[Coltrane]

Perception is not reality. Perception is flawed, and sometimes willfully flawed. The goal should be to see reality as it is, not as how your biases color it. And this goes with all things. The whole 'placebo is still fine because it makes you think things are better' argument is absolutely ridiculous. You owe it to yourself to 'know' things, not just believe things. Again, this goes for ALL things.

 

[Morph201]

Dude, I rather just swallow the blue pill and call it a day!

[size=medium]Ignorance = bliss![/size]

Bliss = nice amp + cool IEM + hot source

therefore ignorance = ????

(kiddin'...)

 

[Morph201]

Enough with this amp talk! Coltrane we need to head over to the Music forum and talk about the impact Jimmy Garrison\Mccoy Tyner\Elvin Jones\ and Trane had on the jazz scene! Now that would be interesting! that's my reality!
And one of damn reasons I keep trying to find a decent music source!

 

[Coltrane]

I prefer the post quartet stuff, when he got real out. Pharaoh, Alice (RIP), Rashied. Oh yeah. Stuff sounds awesome on ibuds.

 

[Morph201]

Ah, (going way off topic here)...

That's the perfect case for percption = reality, no? Post-65 Trane, free jazz right??? The beauty in that (from my limited understanding) is that the notes you and I hear are going to be assimilated differently... so each one of us is going to get (hear) something different out of it, as opposed to "logically constructed chord progressions.." ? Man, the more I think about it, this would be better discussed over a beer at the pub!

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_ah1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It wasn't the sound quality that blew me away - in fact my M3 straight sounds a touch more detailed and with a wider acoustic (less in the front, more around my head making it feel a touch more transparent). What blew me away was the low sound floor with my IEMs.

This is what I use portable amps for. Etys aren't as sensitive as my UM2's, so when using the UM2's I hear a substantial hiss from my iPods. With a portable amp, that goes away. I listen at very low volumes and so the only option for me was/is a portable amp otherwise I would need to crank the volume to drown out the hiss.

However, what most don't consider when buying an amp is what their headphones need and what the amp offers. They instead read the forums, read the hype and just buy thinking their system will be magically transformed.

If one has a low Z phone and one buys a tube amp for instance that has a high Z output, don't expect a supernatural experience. The match is likely going to be rubbish. If a phone needs tons of power but the amp is not capable of that swing...the sound is likely going to be mediocre at best. Likewise if a headphone requires a lot of current, this is distinct from a lot of power...and if the amp offers tons of power but not as much current...then again, the sound may not be what one hopes for.

With IEM's they are already so sensitive and so efficient that they don't need power. The 5 mW+ output of most devices (perhaps 30+ for the iPod?) is more than enough for any IEM. So why bother? If the phones require lots of current, the iPod for instance, doesn't excel here, so if one uses Grados or Etys...an external amp could really be helpful, but for most of the current line-up of IEMs, this is a non-issue, an amp is nearly 100% pointless unless one wants to lower the noise floor. Another advantage would be that one could have a lower gain setting on the amp and use more of the amp vs. what the DAP or other portable device pumps out.

The best advice is really to sit back and read the impressions after a significant amount of time has passed. Some love the hunt and want everything new to try and and will do the resale game. These people are awesome for those that ride the used market. Not everyone can get a listen so the forums are the best way to glean enough information that a purchase can make sense. Buying too early means riding the fanfare hype train. Waiting means one can make a truly educated decision because the quirks will likely have come out by then.

 

[Morph201]

That makes a lot of sense...

 

[Happy Camper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is what I use portable amps for. Etys aren't as sensitive as my UM2's, so when using the UM2's I hear a substantial hiss from my iPods. With a portable amp, that goes away. I listen at very low volumes and so the only option for me was/is a portable amp otherwise I would need to crank the volume to drown out the hiss. However, what most don't consider when buying an amp is what their headphones need and what the amp offers. They instead read the forums, read the hype and just buy thinking their system will be magically transformed. If one has a low Z phone and one buys a tube amp for instance that has a high Z output, don't expect a supernatural experience. The match is likely going to be rubbish. If a phone needs tons of power but the amp is not capable of that swing...the sound is likely going to be mediocre at best. Likewise if a headphone requires a lot of current, this is distinct from a lot of power...and if the amp offers tons of power but not as much current...then again, the sound may not be what one hopes for. With IEM's they are already so sensitive and so efficient that they don't need power. The 5 mW+ output of most devices (perhaps 30+ for the iPod?) is more than enough for any IEM. So why bother? If the phones require lots of current, the iPod for instance, doesn't excel here, so if one uses Grados or Etys...an external amp could really be helpful, but for most of the current line-up of IEMs, this is a non-issue, an amp is nearly 100% pointless unless one wants to lower the noise floor. Another advantage would be that one could have a lower gain setting on the amp and use more of the amp vs. what the DAP or other portable device pumps out. The best advice is really to sit back and read the impressions after a significant amount of time has passed. Some love the hunt and want everything new to try and and will do the resale game. These people are awesome for those that ride the used market. Not everyone can get a listen so the forums are the best way to glean enough information that a purchase can make sense. Buying too early means riding the fanfare hype train. Waiting means one can make a truly educated decision because the quirks will likely have come out by then.

Very well explained. Good advice. Thanks for the .02

 

[laxx]

I hear almost no difference when using my DAP with Ksc75's as opposed to DAP with Ksc75 and LDM+. It's the amount of volume I gain that makes me use it. The output of my DAP isn't the strongest, so I don't get enough volume unamped.

Sometimes, I think the sound quality is somewhat improved, but then there's days when I think there's not a single difference. I eventually stopped caring and just enjoy the music. When my e500's get here, I'm going to try and use them unamped. If there's alot of hiss, I'll try it with the LDM+. If there's alot of hiss, I'll look for another amp that offers low gain (probably the Xtra X1).

 

[eddystoner]

A really a horrible headphone unamped will sound horrible even with a amp. So i agree with the comment that the souce or headphone give greater results. Without a good source or headphone an amp is a waste of money. I lean more toward having a better headphone than souce when talking about DAP's. This is just my experience....

I would also say this was a catch 22 .

 

[Vicomte]

I used my Total Airhead with Cryo dock with my new ER-4P today, and was surprised that it actually made a very noticeable difference from the headphone-out on my iPod. I thought the difference would be nearly nonexistent as the 4P doesn't require amplification, but everything was a lot clearer, bass was much more prominent, and the sound was significantly improved. It might a be a combination of line out and amplification, but I have to say that a portable amp will always make a difference, for the better, rather than unamped out of a DAP. The difference might not be great, but it's there. I found an amazingly crappy pair of aftermarket Sony buds the other day that I tested amped and unamped, and they sounded much better amped.

As far as the difference between cheap portable amps and their high-end counterparts, I can't say, as I haven't listened to the high-end. They do look awfully groovy, though. Art for art's sake, right?

And as for Coltrane's philosophization... absolute truth is a lie. Perception is all any of us can ever have.

I was pondering saving up for a Tomahawk, but I think I might use the money to buy an HD650 instead. I need to find out if I'm a Grado man or a Senn guy.

 

[3x331m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morph201 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dude, I rather just swallow the blue pill and call it a day!

What blue pill are you talking about ? I have some blue pills for diarrhea. Is that it ?

 

[Morph201]

Hehehe, well either the one Morpheus was handing Neo... or maybe the one the Pharmacist hands Hugh Hefner before his "friends" come over... either way, I bet ya have more fun than tinkering with a pcb and op-amp! Ok, this is taking the wrong turn!

Man, didn't know I had to wear the flame-proof suit today!

 

[kipman725]

well as my hd650's can not be driven at listeneable volumes by most portable players I think in my case an amp is more or less esential. See little point if your using in ear headphones though as you have already sacrificed sound quality for portability and the amp is a serious portability impediment.

 

[diff_lock2]

I'm getting my first head amp tomorrow... a cmoy. Then, i can comment...