[rei_yano]

well I want to buy an amp cuase the volume on my pcdp is not loud enough. I dont really know what to look for in one and have no idea where to find a newbie guide on portable amplifiers. either way I would like one that has rechargable batteries and decent battery life. also would like to spend at the most a hundred bucks cuase I cant really go too much above that ship and tax included. I have some lower end audio technica ear clips. they were about 50 bucks. I plan on buying some better ones later but first I need more volme out of my cd player.do all amps improve sound quality? any info would be greatly apreciated. links to guides and whatnot would be awesome.

 

[choomanchoo]

hope this helps, http://www.head-fi.org/forums/forumd...p?s=&forumid=3

 

[rei_yano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by choomanchoo /img/forum/go_quote.gif hope this helps, http://www.head-fi.org/forums/forumd...p?s=&forumid=3

yeah..... thanx

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Perhaps you could spend the hundred dollars on a pair of more efficient headphones? You'll get much more improvement in terms of sound quality that way, and you wouldn't have to lug around an amp to boot.

 

[rei_yano]

so your saying that the money would be better spent on some good headphones? one of the biggest problems with my cd player is that the volume is just a tad too low. though I would like some better quality.... is there some other kind of small unit I can buy thatlly boost the volume a bit? so I can get one of these plus some quality headphones?

 

[rei_yano]

are there any websites or guides out there for educating people on the very basics of headphone amplifiers? the most Ive read is the wikipedia article for headphone amplifier. maybe someone could help out someone who feels very lost on this subject?

 

[Sherwood]

Well, this is the right place to be. The best way to get information is to search and read threads. There is, as of yet, no one guide that is a good starting place.

In extreme brief, however, here is the deal with headphones and headphones amps:

A portable headphone amp serves at least two purposes. It eases the load on the "source" (portable cd player, minidisc, mp3 player, reel to reel powered by car battery held in backpack) and improves the volume output of the device. Headphones of a higher impedance will generally produce a quieter sound. Headphone amps are sometimes designed with high impedance headphones in mind. In these circumstances, more volume can generally be achieved by adding a headphone amplifier. Some amplifiers can serve other purposes when they add sound modifications, like a bass boost or a crossfeed (a circuit that simulates the sound of listening to speakers rather than headphones).

To get the best possible sound, you want to be using a "line out" of your source, rather than a headphone out. A headphone out has already gone through an opamp, which degrades its sound quality. A line out is a full volume, unprocessed signal. This doesn't necessarily hold true to every source, but in general a line out is preferable to a headphone out.

Simply hook the line out into the headphone amp, and hook the headphones up to the amp. If all is as planned, you should experience louder and (possibly) clearer sound.

 

[rei_yano]

wow thank you so much. that was extremely helpful. I have been looking around the forums and have found these models to be interesting...

go vibe: http://www.go-vibe-headphoneamp.com
XM4 : http://www.practicaldevices.com/
iBasso T1 (ebay)
headphonia: http://www.headphonia.com/
xenos 0ha-rep: http://www.aptecpro.com/Xenos-Prod/X...ntro-page.html

will do some more research before I buy but they are all way under 200 bucks which is great. I may just go for the cheapest one of all the ibasso. just to start out maybe. Ill also buy some 100 dollar headphones at the same time so I can take advantage of all the capabilities of the amp I get.

 

[Sherwood]

Some new headphones, too? Welcome to head-fi. Just search for best headphones under $100 and you'll come up with plenty.

From here, the best advice I can give you is to get up to 50 posts quickly, and watch the "for sale" forum like a hawk. Though i have a personal bias, I would also recommend you get the T1 and see if you really need more. I love mine, even in comparison to much more expensive amps.

 

[ChickenGod]

Pick and choose

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=216903

 

[rei_yano]

thank you very much again. I really appreciate the help guys. wish I had more cash to blow on some 200 - 300 dollar headphones and a 300 dollar amp or something but Ill have to save for a while before I can get that. anyways thanx alot!

 

[Happy Camper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rei_yano /img/forum/go_quote.gif thank you very much again. I really appreciate the help guys. wish I had more cash to blow on some 200 - 300 dollar headphones and a 300 dollar amp or something but Ill have to save for a while before I can get that. anyways thanx alot!

KSC 75 headphones- lots of fans of these for little money. Do a thread search for reviews.

 

[Slashdot87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, this is the right place to be. The best way to get information is to search and read threads. There is, as of yet, no one guide that is a good starting place. In extreme brief, however, here is the deal with headphones and headphones amps: A portable headphone amp serves at least two purposes. It eases the load on the "source" (portable cd player, minidisc, mp3 player, reel to reel powered by car battery held in backpack) and improves the volume output of the device. Headphones of a higher impedance will generally produce a quieter sound. Headphone amps are sometimes designed with high impedance headphones in mind. In these circumstances, more volume can generally be achieved by adding a headphone amplifier. Some amplifiers can serve other purposes when they add sound modifications, like a bass boost or a crossfeed (a circuit that simulates the sound of listening to speakers rather than headphones). To get the best possible sound, you want to be using a "line out" of your source, rather than a headphone out. A headphone out has already gone through an opamp, which degrades its sound quality. A line out is a full volume, unprocessed signal. This doesn't necessarily hold true to every source, but in general a line out is preferable to a headphone out. Simply hook the line out into the headphone amp, and hook the headphones up to the amp. If all is as planned, you should experience louder and (possibly) clearer sound.

you mention a 'line-out' I do not see a 'line out' on the iPod. Can an amp work with an iPod?

 

[ducatisteve]

Do a quick search for "iMod", and you'll see that a ton of people here send off their iPod to get modded so that the dock port acts as the line out to go to an amplifier. Everyone here gives the iMod stellar reviews, but it does cost quite a bit of $$ to get the mod done, get the cable, and then the amp itself.

 

[Slashdot87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducatisteve /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do a quick search for "iMod", and you'll see that a ton of people here send off their iPod to get modded so that the dock port acts as the line out to go to an amplifier. Everyone here gives the iMod stellar reviews, but it does cost quite a bit of $$ to get the mod done, get the cable, and then the amp itself.

Is that the ONLY option for an iPod?