Headfive- not enough gain?
Jun 15, 2007 at 3:11 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

kamal007

Headphoneus Supremus
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Hey guys
i got my Headfive today and based on the 10 minutes i used them, i think their gain is pretty low. i used the dt880/250ohm and have to crank up the volume until like 3 oclock in the knob. but when im using the Denon d2000, i mainly stays around 12oclock. my source is a modded xfi and i used foobar2000. no replaygain whatsoever.

The question is ; if i ask someone to change the gain, would it void the warranty by Meier?
and do you know any other amp that you can recommend to me based on my cans? 770,880,990,d2000
i tried heed but they dont have enough power too..
 
Jun 15, 2007 at 5:21 AM Post #2 of 11
Something sounds wrong here. Unless you are listening at ear-splitting levels you should not have to go past 12 for almost anything. I was listening to a pair of 600 ohm DT990s on my Headfive and I never ventured past 12.

As a test I just plugged in my 250 ohm 990s and I'm at about 10 for a comfortable listening level. Twelve is too loud for me.

Perhaps something is wrong with your unit.

EDIT: I have my iMod plugged into my Headfive.
 
Jun 15, 2007 at 6:05 AM Post #4 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Make sure your X-Fi is at 75% or so, and make sure your media player's volume control is at max. Even at medium gain (and not high) with my MicroAmp, 12 o'clock was loud!


Excellent suggestion! I forgot about your X-Fi source. Or perhaps try a direct line-out from a CD player if you can. Then you'll definitely know it is at the source where your issue lies.
 
Jun 15, 2007 at 7:24 AM Post #5 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by kamal007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hey guys
i got my Headfive today and based on the 10 minutes i used them, i think their gain is pretty low.
i tried heed but they dont have enough power too..



the h5 doesn't have a ton of gain but it should be sufficient. and since you found the heed weak something is definately wrong as that amp can drive all kinds of pwr hungry cans.
 
Jun 15, 2007 at 7:57 AM Post #6 of 11
You need to consider the output of your source. The HeadFive doesn't have a huge amount of gain, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a weakling. Think about it more like a lens on a camera. The less the lens magnifies, the more accurate your photo will be. Similarly, the less an amp has to amplify, the more accurate musical picture you get. Roughly speaking, of course, and there are exceptions.

So try driving it directly from a CD player, phono stage, etc. You'll be surprised how well it delivers. When I hook mine to the iPod, it has to be cranked to get decent sound. No so from the full-sized components.

I hope you enjoy it. The HeadFive is a great little amp.
 
Jun 15, 2007 at 7:15 PM Post #7 of 11
tried them with my Ipod nano 2nd gen..Put the ipod at almost 90% volume and still the headfive needs to be at around 3oclock on the knob..

didnt have any cd player in my dorm atm so i cant test with those
 
Jun 17, 2007 at 7:33 AM Post #8 of 11
anyone can recommend me another amp, or should i take care about my source first?
 
Jun 17, 2007 at 7:57 AM Post #9 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by kamal007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
anyone can recommend me another amp, or should i take care about my source first?


or maybe get your ears tested. I never listen above 9am on my mapletree and i listen to heavy compressed rock.
 
Jun 17, 2007 at 8:06 AM Post #10 of 11
Well I have the modded X-Fi XM and a newly acquired Headfive and listen to foobar2000. I do have my headfive set to between 1 & 2 o'clock on the volume knob and my X-Fi and foobar at 100% and I am as happy as can be with the hardware, now I just need to get my stinking audio files up to par.
 
Jun 17, 2007 at 11:35 AM Post #11 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFNDeal /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Well I have the modded X-Fi XM and a newly acquired Headfive and listen to foobar2000. I do have my headfive set to between 1 & 2 o'clock on the volume knob and my X-Fi and foobar at 100% and I am as happy as can be with the hardware, now I just need to get my stinking audio files up to par.


your dt770 is the older version right?
and im using some flac files too but the volume is still kinda the same..
i wanted to use replaygain too but then the volume will be low and i have to crank the volume knob even more
 

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