[molecule]

I got a Koss Pro DJ100 headphone two weeks ago based partly on the budget king thread (also enjoying the free flac albums thread).  Before it arrived, I was afraid the cord would be too long to use without braiding, but it is 8 ft coiled, so it is really only 3 ft long. I like the huge soundstage and don't mind the quiet bass, but I got an Auvio headphone amp from radio shack to see if an amp could really make any difference.  (I got the off-brand amp instead of a Fiio amp since it was available locally and didn't seem too bad based on the reviews)
 
I haven't noticed a difference in sound quality between amp or no amp on computer flac audio (old Santa Cruz Turtle Beach soundcard, which only works on Linux OS's such as Ubuntu due to old drivers).  This could be because I haven't charged it up enough.  The audio from the sound card is already loud enough since I listen quietly to avoid hearing damage, so I am only interested in improving sound quality.  Could it be that I just haven't noticed the difference yet, or is an amp pointless in this situation?

 

[PurpleAngel]

The Koss Pro DJ 100 ($43) headphones are really not going to change much in sound quality, with or without a cheap headphone amplifier.
A $60 FiiO E11K headphone amplifier might make a small difference, or a Sound Blaster Z sound card, $83.
 
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, I really liked that card.

 

[molecule]

Support of old hardware is one of several reasons I like Linux.  When I reboot to win 7 I have to get up and switch to the onboard audio.
 
I think I'll keep the amp for a week or so and then return it if I still can't hear a difference.  Is there any reason to keep the cheap Auvio amp or would it be smarter to return it and get a better amp in the future?

 

[molecule]

Is it normal to hear a high-pitched hissing noise if I try to charge the amp while listening?
 
I'm guessing it happened because I was trying to charge using a usb port on the same computer that was playing the audio.  This didn't happen when I used a portable charger.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Support of old hardware is one of several reasons I like Linux.  When I reboot to win 7 I have to get up and switch to the on-board audio.
 
I think I'll keep the amp for a week or so and then return it if I still can't hear a difference.  Is there any reason to keep the cheap Auvio amp or would it be smarter to return it and get a better amp in the future?

 
I would say to return the Auvio amp, I do not think it is really helpful with the current headphones and sound card.
I would say to search around for a newer sound card, I would assume there is Linux drivers for newer sound cards.
 
Might even be better to wait until your ready to budget a decent amount of cash for better headphones.
 
Or just keep using the current headphones and sound card for awhile.

 

[molecule]

That's what I was starting to think.  These headphones sound more than good enough for my needs/budget, so I'm probably going to return the cheap amp.  Thanks for the advice!
 
 
Something I just found that agrees:  This post implies that even a F6, which is what I would have bought if radio shack had it, wouldn't have helped the sound much:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/571216/koss-pro-dj-100-the-budget-king/600#post_8502155
 
 
Since I'm not going to spend more than the price of the headphones on something like the E11, I'm just going to stick with the setup I have.