the great hd 580 question,to amp or not to amp?

[lutwey]

plz explain..........i don't know wat to do

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[NtD Gr3nade]

amp....... I have 650s and they dont get **** off my comp or my mp3 player.....
the type of amp, cant really help u with that, it really depends on how loud you want them and what type of music you listen to.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lutwey /img/forum/go_quote.gif plz explain..........i don't know wat to do ---- >

I'm sure a lot of others will chime in here but I'll offer my two cents. I've owned my 580 II's for well over a decade. Bought them from HeadRoom with their first headphone amp (Supreme) back in Dec '93.

Bottom line is that if your source has sufficient clean output there really is no need for an amp. But if you're using something that has minimal output such as many portable components, your 580s won't achieve a sound level for you to enjoy them.

Right now I'm listening to mine driven by my laptop without any extra amplifier in the chain. They sound just fine

My advise is to use your cans without an amp with your sources for now. If you find the volume inadequate or the sound distorted you'll know you need to bypass your source's output amp and replace it with a higher quality headphone amplifier.

Trust this helps.

 

[Echopac]

[size=small]Amp it[/size], I just received the one I ordered from Amazon on Tuesday. My home Yamaha receiver drives it fine, my LaRocco PRII drives it fine, but requires more amplitude or volumn control than my other phones, out of my Cambridge Model Twelve, very sweet.

Been on the road too much this week and will play it with the Maxi Moy this weekend. . I tried the 580 out of headphone out on my H320, 5G iPod and Shuffle and I found that pointless.

 

[vo328]

lutwey, what's your source? That's the first question that must be answered. Unless your source has adequate clean power to drive your Senns, you'll need an amp.

 

[lutwey]

just an ipod...............so from what i'm hearing my first"real" headpones(hd 580)
would be useless w/out an amp

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

adding on to my post earlier, i had my 650s for about a week before i got an amp, what a terrible week that was. i was forced to listen to them on a really crappy stereo that i have, as it was the only thing that could power them. most sources that people have laying around (people who are entering the audiophile scene) can power high impendance headphones, but most of the quality gets cut on the way. Most computers dont have the power availible for headphones like such, and nor do mp3 players. they can only get you to about 25%, mabey less than that of what the headphones can go to. so it really does boil down to the question.. what is your source?

 

[MaZa]

What cheap portable amplifier you would recommend for him to go with HD580? Pengamp perhaps? I would be interested to hear too.

 

[stewtheking]

Or, you could just wait. They are already on order to you. (I have been idly following the NINE separate threads you have started, most on similar topics) Maybe, and this is only a suggestion, maybe you should put down your fifteenth cup of coffee, stop typing so hard, and chill out.

On a slightly less "being-your-stern-uncle" note, the problem you're looking at is the problem we all face here. That is that audio is subjective. The HD580 to some people sounds great out of standard headphone jacks, and to others, it sounds appauling. It is partly a question of volume, as most headphone jacks cannot power these as as hard as proper amplification, but also a question of quality. Even at the same volume, there WILL be differences on the sound. Whether these will be clear to your ears is completely uncertain. Whether this will matter to you is completely uncertain. You can only decide if amplification is nessecary FOR YOU. You can also ONLY do definitively this by hearing it for yourself.

As it is, was, and ever shall be.

And no, before you say it, it doesn't really help you much, but it's the best anybody can tell you.

 

[bazmonkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lutwey /img/forum/go_quote.gif just an ipod

Amp. Even a bottom-line CMoy makes a rather obvious difference.

 

[lutwey]

hey wat up stwking, i know that i been trippin' about my soon to be headphones.
c'mon man can you blame? iknow all of you had this feeling before
but youre right like wat a lot of these good folks are saying it is all up to my ears

 

[pedxing]

In my opinion, an amp is required to get the most out of your HD580 if your power source is a portable DAP like the iPod. The differences can be subtle and usually the obvious difference I find is the bass extension. Some people buy an amp and think its a waste of money. Other people can hear a world of differences. If you got some receiver or integrated amp lying around, try plugging your iPod and headphones to it and see if you can hear a difference. Most portable amps cannot drive the HD580 to their fullest potential, but anything as simple and weak as a CMoy can make a difference.

 

[lutwey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vo328 /img/forum/go_quote.gif lutwey, what's your source? That's the first question that must be answered. Unless your source has adequate clean power to drive your Senns, you'll need an amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedxing /img/forum/go_quote.gif In my opinion, an amp is required to get the most out of your HD580 if your power source is a portable DAP like the iPod. The differences can be subtle and usually the obvious difference I find is the bass extension. Some people buy an amp and think its a waste of money. Other people can hear a world of differences. If you got some receiver or integrated amp lying around, try plugging your iPod and headphones to it and see if you can hear a difference. Most portable amps cannot drive the HD580 to their fullest potential, but anything as simple and weak as a CMoy can make a difference.

this one really cool dude named maza just show me some links for some cmoy amp..............they look pretty cool.

but with all the power coming from an amp would it blow up my drives???

 

[Davesrose]

I've got a crazy idea......how about holding off and actually listening to the HD580s first!

If you like it out of the box, why spend more money on an amp? Count yourself lucky and leave the site and enjoy your music!

Now that I've tried a portable amp and have gone through source upgrades.....I can say the grass gets greener on the expensive side......but that inbetween hurdle of using a computer soundcard with a portable amp is not a whole lot different then just using the soundcard.

 

[lutwey]

im definetly considering that daverose, but from what i heard not amping your 580's is "unhealty" to your phones