[nickcfcg]

I'm new to the whole "quality" headphone scene, and I'm interested in buying my first pair of headphones. I'm going to be using them with my X-FI sound card (PC). I've been looking into the SENN HD 650 and from what I've learned sounds like i'll need an amp. All the amps I find are very exspensive, many cost more then the headphones. Can anyone recommend a Amp for the 650 for less then $150 possibly less the $100? Thanks

 

[meat01]

Amps are expensive, because there is low demand and they are not mass produced. I would check out a used Go-Vibe or a PA2V2 or check on ebay for CMoy.

 

[socrates63]

It looks like you've only looked at expensive amps as there are plenty of amps for all price brackets.

For $100-150, some new amps that come to mind are Portaphile models and Z-Audio amps. Pimeta amps are also popular for this price bracket and I believe you can get one made by a number of DIYers.

Also, keep your eyes open on the FS forum for used amps.

 

[JJ15k]

Yeah, amps talked about here are not mass produced, otherwise it is clear that material costs amount for only a very small proportion of the price.

 

[Teerawit]

If you've ever built your own amp before, you'd know how much love and labor goes into it. Since amps are not mass produced, most builders assemble amps themselves.

 

[jagorev]

There are plenty of decent amps under $150. Portaphile, PA2v2, CMOY, portable PIMETA, MINT, all come to mind.

 

[sionghchan]

Also, you might want to look at Firestone's amps as well.
http://www.firestone-audio.com/

They are pretty decent bang for the buck and some amps, like the Cute Beyond has been tuned for the Sennheiser HD6XX series.

 

[Senn20]

Because you haven't spent enough time at Head-fi yet.

 

[edisonwu]

we are living in a market place, it cost more for the people who offer you something with better quality, thats why we need to pay more for these better quality life. everything has the reasonable price based on the overall economy.

 

[JJ15k]

Any item is worth what the buyer will pay for it

 

[Ferbose]

High quality analog circuit has never been cheap.
Even if it is SS and uses PCBs, it still needs quality components including caps, connectors and volume pot. The layout of the PCB is an art, too.
Also, good power supply is not cheap, either.
Good analog circuit needs lots of attention to details, because little distortions add up.
Even in pro-audio market where gears are mass produced, quality headphone amps are not cheap either (Grace comes as an example).

 

[edisonwu]

Sennheiser sells "cheap" headphone in high quality

They target large amount of users to cover the cost and earn profit.

 

[meat01]

Quote:

High quality analog circuit has never been cheap. Even if it is SS and uses PCBs, it still needs quality components including caps, connectors and volume pot. The layout of the PCB is an art, too.

PC motherboards have a lot more components, a huge PCB to layout and intricate chips. They are cheaper than amps, but....they are mass produced.

 

[pawlowski6132]

...you get what you pay for.

 

[adam917]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meat01 Amps are expensive, because there is low demand and they are not mass produced. I would check out a used Go-Vibe or a PA2V2 or check on ebay for CMoy.

Is the PA2v2 worth getting if you don't have a whole lot of money or is it worth spending the several hundreds of USD? I can't hear much above 18500 Hz. I would like a volume control so I can use the amp with line-outs.