[cosmo]

I've had my HD590s for about two weeks now, and I love these things. I run them directly from the headphone port on my laptop, and I'm wondering, what's the advantage of a headphone amp? These things can get way louder than the safe volume I have them set at...are the outputs on desktop pc sound cards much less powerful?

If they are the same power, then I'm confused...to get the same volume with an amp, that would mean that you would turn the source down and turn up the amp, which I would think would cause more distortion and hurt the dynamic range of the sound

So are headphone amps only for people who like the sound to engulf them, and be blaring loud? Or do I totally misunderstand the whole concept?

 

[puppyslugg]

Quote:

Originally posted by cosmo I'm wondering, what's the advantage of a headphone amp? These things can get way louder than the safe volume I have them set at...are the outputs on desktop pc sound cards much less powerful?

It's not about power or how loud you play your headphones, it's about sound quality. A decent external amp is inherently superior to a soundcard. As would a decent source.

 

[dokebi]

Being a newbie myself, even a simple cmoy amp was like a night and day difference in music. It sounds so much more dynamic and powerful. It is not that people who lust for amps listen louder. They want a higher quality sound. I noticed I listen to my music at a lower volume now with an amp than without where I had to listen loudly to be satisfied. Someone who can explain and write better should explain.

 

[bangraman]

Um yes I think you do misunderstand a bit, but it's perfectly understanable. Many headphonee (not sure about your 590) require quite a lot of power (which doesn't necessarily mean volume) going through them in order to produce a good sound. Any headphone will make a sound from any headphone socket (with the exception of electrostatics and the AKG K1000 maybe) but it's not necessarily what the phone is really capable of. Sticking a good amp (not just any old amp, ideally matched to the phone's impedance) gives you good sound, without needing to ramp up the volume. It's something that unfortunately you only hear if you have rabid headphonephile friends or if you get curious and buy or build one. Until then, most people are blissfully unaware. I would actually highly advise said ignorance

 

[cosmo]

Yes, but the sound still has to go through my computer, doesn't it? I can't play the music or play the games without a computer...

Are amps no help if you intend to use them with a computer?

 

[bangraman]

Generally POS in = POS out. Most soundcards = POS.
But a good headphone amp can still lend presence to the sound from a PC soundcard.

 

[plainsong]

There's lots of things that make good substitutes, but aren't as good as the real thing.

I can play my Fender standard strat with its George-L cable through the mic in our Sony mini-hifi stereo. I can plug it in, and sound comes out.

But why would I want to? It's all about the sound. Obviously a guitar amp will sound not just louder, but better, a more well-rounded tone. Then there's other options like distortion and reverb n such that I wouldn't get with a stereo.

It's the same for headphones and amps. It's not just about loudness, though certainly you can have as much of that as you like. It's about the sound. Everything is there...it's just more there. The difference in sound is like the difference between a band playing who didn't practice but sound alright, and a band that did practice and sound great. And like with a guitar amp, you often get those little extra options, such as crossfeed.

Does that make any sense?

edit: See my gear in the signature. I'm using a little portable amp with a computer. Yes, there's enough of a difference to make the amp very worth it.

 

[JahJahBinks]

If I listen from laptop, an amp in what price range is justified? meaning if I pay more the quality won't go up anymore. I use Senn 580.

 

[Pace]

I have the 590s and just got my first headphone amp last week.

I also thought the 590s were great without one, but because of this forum I ended up buying Creek OBH-11 which I got reasonably cheap. The sound difference was very audible. Not talking about volume; I'm probably listening to music at lower levels than I did without one, but the bass response improved so noticably (more powerful and punchier) that when I now listen to the phones without the amp, it feels there is no bass. I can hear the amp as improved detail and more neutral sound also.

 

[DarkWolf]

Not that there seems to be any more confusion, but just incase there is, think of it Like this; Think of the headphones as a car, and the amp as the person driving. A better amp is like a more skilled driver. You don't need to drive faster to be driving better. A good amp will give better extention in both directions, more authority, acuracy, and likely sound stage than a bad amp, such as what you would find in a sound card, or most headphone jacks for that matter. Certan amps will give you more features too. The most basic would be the addition of a volume knob, if you're using a sound card. Some amps have other fancier things such as cross feed, gain controlls, or the ability to select different sources. For the latter two, you are probably looking at a bigger, more expensive amp, while you can easily get a costom amp with cross feed below $300. If you have someone build you a costom amp (quite common) such as a meta42, cmoy, or cha47, you can ask for different features. Hope this helps.

I'm a noob my self, I've been here for a while, but after finding out the true debth of my error (

) in comming here to learn about headphones, I decided to save longer for my system and wait untill after christmas to buy anything. Now the time is nearing, the anticipation is rising, and I'm looking for that special second job.

 

[daredevii]

Earlier JaJaBinks asked how much would be justified for an amp listening through a laptop. He said he used Senn 580's. I'm curious about that too and also how about something as cheap as Portapros through an iPod? Waste of money?

I came here only to check out headphones and am now considering the Ety's. What do I do? Ety's and no amp or cheaper phones and an amp? Can't do both.

Being pretty new to this myself, I was darn happy with Portapros. Now i'm wondering just how much better this can get. Silly me.

 

[puppyslugg]

Quote:

Originally posted by daredevii Now i'm wondering just how much better this can get. Silly me.

Silly you is right.

Of course it can get better, it really comes down to how much abuse your wallet can take.

You probaby can get the ety6p without an amp, but the ety4 is the way to go. I would stick with PortPro's and get the ety's later when you can afford an amp, too. And possibly a better source.

 

[daredevii]

I like the iPod to much to change sources. So will an amp help those portapros or not? And you said I didn't need an amp for the ety6 but I did for the ety4? I think I'm confused.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by daredevii I like the iPod to much to change sources. So will an amp help those portapros or not? And you said I didn't need an amp for the ety6 but I did for the ety4? I think I'm confused.

Since the iPod has no line out, the advantages of an amp will not be fully realized, particularly with 'phones such as the PortaPros, which are relatively easy to drive. The iPod has a pretty powerful (and clean) amp in it.
The Ety ER6 is actually more difficult to drive than the 4P, which is designed specifically for the output of most portables. If you can swing it, get the 4P and walk away from this place. The 4P/iPod combo is incredible, IF you are encoding your MP3s at at least 192. The higher the better, as the 4Ps are a lot more revealing than the PortaPros.

 

[puppyslugg]

The ety6p's are suppose to be able to powered from portable players directly and possibly the ety4p's.

If I understand it correctly, the ipod doesn't have a line out. In which case a amp may not help with the portpro's. I heard the ipod has very good hp out to begin with anyway, and if it's driving your portapro adequately, I see no need for an amp. If you change headphones ie: Senn. 580, then you will need an amp.