[JBAndradeIV]

So I just bought a pair of HD-600s, and realized that nearly all of my headphone-listening is done outside of the house (I'm a busy guy).  Any recommendations for a portable amp that would power them well?  I'd preferably like to keep it under $200 if possible (I'm also a college student haha).  
 
Or should I just give up the dream of taking these cans everywhere and sell them for something easier to drive?
 
Many thanks!

 

[Head Injury]

You bought HD600s to use outside?
 
Contrary to popular belief, they're not that hard to amp. Harder that any headphone I'd consider for portable use, but not that bad. The Fiio E7 can drive them loud, if not as loud as is optimal.
 
How portable does it need to be? Strap-to-iPod portable or Fits-in-Suitcase portable?

 

[JBAndradeIV]

Haha I'll sacrifice portability for sound quality any day; as long as it's possible to lug around.  The amp doesn't have to be tiny, but small enough to not take up too much space in a messenger bag.  Other than louder, how does the HD600 sound through the E7?  

 

[Head Injury]

The E7's amp handles high impedances very well in everything but power. Low THD, low IMD, great channel balance, slightly high noise but nothing you'll hear with the sensitivity of your headphones. The only thing I'm worried about for you is the volume in your environment. You might want to crank the volume to keep it above ambient noise, and the E7 won't allow you a lot of headroom for that. Depends on how loud you think you'll listen, really.
 
I can PM you a review, but it's got lots of tech mumbo jumbo, most of which is over my head too. Suffice to say that it's very thorough and quite positive.

 

[JBAndradeIV]

Thanks for the suggestion.  I don't know how loud I'd need it to go, so I may just try and find a cheaper used e7 and resell it if it's too quiet.  Any other suggestions, anyone?

 

[Gwarmi]

Yep, sell them pronto unless you want to upgrade your budget in a big way.
 
Eg, I auditioned my AKG K601 120ohm's using a Fostex HP-P1 ($600AUD DAC and Amp)
 
It was loud at the 1o'clock position but the sound was sibilant and thin compared to
a full sized setup.
 
Just about anything can make the HD600 loud, this for example, will for a lot less than the E7
 

 
 
Will it really suck? Oh yes, it will really, really suck.

 

[Head Injury]

The E7 doesn't suck though 

 
The Boostaroo appears to have THD about two orders of magnitude more than the E7 (around 0.003% vs. a rated 0.5%, perhaps more in practice). Its output impedance is high (5.5 ohms vs. 0.13 ohms) but that's not an issue for the HD600. Its output power is 40mW per channel. This is probably measured at 32 ohms, though there's no way to be sure. If so, this will not get the HD600 very loud. It's much less powerful than the E7.
 
So yeah, not exactly the best analogy there.
 
The Boostaroo is absolutely terrible by any standards, even for $35. It would sound considerably worse than a typical DAP headphone jack, but it will be a little louder maybe.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

The E7 doesn't suck though 

 
The Boostaroo appears to have THD about two orders of magnitude more than the E7 (around 0.003% vs. a rated 0.5%, perhaps more in practice). Its output impedance is high (5.5 ohms vs. 0.13 ohms) but that's not an issue for the HD600. Its output power is 40mW per channel. This is probably measured at 32 ohms, though there's no way to be sure. If so, this will not get the HD600 very loud. It's much less powerful than the E7.
 
So yeah, not exactly the best analogy there.

Yes, except that I actually have a Boostaroo and I can guarantee you that under full volume it would burst anyone's ear drums.
 
At 50% volume, I was in pain with the K601's on the Boostaroo, I'm sure another 50% on the dial will max. out most headphones.
 
I'm ashamed to even admit that I actually bought that piece of '%%$##%^^' ~ it's a close tie between the Boostaroo, HD201
and HD515 as biggest jokes in audio land.
 
 
 

 

[Head Injury]

Maybe I looked at the wrong model. Which model is it? They're all terrible, but maybe that one's louder.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Maybe I looked at the wrong model. Which model is it? They're all terrible, but maybe that one's louder.

I've got the old one, the original ~ it's a shocker, it also has this output filter which is locked that you cannot
remove, meant to add sound stage. It's a line noise box the Boostaroo, here add a heap of line noise! great!
 

 
It's not even a passing grade for a 1st year audio engineering assignment.

 

[tdockweiler]

Best portable amp I've tried with the HD-600 is the Headroom Total Airhead. It's battery powered and takes 4 AAA batteries. This thing can drive the HD-600 with ease.
I used that combination many, many times years ago without any problems. It costs $99 and is made in the USA. It's worth every penny.