[Patrickhat2001]

This may seem like an odd thread but I've been wondering latley that if I play my cards right could I get by without ever buying an amp? I know that an amp will make any headphone sound better, regardless of it's impedance. But come on, with 32ohm headphones how much could that difference possibly be? And certainly that difference wouldn't justify buying a $600 amp like a Gilmore or a Headroom Max for $1800 when I could could just buy a CMOY or perhaps a Meta. Would not these cheaper amps give me all (or pretty-close to all) that I would get from a more expensive and powerful amp when using low impedance phones? By low impedance phones I mean the Ety ER 4Ps (and perhaps the ER 4S), Sony CD3000 and Grado RS-1 and all other less expensive phones with the Ohms around 32 or so.

P.S. Oh, wow guys. Sorry, I don't mean to be a troll or anything. I just read a post that was somewhat similar to mine and the guy got attack for saying something similar to what I did above (although he definately deserved what he got ). Make no mistake, I know that good headphone amps are REQUIRED for phones that have high impedance. I'm just thinking that for myself I may be able to get away with spending more on the phones and less (or actually maybe nothing) on an amp. Anyone have a similar plan, or maybe used to and then became a convert to using amps for every phone, regaurdless of impedance? I'd like to hear your opinions.

 

[Cap'n Dan]

For your 32ohm 'phones, you could go without an amp. Certain ones, however, even though they are 32ohms, need amps to sound their best (I'm speaking of Grados specifically--they are all 32ohm). The RS-1, for example, can be driven adequately without an amp, but it wouldn't have the depth and precision that an amp would provide.

I drive my Grado SR-225s with a high quality NAD receiver. In comparing the headphone jack of this preamp circuit with the jack on the Philips CD source, there is a noticable difference in clarity.

I doubt that any difference will be revealed on those Koss 'phones. You could definitely get by without an amp. You can get by without an amp with the Grado SR-60 and the Sennheiser HD497, too. Those would be great values.

 

[shafu]

The sony cd3000 that have low impedance need an amp to sound it's fullest. You wouldn't get the depth nor the soundstage playing directly from a CDP. In fact, I just listened to the CD3K directly out of the headphone out of my C333es and the bass is fairly muddy compared to out of my Zotl.

 

[doobooloo]

Second that.

My CD3Ks are a night and day difference with and without my META42. I wonder how much better it'll be with a better amp...

 

[dokebi]

IMO an amp can make a set of crap headphones sound bearable. Imagine the good it can do for good headphones.

 

[Geek]

I believe that you can go without an amp and be a head-fier or a decent high end listener. There are lots of headphones that sound really good or even great without a dedicated amp.

Just my two cents.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[FrostyMMB]

With low impedence cans, amps aren't a must, but if you've got a high end pair that cost a pretty penny and you are not using one, whats the point in it? You won't be coming even close to what your headphones can sound like, so you're better off with a cheaper pair. The difference is worth it enough to at least purchase a DIY amp from somebody. Once you become accustomed to using an amp and can hear first hand the advantages over a crappy CDP/receiver output, you'll look back on the question and wonder why you had ever wanted to avoid buying an amp.

 

[Duncan]

My RS1s sound 'bearable' with the higher end Discmen that I have... so I guess if you've never heard better that it would still be a great improvement over stock... but add an amp into the equation, and everything comes into focus

 

[Rizumu]

Can anyone explain this on a technical level? Why an amp is required to make a 32 ohm headphone sound so much better?

 

[JaZZ]

Every headphone needs an amp. If you drive yours with the headphone out of your soundcard: there's an amp built in to bring the signal to a usable level. And such amps don't use audiophile components, so a dedicate amp will sound better, independent of the impedance. If you use the line out of your soundcard to drive your headphones and it works well, chances are that an additional amp won't sound better in the sense of greater accuracy, since it uses the same line-out signal as input signal.

For your KSC 35/Portapro I see no need for a dedicated amp. According to my experience, they don't gain much sound quality in view of their limited resolution. That said, they are really fine headphones for on the go and with computers, although some people (myself included) find that they have too much bass - which in most cases is compensatable with a soundcard or a portable with their EQs.

 

[tom hankins]

When listening to my Alessandro MS2's through a pcdp and then through a Rega Ear they are not much different in sound quality. The amp gives more volume, but the pcdp gives more than enough. When I use the MS2's and the Rega with a real cdp, the difference is major. The same was true with the CD-3000 and the Meta42 and pcdp. My pcdp is not a very good one and I would think a pcdp of high quality with the Grados or CD-3000 would close the gap even more with the cheaper amps.I don't no about soundcards, But you can get good sound out of low imp. phones without an amp. If you want to get the best these phones have to offer though get a better source and an amp. In my systems the better the sources have been, the better the music has been. A 1500.00 source and 200.00 amp has always been better than the other way around.

 

[Patrickhat2001]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, you've convinced me that yes I do need an amp to get the best out of most low impedance phones. But one question still remains--how powerful an amp do I really need. Would not a cheap, portable amp like a Cmoy give me all I need if I use only low impedance phones? Shurely I would never need something more powerful than a decked out home Meta. And I'm thinking that a Meta might be overkill.

Keep in mind an amp wouldn't be for my Koss phones, it'd be for the ER-4P/S, CD3000 and high end grados in my future.

 

[FrostyMMB]

You don't need to be concerned about a 'powerful' amp, but the focus with amps isn't just to drive innefficient cans. The reason an amp is an improvement over a headphone jack is because most component manufacturers just throw it in as an afterthought using cheap parts, so putting the pure line signal into an amp will sound better.

You don't need to spend a lot to get an amp that sounds great. Get yourself a cmoy or meta and it will make your cans happy despite the low price compared to most commercial amps. If you find yourself with a pair of top of the line cans and a great source, then you may find that your amp is the weak link, but until the source comes along, the DIY amp will be more than adequate.

 

[tom hankins]

I agree with FrostyMMB. With the source your using just pick up a cheap home amp for now. Theres a home Cmoy in the Gear for Sale forum for 45.00 shipped right now. Jump on it and see what you think.

 

[Squalish]

The one and only way to tell is to make it to a meet and audition some amps. Then answer your question yourself.