[houstonz]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD580 Precision's that I've owned for about 2 years now.. my first 'real' pair of headphones you might say, despite how old the model is.

So, I've enjoyed how amazing they naturally sound plugged into my laptop's headphone jack.. but I'm looking to get more out of them. I need an amp. I'm not looking for a portable amp to take everywhere with me, as I'll likely only use it at my desk at home.
 
I'm a noob and I'm looking for something in the $100-150 range. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

 

[daerron]

Why don't you go for a USB DAC/AMP combination? There are some great options close to your price range. Perhaps something like Musiland Monitor 02 would be a nice option for your?

 

[malthis]

Second the DAC/AMP combo idea. Get yourself off the Laptop's inadequate sound card. I'm using a Matrix Mini-i for my HD580, and it sounds pretty good now, where it used to sound like mud through my HT receiver. I'm sure there are cheaper options, though I can't tell you how the Musiland Amp is but I've heard great things about its DAC.

 

[houstonz]

Thanks for the leads! I'll start digging.

 

[Snag1e]

I would go for the Fiio E9 amp, and the behringer uca 202 as a usb dac... I don't think you could do much better than that for $120  or, if you want to spend a bit more, maybe the E9/E7 combo or the Hifiman EF2.. both can be had for <$150 if you look around. Good luck! =D

 

[ShamanSleeve]

I agree on the Fiio E9, I have the Sennheiser HD 580 also, I just got a Fiio E9 today and I really like it with the HD 580.

 

[Hello panda]

The Maverick Audio D1 DAC & Amp is something you hold not missed out. It blends well even with top notch headphones like the Sennheiser HD800. Considering it a low priced DAC/AMP.

 

[houstonz]

I'm just gonna bump the heck out of this thread for a moment.
 
 
I never got around to picking up a DAC/amp. Things and stuff, stuff and things.
 
Still using the HD580s, though I'm looking to pick up some ATH-M50s soon. I've looked over a few Fiio DACs and amps trying to figure out the difference between all the dang models.. and I'd honestly just like a desktop DAC with some bass/treble adjustment knobs (or buttons, whatever) that's less than $150. Or more like $100.
 
Help? Thanks again.

 

[calipilot227]

Try the Fiio E9/E7 combo. The E9 is a very transparent amp, and the E7 serves very well as a DAC (as an amp, not so much).
 
I use my HD580s with a Little Dot MKIII. Amazing, although at ~$250 it's a little over your budget. I currently use it directly from a CD player, but I'll be adding an Emotiva XDA-1 DAC into the chain when it arrives on Tuesday.