[gabedamien]

Hello,

I've been using a pair of stock Sennheiser HD650 headphones with a Headroom Total Bithead.

I may soon be gifted a used NAD 712 Stereo Receiver (and a NAD multi-CD changer). Not as a Christmas gift or anything, just because the current owner (a family member) wants to replace it with something smaller and doesn't need it.

I was wondering how good the headphone out would be on something like this. NAD has a good reputation, but how well do they build the headphone out sections of their budget receivers? How would it compare to various levels of dedicated headphone amps, including my Total Bithead?

Opinions welcome, especially if you have any experience with the amp in question. I found the manual with specs online here, but I don't know if any of these specs apply to the headphone out: http://207.228.230.231/info/NAD_712.pdf

Thanks in advance,
-G

 

[noseallinit]

lucky you! I have the 710 and sometimes I wish I had bought the 712 instead. they are almost identical but the 710 had one particular feature that I liked that the 712 did not. the 712 had a few more that the 710 did not. the 710 does not have a headphone output so I cannot tell you anything first hand. my previous NAD receiver did but at the time I used STAX headphones so there is no experience with the headphone jack there either.

by what I have read they have pretty good headphone output. in their current line some equipment descriptions list headphone output while other descriptions list dedicated headphone output. I still have the brochure for the 712 and I'll try and dig it out sometime soon to see what it says about the headphone output.

the 710 is a pretty cool receiver! you can disconnect the internal amp and use it as a preamplifier for another amp. or you can connect signal processing equipment between the preamplifier section and the amplifier section. you also can setup up to four speakers.

before I got me headphone amplifier and DAC I was looking for a 712. if ya ever decide to get rid of it I could possibly be interested so let me know.

let us know how that headphone output is!

 

[zimmzio]

Hi gabedamien, i own a T752 and i can say simply without being to analytical that it does a terrible job at driving my low impedance 50ohms hd595, could be different with the 300ohms hd650. Grados would be a better match for NAD receivers. seriously, this week I thought of buying a pair of hd650 just to see if the T752 would have better synergy with them but after reading through allot of posts and comments here, i decided to take a first step and bought a LD MKIII instead, that way ill have something to compare the T752 with. This is my first post here, ive been a member for a while but never posted anything since i have no first hand experience with dedicated headphone amps. Anyway i should receive the LD soon and i think ill be in a better position to comment then and maybe shed more light on the matter. Cheers

 

[gabedamien]

Thanks for the replies so far. Zimmzio, are you saying that Grado would be a better match than Senn because NAD is usually warm sounding, or because of impedance, or what?

If I do pick this up then I'd likely be looking for a good pair of bookshelf speakers to hook up to them as well, to replace my Swan M200 "multimedia" speakers. Any suggestions on that front are welcome too; a B&W dealer in my hometown will help me match some bookshelf speakers to the specific amp, but probably charge a premium for the convenience if I know retailers.

 

[gabedamien]

An update: the above link was to a brochure or some sort. HERE (http://207.228.230.231/manual/NAD-712.pdf) is the actual manual, and I quote:
Quote:

2. PHONES A 1/4” stereo jack socket is supplied for headphone listening and will work with conventional headphones of any impedance. Inserting a headphone jack into this socket automatically switches off the loudspeak- ers. The volume and tone and balance controls are operative for headphone listening. Use a suitable adapter to connect headphones with other types of connectors, such as 3.5mm stereo ‘personal stereo’ jack plugs. Warning: Make certain that the volume control is turned to minimum (fully anti-clockwise) before con- necting headphones. Listening at high levels can damage your hearing.

And then there is another copy of the specs at the very end.

At least they say that the headphone jack is rated for "any" impedance headphones... that's a good sign, right?

 

[zimmzio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gabedamien /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies so far. Zimmzio, are you saying that Grado would be a better match than Senn because NAD is usually warm sounding, or because of impedance, or what?

mainly Because of NAD's typical warm sound, yes. I don't think impedance is an issue, Grado's are low.imp also and sound pretty damn good with them.

Now about your speaker purchase, i have never auditioned B&W's so can't say. I use Kef Q series in my HT setup that im pretty satisfied with, but thats me... NAD amp/receivers are warm in nature, i think for best results you should try first to combined them with heaphones/speakers that are balanced - neutral and more reference like in character, basically that should expose the NAD signature sound and give you good results but ultimately you'll have to decide if the NAD sound is for you. Good luck, Hope this helps!

 

[gabedamien]

Thanks for the help Zimmzio.

FYI I just tried this amp's headphone out (first opportunity to do so) with the Senn HD650 and I didn't hear a great quality increase. On my dad's monstrous Panasonic home theater receiver I think I hear a huge quality increase, zero noise, etc., relative to the TBH, but on this NAD I don't; besides which there's a low level buzz/hum. That may be because of the cable modem, wireless router, laptop, printer, TV, and VCR all on top of it though.

In the end I don't think this is going to replace my TBH as an amp. Maybe as an amp for some bookshelf speakers, but that's another consideration.

Cheers,
-G

 

[zimmzio]

Well there you go... i guess we can say with confidence now that using senn's with NAD receivers ain't no match made in heaven hehehe.

 

[hellerbenjamin]

I realize that im a few years late to this discussion, but i figured my experiences might help others. I have a NAD T741 and a NAD L73. I use them both frequently with a Beyerdynamic DT 880 with mixed results. The T741 sounds great. Low noise levels, plenty of power in my opinion. A totally acceptable headphone out. The L73 is unfortunatly really bad. It is NOISY. Lots of hiss. It seems to have the gain turned up way to high, as the DT 880 requires a substantial amount of power... but regardless, i can hear the optical link turning on and off, hiss at all volume points... its just bad.

 

[hellerbenjamin]

I've read a lot today, and it looks like most of the headphone outs on receivers are using the amp with a resistor, so the amp would likely color the sound of the headphone out... but i didnt notice that. I've read that approximatly 5% use a seperate circuit. I'm no expert in this field, but i can tell you that not all NAD headphone outs are created equal.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellerbenjamin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've read a lot today, and it looks like most of the headphone outs on receivers are using the amp with a resistor, so the amp would likely color the sound of the headphone out... but i didnt notice that.

No, because it doesn't necessarily follow. There's no reason why a resistor should colour sound (the amp after all is full of them) unless there's a clear impedance mismatch...and even then, most impedance mismatches only result in a slightly fuller, less defined bass. Trust your ears, as too few are doing. Don't believe what you read here either way. If a phone sounds good out of a particular jack, forget the theory, forget the nay-sayers and settle back and listen. And no, don't be thinking as you listen, "Maybe this could be a little better with this-or-that expensive do-dad." That's the road to ruin, financial and psychological.

(Only slightly tongue-in-cheek).