[Makeev Alexey]

I have Sennheiser hd-595 headphones and I will buy Cowon iaudio 7. Sennheiser hd-595 are 50 ohm impedance and Cowon is 52mW output. Do you think I will need an amplifier ? Will I get all frequencies sound right without it ? If not, what kind of amplifier you would recommend (preferrably small and below 150$) ?

 

[Trees]

I have the HD595, IAUDIO7 (16G), and several amps, including the EF-1 often recommended for low I phones. I find the HD595 sounds great from the IAUDIO7; great synergy, and little improvement from going to the higher-priced amps. On the other hand, the HD600 and 650, to my ears, sound like cr@p coming unamped direct from the IAUDIO7.

Trees

 

[JaZZ]

I have the 120-ohm version of the HD 595, and it sounds really good out of the iAudio 7. I'm pretending that no amps will make it sound better, the less so the 50-ohm version. Actually I can't remember it sounding so good on my main rig; definitely a case of excellent synergy.
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[estreeter]

The iA7 has one of the better amp circuits for a DAP - mine drives all my phones except the K601. Anyone who is dismissive of portable players needs to hear Chemical Brothers via iA7 to ES7s : it pumps. No substitute for a good home rig, but I'll think about that when I'm enjoying my portables in various hotel rooms throughout Asia this December.