[Luda]

So ive been lurking this thread and the HE-400 thread as im ordering some 400is and wanting to replace my m50xs are my home bass cannons (the m50xs dont live up to the title, and have ended up at my office). It looks like the sz2000 is the cans to go with for down low bass heads, but are there any alternatives for desktop amps outside of the ifi? I was looking at replacing my EF2-A with a JDS Element, but while im confident the 1.1w rms is solid for the HE-400i it sounds like the SZ2000 might need more power to really slam.  For a better idea of what slam means to me i keep ear plugs in the car and have about 1800w rms feeding a BTL 12" tuned to 32hz in my car and that is almost enough to keep my bassneeds sated. 

 

[chillaxing]

  So ive been lurking this thread and the HE-400 thread as im ordering some 400is and wanting to replace my m50xs are my home bass cannons (the m50xs dont live up to the title, and have ended up at my office). It looks like the sz2000 is the cans to go with for down low bass heads, but are there any alternatives for desktop amps outside of the ifi? I was looking at replacing my EF2-A with a JDS Element, but while im confident the 1.1w rms is solid for the HE-400i it sounds like the SZ2000 might need more power to really slam.  For a better idea of what slam means to me i keep ear plugs in the car and have about 1800w rms feeding a BTL 12" tuned to 32hz in my car and that is almost enough to keep my bassneeds sated. 

 
 
the m50x are pretty good but they won't slam with  just software eq, they need the hardware boost with it to make them semi-basshead.
 
I say you get the sz2k and use it with the ef2-a first, if its not good enough, then go looking for a new amp.  i sometimes use the sz with my oppo ha-2 or e18 and it hits pretty well.  both those amps have around 300mw @32 ohms.  The can take power, but they are efficient enough where moderate power can make them slam.
 
glad to see another car audio guy finding this thread 

 
 
Welcome basshead brother!

 

[chillaxing]

DP

 

[Luda]

   
 
the m50x are pretty good but they won't slam with  just software eq, they need the hardware boost with it to make them semi-basshead.
 
I say you get the sz2k and use it with the ef2-a first, if its not good enough, then go looking for a new amp.  i sometimes use the sz with my oppo ha-2 or e18 and it hits pretty well.  both those amps have around 300mw @32 ohms.  The can take power, but they are efficient enough where moderate power can make them slam.
 
glad to see another car audio guy finding this thread 

 
 
Welcome basshead brother!

That was my initial plan, since i know the capabilities of the ef2-a and the tubes that are in it, and i've heard both the ad700 (what i'm hoping to retire with the 400i's) and the m50x's on it. But from my digging short of going into the >$500 realm there don't seem to be many options over ~ 1000mw RMS.  But as i'm regularly sitting at the ~ 3/4 o'clock position on the EF2A i suspect both the new cans might warrant some more power, and like all my other tech stuff, i do probably more research than needed before puling the trigger. 

 

[snellemin]

  That was my initial plan, since i know the capabilities of the ef2-a and the tubes that are in it, and i've heard both the ad700 (what i'm hoping to retire with the 400i's) and the m50x's on it. But from my digging short of going into the >$500 realm there don't seem to be many options over ~ 1000mw RMS.  But as i'm regularly sitting at the ~ 3/4 o'clock position on the EF2A i suspect both the new cans might warrant some more power, and like all my other tech stuff, i do probably more research than needed before puling the trigger. 

If you seeing desktop amps that are not overpriced dinky 1 watt'ers, go for used small home or studio amps.  You will have the option of powering up your headphones through the speaker outputs for unlimited headroom with your headphones.  I too have the 400i and I power them through a variable resistor box using my Nad, Parasound or any other amp I am messing with at the time.  The 400i needs way more power vs the JVC's to come alive.  
And since your are a Car audio guy, why not use a Class A, A/B car amp to power your headphones.  I've done and it sounds pretty good.  
 

Parasound makes little amps that you can use.  Ashly sounds like a Parasound and can be found for 70 dollars shipped at times. Those are just two examples.  With car amps, you just need a good 20 dollar server PSU and hook it up to your fav car amp.  Some drop down resistors of your choice for the headphones and have at it.

 

[chillaxing]

If you seeing desktop amps that are not overpriced dinky 1 watt'ers, go for used small home or studio amps.  You will have the option of powering up your headphones through the speaker outputs for unlimited headroom with your headphones.  I too have the 400i and I power them through a variable resistor box using my Nad, Parasound or any other amp I am messing with at the time.  The 400i needs way more power vs the JVC's to come alive.  
And since your are a Car audio guy, why not use a Class A, A/B car amp to power your headphones.  I've done and it sounds pretty good.  



Parasound makes little amps that you can use.  Ashly sounds like a Parasound and can be found for 70 dollars shipped at times. Those are just two examples.  With car amps, you just need a good 20 dollar server PSU and hook it up to your fav car amp.  Some drop down resistors of your choice for the headphones and have at it.

If your thinking about going this route. Check out emotiva's a-100 stereo amp. The headphone part gets its power from the stereo amp with a 220ohm resistor. They also made it where you can jump that resistor and get 50w into 16ohms! Can't beat that for under 200$ holiday sale.

 

[Luda]

  If you seeing desktop amps that are not overpriced dinky 1 watt'ers, go for used small home or studio amps.  You will have the option of powering up your headphones through the speaker outputs for unlimited headroom with your headphones.  I too have the 400i and I power them through a variable resistor box using my Nad, Parasound or any other amp I am messing with at the time.  The 400i needs way more power vs the JVC's to come alive.  
And since your are a Car audio guy, why not use a Class A, A/B car amp to power your headphones.  I've done and it sounds pretty good.  
 
 
Parasound makes little amps that you can use.  Ashly sounds like a Parasound and can be found for 70 dollars shipped at times. Those are just two examples.  With car amps, you just need a good 20 dollar server PSU and hook it up to your fav car amp.  Some drop down resistors of your choice for the headphones and have at it.

I HAD thought about this, i was looking at the audioengine n22 and thinking why couldnt i just run the headphoens off the 20w outputs. Then i started looking around at spare amps i have from previous car stuff, but they start at 300W and the PSU and what not all would take a ton of room, and im VERY room limited on my desk.  I suspected the 400i would need some power to get them to come to life, my understanding of the way they work says 1w, even 1w per side wouldnt be enough. 



Quote:

If your thinking about going this route. Check out emotiva's a-100 stereo amp. The headphone part gets its power from the stereo amp with a 220ohm resistor. They also made it where you can jump that resistor and get 50w into 16ohms! Can't beat that for under 200$ holiday sale.

 

That... is amazing. I think that might have solved the a couple issues, as i am looking at some monitors to replace the sony SRS X55 i have hidden behind my display stack. I can feed it from my EF2A initially but i would want a better DAC to convert the audio from the desktop.  I knew this was the right place to post my question. 


 

 

[vapman]

If your thinking about going this route. Check out emotiva's a-100 stereo amp. The headphone part gets its power from the stereo amp with a 220ohm resistor. They also made it where you can jump that resistor and get 50w into 16ohms! Can't beat that for under 200$ holiday sale.

Never heard of it but that thing looks sick! I'm tempted. Do you own or have heard it?

 

[chillaxing]

Emotiva been in the game for a minute, but they are a 2ch stereo company.  Some people on this forum were using their DACs
 
I had the first version of this amp.  It was basically for seperate zone in another room, but people were modding it and using it with the he-6 and he-500.  I bought a he-500 combo with this amp last year. the guy drilled and modded a headphone jack from the speaker taps.  
 
Emotiva caught wind of what people were using this amp for, so this year they came out with this latest version that they added the headphone jack, a relay so when your using headphones no sound would come out of the speaker, preout for a sub, and the ability to jump the resistor for those hard to drive headphones.  This new version is legit and would be a great setup for a 2ch desktop and headphone amp.  I was about to pull the trigger on it but Fry's had an incredible deal on a Denon network avr receiver I couldn't pass up on.

 

[vapman]

Thanks bro. My Parasound bit the dust not long ago, sadly, so I need something to replace it. I don't own any planars..... for the time being, at least. but I do want that high power solution,

 

[Luda]

  Emotiva been in the game for a minute, but they are a 2ch stereo company.  Some people on this forum were using their DACs
 
I had the first version of this amp.  It was basically for seperate zone in another room, but people were modding it and using it with the he-6 and he-500.  I bought a he-500 combo with this amp last year. the guy drilled and modded a headphone jack from the speaker taps.  
 
Emotiva caught wind of what people were using this amp for, so this year they came out with this latest version that they added the headphone jack, a relay so when your using headphones no sound would come out of the speaker, preout for a sub, and the ability to jump the resistor for those hard to drive headphones.  This new version is legit and would be a great setup for a 2ch desktop and headphone amp.  I was about to pull the trigger on it but Fry's had an incredible deal on a Denon network avr receiver I couldn't pass up on.

You are my hero. Im pulling the trigger on the 400i's and grabbing this, ill have to find a DAC but temporarily my onboard should be decent.  

 

[snellemin]

  Thanks bro. My Parasound bit the dust not long ago, sadly, so I need something to replace it. I don't own any planars..... for the time being, at least. but I do want that high power solution,

What happened to your Parasound?  Is it fixable?

 

[chillaxing]

  You are my hero. Im pulling the trigger on the 400i's and grabbing this, ill have to find a DAC but temporarily my onboard should be decent.  

 
 
Just be careful when you jump that resistor, that is a **** load of power.  When your looking for a DAC, try to find one that you can use as a preamp.  it'll give you a lot more control over the power output.

 

[Luda]

   
 
Just be careful when you jump that resistor, that is a **** load of power.  When your looking for a DAC, try to find one that you can use as a preamp.  it'll give you a lot more control over the power output.

I was looking at the SMSL SanSkrit or Micca OriGen+. I Also was going to look into seeing if i could drop maybe a 110ohm resistor into there, or something along those lines so i could get a bit more power, but not run the risk of flipping the dial to far and blowing out drivers. 

 

[KeithEmo]

Yes, we're talking about a lot of power, and you do need to handle it carefully.
 
However, for people considering doing this with other headphones, a lot depends on the particular headphones you're using - and their impedance. Always remember that most amplifiers, including the A-100, are voltage source devices - which means that the amplifier itself puts out a certain voltage based on the amplitude of the input signal and where you set the Volume control. Therefore, while the direct connection will give you massive damping, and super-tight control of the drivers in your headphones, the power will be very different depending on the impedance of your particular headphones.
 
In the context of this discussion:
 
1) If you connect headphones with relatively low impedance, but that require a lot of power (like some Audeze models), you won't find the controls to be especially touchy at all - because those phones actually want several watts to drive them well. (And those headphones definitely wouldn't be getting enough power with the resistors in-circuit.)
 
2) If you use high impedance phones, like 300 Ohm or 600 Ohm Beyerdynamics, you also won't find the controls to be especially touchy either. Power = voltage squared divided by resistance. So, with the same input signal level, and the same setting on the Volume control, a 300 Ohm driver draws about one fortieth as much power as an 8 Ohm driver. (So, for a given setting, even though those high impedance cans are a lot more efficient, they'll also be drawing a lot less power.) In fact, with high impedance phones, the 220 Ohm series resistors don't make all that much difference in the output power - so you'll only be getting a little bit more power (2x - 5x or so) with them out of circuit (but the damping will be substantially higher).
 
3) If you use headphones that are BOTH HIGH EFFICIENCY AND LOW IMPEDANCE, then you're going to have to be very careful. The A-100 was designed to be super-quiet, so there shouldn't be too much noise, and the damping will be stellar, but you will get a lot of power with a very slight turn on that Volume control when the resistors are jumpered. (We've done it, and it works great, but you do have to be really careful.)
 
One thing that would give you more control would be to use a separate preamp before the input of the A-100. Note that you could also use a passive volume control, like the Emotiva Control Freak or the Schiit Audio Sys. Yet another option would be to put a pair of fixed attenuators on the input - something around 24 dB should cut the gain down enough to allow you to use a lot more of the range of the volume control (HLabs makes cute little gold in-line ones for about $30 a pair). Finally, you could use an external cable, connected to the speaker terminals, with different value resistors in it. (You COULD also make a little gizmo to plug into the jumper block, with a resistor on it, for each channel. Note that, if you do, this will be in parallel with the 220 Ohm resistors that are already there - the wire jumper simply shorts them out of the circuit. Also note that there isn't much clearance in there, so be very careful if you go adding stuff.)
  Quote:

   
 
Just be careful when you jump that resistor, that is a **** load of power.  When your looking for a DAC, try to find one that you can use as a preamp.  it'll give you a lot more control over the power output.