[angle_sh00ter]

As others have said it is all situational. The headphone out on your receiver may be a pretty good 1 or it might not. But If I had to make a general suggestion it would be that the headphone amps you names would offer only a small improvement over what you have got currently. You can try and listen to a few different models but I think it is unlikely you will find anything under $300 which is significantly better. As always let your own ears guide you.

 

[Weps]

Okay, I guess I should stick to my Marantz for a while. But what about the difference with a tube amp. My Marantz is comparable with a solid state amp, right? Some people say cans like the DT880 need a tube amp... Yes I know, I should try before buy, but I do not know people with (tube) amps.

 

[pp312]

lol. Listen, if you're that anxious to offload some of your money, I can give you my address. Or you can just pay me through PayPal.

 

[Weps]

Quote:

Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can try and listen to a few different models but I think it is unlikely you will find anything under $300 which is significantly better. As always let your own ears guide you.

Do you mean there will be more difference with amps like the Woo3 or the Gilmore Lite?

 

[Weps]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pp312 /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol. Listen, if you're that anxious to offload some of your money, I can give you my address. Or you can just pay me through PayPal.

Okay, but send me a good amp then. And if I'm not satisfied, I'll send it back and you give me the money back.

No, seriously. I just want to get the best out of my headphones. If that's possibele with my Marantz, the better for me. If that means I should by a dedicated amp, then I'm willing to to that.

 

[tosehee]

I guess you owned high impedance version of it? Most OTL tubes drive those very well, and so is TC. Tube amps generally give a warm and rush sound. So, if that's what you are after, then tube amp is the way to go.

there are pros and cons though. You can tube roll and enjoy variety of options out there and you can even tailor to your own taste. But that means more 'hidden' cost that is not usually visible up front. Plus, these tubes have an age. It doesn't last as long as SS and over time, they decrease in performance.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weps /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, but send me a good amp then. And if I'm not satisfied, I'll send it back and you give me the money back. No, seriously. I just want to get the best out of my headphones. If that's possibele with my Marantz, the better for me. If that means I should by a dedicated amp, then I'm willing to to that.

Well, I think you have the consensus opinion by now: keep what you have. I know the spend worms are still biting, but maybe you could buy yourself a pile of CDs to satisfy them. Meantime if you're still not entirely satisfied with the sound, don't discount the idea of using the receiver's tone controls: a tweak on the treble can do wonders for slightly laidback phones. I know it's not considred kosher, but I won't tell anyone if you don't.

 

[UncleFestive]

Might I suggest you explore improvements in your source first? Any decent amp is only going to amplify the volume of your source, not change its sonics. Rip cds to a lossless file, not MP3. Use ASIO/WASAPI/Kernel Streaming. Use SPDIF out to a good quality external DAC. In your situation, I think this is where you will get the most bang for your buck. I find the greatest advantages of a Headphone Amp lie in its smaller size and lack of superfluous BS.

 

[Weps]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleFestive /img/forum/go_quote.gif Might I suggest you explore improvements in your source first? Any decent amp is only going to amplify the volume of your source, not change its sonics. Rip cds to a lossless file, not MP3. Use ASIO/WASAPI/Kernel Streaming. Use SPDIF out to a good quality external DAC. In your situation, I think this is where you will get the most bang for your buck. I find the greatest advantages of a Headphone Amp lie in its smaller size and lack of superfluous BS.

Thank you for your suggestions. All my files already are full wave. I don't use the SPDIF out because I like the DAC of my sound card. It's the main reason I bought the card.

 

[SillyHoney]

I'm in the same situation. I'm listening to my DT880 600ohm on my poor Denon AVR-589 receiver. I never heard a tube amp before and I'm saving for one. The best I can get is a Woo Audio 3+ but then I have to compromise the DAC to a low end product like a uDAC.

I know my receiver is a low end while Woo WA3 is a great headphone amp. So how about the improvement here? Should I seriously need a Woo or can I safely stick w/ my receiver?

And $500+ is a serious amount of money for me

Thank you guys

 

[tosehee]

You would need to find out the headphone output level on your denon and see if it's suitable to drive the high impedance phone. If it is, then you are in good hands. if not, Woo3 with OTL design is more suitable for your setup.

 

[SillyHoney]

I couldn't find it nowhere lol. I submitted a question to Denon USA asking about that.

Thank you

 

[ford2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SillyHoney /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm in the same situation. I'm listening to my DT880 600ohm on my poor Denon AVR-589 receiver. I never heard a tube amp before and I'm saving for one. The best I can get is a Woo Audio 3+ but then I have to compromise the DAC to a low end product like a uDAC. I know my receiver is a low end while Woo WA3 is a great headphone amp. So how about the improvement here? Should I seriously need a Woo or can I safely stick w/ my receiver? And $500+ is a serious amount of money for me Thank you guys

If you are a bit short money wise get a listen before you buy or you could end up being a not so happy camper.

 

[tosehee]

Buy used Woo amp. If you are not happy with it, you can sell it back for no money loss or close

 

[SillyHoney]

That's what Im trying to do in a month but I find it nowhere. People who have Woo seem to be so happy with it