[stuartr]

I am currently in the market for a new portable cd player, but I was wondering if anyone knew of any that could drive Sennheiser HD 580s. As for cd players, what would be a good balance of fun toys and good sound? The DEJ01 tempts me, but the reviews I have heard are pretty negative. Pretty much about all the gadgets getting in the way of sound. Perhaps the Panasonics are a better choice. Additionally, any player that is easily available in the Russian Federation, i.e. Moscow or Vladivostok is encouraged, seeing as I am currently living there...
As for old school players, I still have a Denon DCP 100 (I thought, maybe it is a 150), and it has excellent sound. The only problem is, if you look at it the wrong way, it will skip -- that and it is a pain to deal with batteries for it.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Stuart

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

PCDP that can drive HD580s

Unfortunately, none of the new PCDP's can properly drive the Sennheiser HD 580's. In order to increase battery life, manufacturers have cut the maximum power output of the built-in headphone amp to <10mW @ 16 ohms, which will translate into <0.5mW output @ 300 ohms (the impedance rating for the Senn 580's). And Panasonic has even eliminated the line-out jack on its U.S.-market models except for the top-of-the-line SL-CT780 (I don't know anything about Panasonic models market outside the U.S.). Which means that you'll have to use the relatively crappy headphone output as an output to whatever add-on headphone amp that you may use.

Sorry, but you are stuck with having to buy a separate headphone amp if you're going to use the Senn 580's portably.

 

[dngl]

Talk to JMT. He can make you a very nice CMOY portable amp for not too much money. Great guy as well.

 

[stuartr]

I have two quick questions. First, who is JMT, and second, what is a CMOY amp? The only portable amp I am familiar with is the HeadRoom Airhead, which I might pick up when I am back in the U.S.
Thanks for the tips,
Stuart

 

[jerikl]

JMT is the man.

He posts on here and Headwize and wherever else. I'm sure if you just browse around you'll see his name. A CMOY amp is a portable amp that Chu Moy over at Headwize designed. I don't have one (although I do have another portable amp built by JMT, which is great), but I hear they perform wonderfully... especially for the price.

 

[dngl]

search the members area for JMT. go to http://www.headwize.com for CMOY and other amp info.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

They say the Panasonic CT-470 has the most powerful amp... I auditioned some CT-4xx models yesterday (couldn't exactly find 470...) and at maximum volume, a pair of cans (I'd prefer not to name them

) that are harder to drive than the old Senn HD565 Ovation got up to an ok volume without distortion. Not great, mind you, but ok...

 

[tarantula60]

I too having been on the lookout for the holy grail of portable cd players without much luck. I have a pair of HD-590's and although the volume is barely okay, it's deffinately not acceptable out of the two Riovolt MP3/cd players I've tried and the Sony Sport. I don't want to blast my ears out, but I would like the option of turning the volume down when it gets too loud. I found this amp http://www.boostaroo.com/ on the internet it's only $20.00 and I'm afraid I'll get what I paid for. I've read reviews of the Panasonic CT-470 and people report volume woes with this unit also.

 

[pedxing]

There are no good modern CD-player with quality output and power. Some people have mentioned that the cheaper players by Lennox and Radio Shack come with 15 or 20 millwatt amps, but no one has commented on how they sound.

Some people say the CT-470 is the greatest thing ever. Others complain its too dark and it still does not have enough power.

You may want to look into buying or building a headphone amp if you get a new CD player from Panasonic or Sony. However this costs money.

 

[slindeman]

The Radioshack 3904 I have is rated at 15mW at 32 ohms which is enough to drive my HD600s loud enough for me, but the sound quality is really poor compared to a dedicated headphone amp. It does better with my HD545, but not by much. Without a headphone amp it is not worth it to use HD600 with a portable cd player (and its even debatable whether its worth it with one). A much better solution is to buy some Koss KSC-50s or some other easy to drive headphone which does sound quite decent out of a portable.

 

[stuartr]

Well, thanks for the advice everyone. I went ahead and began Christmas early, picking up a D-777 and a HeadRoom Supreme amp, so I don't think I will have problems anymore. I am really excited to see how they work with my audio setups. I might actually start another thread to see what people think about the Supreme. Look for it in amps.

Stuart