[HeroicPenguin]

Hi guys. I'm new to this forum, but I've been lurking for a bit.

I have a question about amps. Right now, my headphones are the Denon D1001 and UE Super.Fi 3. I know that probably neither of these need a dedicated headphone amp, but I'm wondering if they would sound better with an amp. Currently, they sound fine unamped (through the computer and iPod), but I'm wondering if I should spend money on an amp of some kind. However, I have a few conditions.

1. As a first-year college student, I probably won't be able to buy another amp for about 3 or 4 years, so if I buy an amp now, it should last.
2. I might upgrade or buy new headphones in a year or two, so the amp would have to work with an upgrade too.
3. I really don't want to spend more than $50-60 on an amp and really don't have the time to try to build my own amp (rules building a CMoy out of the equation).

So, my first question is: Should I buy an amp? The second one is: If yes, then which one? I've been looking at the Fiio E1 and E5, a couple of different CMoys, and the PA2V2, but I'll consider others.

Also, if I do get an amp, should I get a cheap LOD and would that make a noticeable different over just a simple mini-to-mini cable?

Thanks.

 

[bba1973]

Are you using an iPod? I'm assuming so since you mentioned LODs and the E1. If you're only going to use it with an iPod, the E1 might be a good option. If you want to use it with a non-iPod later on, the E5 or a cmoy might be a good option. Honestly, unless you can come up with a good reason why you should buy an amp (get rid of the SF3 hiss, better volume control, a volume boost), you'd be better off saving your money for better headphones. On the other hand, if it's only $20 or $30, you might want to just go for it. Just eat more Ramen noodles and go without beer for a week or two.

I only have experience with a biosciencegeek cmoy, so keep that in mind. It really hasn't made as much of a difference as I thought it would, and it's really not worth lugging around most of the time. It really helped with my Zune 120, especially when used with UHP336's, but nothing that drastic with any other combo I've tried it with. BTW, I'm a college kid too, but only for about six more months.

 

[HeroicPenguin]

Thanks. I think it's probably a good idea to just hold off on the money until I can get something more solid. From what you said, it seems like the difference with an amp wouldn't be too noticeable, so it doesn't seem worth it. Either that or I might just spend $20 on the E1 to just play around with.

 

[fenixdown110]

Amping those won't really yield much difference. Like you said, just save up and later on get some better headphones that will really shine with a good amp.

 

[bba1973]

If you've got the spare cash lying around, the E1 or E5 might be nice to mess around with, but better headphones will make a much more significant positive impact. I don't regret buying my cmoy, but it would've been wiser to save up for better headphones or to have bought an E5.

Also consider the possibility of a new, inexpensive, great sounding amp coming out within the next couple of years or so. I'm not saying it will happen, but it could easily happen with how far audio has come just within the past three years.