[megh55555]

Hi
 
Recently bought Hifiman HE-400 headphones and they are a joy to listen to.
I play all my music from the laptop drive connected to a decent dac  via async usb [v-dac+ v-psu]  which is fed to Cambridge Audio 650A Amp
 
I have noticed that the fullness and quality I get from my external monitor audio bx2 speakers is much better compared to using the headphone slot on this Amp. I was expecting that cambridge audio would have a great quality headphone socket out, the bass seems to break / spread out at high / very high volumes
 
Im now considering an upgrade to Amp which can be capable of driving both headphones as well as speakers with equal punch and quality.Any suggestions?
 
 
Cheers
Meg

 

[pp312]

I'm also interested in finding a good headphone out on an integrated for a HE-500. However, your post is a little confusing. You can't really compare the sound of speakers from any amp compared to headphones; it's two different things. Also you seem to be implying that there's distortion from the headphone socket with your "break / spread out at high / very high volumes" comment (or am I misunderstanding?). Don't quote me on this, but I seem to recall that the Cambridge Audio amps other than the budget 350A use a separate headphone amp, so it's possible (assuming there isn't a fault) that it simply doesn't provide enough juice for the orthos. Most integrated's headphone sockets these days are driven from the power amp through resistors, so power shouldn't be a problem. Maybe you could audition a Nad or Marantz integrated with your phones and see if you get a better result.

 

[Errymoose]

At least for the HE-500 you could try something like this idea: http://www.head-fi.org/t/629352/hifiman-he-500-on-a-speaker-amp-emotiva-mini-x-a-100-project
 
Pretty sure I recall MalVeaux trying the HE-400 on the same speaker taps and being impressed.   Need to be a bit careful on the volume knob with them though.   If your speakers are efficient enough to be driven by a low powered speaker amp something along the same lines might be a fun option... idk what a good amp with A/B speaker taps would be though.  
 
I would actually be interested in some suggestions for this experiment myself...