[johanneskatalanc]

hi, i'm listening to my k501 trough my laptop thinking that there is something not ok about the sound. I feel like the sound is too thin, and sometimes i get aware that it sounds like the sounds fight against eachother for volume or something. It's like the skeleton is there but the flesh not so much. Is this how they are or do i need an amp? Maybe the diaphragma can't resolve all of the sounds at the same time?

 

[idletime1213]

K501 needs an amp.

 

[johanneskatalanc]

but what i'm describing sounds familiar? 
 

 

[idletime1213]

Yep, sounds like an unamped K501 alright

 

[skeeder]

I cannot speak to the K501, but it sounds like the K701 unamped.  Something simple should do the trick, I thought the AKG's scaled well with simple headphone amps.  
 
Look at Fiio, they have some stuff for cheap...

 

[tdockweiler]

K501 is one of the hardest headphones to drive. Even worse than the K601 and Q701. I've had all 3.
I imagine the K501 would be awful straight from a laptop..

 

[jackwess]

Quote:

 
Look at Fiio, they have some stuff for cheap...

I doubt that Fiio have something that will drive the 501's decently. They are power hungry. 
 
most of the amps i've seen paired with the 501's are on the $500+ range. 

 

[Digital-Pride]

I think the JDS Labs Objective 2 amp, would be a good cost effective option.

 

[johanneskatalanc]

holy ****, that means i'm in for a treat!  She was underfed huh.. please keep the amp suggestions coming in, i guess i would like an budget minded amp that would do good with a lot of headphones. 

 

[fabio-fi]

Mike at headfonia recommended a Cmoy on steroids for the 501. Sounds like a good idea if you dont want to spend a lot. 

 

[skeeder]

Quote:

holy ****, that means i'm in for a treat!  She was underfed huh.. please keep the amp suggestions coming in, i guess i would like an budget minded amp that would do good with a lot of headphones. 

This is headfi...define "budget"
 
Never knew the 501's were the hardest to drive...interesting.

 

[Taowolf51]

I agree with Digital, the Objective 2 amp should work nicely for a budget. But, if you can wait a little bit, the Objective Desktop amp would be perfect, and more powerful than the Objective 2. Also, if you'd like, they can stick the Objective DAC in there as well.

 

[johanneskatalanc]

i just read a blog about the odac, sounds good, but i'm a beginner when it comes to this stuff. So how much is it going to cost?  How difficult is it to do it yourself? And how good of a device is it really, in comparison to what else is out on the market.

 

[johanneskatalanc]

one more thing, does it work well with in-ear monitors too?

 

[shadow419]

I've built 3 O2 amps and they sound and work great.  Pretty easy for a nub to soldering like myself.  The basic O2 amp comes in at <$100 (inc. shipping) if you build it yourself, and works great with iem.  The extremely low noise floor keeps the hiss away that plagues some amps and computer onboard solutions.  The one thing I really recommend if building yourself is getting the extra gain resistors and sockets so you can customize the gain to your preference/need.