[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif You've missed the point of my post completely - I wasn't trying to say that ALL HT amps do use an op-amp , OR that the op-amps are all crappy. What I was saying is that there is no way to know what you're getting unless you ASK!

Really? Let's have another look at what I was replying to:

Some (maybe most?) home theater receivers, however, use a very cheap, crappy op-amp to drive it's headphone jack - they do NOT power the headphones of of the power amps in the receiver.

Well, if you didn't say ALL HT receivers you certainly said "some (maybe most?), and I said, "Can we have your evidence?" Nope, pretty sure I didn't miss the point there.

 

[Tom W]

Well first off I'm new to the whole HP scene.

I stumbled across this site less than a month ago and decided to jump in.

I have a Denon AVR-1803 but was looking for something for a different room to get some alone time from the family.

Confused about the whole thing I went and bought a LD MKIII for a pair of HD650 or K-702's that I didn't even own yet because "I had to start somewhere".

The LD came in a few weeks earlier than expected and I hadn't made up my mind about the HD's or K's so I plugged in a pair of HD-477's that came "free" with the Denon that I never liked because their impedence was high enough to test the LD and the only set of full size HP's I own. I do have several pairs of IEM's

Source is a $90 Sony DVD player that I bought several years ago at the big box store with a set of 20 year old RCA connectors.

Right out of the box I was blown away with the difference in sound stage and seperation. The Denon HP output was clear but this different - way different! No it's not top notch but I realize the POTENTIAL that exists.

It reminded me of the first time I listened to the first Sony walkman that a friend had when I was just a teen.

I just ordered my HD650's last night.

I really reget how much time I wasted listening to various HP's through my walkmans, ipods, and stereo receivers when I could have been listening to THIS!

 

[Skylab]

Nevermind. Good day to you all.

 

[lecky]

Plainly some integrated amps and receivers are quite poor as headphone amps and others quite acceptable or good.

I used to have a Canamp and it was fine, but when I bought an old Cyrus One I sold the Canamp. For all of the headphones (my collection has tended towards high ohm headphones which aren't terribly easy to drive) that I had then the Cyrus was better - greater detail, better control, bigger add more focused soundstage, etc... Not as warm or bass oriented as the Canamp though. The Cyrus is not great for everything - It's poor for my QP85s - too bright and bass utterly collapses. But no amp will do everything for every headphone.

Perhaps there should be a thread specifically for experiences/impressions or reviews of integrated amps/ receivers compared directly to HP amps. In that way some of the better options might be brought to light and into the context of dedicated HP amps.

 

[plonter]

A dedicated headphone amp is going for a sure thing. this way you can be certain that your headphone get the best treatment

especially if they're dificult to drive.

It is logical to me that most integrated recievers will NOT include a high level audiophile headphone amp in them. the ones with the high quality headamps will be very expensive i assume. IMO, it is best to invest in a dedicated amp for the headphones if you think you gonna get series with them.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lecky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Perhaps there should be a thread specifically for experiences/impressions or reviews of integrated amps/ receivers compared directly to HP amps. In that way some of the better options might be brought to light and into the context of dedicated HP amps.

There was, many moons ago (in fact last year) and I started it. Maybe you could do a search. I'm hopeless at searches.

 

[lecky]

Plonder, my Cyrus would fit as a decent mid level headphone amp, certainly a step up from a Canamp, which I think of as a decent starter amp. The Cyrus cost me £70 ($100 or so). When it was new in the early/mid '80s it was a modestly priced audiophile amp, I think about £300, which obviously translates to a fair bit more in todays money, but certainly not much for good kit. So whilst your assumption may be generally true, it's certainly not an assumption to rely upon.

pp312, I'll look for that thread. Thanks.

 

[plonter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lecky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Plonder, my Cyrus would fit as a decent mid level headphone amp, certainly a step up from a Canamp, which I think of as a decent starter amp. The Cyrus cost me £70 ($100 or so). When it was new in the early/mid '80s it was a modestly priced audiophile amp, I think about £300, which obviously translates to a fair bit more in todays money, but certainly not much for good kit. So whilst your assumption may be generally true, it's certainly not an assumption to rely upon. pp312, I'll look for that thread. Thanks.

the best thing is to trust your own ears, and if it sound good to you than there is no reason not to keep using it,and if you compared it to other dedicated amps than it is even better because you know where your amp stands in terms of sound.
have fun mate

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter /img/forum/go_quote.gif the best thing is to trust your own ears, and if it sound good to you than there is no reason not to keep using it,and if you compared it to other dedicated amps than it is even better because you know where your amp stands in terms of sound.

Sound advice, and from a dog yet!

 

[shadyprism]

Please tell me what receiver this is that powers 600 ohm headphones.

 

[BrownBear]

I think it does. I mean it's not a 'dedicated' headphone amp, but there's still an amp in there or some type of circuit that's powering your headphones. I have a few older receivers/integrateds that I use as amps from time to time when I'm feeling an amp change. They all sound pretty good to me, not quite the same as my dedicated amp, but I think that's due to placebo and output impedance of the receivers.

 

[nickisnoob]

I'm new to headphones, but have stereo equipment lying around.
 
Would my ADCOM 555 power my LCD-2s?
 
Or do i have to something like a Schiit Lyr?

 

[tgaguirre]

I have an older Sony DA4ES receiver and the headphone output is very good, plus it has many built-in EQ options.

 

[jthew]

Wow. Old thread. When you use a stereo amp or receiver with a 4-8 ohm selector, which do you use?

 

[SilverEars]

Wow. Old thread. When you use a stereo amp or receiver with a 4-8 ohm selector, which do you use?

That's likely for the speaker tap output. Speakers have different input impedances, 4 to 8ohms, and it's for match-ability for power delivery.