[TiestoFan]

Hey guys I am completely new in the amp department and semi new in the headphone scene (had Sony xb 500s which broke recently and today I bought v moda cross fade lp from amazon). So I have no other experience with audio equipment and I have a very limited understanding of what amps do and why I might need them.

That being said, and hopefully my frank honestly will serve me well, I've heard that the v moda headphones I bought can be much improved by Amps that can clear up the recessed treble and other issues. What is the best amp for me for under 30?????

Thank you kindly.

P.S mostly a bass head but also movies/games/YouTube videos

 

[TiestoFan]

^

 

[ender323]

Quote:

Hey guys I am completely new in the amp department and semi new in the headphone scene (had Sony xb 500s which broke recently and today I bought v moda cross fade lp from amazon). So I have no other experience with audio equipment and I have a very limited understanding of what amps do and why I might need them.

That being said, and hopefully my frank honestly will serve me well, I've heard that the v moda headphones I bought can be much improved by Amps that can clear up the recessed treble and other issues. What is the best amp for me for under 30?????

Thank you kindly.

P.S mostly a bass head but also movies/games/YouTube videos

Well, the king of cheap amps is FiiO. An E6 would fit your price range. That is pretty much bottomed out cheapo though-you start getting into some cool stuff in the $50-$100 range. If you can stretch that far, FiiO E11, JDS CMoyBB, (both $60) C&C BH ($100) or Schiit Magni (Also $100, but not portable)
 
If you are using a computer, accept that your computers output probably sucks. There are a number of fixes for this. The first is to get a sound card-but that involves opening the computer and is open to RFI issues. The second is to get a USB DAC/amp or seperate DAC and amp-a FiiO E07K ($70), for example. The last option is to just deal with it, many computers headphone jacks aren't that bad.
 
If you are on a portable device, many will allow you to bypass the internal amp and clean up the signal a bit by using a Line-Out Dock (LOD). All iPods, iPhones, and iPads with the older 30-pin connector (not Lightening) can use a $10 FiiO LOD to bypass the internal amp. Some other devices can as well. If you can use an LOD, do-it improves the SQ quite a bit.

 

[TiestoFan]

Quote:

Well, the king of cheap amps is FiiO. An E6 would fit your price range. That is pretty much bottomed out cheapo though-you start getting into some cool stuff in the $50-$100 range. If you can stretch that far, FiiO E11, JDS CMoyBB, (both $60) C&C BH ($100) or Schiit Magni (Also $100, but not portable)
 
If you are using a computer, accept that your computers output probably sucks. There are a number of fixes for this. The first is to get a sound card-but that involves opening the computer and is open to RFI issues. The second is to get a USB DAC/amp or seperate DAC and amp-a FiiO E07K ($70), for example. The last option is to just deal with it, many computers headphone jacks aren't that bad.
 
If you are on a portable device, many will allow you to bypass the internal amp and clean up the signal a bit by using a Line-Out Dock (LOD). All iPods, iPhones, and iPads with the older 30-pin connector (not Lightening) can use a $10 FiiO LOD to bypass the internal amp. Some other devices can as well. If you can use an LOD, do-it improves the SQ quite a bit.

so the question is will the e6 make a difference for the v-moda????? What about the e11 if i decide to splurge...are we talking HUGe increases in performance??

 

[ender323]

I don't own the crossfades, so I can't say for sure, but the E6 will almost certainly make a noticable difference. Nicer amps like the E11 generally do give better clarity, in addition to having better build quality and longer battery life. Whether that will be worth it, I couldn't say. They have impedance of 32 ohms, which is pretty reasonable. Shouldn't be excessively difficult to drive, while easily kept within the 1/8 rule (that your headphones impedance should be at least 8 times higher than the output impedance of your amp or source) I'd say that if you can afford the E11, its probably worth it, but don't take out a second mortgage-the E6 is enough if the E11 is out of your price range.

 

[lin0003]

If you save up a bit more, get the JDS O2. It is said to compete with $1000 amps. Portable as well.

 

[TiestoFan]

Quote:

I don't own the crossfades, so I can't say for sure, but the E6 will almost certainly make a noticable difference. Nicer amps like the E11 generally do give better clarity, in addition to having better build quality and longer battery life. Whether that will be worth it, I couldn't say. They have impedance of 32 ohms, which is pretty reasonable. Shouldn't be excessively difficult to drive, while easily kept within the 1/8 rule (that your headphones impedance should be at least 8 times higher than the output impedance of your amp or source) I'd say that if you can afford the E11, its probably worth it, but don't take out a second mortgage-the E6 is enough if the E11 is out of your price range.

ah thanks for the input! It seems the e6 is what im looking for. I just wanted to make sure it actually makes a difference. 27$ spent for nothing makes no sense but 60$ spent for something does (e11)

 

[RochRx7]

Since you mentioned movies/games/youtube.. I'm assuming this may include a PC/Laptop as a part of your source occasionally?
 
If so.. I just wanted to throw out a recommendation for the Behringer UCA-202/222's. $22-$30 is all it costs to bypass that sucky stock soundcard.