'NOOB' alert! Need amp advice for Senn HD-595 cans.

[Ham Radio Nut]

Hi everyone! My name is George Pitt, and I am new to the world of cans. I've been a 'quasi-audiophile' of sorts over the years, mainly listening to my CD's (including HDCD and SACD sources) on 'McIntosh' gear and 'Magneplanar' speakers. So i've gotten a bit 'spoiled' when it comes to better, more detailed, timbrally accurate sound. We recently had our first child, and i've come to the realization that I can't crank my 'Maggies' to suitable sound levels anymore like I used to in my pre-fatherhood days. So, naturally I made the foray into cans so I could still get high-end sound, and not disturb anyone. So the newborn changing my listening habits has been 'a blessing in disguise' because of the fact that I have newly discovered how much I dig cans! A few weeks ago, I picked up a cheap pair of 'AKG K26P' phones, and was excited at how good they sound with my portable CD player. My next logical step was to do some research on even better phones, so I just ordered the Sennheiser HD-595's, which should be arriving this week. I want to go the route of pairing the HD-595's with a dedicated amp in the up to $300 range... $400 if I absolutely 'have to'. I'm thinking tubes. Any sage suggestions based on the impedance of these cans (50 ohm, dynamic), and overall sound quality based on your experience, or knowledge? THANKS in advance!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention. I listen to all kinds of music, from classical, to jazz, to rock (metal, alternative, classic), to world music, to reggae, to neo-flamenco, acoustic, etc. etc. My source is strictly CD/HDCD/SACD.

 

[dizzyorange]

At $300 and below, the best portable amps are often on par with home amps. Do not judge based on size, many many people have found the top-end portables (from Ray Samuels, Xin, Headamp, etc..) to be every bit the equal of home amps at this price. The home amps don't really start getting better until near the $400 mark (Heed Canamp, EC/SS, WooAudio 3, Darkvoice 336, etc..)

An exception is DIY. You may be able to find DIY designs like the PPAv2, M^3, Millet Hybrid, CK3 at around the $300-400 mark on the FS forums. These are high-value items. An amplifier of the quality of an M^3 w/ STEPS would easily cost $600 - $800 if sold commercially.

You probably know this, but the low impedance of the HD595's means you should stay away from OTL (output transformer-less) designs, which are usually SET. Fortunately, most amps don't fit in this category.

Finally, I found the 595s to respond less to amplification than other headphones. This sentiment is generally shared by other head-fiers. There will be a difference, no doubt, but the 595's don't *need* amplification like, for example, 600ohm Beyers or the 300ohm HD650.

Since it seems like you have really nice equipment, you might be surprised how good the 595's sound out of your CD player or integrated amp's headphone jack.


Here are some additional tube amps in your price range:
Portable Millet Hybrid (from TTVJ)
DOGE 6210
Eddie Current EC-01
Little Dot III+
Darkvoice 336
Wooaudio (slightly more $$$)
Mapletree Audio Design (more $$$)
Antique Labs MG

 

[Ham Radio Nut]

Hi Dizzy.

Thanks for the response. All the info is much appreciated!

That's some interesting information regarding the HD-595's propensity to not require outboard amplification due to it's already low impedance. Being i'm the type who wholeheartedly and passionately gets into a new hobby, I can foresee eventually owning 2 or 3 good headphones a year or two from now, so I ideally want to go with an amp that will work with the 595's, as well as higher impedance phones.

I am under the impression that even with the lower impedance 595's, any halfway-decent dedicated headphone amp would provide noticeably better sonics than a headphone jack on most CD players or preamps. Especially considering a typical headphone amp is also, in essence, a preamp, which can improve sound greatly. In any case, i'm dying to purchase a tubed headphone amp, since i'm a big fan of the sweet, euphonious sound of tubes (ever since hearing my dad's old 1966 'Fisher' tube receiver with the 'Telefunken' tubes!). The only thing that is difficult to 'second guess' is which combination of headphone amp and my 595's will be the best synergistic marriage sound-wise?

I was just looking at these in my preliminary research:

* Antique Sound HB1 ($250 price is very appealing)
* Bellari VP129
* Musican Fidelity X-CAN v3

I will also check out your suggestions.

Thanks again!

George