[my.self]

hi there. im kinda new to this whole audio thing. i currently own a pair of audio technica ATH-ES7's. i dont even consider those audiophile. anyways, im here because i want to know what this whole amp business is about. ppl talk about it all the time how it makes their audio sound better. therefore, i am COMPLETE noob on amps. how do amps improve music quality? how do amps even work as in functions of the knobs and such. i am thinking about getting one, or maybe a new set of cans. not sure yet. ppl say this and that headphone only sound good or is only worth the money with an amp. how would my ATH-ES7's work with an amp?

by the way...i am looking for suggestions for amps.
i kinda would like these....
1. portabiblity? i see amps in pics and stuff, it looks like a huge dvd player or something. BUT im almost positive i saw a long time ago ppl posting pics of these really small ones that they strap behind there mp3 players. like they had this white band looking thing. are those good amps?

2. price, since i am complete new to this, i dont want to spend THAT much money. most people start at the lower end stuff then work there way up. since i never even heard of anything attached to an amp, i dont even know what its going to sound like. i would like something where i can really hear a difference in my music. hopefully big, but im not surprised if i cant get that since i dont want to spend that much money. im not going to tell u guys a set budget range since i have no clue how much these things even are.

in conclusion...i would like a good portable amp with that white band thing that is not too expensive and i can hear a difference (a positive difference) in my music. and remember, i never listened to anything attached to an amp before. thanks guys so much! this site is the best for audio needs!!

 

[hatethatgiraffe]

an amp is an amplifier and is used to improve the signal between source and your headphones!
Most but not all headphones will benefit from amplification to varying degrees.
What source do you plan to amp as this can be important too.
Will affect the way which you would set up your rig!
Amps start at less than 10dollars and go up from there!
Again these will vary dramatically but the higher you go generally the improvements are smaller steps rather than giant leaps!

 

[krmathis]

1. Yeah, they come in different sizes and forms. From large 50kg beasts, down to small highly portable ones (100 grams or so).
2. Price also varies a lot. From $30-40 up to $20,000++.

For more information about what an amplifier are (i can't even image you don't know what it is), read this Wikipedia page.
Amplifier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[my.self]

oh, i play music mainly thru my mp3 player. my zen vision M. any suggestions on which one i should get? thanks for ur help guys i really appreciate it. and remember, i would like one where i can hear a good positive difference in my music! thanks again!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Your Zen Vision M has an amp built into it - otherwise it wouldn't drive anything. Problem is, some headphones need more amplification than what's built into most players to sound their best.

If you listen to IEMs, you probably don't need an external amp. Very efficient headphones, like most Grados, don't need an external amp, either. Something like a Sennheiser HD-650 definitely needs an amp, though.

The best way to go about it is to pick out the headphone you want. When you have that, you can look at what amp within your budget would do a good job of driving it. Don't buy an external amp unless you really need one.

 

[my.self]

ah i see, thank you very much uncle erik. the last thing i want to do is waste money.

btw, im currently using an audio technica ATH-es7 for my headphones. do those need an amp?