[Lvivske]

Hey,

Planning on buying either of the Sennheiser 650 or AKG K701 so just wondering what specs I need to look for in an amp to properly drive these sets?

I plan on getting both a stereo amp for my home theater and a (cheaper) portable for use on my laptop or abroad

Thanks in advance

 

[Caution]

In general amps are not like computers, specs != performance. Some amps that may power the HD650s may have trouble powerind the K701s and vice versa, your best off reading reviews of amps with certain headphones rather than judging an amp off specs.

What's your budget?

 

[Lvivske]

i guess if its for a full stereo amp for my home theater, then under a grand

if its for a portable, then under 200 for sure


why is it that some amps dont power certain headphones properly? this just sounds bizarre to me as someone who owns stacks of guitar amps, where these laws of differential power dont apply at all be it a 4x12" cab or 8x12 or whatever

 

[1Time]

Are you saying you want to use the HD650 or K701 as portable headphones and you want to use a $200 (non-DIY) portable amp?

 

[grawk]

Look at your entire budget, rather than balancing it to portable vs home. $1000 for home + $200 for portable amp leaves you $1200.

For portable use, you're better off finding headphones that work well portably, rather than trying to find an amp that will power the 701s or hd650s portably. I'd recommend ATH-ESW9s highly, for about $300.

For home use, that leaves you with an upper limit of $900. That will get you any number of great amps for use with the k701s or HD650s. Headroom makes a number of amps that match either well, there are often beta22s available here for around that, m^3s, etc.

 

[Lvivske]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you saying you want to use the HD650 or K701 as portable headphones and you want to use a $200 (non-DIY) portable amp?

i plan on buying both sets to see what suits me best

for amps, im going to need an bigger amp for my home theater, which ill primarily use. but also need to look at getting a portable for when im around (and using my laptop, for example)

the source for the home theater is a computer as well

 

[Lvivske]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif For portable use, you're better off finding headphones that work well portably, rather than trying to find an amp that will power the 701s or hd650s portably. I'd recommend ATH-ESW9s highly, for about $300.

i think ill just keep my HD580s then, since im pretty happy with them, even without an amp

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif For home use, that leaves you with an upper limit of $900. That will get you any number of great amps for use with the k701s or HD650s. Headroom makes a number of amps that match either well, there are often beta22s available here for around that, m^3s, etc.

thanks, ill look into that

 

[Uncle Erik]

Stats don't tell you the whole story with an amp. For instance, one of the problems is that output power will vary depending on the impedance of the headphones you use. Your Senns are 300 ohm and (IIRC) the AKGs are 120. The power that actually gets to your headphones will depend on that and the output impedance of the amp. The closer the output impedance is to the headphones' impedance, the more power will transfer.

Anyhow, the best way to get at this is to start looking at the amps in the price range you have and look at the experiences people have with it and the headphones you buy. Lots of people have the K-701 and the HD-650, so you should be able to find opinions and a consensus on the one you choose.

Also consider what kind of music you listen to. If you want a lot of low-end slam, look into a solid state amp. Generally, silicon will do a better job with the lows. Tubes, again generally, will give you sweeter mids and do better with acoustic/vocal material. There are exceptions, but that's a good way to start looking at them.

Be sure to consider used amps, too. Look through the For Sale Forum and if something looks interesting, start running searches and learn more about it. There's also a good chance the amp's owner will have a HD-650 or a K-701, so ask them what they think.