of the starting blocks with my generic sound card. I had been planning on buying an amp but was wondering if this would give me any improved quality, or whether it will merely pump out the inferior sound from my card at great volume. ...

Hello! Welcome to Head-Fi! (sorry about your wallet

)


You're on the right track there starting with a lossless format like FLAC or similar, and getting a good DAC will be much better than amping lossy audio out of a generic soundcard. You didn't state your budget limit, and but I think the Headamp Pico would be an excellent solution to your problem. Not only will you get a phenominal DAC(soundcard) for the money in a small form factor, but you get a decent amp with it as well.

IronDreamer has an great comparison you can read here. Note that the Pico is roughly half the price of the Apogee minidac, but bests or equals it depending on your musical preferences and what you need connection-wise.

 

[Modulus]

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'm starting to come to grips with this learning curve, and I see what you mean about the wallet, I think I'm going to be spending quite a bit of cash on ampage in the future.

I think that the best solution for me will be some kind of DAC, as this will bypass my soundcard (am I right?) as well as provide amplification (in some cases) for much cheaper.

I'm busy browsing around ebay for a reasonable DAC.

How would a DAC (with amplification) compare to a Hi-Fi amp fed through a soundcard? And how would a Hi-Fi amp compare to a headphone amp?

Thanks!

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Hi-Fi integrated amps with headphone outs are usually not nearly as good as a dedicated headphone amp.

Also if you don't need the portibility then a stationary headphone amp will be better for your money than a portable one.

 

[SubDiv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modulus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that the best solution for me will be some kind of DAC, as this will bypass my soundcard (am I right?)

A DAC connected via USB or via optical out bypass from your current soundcard means that the DAC is your soundcard. Using USB would be simpler and is usually preferable as it completely bypasses any interference the integrated soundcard might add, however for some specific setups using a coax or optical out from your soundcard will solve problems that some people have with USB.

I assumed you desired portability, if you let us know what your budget is and how you will be using it(portable or no), we can help you more.

 

[pretzelb]

I just wanted to jump in and thank those who are helping the OP because I'm also on the learning curve and thus far the responses have been helpful and very considerate. I don't know about the OP but I am often intimidated when I visit these forums.

I read a bit on the E-MU 0404 USB and while it seems to be well liked it is tremendous overkill for someone like me. I can't imagine have a use for most of the switches or connections. But the price of $150 seemed reasonable.

But reading that one link on the Pico, Apogee, and Hornet was really interesting. With the posts here and some other reading I'm starting to finally see why the Pico is so well liked. For the price and size it does cover a lot of bases. Up until now I really didn't think much of a DAC but the idea is growing on me now, especially given the package you get with the Pico.

BTW - any good "So you want to know more about a DAC" guides out there?

 

[Enigmatx]

If you're looking for an amp/DAC for your laptop, and since you're failry new to this, I doubt you feel secure enough to drop $500 on a pico or perdator (guesstimate). I would recommend the new Corda 2Move. For less than half the price, its a fantastic piece of hardware with an updated DAC. You'll get great mileage out of this baby and there's no way you wont like the Meier sound signature

 

[SubDiv]

very good idea Enigmatx! Definately add the Meier products to the list; also the ray samuels, the headroom Bitheads are another option, but I would check out Meier or Headamp ones first.

I recall there's a "Predator vs Pico" thread, haven't looked into it but I bet there's some good info there too. The best way to get one of these is to buy used, that usually chops about 100 bucks off the initial price. I would think posting a WTB would garner you some responses, especially for portable dac/amps like this.