[ExplosiveDuck]

Hey everyone - I'm just getting into this audio scene lightly, because I got to listen to some music with some top-end gear and it blew my mind. I'm not going to go crazy and spend tons of $$ on audio equipment, but I realize that my current setup of headphones alone won't cut it.

The question I have is regarding the pairing of a set of Sennheiser HD280 Pro's and a Starving Student MiniMillet Headphone Amp. I read a post on here a couple days ago that because these headphones are 64 Ohms, the amp will do very little to nothing on them and not change the sound of the music.

Is this true? I don't understand why it wouldn't change anything, as amplifiers seem to me to not just change the volume and "power" of the music, but also help to pull apart all of the tracks and add some serious space to the music.

Thanks a lot!

 

[x3sphere]

Quote:

Is this true? I don't understand why it wouldn't change anything, as amplifiers seem to me to not just change the volume and "power" of the music, but also help to pull apart all of the tracks and add some serious space to the music.

Well it's true that amps do more than just increase the volume. However, for an amp to have a real effect, you need a high-end headphone. The 280 Pros are more mid-range. A DAC+amp will likely improve SQ and tighten up the bass if you're currently running them from an iPod or computer with a on-board sound card, but it won't bring a major change.

Keep in mind I'm basing this off the experience I had with using an amp with my old HD555s. I haven't tried the 280 Pros, so cannot say for certain if an amp will make a difference. With my HD650s, there is a HUGE difference between running them non-amped vs amped. But not so with the 555s (50 Ohm). Only noticed a slight increase in SQ and refined bass. I'm guessing an amp will have a similar effect on the 280s, but again, can't say for sure.

 

[ExplosiveDuck]

Alright - Anyone else have things to say about this? Anyone actually have HD280s + Amp?

 

[ExplosiveDuck]

..?

 

[glnguyen-fi]

i too have recently gotten into high end audio and sure enough my first cans were senn hd280 pros. i've had them for about a year and they're great. isolates outside noise, loud and comfortable. but eventually it wasnt enough, i like listening to music on good speakers but being out and about all the time i want to replicate speaker quality sound with some portability.

the hd280 pros direct the music straight into the ear and i notice the sound is somewhat mushy or muddy no definition to the highs mids and lows kinda jumbled. so i wouldnt be able to listen to them for more than an hour before it just started to drone on me.

enter the practical devices xm5 amp/dac. just 2 weeks ago just from browsing around i somehow stumbled across these and compared to the few amps i found these were packed with many features and ability to tweak the sq. so with this amp i could tame the bass and widen the stage a bit. check out their website. i'm really happy with it so far, but now i think im ready to upgrade the headphones.

definitely a difference with an amp. heres some links:
practical devices xm5
helpful thread reviews several amps
very indepth thread reviews amps also

hope this helps somewhat =S