Using old home hi-fi amp as headphone amp

[miles1993]

Thank you for your answers! I'll definitely give the pioneer a try and let you know If i like it or not (but be advised, I'm a complete noob)

I would suggest re-thinking the headphone choice,not the amp.

What should I consider? I liked how the sound profile of the 990 is described but, again, I'm a noob so I don't think I actually know what I'm reading about in headphones reviews. I also liked the Idea that I could get a headphone that'll get better in the future with better amps, so I was looking for high impedance...but of course if this thing with the pioneer works it also have to sound good from the start, so if beyer+pioneer=too much treble that's bad. I also liked the idea of experiencing good soundstage (so mostly looking for open cans) and a "fun but not too much" profile (as I said in a previous post in this thread I go for the most classical genres). I see that usual recommendations in this price range are the sennheiser 598/599, akg k701/702. Is there something that I'll miss now or later with a 60 ohm headphone? Can you suggest anything else? I'll order through amazon so I guess I could choose 2 headphone and keep the one that sounds best with the pioneer (if hopefully one does!)

 

[audiobomber]

You're getting all turned around by a stranger on the internet who knows nothing about your amp and may never have heard the headphones you are considering. One thing I have learned about headphone sound is that it is very personal. What one person finds bright, another finds right. What one finds great, another finds boring. That is the unfortunate truth. Jump in, learn for yourself is my advice.

 

[Monsterzero]

You're getting all turned around by a stranger on the internet who knows nothing about your amp and may never have heard the headphones you are considering.

If youre talking about me,I happen to own the DT990 and have enough experience with the Pioneer house sound to know that theyre a bit treble happy.

I havent heard that specific amp,but as I mentioned in an earlier post:

Marantz-warmest
Sansui-in the middle
Pioneer-etched glass sound

House sounds were a big thing back in the day.

The AKG 701/702s have a wide soundstage(I own the K701) but they dont sound great via vintage receivers due to impedance mismatching.

Off the top of my head I cant think of a 250ohm+ headphone that has a wide stage and isnt bright. Might as well give the DT990 a shot.

 

[miles1993]

You're getting all turned around by a stranger on the internet who knows nothing about your amp and may never have heard the headphones you are considering. One thing I have learned about headphone sound is that it is very personal. What one person finds bright, another finds right. What one finds great, another finds boring. That is the unfortunate truth. Jump in, learn for yourself is my advice.

I quoted monsterzero and then asked for further suggestion and it may have looked like I was asking only to him. But I'm taking all the advice you're giving and I know that only my ears can decide at the end. I'll most definitely get and try a pair of 990, but if there is anything else worth a try I could order two headphones and return one.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thank you for your answers! I'll definitely give the pioneer a try and let you know If i like it or not (but be advised, I'm a complete noob)
What should I consider? I liked how the sound profile of the 990 is described but, again, I'm a noob so I don't think I actually know what I'm reading about in headphones reviews. I also liked the Idea that I could get a headphone that'll get better in the future with better amps, so I was looking for high impedance...but of course if this thing with the pioneer works it also have to sound good from the start, so if beyer+pioneer=too much treble that's bad. . I see that usual recommendations in this price range are the Sennheiser 598/599, AKG k701/702. Is there something that I'll miss now or later with a 60 ohm headphone? Can you suggest anything else? I'll order through amazon so I guess I could choose 2 headphone and keep the one that sounds best with the pioneer (if hopefully one does!)

There are lot of good sounding low impedance (Ohm) headphones, the (discontinued) Denon AH-D2000 headphones had good sound and nice bass and they are only 25-Ohms.
If you were using an OTL tube headphone amplifier, then that is a good reason for having high impedance headphones.

 

[Monsterzero]

There are lot of good sounding low impedance (Ohm) headphones, the (discontinued) Denon AH-D2000 headphones had good sound and nice bass and they are only 25-Ohms.
If you were using an OTL tube headphone amplifier, then that is a good reason for having high impedance headphones.

Right,but essentially anything that works good for OTLs also work on vintage receivers.
If the OP wants to use that Pioneer as an amp he needs to get phones 250-600ohms. Otherwise he will get a lot of bass bloat.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Nobody here is offended,but when you say:

Its a gross blanket overstatement.

To make it seem like every old amp is safe isn't that much better though when you have to work off a pool of six verified good amps plus a few in the thread here verified by others.

 

[Monsterzero]

To make it seem like every old amp is safe isn't that much better though when you have to work off a pool of six verified good amps plus a few in the thread here verified by others.

Man,youre missing the point. All vintage receivers work great with high impedance headphones. Why? Because back in the late 60s and early to mid 70s there werent any earbuds,or headphones made to be plugged into mobile phones,because they didnt exist. Headphones back in the day were a beast to drive. Some have over a few thousand ohms! There were no dedicated headphone amps either. The only way to drive vintage,high ohm headphones was thru vintage receivers. Get it?!

Now if said receiver is broken and needs work,thats an entirely different proposition. Im assuming OP's is working fine. If its working correctly it is absolutely "safe". Will it sound good? Who knows.

His was made in the early 80s,which as I said previously:

The other issue is that Pioneer came out in the early to mid 1980s,which is after the Golden Years of the Wattage Wars of the mid to late 1970s. Theres a good chance(I dont know how to read schematics) that the Pioneer still uses an in-line resistor to power headphones,which is what you want. But if it uses an op-amp,its going to sound pretty underwhelming.

The only way to find out is to give it a try. You might really enjoy the pairing,and its a pretty small investment for the DT990s.

 

[miles1993]

Man,youre missing the point. All vintage receivers work great with high impedance headphones. Why? Because back in the late 60s and early to mid 70s there werent any earbuds,or headphones made to be plugged into mobile phones,because they didnt exist. Headphones back in the day were a beast to drive. Some have over a few thousand ohms! There were no dedicated headphone amps either. The only way to drive vintage,high ohm headphones was thru vintage receivers. Get it?!

Now if said receiver is broken and needs work,thats an entirely different proposition. Im assuming OP's is working fine. If its working correctly it is absolutely "safe". Will it sound good? Who knows.

His was made in the early 80s,which as I said previously:

Would it then a 600 ohm be more appropriate or should I stick with the 250?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Would it then a 600 ohm be more appropriate or should I stick with the 250?

The DT990 600-Ohm sounds better then the DT990 250-Ohm, at least to my ears.
As the 600-Ohm version has better bass control.

 

[miles1993]

The DT990 600-Ohm sounds better then the DT990 250-Ohm, at least to my ears.
As the 600-Ohm version has better bass control.

I checked the price of the 600 and it's almost double on my local Amazon (120 euro Vs 190). I don't know if it's worth it, at least to my ears. Plus, if I the pioneer doesn't sound good and I decide to invest in a more common schiit Modi+magni, would the 250 more appropriate?


Also, is it safe to use my 62 ohm HM5 with the pioneer or other powerful amp or it could damage them?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Also, is it safe to use my 62 ohm HM5 with the pioneer or other powerful amp or it could damage them?

It won't damage either but chances are the Pioneer integrated amp has a high enough output impedance that it would lower the damping factor. That either trims the bass or boosts it but either way the low end loses definition. Even if you're not using anything with 8ohms or lower output impedance now, the way that affects the headphone is different from each circuit paired with each headphone, so you might get a totally different effect compared to anything else you've been using.

In any case, just use it with what you can get for free. It's free. If you don't like the sound, you didn't spend any money, and then we just make a few guesses as to whether it has more to do with the Pioneer or the HM5. And then from there decide whether you'd still get the DT990 or any other headphone based on what you can hear on the HM5 driven by the Pioneer vs any others you've been using it with.

 

[Monsterzero]

I checked the price of the 600 and it's almost double on my local Amazon (120 euro Vs 190). I don't know if it's worth it, at least to my ears. Plus, if I the pioneer doesn't sound good and I decide to invest in a more common schiit Modi+magni, would the 250 more appropriate?


Also, is it safe to use my 62 ohm HM5 with the pioneer or other powerful amp or it could damage them?

It shouldnt damage them,unless of course you crank the volume to maximum,but it most likely will result in less than optimum sound. Again impedance mismatch results in bass bloat.

Would it then a 600 ohm be more appropriate or should I stick with the 250?

Stick with the 250ohm,for a couple reasons.

First 250ohm headphones sound fine on receivers. ZMF Headphones recently sent me their Auteurs,along with the upcoming Aeolus,and spectacular new flagship,Verite to test out and give feedback on. All are 300ohms. All sounded fantastic thru all my receivers.

Secondly,if you decide to Schiit yourself with a Magni,the 250ohm version will be easier for the the Magni to drive.

Lastly,as you mentioned the price is double for the 600ohm version. IMO it doesnt sound twice as good as the 250ohm version. YMMV.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I checked the price of the 600 and it's almost double on my local Amazon (120 euro Vs 190). I don't know if it's worth it, at least to my ears. Plus, if I the pioneer doesn't sound good and I decide to invest in a more common schiit Modi+magni, would the 250 more appropriate?
Also, is it safe to use my 62 ohm HM5 with the pioneer or other powerful amp or it could damage them?

First off, I would try and talk you out of buying the DT990 (250-Ohm or 600-Ohm version), better to buy lower impedance headphones.
Lower impedance headphones are less power (voltage) demanding, so can work with a less powerful (and cheaper) DAC/headphone amplifer.
I way prefer my $150 150-Ohm Massdrop/Sennheiser HD58X headphones, to my DT990.
A $100 DAC/amp like FiiO K3 or FiiO Q1 MK II or Schiit Fulla 2 could easily drive the HD58X.
Unless you already owned high impedance headphones, can't see a good reason to use the Pioneer (for headphones).