[Lyrad13]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here as i am new to the world of having a decent headset (used to use cheap 30$ headsets from wall-mart that always fell apart within 6 months). I have just recently gotten a sennheiser pc350 headset and find the sound quality to be quite good, slightly weaker bass then im used too but ive read that it is typical for cheap headsets to have too much bass, so I am probably just adjusting. However, due to the 150 ohm's of resistance I find that im not getting a loud enough sound to fully enjoy the headset to its full potential, even with my volume set at 100% i dont find them to be that loud. Ive been reading these boards and a few other sites to try and find a decent amp somewhere in the price range of 100-150$ but to be honest i dont really know how to tell a good amp from a bad amp or fully understand what alot of the technical specifications mean in terms of sound quality.

I currently have the headset connected to a dell xps m1710 laptop but am planning on building a new desktop pc in a few months and will have a better source then.

I am hoping that someone here will know of some quality amps within my price range (100-150$). From my own reasearch i have come across 2 that stand out.

Little Dot 1+ as seen here ($110 plus 35 for shipping)
Viewing a thread - Little Dot I+ Hybrid Headphone Amplifier

and the Headroom Total Airhead ($100 plus shipping)
HeadRoom Total AirHead @ HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

i am hoping that someone here who knows more about amps would be able to explain which of these two is better and why, or maybe even make some suggestions of other amps i may have overlooked.

 

[Brandon B]

Hmm.. the Little Dot amps are pretty well regarded around here so you would probably be pretty happy with one of those. I could think of a couple other options.. you could get a Zero DAC/Headamp on ebay for $130 or so, although the shipping costs might put you past your budget. They show up on the for sale forum pretty often so you could get one used to save a little money.. other amps to look for used: Firestone Cute Beyond, EMU 0404 USB (usb soundcard with built-in amp), Corda Headfive, and Corda Arietta. If you can save up another $50, you could get an ASUS Xonar Essence which would be a great soundcard for your new computer, and it has a decent headamp built in. If you check the portable amp forum, you might find some more options if you don't mind replacing/charging batteries.