Thunder240
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2012
- Posts
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- 52
Question: is there a <$300 headphone amp that would match well to 50-65 ohm cans and that punches well above its weight?
Background: I'm currently using the headphone out of my Denon 3808ci receiver when listening in my living room. I'm aware that it is not a good impedance match for my headphones -- Shure SRH1840 (65 ohm, 96dB sensitivity) and Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs (50 ohm, 98 dB sensitivity). I want a headphone amp that to use in conjunction with the Denon as a DAC that matches well with those two sets of cans. My hope is to keep the price under 300. The headphone out on the Denon sounds good, but not great. My chief point of comparison is with a 2nd rig that I keep in a different room, comprising a NuForce Icon HDP connected to a Sony Blu-Ray player via digital coax that I use as a DNLA renderer. (I've experimented by moving the NuForce to my livingroom and connecting it's RCA inputs to the Denon's pre-outs, and I notice a improvement in detail, imaging and soundstage, although it isn’t drastic. Still, it’s enough to incline me to do most of my headphone listening in that other room.) For the record, I’m content with the DAC on the Denon. In comparing the Denon’s DAC to the NuForce’s DAC and to an Emotiva XDA-1 paired with a passive resistor, I could not hear a difference. I’m not saying that all DAC’s sound the same, but if there are DACs whose sonic improvements my ears can hear, they cost more than I care to spend.
Anyhow, what I really want to know is whether $300 can buy me a substantial improvement in amplification SQ over my Denon's headphone output given my headphones? (I'm pretty sure it can.) Assuming so, what would be the best amp for the job? My preference is for solid state since I don’t expect the Alpha Dogs to pair well with tubes, although there may be the oddball exception, which I’d welcome. (Please only recommend a tube amp if you have listened to it with an orthodynamic headphone and found it to work well, better yet a headphone that uses T50RP drivers. Please don’t recommend a tube amp just because it’s a good amp in general.) I don’t plan to use the pot much — I’ll control volume from the Denon — so that shouldn’t be a factor. I’ve read several reviews of the O2 and various offerings from Schiit and FiiO among others, and at least in the case of the latter two I suspect that the improvement they might offer is not substantial enough to justify the expense. The O2 has some big fans, but several people have stated that the sound is a bit thin, which turns me off. I’m also familiar with NuForce’s budget lineup, but while I found the HDP to offer some improvement over my Denon, I imagine that I could make my money go farther.
Finally, if you feel that no single amp can do justice to both of the headphones that I hope to match (Shure SRH1840 and Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs) because of the driver differences or for some other reason, please explain.
Thanks for the recommendations!
Background: I'm currently using the headphone out of my Denon 3808ci receiver when listening in my living room. I'm aware that it is not a good impedance match for my headphones -- Shure SRH1840 (65 ohm, 96dB sensitivity) and Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs (50 ohm, 98 dB sensitivity). I want a headphone amp that to use in conjunction with the Denon as a DAC that matches well with those two sets of cans. My hope is to keep the price under 300. The headphone out on the Denon sounds good, but not great. My chief point of comparison is with a 2nd rig that I keep in a different room, comprising a NuForce Icon HDP connected to a Sony Blu-Ray player via digital coax that I use as a DNLA renderer. (I've experimented by moving the NuForce to my livingroom and connecting it's RCA inputs to the Denon's pre-outs, and I notice a improvement in detail, imaging and soundstage, although it isn’t drastic. Still, it’s enough to incline me to do most of my headphone listening in that other room.) For the record, I’m content with the DAC on the Denon. In comparing the Denon’s DAC to the NuForce’s DAC and to an Emotiva XDA-1 paired with a passive resistor, I could not hear a difference. I’m not saying that all DAC’s sound the same, but if there are DACs whose sonic improvements my ears can hear, they cost more than I care to spend.
Anyhow, what I really want to know is whether $300 can buy me a substantial improvement in amplification SQ over my Denon's headphone output given my headphones? (I'm pretty sure it can.) Assuming so, what would be the best amp for the job? My preference is for solid state since I don’t expect the Alpha Dogs to pair well with tubes, although there may be the oddball exception, which I’d welcome. (Please only recommend a tube amp if you have listened to it with an orthodynamic headphone and found it to work well, better yet a headphone that uses T50RP drivers. Please don’t recommend a tube amp just because it’s a good amp in general.) I don’t plan to use the pot much — I’ll control volume from the Denon — so that shouldn’t be a factor. I’ve read several reviews of the O2 and various offerings from Schiit and FiiO among others, and at least in the case of the latter two I suspect that the improvement they might offer is not substantial enough to justify the expense. The O2 has some big fans, but several people have stated that the sound is a bit thin, which turns me off. I’m also familiar with NuForce’s budget lineup, but while I found the HDP to offer some improvement over my Denon, I imagine that I could make my money go farther.
Finally, if you feel that no single amp can do justice to both of the headphones that I hope to match (Shure SRH1840 and Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs) because of the driver differences or for some other reason, please explain.
Thanks for the recommendations!