[Palpatine]

Some headphones are hard to drive. Some sound better with SS amps...some sound much better with tubes.
Would it not be a good idea for headphone manufacturers to include an area on their website that recommends certain amps ( if not by make and model at least by specifications and type ) for their headphones? Or, if dedicated ones weren't necessary then to mention that too.
I'd be curious to hear from the AKG themselves, what type of amp they'd recommend for the K702 for example...specs,etc, and even a real make and model recommendation.
Companies could update info easily enough on their site when certain amps becamse obsolete, or better ones became availalbe.
Thoughts?

 

[Jmask5]

yeah no question. But then again that's what sites like these are for.

 

[mritt400]

I think these partnerships potentially could be a good, all-round benefit if properly presented an executed. However, I think that it could possibly deteriorate into considerations of profit over performance in establishing these corporate partnerships.

 

[BushGuy]

One good clue (without a mfg saying anything) is their choice of amp(s) when demonstrating their product at trade shows. Clearly, they want the product to sound its' best on such occasions.

 

[Palpatine]

Well yeah...but then they could recommend one without using a manufacturer's name and model... just the specifications that could help.
Shouldn't be that hard for them to do.
And of course getting opinions here on this forum is great, but it would be neat hearing from the manufacturers themselves as well.

 

[Cankin]

The less headphone manufacturers talk about dedicated headphone amp, the more money they make.

 

[LurkerJeff]

I'm going to have to agree with mritt400. This would eventually lead to corporate partnerships with nothing but profit in mind.

 

[mritt400]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cankin /img/forum/go_quote.gif The less headphone manufacturers talk about dedicated headphone amp, the more money they make.

Good point. I have, on a number of occasions, declined to purchase headphones when considering the cost of a decent amp to drive them. This is an expense that John Q. Public does not typically consider. As a consequence a HP manufacturer make sales they may not have otherwise made if a customer was aware of the collateral expenses to operate the HP's at an optimal level...But a recommended spec sheet would be nice.

 

[lauinbeta]

There would also be problems where ymmv kicks in. People probably won't take it too well when they blow all that money on the recommended set up and then don't like it. Though I don't really see that happening too often, but when it does, the unhappy tend to be very vocal about their slights. More so than the content customers anyway.

 

[Palpatine]

Very good points...

 

[nwkid178]

If companies recommended an amp, it would end up being all about money, and marketing I think. I would rather read on head fi and similar forums and see what other actual customers recommend based upon how they use the phones/what type of music they use.

 

[lauinbeta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwkid178 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If companies recommended an amp, it would end up being all about money, and marketing I think. I would rather read on head fi and similar forums and see what other actual customers recommend based upon how they use the phones/what type of music they use.

This is true. Though you must admit, its sometimes hard to find the information you want by delving into head-fi. It takes a lot of time to understand the culture here, learn the language of audiophilia, and such. I must have lurked for a month before getting the confidence to start posting. For a more casual listener/customer, it might not be worth the time. First time posters often get a lot of flak for starting threads in which "the question has already been answered. Try searching before you ask." I do see some usefulness in manufacturer recommended combos, but it would be limited.

 

[userlander]

No, it's completely subjective. They would also then be forced to admit implicitly that their headphones "didn't sound good/as good" with certain other equipment than what they were recommending. It's a lose-lose for them. Like someone else said, the more they talk about amps and sources, the less money they make.

 

[krmathis]

No, I do not think they should. Unless it is their own amplifier, designed to be used with the said headphone that is.
For one it is quite subjective what may be a nice match or not, and secondly I bet most people would wonder if there are economic reasons behind the recommendation of a certain amplifier.

I much more trust end users on forums like this, not mentioning my own ears.

 

[BushGuy]

Spec sheets tend to be rather specious - forgeddaboutit and do your research. Be prepared to depend on your own ears