[ziocomposite]

No biggy =D
 
But I use this with my Sound Blaster Extigy (True 5.1 decoder) so it has limitless volume to handle these.  Now I've tested this with my Turtle Beach DSS (Same technology as mix amp) and even with the volume maxed, it was still too low.
 
What I did was this:
DSS(or mixamp) ------>  Cmoybb/leckerton amp -------> FA-011 
 
W/O it the amp it's not loud enough volume wise though it still performs great.  With an Amp, enjoyable atmosphere at your fingertips and sounds like a tad bit more detail present.  From what others' have experienced, the amp paired with the FA-011 can have an impact.
 
I used to sound whore a LOT but noticed how my reflexes started getting worse due to relying on sound too much.  Plus I love having marathon pro on lol =P

 

 

[1eye1derweasil]

Quote:

 my body rumbles from the low bass from the ship in Mass Effect 2  omgwtfbbasaaaauce!!!
 
 

... I used the 011 with ME2 for the first time last night...your so right 

 

[madscientsit24]

Yep, just as I figured. I don't think I'll be getting these just because of that. Amps are to much when taking into account the inital headphone price. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten a mixamp for a long time. That things pretty expensive too, about 140.
 
From what I was reading in this thread, these headphones seem to sound great with an amp. Without an amp, I get the feeling they'll be just "decent."

 

[imot]

Anyone can recommend a decent amp (doesn't matter portable or not) for these babies that is under US $200? The Arrow looks good but I'm not sure I wanna spend $300 more for my untrained ears 

 

[1eye1derweasil]

Maverick D1 - it doubles as your dac (which is a good investment)
 
also it has a tube pre-amp, so if you ever decide to get a dedicated tube amp, this can used 

 
it retails at 200 even, great reviews, and should drive the 011 just fine

 

[dweaver]

I have been reviewing a pair of these for the past couple of days and have to say so far I am underwhelmed. I just find the treble too energetic making cymbals hard to listen to and the bass not deep or textured enough. I am burning these in more as I don't believe they have enough hours on them to be to critical yet. But even with burnin I suspect these will be too hot for my tastes.
 
I thought these might be a nice cheap alernative for my D7000 but just don't think they have the same type of signature at all. The interesting thing is I have one IEM that is supposed to be a V shaped signature like these and I dislike that IEM as well. So I am starting think I need to revisit whether the D7000 is as much of a V shaped signature as I thought and have read they are. Either that or these and the IEM's I have are more of a check mark shaped curve.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I have been reviewing a pair of these for the past couple of days and have to say so far I am underwhelmed. I just find the treble too energetic making cymbals hard to listen to and the bass not deep or textured enough. I am burning these in more as I don't believe they have enough hours on them to be to critical yet. But even with burnin I suspect these will be too hot for my tastes.
 
I thought these might be a nice cheap alernative for my D7000 but just don't think they have the same type of signature at all. The interesting thing is I have one IEM that is supposed to be a V shaped signature like these and I dislike that IEM as well. So I am starting think I need to revisit whether the D7000 is as much of a V shaped signature as I thought and have read they are. Either that or these and the IEM's I have are more of a check mark shaped curve.

I had similar impressions which is why I did not get a pair.  I do recall the bass was very tight and impactful but it certainly wasn't rumbling from recollection.  Hot was the right word IMO.  Treble was out of my comfort zone.  They will not burn into D7000's at all.  Closest to that on a budget is the M50 IME.  Those are both 'U' shaped cans not 'V'.  Even then I don't feel their mids recessed in an absolute sense.  Only in a relative one.  
 

 

[matbhuvi]

Fortunately for me, i like the way how HA-02 tames the treble using a simple knob in an uniform fashion rather than EQing them. While watching movies, i prefer not to tame them.

 

[WNBC]

Tight and impactful bass is a good description for the FA-011.  Rumbling, I guess I've never heard a rumbling headphone like the D7000.  The orthos have the slam I like but I wouldn't say rumbling, although the T50RP may be a rumbler.  Agreed, FA-011 mids definitely do not feel recessed.  Treble does not annoy me but we all have different tolerances.  Also, different set-ups may highlight the good and bad of the FA-011.  Would love to hear the Denon lineup one day and maybe at a meet hear the FA-011 in different setups.  
 
Quote:

I had similar impressions which is why I did not get a pair.  I do recall the bass was very tight and impactful but it certainly wasn't rumbling from recollection.  Hot was the right word IMO.  Treble was out of my comfort zone.  They will not burn into D7000's at all.  Closest to that on a budget is the M50 IME.  Those are both 'U' shaped cans not 'V'.  Even then I don't feel their mids recessed in an absolute sense.  Only in a relative one.  
 

 

 

[JiggyJones]

Can someone recommend me an amp for the FA-011s for under $100?

I'm looking at this fanmusic amp and It looks alright to me.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Headphone-Amp-New-Portable-Amplifier-Field-Ready-/120742468761?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1ccfdc99

 

[FlySweep]

Believe it or not.. the tiny Fiio E5 drives them pretty well.. they sound better through the Arrow.. but it costs 15x as much (so it damn well better! LOL).
 
Last night I was listening to them through the E5 and was actually very satisfied. They get plenty loud and are quite clear.

 

[JiggyJones]

Cool, that's really good because I already have an E5, lol. I guess I'll use that.
But one more thing: How well would this amp work for the FA-011s?
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Headphone-Amp-New-Portable-Amplifier-Field-Ready-/120742468761?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1ccfdc99

 

[1eye1derweasil]

Quote:

Cool, that's really good because I already have an E5, lol. I guess I'll use that.
But one more thing: How well would this amp work for the FA-011s?
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Headphone-Amp-New-Portable-Amplifier-Field-Ready-/120742468761?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1ccfdc99

not sure, but I'd suggest the PA2V2 really good little amp, and should make a bigger difference than the e5 
 

 

[Dynobot]

No doubt the FA-011's sound fantastic BUT quality control on aesthetics is too loose for me to buy another pair.
 
 
 

 

[Caze]

I received my FA-011 today and have been testing them through my computer (with X-Fi ExtremeMusic) and my Galaxy S (my portable player) for most of the day. So far I have some mixed results but that's because of my sources. I started my listening by plugging them straight into my X-Fi and was immediately blown away by the bass response. As I calmed down from the excitement the bass gave me, I started to noticed that in some faster songs the sound was somewhat muddy. I figured the X-Fi was to blame as I know that it adds some bass/warmth to the sound (which I also have noticed with my M50) compared to my Galaxy S.
 
Next up was testing if my Galaxy S could drive them without any amplification. While I do get enough volume out of them (can't go very loud though) the dynamics do suffer quite noticeably straight out of the phone. Plugging in my FiiO E5 didn't exactly give me the results I was hoping for either. The bass and treble did get a boost but at the same time the treble became almost too sharp and the whole presentation sounded very thin/cold.
 
Currently I'm listening to the headphones through X-Fi -> E5 which actually tamed some of the excess bass X-Fi was introducing and added clarity to the high end so they are quite enjoyable now.
 
 
But the moral of this story is that I'm now looking for a sub-$100 portable amp to use with my Galaxy S as the E5 clearly didn't cut it. So far I've mostly considered the CmoyBB 2.03 or FiiO E11 and would like to hear which of those would you people rather recommend or if you have any other recommendations. I have seen the PA2V2 mentioned as well in this thread but based on the comparison on Headfonia, I'm currently leaning towards the CmoyBB.