[ch1nkster]

wow, thanks for the responses! i'll make this a little short: i can't find the Philips SBC HP-890 or the AKG K501 anywhere on the internet, so i probably just stick to the Senn HD-580

. i am not happy about spending bling bling on an amp though

. o well, at least hd-580's aren't like computers which get old in like 2-3 years

. i have tried on the HD-590 at Good Guys and they are pretty damn comfy, but i unfortunately, i was not able to hear what they sounded like. i don't know if i should get the 590's given that they sound a little bright. onto the amps...boy are these babys expensive! i was saving up for a car amp when i saw that these headphone amps are the same price, if not even higher. i am tempted to cancel my hd-580 so i can get rockford fosgate subs and a kenwood amp for my car, but i think i will have to save up now

. i can't find the MG head amp that gsferrari had in his sig, so this narrows down the options to the headsave amps. i will probably get the elite SL becasue it is cheaper than the elite classsic, but is the Tempo enough to power the hungry hd-580's? do you guys have any other reccommendations for an amp that is good with hd-580's? thanks for the relies.

 

[ADS]

Any of the amps from here would be great for your purposes, and none of them are all that expensive. The Minime would sound great and it's $99.

http://www.headsave.com/

 

[ooheadsoo]

For a inexpensive amp, I like the fixup series. The super mini is only $100 dollars and sounds remarkably good, remarkably close to a decent meta42 to my ears except for -maybe- the bass, which is SLIGHTLY weaker. It's an fabulous bargain, is tiny and portable as well, and sounds great. The whole thing is almost as small as a tictacs box. Xin's new super micro is supposedly the size of a AA battery and is just an insane job of miniaturization. It's a fantastic deal, one I would seriously consider going with if I could do things over.

 

[ch1nkster]

you are right, ooheadsoo, the super micro amp is indeed the size of an AA batter! i would rather get the ADS's reccomendation of the headsave Minime becasue it is a bit larger than the Xin Super Micro so i will not be paranoid about losing it. i lost my ring that was given to me by my old grampz before he passed away so i try to avoid carrying small things around that are valuable.

 

[ADS]

Quote:

Originally posted by ch1nkster you are right, ooheadsoo, the super micro amp is indeed the size of an AA batter! i would rather get the ADS's reccomendation of the headsave Minime becasue it is a bit larger than the Xin Super Micro so i will not be paranoid about losing it. i lost my ring that was given to me by my old grampz before he passed away so i try to avoid carrying small things around that are valuable.

Be aware that the Minime isn't a portable amp, and that you will need to pick up a wallwart. Most people here will tell you that you have to buy a nice Elpac wallwart, but I use a cheapie radioshack wallwart with my amp and it works very well, but maybe I just have lead ears. If you want a portable amp I would recommend the Headsave Tempo or the Intro. I've never played around with or heard the Xin Super Micro, but it's too small for my taste. I like my amps to look powerful, even if it doesn't affect the sound quality.

 

[ch1nkster]

aww crap. what's the point of making an amp nice and small like the Minime, but have to plug that thing into the bulky power supply? i think the Tempo will do for me. would you reccommend that i buy the extras? thanks for you helpful tip, ADS.

 

[ADS]

Quote:

Originally posted by ch1nkster aww crap. what's the point of making an amp nice and small like the Minime, but have to plug that thing into the bulky power supply? i think the Tempo will do for me. would you reccommend that i buy the extras? thanks for you helpful tip, ADS.

The Alps potentiometer is a nice addition, but not necessary. Extra buffers would also be a nice addition, but probably wouldn't make a huge difference in sound in your case. If you plan on upgrading soon, forget about the upgrades, but if you plan on using the amp for 1+ years, by all means buy the nicer pot and 3 extra buffers. The plainview 9v batteries are nice if you don't have any 9 volts already, and they're much nicer than most that you'll find on store shelves. The mini->mini cable is something that I'd recommend picking up if you don't have one already. If you do have one, hold out for now, it will make a nice upgrade later. Or a nice DIY project.

 

[GlowWorm]

Stay with the HD580's and build a system around them, their that good. The HD580's will give you close to what the best dynamic headphones will give you, at a fraction of the price.

 

[zyphaz]

Agreed, if I were you I'd keep the HD580's and enjoy them as they are for now. Then as you build you'll get to enjoy them even more

!

 

[Muu]

Quote:

Originally posted by ch1nkster wow, thanks for the responses! i'll make this a little short: i can't find the Philips SBC HP-890 or the AKG K501 anywhere on the internet, so i probably just stick to the Senn HD-580

http://home.t-online.de/home/meier-audio/

They're in Germany, but offer free shipping worldwide.

 

[sanity8me]

not trying to persuade you into anything, but you may want to check out the thread I recenlty started:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=52677

i was planning on getting the HD580's, but then they convinced me to get the A900's instead... and I was REALLY set on getting the 580's too. Also, they said my type of music wouldn't be that great with the HD580's, but maybe you have different taste in music... idk. Plus, check out how amazing the A900's look. Their sonud quality was also highly praised.

nonetheless, if it's too late and you do end up getting the HD580's ...and all the right equipment... I hear it's unbelievable sound quality bliss, so enjoy

.

 

[ch1nkster]

wow i love how the A900 is portable, has great looks, is very easy to drive, and how they fit more to my type of music. thanks for the help, sanity8me. unfortunately, i already got my HD-580's and now i want to sell them! my dad loves how they sound so i'm probably going to get him an amp + cables since he's buying it from me (dad loves classical stuff + all the oldies' songs from the 70's). as for me, i'm going to go buy the A900's! you have convinced me to sell my HD-580. i don't like how they are so laid back and all + i would appreciate the extra protability and no extra in-between headphone amp. thanks

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by ADS Be aware that the Minime isn't a portable amp, and that you will need to pick up a wallwart. Most people here will tell you that you have to buy a nice Elpac wallwart, but I use a cheapie radioshack wallwart with my amp and it works very well, but maybe I just have lead ears.

I've heard the improvements a good linear regulated power supply (or battery pack) can provide to an amp... I've measured them too. It's a very non-subtle improvement, to say the least.

A cheap Ratshack wallwart might "work well," but if you ever get a chance to try one of the Elpacs I doubt you'll ever go back to the cheap one. Particularly with the MINT, META42 and PIMETA designs, clean power is vitally important to good sound.

The Elpac WM080-1950-760 is only $28 from mouser.com or alliedelec.com ... do your ears a favor, man.

 

[ch1nkster]

thanks for the tip fewtch. i will probably get the Elpac wallart for the MiniMe + batterpack (so i don't have to spend extra bling bling on the Headsave Tempo). would this be better than buying the Headsave Tempo? Good solution for an amp for HD-580? (for those who didn't read above, my dad wants the HD-580's so i'm selling it to him + choosing the right amp for him; in this case, that amp would probably be the Headsave Minime + batterpack + Elpac wallwart)

now that i just purchased ATH-A900's, will i just plain dumb my old headphones? i don't want the V6's to get all dusty when i'm not using them and listening to the A900's instead (i heard that the A900 are V6's but better at everything).

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by ch1nkster thanks for the tip fewtch. i will probably get the Elpac wallart for the MiniMe + batterpack (so i don't have to spend extra bling bling on the Headsave Tempo). would this be better than buying the Headsave Tempo? Good solution for an amp for HD-580? (for those who didn't read above, my dad wants the HD-580's so i'm selling it to him + choosing the right amp for him; in this case, that amp would probably be the Headsave Minime + batterpack + Elpac wallwart)

Depends on what you need. The Headsave Tempo is basically a portable amp, and has some power saving features (less tweaks), whereas the MiniMe is meant as a "base station" amp and is a tweaked-out MINT.

Given that the PIMETA is a better design than the MINT, I'm guessing the MiniMe and Tempo are probably about equal in overall sound quality. This is just a guess however. If it were me, it would be down to the features I wanted (portability, type of jacks, the looks and size of the case, price, etc). You might also want to tell Norm what your needs are and ask for his recommendations.