[RevAmped]

More power means even less distortion, and all you are doing is adding a small device half the size of an iPhone which connects from your sound card to your headphones. It will not be a major change, because if you think about it, there are only four components in a setup; the source, the DAC, the amp, and your output. You have 3/4,and you are adding the fourth, and switching your output. The Fiio E11 will be the best for your current setup, it pairs very nicely with the ATH-M50s. If you decide to go no amp, the UE6000 will be a good option, and since they are powered, they are likely to need an amp much less than the ATH-M50s.

 

[Poisoner]

Is there a decent amp that is USB powered so I don't have to worry about charging an amp all the time?

 

[RevAmped]

If you use a usb powered amp you won't be using your sound card, if that is your problem get the UE6000s which have a built in amp

 

[Dillont3]

Do I really need more power to my headphones?  As I said, I have no problem with volume at all.
 
Also, is it wise to change so much of my audio setup at one time?  The new headphones should be a big change itself without adding an external amplifier, if I decide to get one. 

My suggestion is buy new headphones first, listen to them with your current set up for a while and go for there. If you are perfectly happy with the sound the way it is, then you saved yourself the money from buying a dedicated amp and you can always upgrade your set up down the road.

Efficient cans such as M50's do not need an amp to sound good. A lot of people on these forums will tell you that M50's or similar efficient cans need amps to improve soundstage, bass response etc. To make them really shine. Some headphones do improve some with amplification even though they are pretty efficient, but sometimes it is just biased perception of the listener wanting to making themselves think the sound is better. Some people on these forums seem to think that almost all headphones sound better amped and will tell you that you need to buy a $150 amp to really get the most out of a pair of $30 cans. Would the M50's sound a little better with an amp then your sound card, probably ( I haven't heard m50's so not talking from personal experience, but have listened to various efficient cans that people have said benefit from amps. Sometimes sound quality has been a little better, but not always enough to justify paying the extra money if in was buying an amp just for that one pair.

So basically don't feel pressured by others into thinking you have to buy an amp for a pair of headphones like the m50's in order to make them sound good. Buy the cans and go from there.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Poisoner]

What about a Fiio E9?

 

[RevAmped]

My suggestion is buy new headphones first, listen to them with your current set up for a while and go for there. If you are perfectly happy with the sound the way it is, then you saved yourself the money from buying a dedicated amp and you can always upgrade your set up down the road.

Efficient cans such as M50's do not need an amp to sound good. A lot of people on these forums will tell you that M50's or similar efficient cans need amps to improve soundstage, bass response etc. To make them really shine. Some headphones do improve some with amplification even though they are pretty efficient, but sometimes it is just biased perception of the listener wanting to making themselves think the sound is better. Some people on these forums seem to think that almost all headphones sound better amped and will tell you that you need to buy a $150 amp to really get the most out of a pair of $30 cans. Would the M50's sound a little better with an amp then your sound card, probably ( I haven't heard m50's so not talking from personal experience, but have listened to various efficient cans that people have said benefit from amps. Sometimes sound quality has been a little better, but not always enough to justify paying the extra money if in was buying an amp just for that one pair.

So basically don't feel pressured by others into thinking you have to buy an amp for a pair of headphones like the m50's in order to make them sound good. Buy the cans and go from there.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

I can tell you from personal experience that the M50s do sound better with an E11 than on their own, and to the op, honestly I think the UE6000s will be a better choice here than the M50s because of their internal amp.

 

[RevAmped]

And an e9 is overkill

 

[Gbemiro]

I highly recommend getting Shure SRH-750s. These have awesome sound quality. Not only that, but the bass is amazing. But the bass is only strong when it needs to be. What i mean is that it is never overpowering. In dubstep is is strong (in a good way, not an overpowering way) In rock music, the bass is as strong as needed, and not overpowering at all. (i was thinking this might happen but it did not.) Also, you will not need am amp for these. SRH-750s don`t require an amp though. These 2 headphones are compared a lot. I only have Shure 750s, so i will tell you what I can. From reviews, it appears that the bass of M50s is overpowering, and can get muddy. However, the 750s don`t distort. (from my personal experience). These sound awesome with every genre of music that I listen to (rock, rap & hip-hop, dubstep, house, dance, nu-metal, alternative rock, pop, R&B) I highly recommend buying these. Plus you wont need an amp, I recommend going to a store, and trying both ATH-M50s, and Shure SRH 750s.
 
Feel free to ask me any questions about the Shure SRH-750dj headphones.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

 
From everything I read, I am understanding that you only need an amp for high impedance headphones.  

Read more, then.  Better yet, listen more.

 

[RevAmped]

I HIGHLY recommend getting Shure SRH-750s. These have awesome sound quality. Not only that, but the bass is amazing. But the bass is only strong when it needs to be. What i mean is that it is never overpowering. In dubstep is is amazingly strong (in a good way, not an overpowering way) In rock music, the basic is as strong as needed, and not overpowering at all. (i was thinking this might happen but it did not.) Also, you will not need am amp for these.

From the previous comments, it appears that an amp would be worth it for ATH-M50s. SRH-750s don`t require an amp though though (in my opinion). These 2 headphones are compared a lot. I only have Shure 750s, so i will tell you what I can.

From reviews, it appears that the bass of M50s is overpowering, and can get muddy.(maybe that is only unampped, and that is why people here are recommending an amp) However, the 750s don`t distort. (from my personal experience). These sound awesome with every genre of music that I listen to (rock, rap & hip-hop, dubstep, house, dance, nu-metal, alternative rock, pop, R&B) I highly recommend buying these. Plus you wont need an amp, I recommend going to a store, and trying both ATH-M50s, and Shure SRH 750s.

Feel free to ask me any questions about the Shure SRH-750dj headphones.

The only problem here is the existence of the Shure SRH840s,which are in the OP's price range. To add, the problem with the 840s is the existence of the UE6000s which have better all round sound quality. Although the SRH840s with a Fiio E6 might also be an option, given that the 840s are very easy to drive. If you want less bass quantity than the M50s the 840s would be a better option, the 750DJs have a slight harshness to them and are very hard to drive. This is probably the reason for your thoughts about the 750s not needing an amp in order to have any benefit, they need a high powered amp, like an E9.

 

[Dillont3]

I can tell you from personal experience that the M50s do sound better with an E11 than on their own, and to the op, honestly I think the UE6000s will be a better choice here than the M50s because of their internal amp.

I'm can believe that they do sound a little better with an amp. I was just trying to make the point that a lot of people exaggerate the benefits of amps for inexpensive and efficient headphones. One poster was making it sound like the difference between his decent sound card and the fiio e11 was going to be night and day and the headphones would sound bad without it. I was just saying that if he was on a budget, the headphones would sound perfectly fine without it and he should listen to his current setup first.I just think to many people overstress the importance of having amps for headphones that don't really need it and newcomers might end up coming in and wasting money on amps and portable setups that would be better spent on headphone upgrades.

 

[RevAmped]

I'm can believe that they do sound a little better with an amp. I was just trying to make the point that a lot of people exaggerate the benefits of amps for inexpensive and efficient headphones. One poster was making it sound like the difference between his decent sound card and the fiio e11 was going to be night and day and the headphones would sound bad without it. I was just saying that if he was on a budget, the headphones would sound perfectly fine without it and he should listen to his current setup first.I just think to many people overstress the importance of having amps for headphones that don't really need it and newcomers might end up coming in and wasting money on amps and portable setups that would be better spent on headphone upgrades.

If by efficiency you mean low impedance, then you would be wrong. The M50s may be low impedance headphones, but that does nothing to change the fact that they suffer from distortion when unamped. In fact, the reason they need an amp is largely due to their low impedance needing a high current to keep from being distorted. With an E11 the headphones bass impact is increased, and the muddiness is decreased. The change within the bass is slight, but it allows the headphones to have a less overpowering bass, and brings out the highs and mids, the performance is not night and day, more like dawn and day, but it is still a significant improvement. But I am going to say again, the UE6000 are the best choice here, they have a built in amp, and are the headphones I have found to sound the best within this price range.

 

[Dillont3]

Although I haven't owned the m50's, I researched them a lot BC I seriously considered buying them a whole ago, but bought Shure 840's instead. Search "Do M50's need an amp" and you will find just as many people saying M50's don't need an amp as people that say they benefit some from amping. So to tell someone the m50's have to have an amp is going a little too far. That is your opinion based on your own bias, but a lot of people would disagree with that statement.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[RevAmped]

Although I haven't owned the m50's, I researched them a lot BC I seriously considered buying them a whole ago, but bought Shure 840's instead. Search "Do M50's need an amp" and you will find just as many people saying M50's don't need an amp as people that say they benefit some from amping. So to tell someone the m50's have to have an amp is going a little too far. That is your opinion based on your own bias, but a lot of people would disagree with that statement.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

They do not need an amp, they would just benefit from one, the M50s without an amp would be pointless because of the many better sounding headphones in the price range of the OP, the amp is a way to bring the M50s up to the par of the UE6000s, and the E6 is a way of bringing the 840s up to the same par.

 

[Dillont3]

Also it is worth mentioning to the OP that the UE6000 is considerably more expensive at $200 retail, not exactly the same price range. Also he unless he needs the active noise canceling, which he never mentioned, he might be better off spending $200 on a pair of passive cans that sound better and not paying extra for features he doesn't want, plus the fact that you will always have to have batteries in the UE6000. Just things you might want to think about mentioning if you are going to recommend headphones and give little detail about them.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD