[MattDX]

Just been given a decent bonus by my employer so decided to get my first proper pair of 'big boy' headphones. Went to my local hifi store today to demo a pair of Grado sr80s (it's either these or the audio technica m50's) and they were connected to a denon cd player that had a built in headphone amp. The quality was amazing, every thing I hoped for and more (and these phones were brand new, so not even run in!).

However I then tried the Grados connected to my phone and was less than impressed, all the clarity and soundstage had gone! I accept that I was listening to mp3s that were probably around the 128k to 160k quality and that I should re rip my music in a lossless format but I'm now concerned that without also spending out more on a decent source, I'm wasting my money on decent headphones.

The new headphones were meant to be used in my office so it will be all digital files for music. Will my iPod / phone give me the quality that the denon did if ripped correctly or even connected to a little fiio headphone amp via the iPods line out?

 

[holden4th]

I assume that you have a PC or laptop in your office. Why not put your files on a USB and transfer them to this and listen like that. I agree that 128kbps is too low but if you rerip at VBR1/VBR0 or 320kbps then I don't think you'll have any concerns. I don't know if the Grados need to be amped but a small DAC/amp like the E7 or uDAC-2 might be worth the purchase so that you can get what you paid for with your new cans.
 

 

[Yoga Flame]

The recording being played also makes a lot of difference. Some songs just aren't as well recorded or mastered, and will not wow you with their sound quality no matter what high-res file format is used. (Doesn't mean they can't still be good songs though.)
 
Both the SR80 and M50 are efficient headphones. A well functioning iPod shouldn't have any trouble with them. Adding an amp isn't necessary, and won't result in any night and day difference (though the max volume will be much louder of course). But if you listen to it enough you will hear the subtle improvements. Besides, it is fun to have an amp especially if there is a volume knob that you can literally crank up when the need arises.
 
But x2 on getting a DAC/amp unit if you'll be using a computer at work.

 

[Proglover]

Decent 320 rips (lame) can be fine for a SR80
 
A cheap FiiO will also bring noticable improvement, because you would use the clean line out, makes a serious difference.

 

[DemonicLemming]

Powering just about any full-sized headphone directly from a cell phone is going to result in some pretty "Feh." performance.  Cell phones are good for IEMs...that's about it.  A Fiio will help a bit, but I doubt that's going to compare well to a Denon receiver, let alone a decent discrete headphone amp.
 
That said, the headphones are always the most important part in the chain.  Grab the Grados, and you can work on slowly building up your setup over time - a Fiio E3 or E5 would be plenty to get started.  I've still got some sub-192kbs music in my collection, but that doesn't stop me from listening to it on my home setup.

 

[zero7525]

I agree with the above, though I don't really recommend the Fiio amps below the E7. You get what you pay for at that price and honestly, it wasn't really worth it for me (E5 sounded worse than without it). I'm not saying Fiio is bad though, but stay away from lower models as it's not worth your time.  

 

[DemonicLemming]

For me, it depends on what was being plugged into it - with IEMs, my E3 didn't help any, but running full-sized headphones did show a little benefit.  But, the E7 would be an improvement over either of the lower Fiio amps, and the E7 and E9 combo seems to be very popular.
 
Quote:

I agree with the above, though I don't really recommend the Fiio amps below the E7. You get what you pay for at that price and honestly, it wasn't really worth it for me (E5 sounded worse than without it). I'm not saying Fiio is bad though, but stay away from lower models as it's not worth your time.  

 

 

[Uncle Erik]

This is more of an amplification issue than source. Cell phones have low amplification to preserve battery life. They're best suited to efficient IEMs. If your phone's signal was nicely amped, you probably wouldn't find it a poor source. Most phones have good output, just not much power. A good amp would take care of that.

 

[Wildstar]

 

Most phones have good output, just not much power. A good amp would take care of that.

I respectfully disagree. I have 4 Nokias, they all sound quite different, but I assume they have more or less the same output power (since the max. SPL I can get from them is perceptually similar in all).
My work laptop also has the worst sound I've heard on a PC (despite having a supposedly 96 kHz/24 bit Realtek chip).
 
This is just to say that the DAC is very important, adding a good amp to a bad DAC is probably useless.
 

 

[Proglover]

Quote:

I agree with the above, though I don't really recommend the Fiio amps below the E7. You get what you pay for at that price and honestly, it wasn't really worth it for me (E5 sounded worse than without it). I'm not saying Fiio is bad though, but stay away from lower models as it's not worth your time.  

Euh, amp section E7 has is the same as E5. The only difference in is E7 has 3 bass boost levels and has a Wolfson 8740 DAC, but E5 has the same amp section
 

 

[joelpearce]

I want to echo something from earlier in the conversation.  If you were listening to demo CDs at the store, then to 128kb rips of your own music, you could be experiencing the difference between good and bad files.
 
What are some of the bands/songs that you're listening to?  Also, try some higher bitrate files.
 
Grados are really unforgiving when it comes to bad recordings, high compression levels (search loudness wars for more on this) and compressed files (128k).

 

[MattDX]

Thanks for all the advice here, putting my mind at ease again, I can probably stretch to an e5 or 7 too so will look into those too!

 

[MattDX]

I want to echo something from earlier in the conversation.  If you were listening to demo CDs at the store, then to 128kb rips of your own music, you could be experiencing the difference between good and bad files.
 
What are some of the bands/songs that you're listening to?  Also, try some higher bitrate files.
 
Grados are really unforgiving when it comes to bad recordings, high compression levels (search loudness wars for more on this) and compressed files (128k).

The one cd that really jumped out at me through the store kit was the second KT Tunstall album. To be fair I mainly listen to metal, hip hop and some drum and bass / electronica type stuff so CDs of that nature are generally not the ones to be demoing due to the compex sound. The Tunstall cd sounded amazing, could pick up every nuance of the voice and individual instruments!

 

[zero7525]

Quote:

Euh, amp section E7 has is the same as E5. The only difference in is E7 has 3 bass boost levels and has a Wolfson 8740 DAC, but E5 has the same amp section
 

Well, butter my biscuit. I never tried the E7 honestly, but I'm sure it has a higher quality circuit than the $10 E5 right? I doubt that they sound the same even with their similarities. Correct me now, or forever hold your peace. 
 

 

[Proglover]

 
Quote:

Well, butter my biscuit. I never tried the E7 honestly, but I'm sure it has a higher quality circuit than the $10 E5 right? I doubt that they sound the same even with their similarities. Correct me now, or forever hold your peace. 
 

As I said, E5 and E7 amp section is the same, only difference is 1 vs 3 bass boost settings.
This is much talked about in various FiiO topics and also confirmed by the FiiO employee who is active here, James
 
E5 is not 10 buck, more like 30. And don't over-estimate E7, the price difference is mostly because it's also a DAC (E7 is a better DAC then amp)