Newbie Help

[d1gw33d]

Hello - I just recently got into headphones and have been using the Sennheiser HD595's for about a week.

I've noticed significant improvement in sound through my home stereo (a decent Onkyo) as opposed to my PC (fairly high end with a Creative X-Fi Platinum w/IO bay etc.)

The sound from the stereo is more "punchy" I guess? Fuller sounding with more bass. Using the PC gives me clairity IMO but you can really hear the difference in bass and "fullness" (i'm still new like I said - not always sure what I'm hearing.)

Anyway my question is would it be worth while to purchase a ~$100 headphone amp from guitar center until I'm ready to dive into a higher end one (like a headroom one

) or should I just deal with it? The vast majority of my music listening was planned to be on PC but I can't ignore the sound differences.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[edguetzow]

Howdy!

Welcome to Headfi!!! Sorry about your wallet!!

I had the similar idea. All my cds are on a separate hd in my computer so that I can play them back easily. The sound out of the computer amp or soundcard amp is not as good as a separate amp. Any external amp will be way better than the card or computer sound - as you found with your Onyko.

I started small with a Headroom Airhead portable that I bought for about $80. I used this for about a year until I saved up for my upgrades but the sound was very pleasing with my Senn HD495s.

If you plan on spending about $100 then you would be better off buying one of the dedicated type amps discussed on this board instead of the amp from a guitar center. It would be easier to sell it later as well. There are some Cmoy portables built by other Headfiers that you could purchase, the mentioned Headroom Airhead or Total Airhead ($99) would also work. But there is a lot out there that you should consider.

My experience is limited but here are a lot a posts about these amps. Just take a little time and search the forums for something that "sounds" like it might work for you then do more research on that item. Then, check the "For Sale" forum for other used items. There are a lot of friendly and helpful folks on these forums!!

Just my experience! See sig for my current setup.

 

[d1gw33d]

Thanks for the reply. I might go ahead and do that.

I'd love to just drop $400+ on one right now to get my feet wet but the wife would beat me. The past 3 months I've purchased a 50'' Plasma, a 32'' LCD, a PS3, Xbox 360, a major PC upgrade (Q6600/8800GT/4GB.) And the most recent the HD595's.

I think she's about had it with me

Thanks again.

 

[3x331m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d1gw33d /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello - I just recently got into headphones and have been using the Sennheiser HD595's for about a week. I've noticed significant improvement in sound through my home stereo (a decent Onkyo) as opposed to my PC (fairly high end with a Creative X-Fi Platinum w/IO bay etc.) The sound from the stereo is more "punchy" I guess? Fuller sounding with more bass. Using the PC gives me clairity IMO but you can really hear the difference in bass and "fullness" (i'm still new like I said - not always sure what I'm hearing.) Anyway my question is would it be worth while to purchase a ~$100 headphone amp from guitar center until I'm ready to dive into a higher end one (like a headroom one ) or should I just deal with it? The vast majority of my music listening was planned to be on PC but I can't ignore the sound differences. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

You can look for a used Headroom Bithead or Total bithead for less than $100. I sold mine for $95. That amp can drive the 595 nicely.

Enjoy.

 

[bobloblaw]

x3. My PA2V2 gave me a noticeable increase in sq from my computer, although a good sound card might give you a bigger boost in quality. I love Auzentech cards, but there's a lot of good stuff out there.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Don't get an amp from guitar center and don't get a portable amp if you don't need portability.

HeadRoom amps are fine but certainly are not the best bang for the buck there is. I would recommend looking into the Little Dot Mk-series of amps (you can find them on ebay and there are various reviews here in the forums). The little dots are highly regarded around here and are certainly one of the best value in headphone amplifiers today.