[ryder78]

I presume the Naim Headline is not very popular amongst folks here. Anybody use this with Beyerdynamic headphones, particularly T1 or T5p?
 
Are there any other headphone amp alternatives that are a better match to Beyerdynamics than the Naim Headline?

Thanks.

 

[yossi126]

Well, it is your lucky day.
Few years ago I heard the headline with a beyer 880 that I owned and it actually sounded quite good.
Quite neutral and clean sounding as expected from a SS amp.
Went ahead and bought the Meier Opera cause I had a good deal on it.
Meier amps have much more feedback than the naim and they are a safe bet.

 

[ryder78]

Thanks man. Surely my lucky day.
 
Good to hear that the Meier is a better sounding amp than the Headline when used on the DT880. Will check out the Meier later.
 
Reason I am considering the Naim Headline is I own Naim gear, and I don't know how the Headline will compare with other headphone amps of similar price points. 
 
Okay will need to do some research after this.
 
Cheers.

 

[sonq]

I tried the Naim with my 880 but sounded quite cold and strident. Not sure if it's due to a lack of warming up as my speaker system on Naim amps n source needed to be left powered up.

 

[DarKu]

Hi ryder78
I use a Naim Headline 2 quite often and it's probably my "to go amp" for just musical listening and enjoyment.
It has a lot of gain, it drives my LCD-2 and H800 without any issue, so it will drive the DT880 no problem. The biggest issue however is the power supply.
With the cheapest iSupply it will sound thin and strident as user "sonq" mentioned.
But a with a good power supply as NAPSC (most elegant solution) or Hi-Cap (the best one for Headline 2, also the most expensive) the sound will become silky smooth, relaxed, quite bassy and very enjoyable.
I've listened to a lot of SS amps, but this one with the right power supply is the most musical to my ears..

 

[Julian H]

Hi ryder
 
I have a Headline 2 and concur with previous postings that the resultant sound quality is dependent on the power supply. I use a Hicap, formerly a NAPSC. The Hicap was a worthwhile step and will likely consider Supercap in the future.
 
I cannot speak from experience regarding Beyer headphones on the HL, to date I have only used my Grados. Beyers do seem to have a good following with the Naim community so probably worth a try, along with Grados of course. Another safe bet is the Senn HD800 if your budget stretches that far!
 
Cheers, Julian

 

[ryder78]

Thanks for all responses. Much appreciated. It is reassuring to hear that a better power supply on the Headline2 will improve things. After all, power supply is of great importance in any Naim system. Unfortunately I do not have any plans to use anything better than an NAPSC (if I happen to end up with the Headline 2).
 
The reason of considering the Headline2 is I have a spare NAPSC lying around for about 1 year after I got a Dual Teddycap for my Naim amps in the main loudspeaker-based system. I have more or less decided on the headphone - Beyerdynamic T5p. Still undecided on the headphone amp but the Headline2 will be given first priority due to extra NAPSC box that I have.
 
Once again, thanks for the feedback. It was certainly useful.

 

[sonq]

Quote:

Hi ryder78
I use a Naim Headline 2 quite often and it's probably my "to go amp" for just musical listening and enjoyment.
It has a lot of gain, it drives my LCD-2 and H800 without any issue, so it will drive the DT880 no problem. The biggest issue however is the power supply.
With the cheapest iSupply it will sound thin and strident as user "sonq" mentioned.
But a with a good power supply as NAPSC (most elegant solution) or Hi-Cap (the best one for Headline 2, also the most expensive) the sound will become silky smooth, relaxed, quite bassy and very enjoyable.
I've listened to a lot of SS amps, but this one with the right power supply is the most musical to my ears..

Mystery solved. Surprised that I never thought about the power supply esp since I used to have a HiCap on my preamp...