[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjinh /img/forum/go_quote.gif well, dont think I can change volume of my digital signal?? at least we're trying to preserve our hearing... yeh, and tinnitus sux (had for a while as a result of using poorly sealed iems on the train to uni)

I've had it for as long as I can remember (I am guessing since I was about 5 since I had ear surgery back then)


Regarding matching components, this amp was essentially a gift, not a well-thought out purchase (as I doubt it would be even close to affordable in my country). The sound it produces is much superior to my old amp which is why I am still using it.

Just figured I'd bring up one of my key complaints with amps in general it seems.

 

[upstateguy]

I'm coming in late on this but I bought these to get past a volume imbalance problem I had a few years ago. They attenuated the signal alright, but they also ruined the high end and I had to take them out of the chain.

 

[burgunder]

I think you are rigth. I have been using an EF2 with a pair of K400's they have the same impedance and efficiency as the K500's which are known to be rather difficult to drive, but I normally I listen with the knob at around 12 o'clock. ATM I'm using the AKG's out of a uDAC and even then I only reach 12 if I turn the knob to full which should give a line level signal of 2V it gets way too loud. Perhaps more of us should use some kind of current buffers like this or this

 

[scompton]

I completely agree with this thread. I rarely get to 9 o'clock on a volume knob on most amps I've tried. On a few, I've had problems getting past the point of channel imbalance on the pot. I gave up on a portable amp. Every one I tried went from no volume to too loud with nothing in between. Not to mention it's too easy to accidentally bump the volume knob on every portable amp I've seen. Even with my iPod, I never listen without locking the controls. I've blasted my ears too many times by accident.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Mr G....have you adjusted the gain on the MK III to it's lowest setting via the underside dip switches ? Forgive me if this have already been mentioned.

Peete.

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mr G....have you adjusted the gain on the MK III to it's lowest setting via the underside dip switches ? Forgive me if this have already been mentioned. Peete.

Yes, it was on 3. Considering the channel imbalance up to about 20% of the volume pot, 3 is still too high and you didn't have much room to move. If this seems strange to you (that 3 gain is too much), I should mention that the ety is my main headphone currently, however I find 3 still slightly too high for the DT770pro.

On the subject of the little dot, I cannot for the life of me think of a headphone (except maybe something that requires a speaker amp) that would need a gain of 10 to have smooth control of the output.

I'm not using it anymore, by the way (now using an HR2).

Just curious, but why arent there amps with unity gain? The smoothness and room to move to find a good level would be much more appreciated than move it a smidge and blast your brains out.

The HR2 low gain might not be such a good idea for since it is using opamps, but other than that, it doesn't make sense to me. Lots of people here say that "Loud does not mean good" and yet amps are marketing their grunt via their gain (or at least it seems that way to me).

 

[skitlets]

There are a few amps out there with unity gain, or rather can be ordered with unity gain. I got my Glite from Justin with a gain of 2 and thinking back, I should have asked for unity.

 

[Punnisher]

My tomahawk has a low gain of 1 and it's more than enough for my westone um2, grados, akg k702, 250 ohm beyerdynamics and 400 ohm beyerdynamics. And that's with using the low-voltage line outs from portable devices. I've yet to come across a recording that's too quiet for the amp to handle on low gain.

So yeah, manufacturers really need to have their low gain at 1 and high gain at maybe 3.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, it was on 3. Considering the channel imbalance up to about 20% of the volume pot, 3 is still too high and you didn't have much room to move. If this seems strange to you (that 3 gain is too much), I should mention that the ety is my main headphone currently, however I find 3 still slightly too high for the DT770pro. On the subject of the little dot, I cannot for the life of me think of a headphone (except maybe something that requires a speaker amp) that would need a gain of 10 to have smooth control of the output. I'm not using it anymore, by the way (now using an HR2). Just curious, but why arent there amps with unity gain? The smoothness and room to move to find a good level would be much more appreciated than move it a smidge and blast your brains out. The HR2 low gain might not be such a good idea for since it is using opamps, but other than that, it doesn't make sense to me. Lots of people here say that "Loud does not mean good" and yet amps are marketing their grunt via their gain (or at least it seems that way to me).

Seems like you've done all you can ....

I think you have a mismatch (headphone/amp pairing) that just won't work. Even if you swapped out the pot for a better performer, you might be better off selling the amp for something that fits your favorite choice of transducers.

Peete.

 

[Lavcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atbglenn /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about trying in-line audio attenuators? They're available in different db ranges from Amazon and various other places. Since I never tried one, I'm not sure if they would have a negative impact on the SQ. Any comment on these would be welcome. Amazon.com: Harrison Labs 6 dB RCA Line Level Attenuator Pair: Electronics

I have some Shure balanced attenuators I used between my CD player and monoblocks. They seemed to work fine. Never tried them with headphones, though. I have no headphones that are balanced.

 

[realmassy]

I've got the same problem and I'm looking for these Rothwell balanced attenuators:
Hifi Gear ~ ~ Rothwell XLR attenuators (pair)
Any comments?

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by realmassy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've got the same problem and I'm looking for these Rothwell balanced attenuators: Hifi Gear ~ ~ Rothwell XLR attenuators (pair) Any comments?

i have them. they do what they are supposed to - give you more range on the volume control. i used them for a while but don't anymore. i don't think they degrade the sound but they definitely affect it.

 

[realmassy]

Thanks vcoheda for your quick reply.
I'll give them a try and post my impressions here.

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif Seems like you've done all you can .... I think you have a mismatch (headphone/amp pairing) that just won't work. Even if you swapped out the pot for a better performer, you might be better off selling the amp for something that fits your favorite choice of transducers. Peete.

As the amp was essentially a gift I intend to hold onto it until it has at least run its course in my setup (and I quite like the sound although the highs are little back for my preference, but given the headphones I am looking at this may end up being a good thing).

The local store is reopening on the 11th and I intend to take it down and try it out with several headphones (and I'm planning on either buying a DT880, MSpro, AD2000 or K701 from him or, failing to like those import an SA5k). But we'll see how the gain issue pans out later. Cheers for the advice though.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif As the amp was essentially a gift I intend to hold onto it until it has at least run its course in my setup (and I quite like the sound although the highs are little back for my preference, but given the headphones I am looking at this may end up being a good thing). The local store is reopening on the 11th and I intend to take it down and try it out with several headphones (and I'm planning on either buying a DT880, MSpro, AD2000 or K701 from him or, failing to like those import an SA5k). But we'll see how the gain issue pans out later. Cheers for the advice though.

I can understand your hesitancy to sell it (you don't want to seem ungrateful for the gift, perfectly valid and commendable feeling IMO) and I recommend you look at headphones that are above 100 ohm in resistance for the MK III ...the Sennheiser HD6XX series (300 ohm) mate very well with this amp as do some others in that range of impedance (200-600 ohm). The OTL design by nature has trouble with cans below a certain impedance value. High efficiency IEM's are tricky to amplify without the problems you've just been describing in this thread...it's a tough choice in any event but good luck with the local store search.

Peete.