[3rdoptic]

Got a pair of hd580s which are plugged straight into my nforce2 soundcard .. Now they sound ten times better than my old sony mdr250s

just want to know what would be the best l amp to go for price wise while still making a difference in the sound ? iv heard the pimeta is the way to go.. but just verifying for the setup i have.

if i were to make my own , is it worth it ? Is it a matter of slapping one together and then thats it , or does this type of thing need hardcore debugging with a multimeter if something goes wrong ? Iv had high school experience in soldering and electronics

so not that much.

 

[3rdoptic]

well any ideas , i might go for one of the prebuilt amps such as the meta, good for starting out .. no ?

 

[EyEPoD]

I would say a meta is an excellent starting point.

There are lots of options, If you are going to use with the computer you are probably going to want an amp that runs off ac.

...My meta is battery, and i havnt been following DIY lately, is it possible to get the pimeta to run off ac? If so that sounds like a good starting point.

Other options for starting out,

Headroom released new Airhead and bithead amps, both of which look interesting. Also, Headroom Home amps have been going for pretty cheap lately used on places like ebay.

You could always consider saving up and buying a better dedicated amp (since you know you will eventually

)
...the 400-500 range is where things start to heat up.

(edit: WELCOME TO HEAD-FI

)

 

[3rdoptic]

yeh i cant really justify spending more than $200 usd on a amp when im just a n00b. Dont really have Gs lying around to go crazy anyways :/ Although i think sound equipment is also a investment, my dad has a setup still laying around from the 70s and the setup still bumps. It was assembled by an old school audiophile. Need to get in touch with him because he is still into HIFI after 30+ years

 

[EyEPoD]

Well if you are firm on 200, then (as mentioned in a similar thread) JMTs Home amp is probably a good bet.

Heres a link to his site:
http://www.jmtaudio.com/

 

[tom hankins]

Do a search in the for sale forum and see if either of the Rega Ear amps are still around. There were a couple last week. They are better than the Meta I had. They sell new for about 225.00. Used prices around 150-175. They match up great with the senns. Merry Christmas.

 

[3rdoptic]

would these types of amps be ok for the source im using? Is this kind of upgrade going to improve the sound a whole magnitude, still with this source?

 

[Peterg2]

I will just give my opinion on the Rega Ear when I used it with my HD-600. I bought the Rega Ear when I found the headphone jack when used with the Pioneer receiver I had was very deficient.

It seemed to be fine until, for other reasons I replaced the Pioneer with a Denon receiver but I did not initially try the headphone jack of the Denon. But, for a lark, while testing my newly purchased Rega Ear I tried the headphone jack in the Denon. I was upset. My headphone jack in the Denon was at least the equal but in actual fact better (I really wanted the Rega Ear to work).

I then used the Denon headphone jack and, just for a trial I bought the X-Can V3. I was not looking to spend more money and was not predisposed towards it.

However, I find the X-Can V3 a noticeable improvement on my Denon headphone Jack and the build quality is outstanding. I am staying with it until I find a marked improvement in some other headamp which does not cost me an exhorbitant amount of money. I am satisfied and with my profligate spending habits of late I am likely to stay with this headamp for some time.

Edit: But viewing your cost constraints I would think long and hard about spending money on a second hand budget amplifier. Perhaps it would be better to just hold off for the moment and save up for a better quality amp.

Peter

 

[3rdoptic]

what a dedicated amp or just a headphone amp? I dont really care about top quality atm coz im only a n00b (and i really cant justify that much for the amount of sound i listen to) and when it comes down to it ill be able to sell the equipment for a decent price anyway, when its time to upgrade? I just want something nicer than a regular headphone setup, which still has some lowend-mid quality (essentially squeeze as much quality as possible with a budget)

 

[Peterg2]

I meant saving a bit for a better headphone amplifier. Nothing high-end or even mid-end.

Peter