[Elgreco]

Hello everyone .
 
I am totally new to the forum and the audiophile section. I ve been listening to a lot of rock music , classic rock .
 
Recently a friend of mine bought me the Beyerdynamics DT880 250ohm edition . i like the headphones very much and the music is very crisp and clear . Very satisfied .
 
I really really really care now for the clarity of the music .My goal is to mainly listen to every detail in the musi i listen to
 
I ve done some 1-2 day research on audiophile headphones and i have some very basic question which you guys will find pretty easy to answer :
 
Firstly 250 ohm ? Is it better than 32 or 600 ohms ? what is ohm actually lol
 
Secondly : Do i need an amplifier for my headphones?What does an amplifier do in simple words .Why some amplifiers cost thousands of dollars and why some 60$ , like the fiio e11.Can the most expensive amps give me a better sounding of music generally ? ( meaning clarity , hearing everything in a song ).Not that ill buy one because i really am a noob at audiophile stuff . I intend to use them on my imac mostly . I have lots of mp3 format and some flac format files and as i said previously i want to really listen to  everything in a live recording lets say .
 
Thirdly : what files should i look for that will give me the best sound quality ? FLAC ?
 
thanks in advance and sorry for the silly questions . as i said i dont know anything about audiophile stuff , but i would like to get involved

 

[dolor]

These questions have already been answered many times before. Try researching some more, try the search function on the forums.
But to answer your questions quickly without going into much depth:
 
What is Ohm? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm
Why does it matter? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphones#Impedance
Why are amps so expensive why others are cheap, well you pay what you get for..
FLAC is good for lossless music, but sometimes one can't really tell the difference between a good mp3 file and a FLAC.
 
Oh, and welcome btw!

 

[Elgreco]

thanks for the quick reply!
 
Well to tell you the bitter truth i didnt understand much about ohms . the wiki link you sent me has some equations and stuff like that where its all chinese to mee . if anyone who has the time and the mood could explain it in simple words , for example high empidance you need this and give these effects.
 
As far as the amplifier is concerned i got that if you want to reach the maximum potential of your headphones youll probably need it.  if you dont want an amplifier for high end headphones is like driving a Ferrari with 10 miles . Is it correct ?
 
thanks again

 

[dolor]

the ohms impedance indicate just how much power a headphone needs from the amplifier to be able to work and sound properly. Every device that has a headphone input has an amplifier. The lower the impedance a headphone has, the easier it is to be able to drive them and get the most out of it. For example 16-80ohm headphones will work fine if its connected to an ipod/iphone while headphones with more impedance (around 250 ohm) will need an amp to get the most out of it.
The most noticeable thing is that if you connect a high impedance headphone to an mp3 player you wont get enough volume. An amp will fix this but it also delivers more base/soundstage/clearer mids and so on and on.

 

[Elgreco]

thank you very much for your time ! It was a solid answer !

 

[Elgreco]

Ok i am looking at more information on amplifiers now and i think there is more than just amplifier needed to set it up on my imac. I ve read that besides an amplifier , you need a DAC too to get the most out of your headphones when playing music from mac. So do i need to buy a DAC too or are there amplifiers that have built in DAC ?
 
 
What set up would you recommend buying for my imac ( having the beyerdynamics dt880s' 250ohms) so i can get the most out of sound quality ? budget it depends if its really worth it 250-300 but thinking about 150-200$
 
thanks in advance

 

[Kjeldsen]

Welcome to the forum Elgreco!
 
There are lots of DT880 reviews scattered around the forum. Here's one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/24702/dt880-review. Best thing to do is probably to read about peoples experiences and see which AMP/DAC combo fits those headphones the best and try to correlate it with your own tastes. 
 
Some cheap and praised AMP/DAC combos you could have a look at is the FiiO E17 at $130 (http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Headphone-Amplifier-Docking-Interface/dp/B0070UFMOW) and the Leckerton UHA-4 at $199. (http://www.leckertonaudio.com/products/uha-4/). The latter has customizable opamps which modify the sound signature. I have no idea how either would sound with the DT880's.
 
Have a gander in the Portable Headphone amp section: http://www.head-fi.org/f/105/portable-headphone-amps. Your best bet is probably to find an AMP/DAC combo you can enjoy both at home and on the go, if you're not looking to spend all your money from the get go.
 
Good luck!

 

[chewy4]

Macs have good DACs. I would put getting a new DAC at your lowest priority, you're not going to see a big difference in sound quality there. Although if you get interference with the headphone out of your imac it might be a good idea.

 

[flatmap]

A good DAC will certainly improve clarity & distinctness of the sound. 
But the question becomes... how much do you want to spend?  And for what it is worth I've heard
DACs which convey more detail than mine... but were not as musically enjoyable.  
 
So not absolutely required, but you can certainly get some of the benefits you are looking for.
 
If you do get a DAC, then this will need to feed an amp... because you are now bypassing the computer's amp circuit.  
So either you buy both separately (more money of course) or get a combined DAC/Amp unit.
 
Also, as someone else pointed out, you might want to consider a portable unit.  Maybe the
Audioquest Dragonfly? I've not heard it, but it has been getting good reviews (in its price range 
and above).  Small portable DAC and Amp.  Just a thought....  Many others to look at as well.

 

[Elgreco]

thanks all for your answers . Well i really do not want a portable amp . I only want to get the best set up for my imac so i can enjoy the music i listen to ( mostly live recordings ) and get the best sound quality out of them. And by meaning the best i mean within my budget . ( until 200$ or if its worth it until 300$ tops )
 
Are the tube amps any good ? whats the difference between thos without tubes ?
 
I ve found this one on ebay lets say .
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250917104841?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
I am not looking for portability as i would have it next to my imac always. I am looking at quality and warmth of sound ( i dont know how to describe it else) clarity , hearing everything out of a concert i listen to

 

[gopanthersgo1]

thanks all for your answers . Well i really do not want a portable amp . I only want to get the best set up for my imac so i can enjoy the music i listen to ( mostly live recordings ) and get the best sound quality out of them. And by meaning the best i mean within my budget . ( until 200$ or if its worth it until 300$ tops )

Are the tube amps any good ? whats the difference between thos without tubes ?

I ve found this one on ebay lets say .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250917104841?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I am not looking for portability as i would have it next to my imac always. I am looking at quality and warmth of sound ( i dont know how to describe it else) clarity , hearing everything out of a concert i listen to

Warm is more of a Lush sound, not so much analytical sound which sounds distant, and has shrieking treble to my ears.

 

[Elgreco]

 I finally decided to get an amp with DAC .I want mainly sound quality and not portability as it will sit next to my imac always.
 
 
so what do you expert guys recommend a tube amp or a solid state amp . My budget is under 300$

 

[Elgreco]

Ok i ve been some research and found these 3 models above 200$
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250917104841?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120964024640?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/320978979283?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
Which one would you recommend ?

 

[gopanthersgo1]

I think this is a great desktop amp/DAC for the price

Link: http://tamaudio.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=36&product_id=108

 

[gopanthersgo1]

Ok i ve been some research and found these 3 models above 200$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250917104841?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120964024640?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/320978979283?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Which one would you recommend ?

Of those three, the only one I have heard of is the 1st one, which you can get on amazon for the same price, with better costumer service. (Here: http://www.amazon.com/Hi-Fi-Man-EF2A-Tube-Headphone/dp/B004357WL8/ref=pd_cp_MI_0)