[sometimesuk]

I've been recommended this forum by a Hifi Choice forum user, who says this is the place to come for Headphone advice!

I’m thinking about spending some money on a decent Headphone set-up. I wont be buying everything in one go, but progressively, as and when I have enough money.

The reason why I’m thinking of creating a Headphone set-up, is

1) I live in a first floor flat and find myself increasingly using my headphones around the house after 9pm. (currently using cheap £20 headphones and £20 portable CD player)
.
2) I’ve become so disillusioned with the price of Hi-End equipment, I’ve come to the conclusion I’ll never be able to save up for or at least put together a significant deposit towards my next upgrade, that I might as well spend the money on something I’ll get enjoyment from now and upgrade my Hi-fi on Hire Purchase in a few years time, once I know what’s happening with my mortgage renewable.

I’m thinking of buying a Sennheiser HD650, which has a RRP of £330, but I have seen advertised for £170 - £180. This is the top end of my budget and as the headphones have received very good reviews and at this sort of reduction, I will probably buy these blind (Not something I would ever do with Hifi, but the dealer will charge the full RRP, also I think that any faults will be nick picking compared to what I’m using now)

I initially plan on using my existing £20 portable CD player with these, and then upgrade to an ipod classic, for portable play around the house.

What I would like to know is what Headphone amplifiers are there on the market. I Live in the UK, and would have a budget of around £300 maybe £350 plus cable costs.

I know musical fidelity used to have the X-Cans but I think these are no longer available, which leaves models from Creek, Rega and Graham Slee's. I know absolutely nothing about any of these.

I'm sure that a lot of you will be familiar with names I've never heard of, if you could give me an idea of what that brands sound chatacteristic is like and where I could buy it from, that would be great.

Personally, I'm after a neutral, low distortion sound. Similar to a Bryston / PMC hifi setup, not cold or clynical,but not overly warm either. I just think that type of sound will give longer listening pleasure.

Thanks in advance. Mike

 

[tintin47]

Welcome to Head-fi, and sorry about your wallet.

Honestly, the best thing would be to do some more reading around on this site for a while and start a thread when you have some specific questions. Everyone has different tastes and you can get the sort of general info that you are after by reading many of the threads here.

 

[AudioPhewl]

£300 amplifier
£200 cans

...you may have the best experience combining this, and getting a Stax setup. You can even go to dealers, and try out the "energiser"(amplifier) and earspeakers(headphones) together, to see how the package sounds to you.

This is a lot harder to do with the varying models of amplifiers and headphones

.

Welcome, by the way!

~Phewl.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The HD-650 is an excellent headphone - I bought mine "blind," as well, and it turned out well for me. The first amp I had was a Creek OBH-11. It's reasonably good and well made. My brother-in-law has it now and he enjoys it. Another European amp buider is Corda Audio, run by Dr. Meier. He's a Head-Fi sponsor, so you should find a link to him on the first page. He has several nice models in your price range.

The portable CD player should be fine, though that reminds me of another option. The model number might be different for your country, but here, Marantz offers the CD5001. It costs around $300 USD and is both a good CD player and a headphone amp. It has the same circuit as the SA8001 (that I own) and is a pretty good design. I like to use mine when it's too warm to run the valve amps.

 

[mrarroyo]

sometimesuk, yuou can pick a Solo SRG/Green £353.83 inc 15% VAT plus shipping. See: Solo SRG Headphone Amplifier: Solo Studio Reference Green Headphone Amplifier

 

[sometimesuk]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'll definately read up more on the various forum topics.

AudioPhewl - I had the exact same thoughts after creating the post.

I think, I'll carry on saving up for a while, and then decide what to do. To be honest I still prefer going down the seperate headphones, and then amp route as it allows me to purchase stuff progressively and have some benefit sooner.

tintin47 - Just to clarify about the situation with my wallet. I'm hoping my next upgrade will be a significant one in the region of £5,000 - £10,000. Althought a £1,000 is not a lot, If I did manage to save it, it does represent a significant deposit, I was just thinking, why bother trying, and spend the money I have now / soon on a decent Headphone setup. From what I can garther, in quality terms it should be equal to thousands of pounds of a Hifi set-up

 

[AudioPhewl]

I picked up my Stax 4040II rig for £795 back in October(most dealers advertise close to £1200). Brand-new, from a pukka dealer. Don't take their published prices at face-value, as they have a good amount of leeway on the prices. It's a tough time for any dealer at the moment, given the state of the UK's finances. I'd imagine you'd get a 3050II setup for close to your current total budget, with a bit of badgering

.

It does tie you down to the Stax route, but it's a darned-lovely one!

~Phewl.

 

[milkweg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I like to use mine when it's too warm to run the valve amps.

Too warm to run tubes? No one told me that when it was recommended I buy a tube amp. Why should the ambient temperature matter if you can run your tube amp or not? Surely, they are meant to be able to run hot. Or are you saying you don't want to run them during hot weather because they add to the ambient temperature in the room?

 

[swayne]

sometimesuk, you don't mention what type of music you listen to, or if this amp will need a DAC for connecting to a computer.

It makes a difference.

I'm guessing, as you want some HD650's, that this won't need to be a portable setup, or are you in the habit of walking around your flat while listening? If so, be careful as those long headphone leads can be a hazard.

Portable amps will drive the HD650's but to get the most out of them you will need a desktop amp. Also, if you're set on the HD650's then from what I've read on Head-Fi they really shine with a tube amp. However, I've read that the Graham Slee Solo was used by Sennheiser to demo their own headphones and that is a solid state amp.

Don't forget, there's always second hand ( I have some Sennheiser HD595's that are looking for a good home ) but look in the for sale forum.

More research I think.

Steven.

 

[cswann1]

Greetings Sometimesuk,
I'm a newcomer as well, and I've been doing a lot of reading here on Head-Fi. There is an enormous amount of information here, which is great but time consuming.
I debated long and hard on which "serious" pair of headphones to purchase and although the Sennheiser HD650's are very popular, I decided to go with the AKG K701. These cans are getting stellar reviews and are efficient enough that they may be better suited to a portable setup, but like any phones really shine with a quality amp. With the AKG's, which I just purchased for $250 USD (about £180), you may be happier in the short term.
Best of luck to you on your adventures in all things audio!

 

[sometimesuk]

Thanks for the replies again guys.

Swayne:

I literally listen to all sorts of music. I will go from Classical / Opera one min to Punk / Rock the next. So I'm after something that doesnt favour any particular genre of music.

I plan on using the headphones, while doing house work, ironing, washing up etc, and moving from room to room. Although a portable headphone amp, I would get a proper desk / table top amp, as I'll be within range of it anyway (in the kitchen).

For serious listen sesions its not hasstle to move it and plug it into my Hifi CD player. (Musical Fidelity A3 about £800 in 2001).

I have never listened to a value amp, but physcologicaly I have the impression it will give a warm and bloted sound, although I do acknowledge that the very best valve amps have less of this quality.

P.S No DAC needed. No intention of using computer based audio at the moment. Although I could be tempted to buy a Cambridge Audio Dac Magic, to upgrade an Ipod (Does that have a digital output to facilitate such a possability, If not then I wouldnt be interested in a DAC facility at all)

cswann1:

I have never really considered headphone sensitivity. Although I am hugely aware from past experience with speakers, that this and the amplifier output, has a huge influence on the sound.

To be honest I thought that as the power requirements of headphones are tiny (1watt max?), I would have not expected the issue of whether an amplifier is capable of driving the headphones properly to be an issue, rather it would be more of a case, of a better quality amp gives better sound, more transparent, musical etc.

 

[cswann1]

I only mentioned the option of a more efficient headphone, because I figured you'd be plugging them into a portable device (cd player/iPod) without the benefit of an amplifier in between, at least for the time being, until you can purchase a nice amp.
Headphone sensitivity, as I understand it (and that understanding comes from what I've read here, not actual first-hand experience), is less of a consideration, when you are putting a quality amp in the mix.

My Grado's have a 32ohm rating and are plenty loud out of just about anything.

One other option for the short term, would be to purchase a little CMOY amp. These are very simple, often homemade amps, that will boost the signal to a level that would provide much more satisfying listening than just coming straight out of a portable source's headphone jack. They are readily available pre-built or in kit form, for very reasonable prices. Also, most CMOY's run on 9volt batteries, making them ideal as a portable setup you can put in your pants pocket as you move around.

 

[jamescodway]

Whilst this feels like a dark art, there is plenty of "science" around headphone resistance/sensitivity/current etc. Suffice to say the K701s are medium resistance but low sensitivity, I wouldn't consider running them from a portable amp and expect them to sing. HD650 are much higher resistance but more sensitive (check the specs!). They will sound better with plenty of power and current but may sound more satisfying than K701s out of a portable. Grado is lowest resistance but need plenty of power to sound engaging.

If you possibly can, try before you buy. Tastes and perceptions vary.

 

[BigTony]

Does your MF A3 have a headphone out? mine doesn't!

 

[sometimesuk]

BigTony - No my M.F amp nor my M.F CD player has a headphone socket. As far as I am aware none of thier amps or CD players do. The likely reason for that is they sell thier own headphone amplifiers, currently to XCANv8.