[Thump]

I have a pair of Senn 600's and no headphone amp. Generally I listen to them plugged into the headphone amp of my stereo (note term, old equipment) receiver. I spend more time at the computer and would like to be able to listen to them there. The computer is in the basement, near noisy furnace, with noisy computer fans and a Sound Blaster Live! value soundcard. Definately not audiophile heaven.

I've been following the threads here off and on for a while, and have some ideas as to what's available. My question is what would be the best bet for me. Don't want to spend a fortune (kids in college or on its doorstep) and what I buy probably won't be upgraded.

The MG Head intrigues me, but my old tube radios when I was a kid were not reliable at all. How reliable are modern tube amplifiers & does the sound from them deteriorate over time? How often do tubes have to be replaced? I want something quality, but not something that will need constant maintainence.

 

[shivohum]

The MG Head is fairly reliable, but you'll need to replace the tubes every 5000 hours of listening, if I'm not mistaken. That's basically all the maintenance that's required, though.

Which amp to buy is a bit of a problem because you say you have so much noise down there and a soundcard as a source. I wonder if you'll really appreciate a high-priced great amp with that noise and with a soundcard as a source.

Are you sure your money might not be better spent on a pair of Etymotic ear canal headphones? They isolate you from sound almost completely. Or is that undesirable? If it isn't, then they are probably the best bet. They cost $250 or so for the ER4S and ER4P. The ER4S requires an amp to sound its best, and it sounds just as good as the Senns. The ER4P is built to work well without an amplifier.

If you want to go for an amplifier, I think I'd suggest that you go for a JMT amp. It's cheap, sounds good, and is portable to boot. Contact "JMT" on Head-Fi for more information. It does use batteries, though...

An even better bet might be the new Etymotic ER6 canalphones. They isolate you from quite a bit of sound. From what people say, they may not be quite as clear as the ER4S (which I own and are wonderful), but they are cheaper @ $115 and are built not to need an amp (though an amp would still help a little, undoubtedly).

Maybe get a pair of ER6s and a JMT. It's an excellent combination and superb value, and you can take it with you wherever you go, and it will also work with your Senns. It won't be quite as revealing of the deficiencies of your computer soundcard, either.

 

[Neruda]

tubes still have noise problems (buzzing and stuff like that), and considering all the stories I've heard regarding noise with the MG Head I would say that solid state is more dependable. headroom makes some good amps in your price range, and another option is the Creek OBH-11. But keep in mind I'm not trying to get you to rule out the MG Head by any means.

 

[MirandaX]

The funny thing about the MG Head is even with its irritations (noisy stock tubes (which can be replaced), left channel buzz until you move the power wire away from the tube socket), it's still impossible not to love it. I have a Melos now (among the top amps around), but even so, I can't bear to get rid of my MG Head. You'll like it.

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

Headroom makes some good amps in your price range, and another option is the Creek OBH-11.

And yet another option is to get the Corda HA-1. It's a great match with the Senns IMO. It's a great amp, especially considering its price tag.

 

[Audio-Me]

I highly suggest you try the MG Head. It's magic with the Sennheiser HD600 headphones.

About your noise problem, looks like what you need is shielding. Why not get shielding and improve sound quality immensely by upgrading your sound card to a professional level one that comes with what's called an external "break-out box"? In this case, I can recommend the exact same setup that I am using right now, which includes shielded cables (to connect the soundcard analog output to the amp). Terratec EWS88 MP sound card, and Audioquest Coral stereo RCA interconnect cable. The sound card is pretty expensive, same price range as the Sennheiser HD600. The cheapest I could find it for was $400 online, but in my honest opinion, it's worth every penny as is the Sennheiser HD600 and MG Head... You can get better cables for your headphones as well, but that's not necessary until you're ready to spend a good amount of money for a small gain.

Take it slow.