Will a portable amp run headphones better than a integrated Amp?

[warnsey]

I have a pair of K501s and run them out of my NAD c320Bee amp. I just feel that they are missing something. Now heres the dillema, As money is of some concern i can not afford a good dedicated headphone amp. However i could go something like the go-vibe or portaphile, Something along those lines.

My question is since it is for use at home (portability not really an issue) will i get a noticble difference in sound quality from a dedicated portable headphone amp like a go-vibe or am i better of sticking to the headphone out of my integrated amp?

Cheers

 

[warnsey]

Anybody??

 

[billinkansas]

Find somebody that has an old Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, or equivalent amp or receiver that you can try. Those things do a good job, and often can be had real cheap. I don't know much about dedicated headphone amps. I had a Creek OBH-11. It was quiet, but it was severly outclassed musically by every vintage amp or receiver I had (too many of them). Good luck. Maybe someone here will chime in who knows better small amps.

 

[DevilDog]

That's a tough question. You'd have to find somebody that has tried that specific amp because some are very good, some are adequate, and some are very bad. My Denon AVR-1803 is supposed to be a decent receiver, doesn't do a very good job with headphones.
I have a cmoy and while I haven't done a straight comparison, I'd probably prefer it to the Denon.
Good luck.

 

[warnsey]

Well in general for home use do you guys/gals tend to use your headphone out of your stereo amplifier or if you have a portable amp say P2 or mini moy etc use that?