[jmb]

I am looking for a portable amp that will be capable of driving a pair of Sennheiser HD600's.

I want to pair these cans with the excellent line out of the Sony MZ-R50 Minidisc player.

Or, should I save a few bucks and go for one of Sennheiser's low end cans (e.g. HD555's). I am not really concerned with the price though, only in improving the sound quality of my portable set-up, without wasting money on overkill.

I would also be paring these with the line out of a HD mp3 player in the future, once I can afford to replace the JB3 that just died on me.

BTW:This will be my first post on Head-Fi

 

[sc53]

I asked Larry of LaRocco Audio about the Pocket Reference and the 600/650's and he said it would be an excellent match, plenty of gain, and plenty of portability. I used to own an older Headroom Supreme portable, but the gain was nowhere near enough for the 600's. When I get another portable, I am pretty sure it will be the Pocket Ref, based on all I've read.

 

[gpalmer]

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet!

There are a number of alternatives open to you from the Xin Supermini and SuperMicro to the Pocket Reference to the XP-7. I would do a search on these to see what others have said. Good luck on your search!

 

[ipodstudio]

There are two active threads that are discussing exactly this already HERE and HERE

 

[jmb]

Quote:

Originally posted by ipodstudio There are two active threads that are discussing exactly this already HERE and HERE

Aren't those threads concerned with non-portable amps?

I was hoping that there might be some MZ-R50 owners with HD600's who might have auditioned several of the portable amps out there to see how they match-up.

I don't know if this helps but the MZ-R50's line out rating is 194mV, 10Kohms.

Thanks for the help!

 

[plainsong]

My Porta Corda II had gain to spare while it was running in Class A mode with a 24V wallwart.

 

[ampgalore]

Emmeline XP7, more than enough power to drive the HD600.

 

[ampgalore]

XP7 definitely. Just got it today, and been testing it with HD600 and ER4S. The definitely works WONDERS with the HD600.

 

[jmb]

Thanks for the sugestions everyone. I looked at a number of the higher end models, but their price keeps them out of reach. I decided to get Super Mini from XIN, with the battery booster (13.5V max) and I am going to step down a bit on the headphones and go for the Senn 580's. It seems like it would be a good match and a lot more affordable. Anyone have experience with this set-up?