[jeroen020]

Hi,

Next week I'll get my upgraded Denon AVC-A1SE (5800 in the US) amp that will feature Dolby Headphone. Since my girlfriend and I like to watch movies and not bother our neighbours too much, I hope Dolby Headphone will be a more enjoyable alternative than turning the volume on the amp way down.

I'm not a headphone afficionado, the last one I bought is a Sennheiser HD 250 in ~1994 which has served me well for music, but it is starting to fall apart.

I'm now looking for a headphone solution so the two of us can enjoy movies as well as music. I also like to play console games in surround sound. We're sitting about 5 meters (15 feet) away from the Denon amp. I'm willing to spend up to 800$ for the total package.

Is there anyone in a similar situation that can recommend an appropriate setup? Do we need a headphone amp, or is there another way? Any tips are greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Jeroen

 

[andrzejpw]

Can you just use a headphone splitter? You know, one of those things that lets you connect 2 phones to 1 jack?

 

[kelly]

One guy here on HeadFi likes to watch movies after his wife goes to bed so he plays a DVD on his computer using a software version of the Dolby Headphone and runs the video to his big screen TV and the audio to his headphone amp. It's actually a pretty nice way to do it. I'm a little jealous.

If you can't go the PC route, I'm not sure what to tell you. The reviews so far of the outboard Dolby Headphone stuff have not been good. Someone mentioned that some DVD were going to start including a Dolby Headphone track on them. In this case, you'd be able to just put the DVD in a normal player, select the option and play it through a normal headphone amp.

As I'm sure you know, an amplifier of some sort is required but amplifiers exist in normal headphone jacks of components--they're just not very good ones. The reason to use an outboard dedicated headphone amp is quality. If you're really not concerned about quality, the Yamaha and Sony ES receivers today both include Dolby Headphone modes and include headphone jacks, so you may want to check them out.

 

[mikeg]

Please explain. What is a Dolby headphone? Is a special amp. needed?

 

[kelly]

http://www.dolby.com/dolbyheadphone/

 

[jeroen020]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. About Dolby Headhpone: my Denon amp is equipped with this feature, so I assume I will be able to listen to Dolby headphone material through the headphone jack on the Denon. No need to upgrade (or downgrade) to Yamaha, Sony or PC equipment I hope.

A headphone splitter is a good idea, but I was just wondering if that would degrade the quality of the built-in headphone amp signal compared to using just one headphone. If that's the case, getting a headphone amp with dual outputs seems a better choice - if one exists!

Another question: how would you connect a regular headphone amplifier to a Dolby Headphone equipped amplifier?

 

[kelly]

The headphone jack on your receiver is not nearly as good as a headphone amp to begin with and of course you cut the voltage in half by plugging in two headphones.

Unfortunately, I don't know if your receiver can output the Dolby Headphone signal to a pair of RCA jacks and that's the real question. I read that the Denon can burn CDs in Dolby Headphone, so there must be a way to do this but you'll have to check the manual. All of the good headphone amps will accept RCA input, so that's what you're looking for.

As for headphone amps, if you're going to go all out on this, you should consider getting a pair of Sennheiser HD580s (580s go used for around $120 around here) or HD600s (Meier has the 600 for about $200). To power two of them properly, you might consider getting a Headroom Maxed Out Home, which runs about $1k.

 

[jeroen020]

Hi,

I just found out, if the Denon is in Dolby Digitial/DTS mode and you insert a plug (any plug) in the headphone jack, Dolby Headphone will be active on tape out connectors - both analog and digital. This should do the trick for a dedicated headphone amp, and it's a intereseting way to create surround cd's/tapes/md's for portable use!

Jeroen

 

[bootman]

Meier also has this from AKG.

The HEARO 999 is a state-of-the-art wireless headphone system with an unique list of technical features.

The HEARO 999 is ideal fo those who like to enjoy their Dolby-Surround home-video systems without disturbing neighbours.

The HEARO 999 comes with two 220 Volts Wall wart power supplies.

Note: The RF-transmitter of the HEARO 999 does not comply with the USA regulatory rules.

- Digital and Analog inputs.
- Analog output for connection to an amplifier.
- Build-in DA- and AD-converters.
- Digital RF data transfer.
- 3 Transmission frequencies selectable.
- Headphone jacket for cable headphones.
- 24 Bit precision signal processing.
- Digital signal limiter.
- Digital simulation of loudspeaker sound.
..... Seven different ear characteristics.
..... 12 different sound characteristics.
........... (normal / movie / voice / music)
- Adjustable echo function.
...... (club / concert hall / stadium).
- Dolby Surround Pro Logic.
- Dolby Digital.
- Dolby surround with two loudspeakers





I can't attest to the sound quality for music, but for movies it might be acceptable.
I guess send Meier an email for more info.