[Archangel]

Well for those of you who remember me from Headwize ( new
member ) I chose the 580 instead of the 600, I did so for 3 reasons:

1. When I asked you 580\600 owners, manny actually prefered
the 580 over the 600

2. The 580 is cheaper

3. The 580 has been discountinued so if I didn`t get it now
then I might never get it.

However I haven`t really tested them out yet....I`ve only
used them with my portable cd player and my parents stereo...
so I guess I really need an amp before I can give you my
final impression, but that beeing said they are by far the most
comfy headset I`ve ever put on my head, and the sound
feels more thight and intimit then it does with my JVC HA-G33,
well it better for that price, but speaking of price and value,
I guess I`ll be keeping the HD 580 for 8 years++++ so it`s
truely a great value IMO. if I manage to treat them right of course.

So on to a stupid question, but I just want to know since I haven`t got an amp yet.

How manny % increase in sound quality did you FEEL you
got when you hooked up your Senn`s to an sufficient amp
compared to using them without one ?

 

[Voyager]

When I got my Rega Ear headphone amp, I didn't notice much at first. (1st 10 minutes) But when I really listened, it was night and day. They sound so much better. It was like when I got my Grado SR-80s. Didn't notice much at first, but after my ears got trained to the much better sonics, the difference became night and day. as for percent, I'd say %1,000,000,000,000,000............

 

[blr]

Compared to the phone jack of my Marantz CD6000OSE, Creek OBH11 gives me smoother and a lot fuller sound with HD600. Everything just sounds more natural and the instrument separation is also improved. I didn't think that the difference will be huge until I had to listen to the phone jack for about an hour or so, while my girlfriend was listening through the amp. After no more than 30 minutes I got tired and had to stop listening because I was going to get a headache. The sound reminded me to a very cheap older generation CDP (which the Marantz is not) harsh, processed and mechanical. When I switched back to the amp everything just fit in place.

 

[ai0tron]

I have HD600's there are major advantages to getting an amp. If you are using a portable I would multiply the advantages of an amp by 2 or 3.

 

[skippy]

just wanted to say that the 580's are not discontinued.

 

[dhwilkin]

Like everybody else has said, every area becomes so much better w/ an amp, that going back to unamplified listening quickly becomes intolerable.

 

[davidcotton]

I have recently bought the x-cansv2 and had them about a fortnight now. I recently went out and bought the x-psu as there were rumours that was being discontinued. Left both switched on for a week or so went back to it last night put a cd on and oh man was there a difference! Vocals better, bass better defined (not more bass just easier to hear!) keyboard solos left and right. Everything so much better

By the way this is with the 565 Ovations.

 

[Mike Walker]

The HD-580s (and HD-600s) benefit from an amp as much as any headphones that I'm aware of. Although you may describe it as more "punch", "impact", or whatever, the primary benefit is HEADROOM (no plug for the company intended. But you're welcome Tyll!) Short (sometimes as short as several thousandts of a second) duration peaks, rather than being "clipped" because there isn't enough power available to properly reproduce them, will pass through in all their glory. This adds tremendously to overall CLARITY!

While an amp may not be strictly necessary with more sensitive, low impedance 'phones such as the MDR-V6, or Grado models, you will benefit IMMENSELY from the use of a good amp with your HD-580s. As for how many percent the increase in sound quality is, that's so subjective that it would be silly to try and put a number on it. You WILL enjoy your HD-580s MUCH more with an amp, and a good one. The HD-580 is good enough that you'll hear the difference in the quality of electronics. Trust me (and the others who've chimed in!)

 

[aos]

HD-580 to me were worthless without an amp. I had them for more than half a year, sitting and getting dusty because from the portable or soundcard or DSP that came bundled or even from headphone jacks of some cheap receivers they sounded WORSE than some very old AIWA earbuds I was using. Those earbuds were actually quite good though. But the point is, I never heard a good amp until about a year ago and yet I didn't bother using my brand new HD-580 at all because it sounded awful. In fact I even fired off email to HeadRoom to see about my warranty so that I can have them checked - I though they might be malfunctioning.

Somehow through HeadRoom I found about HeadWize and promptly built my first amp - CMOY. I thought HeadRoom prices were high and wanted an alternative; all I can say is that I could've bought a BlockHead and AKG-1000 (and a few lesser models for backup) for the money I spent on DIY over last year and half. But the amps made all the difference in the world. I wouldn't even bother getting HD-580 unless I had at least a good receiver, confirmed to work well with them.

 

[mbriant]

100 % improvement with an amp. (over a portable's headphone jack alone )

 

[eric343]

Let me put it this way. My homebuilt Cmoy makes my Koss TD70 (not exactly the Orpheus, if you know what I mean) sound almost like my (dad's) Grado SR-80s (which I can't use with the amp because of impendance).

 

[Tides]

MY hd600 is paired with Xcanv2.

the first day when I received the xcanv2 I was unable to make out the difference before amp and after amp. But then I started using with the amp for about one week, and decided to try it without amp. I IMMEDIATELY noticed the difference on the CDs that I been listening to with the Xcanv2.

You will only notice the difference after you use your hd580 with amp for I say at least 30+ hours. then listen to the same cd without amp to hear the big difference !

my 2 cents


Tides

 

[reynman]

Archangel,

A dedicated headphone amp is a tremendous investment with this hobby. It will make headphone listening more pleasurable. Your music will be louder, but details will be brought out in your music that you may have not have heard before.

My home rig is a NAD 541, the 580, and a MG Head. Great sound for classic, jazz, and female vocals. It's not bad for pop/rock/trance/ambient, it's just more mid-bass than bass. Tube rolling has helped, but the Grado 325s should give me the impact I need especially for trance/ambient.

You can't go wrong with the following amps ($200 - $330) that we have discussed endlessly on Headwize:

Creek OBH-11 (solid state)
Music Fidelity XCans (tube)
MG Head DT (tube)
various Headroom amps (solid state)

Just do a little demoing and whatever makes your music sound better, that's the one. Please be advised, if you purchase an amp, your source may now be your weakest link and may not necessarily bring out the best in your 580/amp rig.

Regards - reynman

 

[bootman]

Voyager, can you post a review on the rega amp?

Thanks!

 

[mikephonix]

It sounds quite above the line for the first impression when driving w/ your laptop or even w/ your pc or ipad, they actually have some capability making some fair sound, but for some decent one you absolutly need an amp.
 
IMO I would prefer a desktop amp instead of a portable one since it's a real challenge to have your senn 580 outdoors. It will always increase some sound.