[mattsenna]

Hi, I've been reading around, and I thought this'd be the place to ask...
I recently got a pair of headphones, and I was wondering if I would hear 
any difference in SQ if I plugged them into a home theatre receiver.
The receiver is a Denon AVR 788. Now, I know I'm gonna get flamed for this
(which is why I was hesitant about asking) but the headphones are Beats Studios..
The country that I live in has ridiculous import taxes, and I couldn't afford to spend 
$800+ on taxes, so the beats were kind of my only option.. In fairness, I'm not much of an audiophile,
and I'm pretty happy with them, but reading here, this whole headphone amp got me curious.
Now, I'm not willing to shell out some more just for an amp when I have a receiver, which is why 
I thought I'd ask if I'd get any noticeable boost in SQ, etc. 
What do you guys think? Please don't flame me for getting beats either... 

 

[ostewart]

No point getting an amp for the beats, you wont get a worthwhile gain, as they are designed for iPods and portable players, not high quality.amps.

 

[mattsenna]

You're 100% sure about that? There's no harm in trying, right? While I'm on the topic,
I've heard about ''burning in'' headphones. How exactly do we go about doing that?
Playing white noise or pink noise? I haven't done anything special, just listening to music like normal..
Is there a specific method one should follow?

 

[ostewart]

i just leave mine playing all my music at loudish volumes.

 

[dnullify]

Well, you have the amp right?
 
Well, unless it's got a dedicated headphone circuit, it's gain is likely way too high for hi-fi headphone listening. I don't know the impedance of the beats, but i doubt it's very high, so you're likely to hear some noise (ground). Still, if you've got it it's worth the shot.
 
As far as burn in goes, you can just plug it into an ipod on shuffle and crank the volume up and toss it in a drawer. Or you can download some pink noise, or a burn in app if you've got an ipod touch.
 
You can also use the internet radio station bassdrive.com , which i was put on to by a fellow head-fier. It's a D&B radio channel that will beat the tar out of your drivers, which should loosen them up nicely. just crank the volume up to one or two notches past comfortable listening levels.

 

[mattsenna]

Unattended, or listening to them?

 

[dnullify]

You don't have to listen to them while they burn in. Just wrap them up in a towel and stick them in a drawer.

 

[mattsenna]

Thanks for the advice! Will try burning them in and see how the sound quality changes. Any other advice/ information you guys might know that I should be aware of?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

You're 100% sure about that? There's no harm in trying, right? While I'm on the topic,
I've heard about ''burning in'' headphones. How exactly do we go about doing that?
Playing white noise or pink noise? I haven't done anything special, just listening to music like normal..
Is there a specific method one should follow?

I like to plug the headphones in, put them under a blanket and play loud metal.