[surge]

hi,

i understand that headphone amps are needed to better drive high impedence headphones. typically 32ohm and up

but can they be used to ear phones like super5pro, um2 etc which has impedance of only about 21ohms?

will they benefit for an amp or just increase the volume setting will do.
?

thanks

 

[dr.morton]

Usual this only makes sense if the line-out of your DAP is much better then the headphone-out.

 

[kramer5150]

certainly... some things to consider though.

IEMs don't really need a lot of power. The amp should be used to color the sound, more-so than amplify it. How the amp colors the sound is up to the listener, and his/her sonic preferences.

IEMs generally perform better with low gain amp circuits. High gain amps can have poor S/N performance. When you pick components for an IEM system, make sure your source output is not too high for the gain of your amp, otherwise you will not be able to turn the amps volume down low enough, to maintain L/R channel balance.

IMHO amps with an open, warm, and detail revealing sound signature sound best with IEMs.

Be careful what amp you plug your IEM into. Many amps are not designed for low impedance loads. My PPA (for example) will go into oscillation if I hit it with a really low impedance load.

IMHO the best amps for IEMs have switchable gain and a warm sound.... Tomahawk and the AE-2 are my favs.... the AE-2 being the warmer of the two.

Yes you can amp the headphone output. If it is a clean/balanced sounding phone out.

 

[epaludo]

As kramer5150 says, the Tomarawk from Ray Samuels Audio. It's designed for IEM usage, it also can drive full sized cans though ...

 

[Wildcard30]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epaludo /img/forum/go_quote.gif As kramer5150 says, the Tomarawk from Ray Samuels Audio. It's designed for IEM usage, it also can drive full sized cans though ...

X2

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epaludo /img/forum/go_quote.gif As kramer5150 says, the Tomarawk from Ray Samuels Audio. It's designed for IEM usage, it also can drive full sized cans though ...

[size=xx-small](sorry, couldn't resist)[/size]

 

[BIG POPPA]

I have a Tomahawk with almost 300 hours burned it and is getting better everyday with my UM-1's

 

[bmclaurin]

Haven't heard the Tomahawk, but it's [slightly] larger brother, the Hornet, is also excellent. It has the added advantage of a selectable gain switch on the back of the device. The low gain setting is perfect for IEM's, like my Sensa 2X-S's and my UE superfi.5pro's, and even works well with my Grado RS-1's. And the medium setting can drive my HD650's with aplomb. In that regard, most would say that the Hornet offers a bit more flexibility, of course with a slight penalty in size and battery life. Depends on what's most important to you. If you're pretty sure that you will only be using it with IEM's, then the Tomahawk is probably the best choice. Good luck.

Barry

 

[nikongod]

the singlepower extreme works very well for both the etymotic er4s and the yuin pk2. i never tried it with my sony mdr-e888.

i will try the etymotic's with the supra when it comes.

 

[surge]

thanks for all the advice. funny that i realise the huming sound seems to have to do w my protective case for the ipod. maybe it generates static. touch the panel in front will get humming..don touch it then ok. anyway. been testing different songs at louder volume compared with amp...prefer the sound w an amp.

 

[dr.morton]

It all depends on your source. My Cowon A2 sounds better without an amp. Check the site to find out if the source your using is "ampable".

 

[abbatazappa]

I have kind of an unusual situation, and have not been able to find a suitable answer after searching these boards for several hours. This particular thread seemed to address the heart of the matter. Still, I have questions that maybe an expert can answer.

First, I want to add headphones as a listening option to my home system. This is not as simple as it sounds. First, I cannot listen to regular "full sized" headphones. I wear glasses, and headphones press the frames against my head. This makes extended listening impossible. I have tried over and over, and always the same result. Headache. Contact lenses are not an option either. They don't make frameless glasses. I more or less gave up on ever having headphones. Then along came IEMs. They solve the eyeglass frame problem.

OK. I need to listen to IEMs on my HOME system. I have a Manley Stingray amp. No headphone jack. So I need a headphone amp. This lead me to the question posed by this particular thread. I looked at the recommended IEM amps. However, they seem to be designed for portable players, not home systems. I don't need batteries, in fact do not want batteries. I would prefer RCA jack inputs that don't require some kind of adapter. The only thing I've come up with that MIGHT meet my needs is the Headroom Micro Amp. However, it looks like it will need an adapter for the RCA cables coming from my Manley. Is anyone aware of something that will work for this admittedly strange set up?

 

[Currawong]

You could just get any regular desktop HP amp that has RCA input. You don't have to get one designed for IEMs specifically.

 

[krmathis]

For sure they can.
Just be careful with the volume knob...