Okay...so I keep hearing that headphone amps are oh so important. But if I'm connecting directly to my Denon AVR-2105 reciever, I'm going to be giving my cans plenty of power...so why would I want to spend money on another amp? Would it just color my music differently than my reciever?
Originally Posted by warpdriver You are assuming that the receiver's headphone output is of good quality. In too many cases, it isn't and a headphone amp may still sound better.
Well here's the specs on my reciever if you can gather anything important from it: http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/451.asp
I'm not exactly sure how to find out if I have a good quality headphone out....
I'm not exactly sure how to find out if I have a good quality headphone out....
Newbie's take:
Plug in some cans. If you like what you hear, congratulations, you're done upgrading.
If something's missing/off/bothers you, then we'll likely need more info about your preferences to offer any useful suggestions.
One hint: My receiver's surround processing gets in the way of its headphone output. Enabling 'pure direct' stereo mode has damn good results. Might want to check if the denon has a pure/source/direct type setting to turn off all the effects processing gunk.
Originally Posted by Stangs55 I'm not exactly sure how to find out if I have a good quality headphone out....
The only way to know is to listen.
The problem with headphone outs is that, most (95%) of the time, they are an afterthought. They pay attention to making the receiver sound good when music plays through the speakers, but often, the circuit inside the receiver for the headphone output uses a compromised design or just poor quality parts, just good enough to get sound out to the headphone. This is even on audiophile-oriented receivers like Rotel, Cambridge, McIntosh, Adcom etc. There are no specs on the headphone output because frankly, they don't think anybody cares.
There is always room for improvement using a headphone amp. The circuits and parts used inside a headphone amp can be much higher grade than headphone output, and they are designed for highest quality signal through a wide variety of headphones.
Having said that, the improvement a headphone amp makes for some people can be very subtle, for others a huge difference, for others none at all....it all depends on how discriminating your ears are and the quality of the rest of your system as well as the headphones you are using.
I find the effects of a headphone amp noticeable enough that I'm glad I invested in one, but it's a subtle (say <5% improvement) in the grand scheme of things. I feel the headphone amp gives me a bit more detail but smoother sound than listening out of my headphone jack.
Originally Posted by Stangs55 I'm not exactly sure how to find out if I have a good quality headphone out....
You can attend the local head-fi meet and hear some of the excellent phones and amps. I too used to think that I'm getting a fairly descent sound out of my receiver until I discovered that there are lot better sounding headphone amp options out there. However if you do want to keep your wallet, leave NOW before you start to spend like crazy
Originally Posted by Mikey01 It depends on how serious you are about the Hobbie and music.
Right...
....but I was asking this question b/c, surprise, my cash flow is rather limited seeing that I'm still in med school. I was just curious if a $300 Gilmore Lite was really worth getting over a pair of $300 HD650's. Especially b/c I'm running everything directly out of a $700 reciever. I understand that head amps are nice, but I've never actually had the luxury of listening to one; it just seems hard for me to justify that price when a whole new set of cans could be bought for the same amount. But I could very easily be wrong...which is why I came here.
I had exactly the same question when I started reading here. I did buy a portable headphone amp. It was a Porta Corda MKII. It is not a real expensive amp - but not the cheapest either. It sounded great out of my iriver players. I also tried the headphones out of my 5.1 reciever. The headphone amp was better. Then one day I tried them out of my old Kenwood power amp & reciever that was made in the early 80's. The receiver was better! So I eventually sold the amp so that I could get better headphones. Now I am missing the portable part of the amp & am waiting on the new "hornet" to come out. I think it really depends on the receiver you have. I have also read some threads here that say that many of the vintage receivers from the 70's have very good headphone outs. They also say that certain brands were better than others. Do a search here for "vintage receivers" and see what you can find out. Some of these receivers can be found on e-bay for cheap prices - cheaper than a headphone amp if portability isn't so important to you.
I had a $700 HK receiver... and I ran my HD650s out of the headphone jack. It was ok, but I decided to get the HeadAmp GS-1 and the Gilmore Lite just to see what I was missing.
Both amps improved in blackness between the notes, especially with the lower noise floor. Both had improved dynamics, improved bass response (more so on the GS-1) and a more balanced sound (much more balanced on the GS-1 though). I decided to keep the GS-1, although I did have a difficult time justifying the $749 price tag.
I was never able to fully justify it until I went separates - sold the receiver and went with a Rotel Speaker amp and used the GS-1 as a preamp (double duty as a headphone amp,too).
Using the GS-1 as a preamp AND headphone amp justified the price for me... because as good as it sounds, $749 is a LOT of money for amping headphones. If you want to know if it's smart to go with headphones or an amp.... I would say: find the headphones you like/love first, then think about amping it. No sense in amping something you find mediocre to begin with.
Even the GS-1 wont make a can you dont like into a can you like.
If you want one rig for speakers and cans, a refurbished or even a simply updated Scott or Fisher tube amp or receiver will musically outperform just about everything with both speakers and headphones. These are probably a good investment too.
I compared a Gilmore Lite to my old Fisher tube amp (stock, mid 60's) through an instant A/B tester with the Senn 650's. The Gilmore was sweet and indeed impressive, but the Fisher surrounded it handily with just as much detail and a much deeper soundstage. I was actually hoping that the Gilmore would win so I could have found better sound than my Fisher. Still looking for something that sounds better for less than the cost of my house.
Another medical student posting here, that makes 3 in this thread
To answer the topic, my M3 made a very nice improvement with my SR-225. Better bass, soundstage made the mids clearer. I've also got a high end Yamaha receiver, and the headphone out on it is garbage. It serisouly sounds like someone smeared mud all over the headphone drivers
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