[Logic Zero]

Hi guys,

As you can probably tell by the title of this thread, I am very new to amplifiers

I have a pair of sennheiser hd555's connected up to my PC with an xfi xtreme music. I have a scalable budget but no more than around $160. I am looking for a suitable amp for these headphones, and I am wondering:

How much will an amp benefit these headphones?
Will an amp in my price range be worth buying at all?
If so, which amp do you guys reccomend?
Are there any hints/tips/tweaks I can do to my current setup to ensure I am getting the max from them right now?

Thanks in advance

 

[omendelovitz]

short answer - save up; $160 buys nothing worth investing in as far as amplification is concerned...

 

[gritzcolin]

I dont 100% agree with that but for those headphones it won't be worth it since they can be driven well off of anything.

 

[riverlethe]

I found that even with HD650's, putting an amplifier onto the headphone output of an iPhone made very little difference in sound quality, although it would obviously allow much higher volume. You would just be amplifying garbage using the analog output of your X-fi. You are better off getting a decent source or DAC before there is any point in amplifying it.

 

[gritzcolin]

Well I disagree again, the dac on the xfi is going to be quite a bit better than that of an iphone. Apples and Oranges, He is running some 555's not by any stretch of the imagination a demanding set of headphones. You will end up cleaning up the sound with a separate dac for what purpose, if he decides to step up to some 650's or go to some high end Grado's or something sure go ahead and get an amp and a dac, but lets not make him spend money that he can save for something better stronger faster in the future.

 

[riverlethe]

How is it apples and oranges? My point is that he wants to put a $160 amp and $150 headphones on a $75 source. The source is still the main bottleneck.

 

[immtbiker]

Hundreds of posts on this subject (probably #1 next to Bose bashing. Use the Search function).

 

[gritzcolin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by riverlethe /img/forum/go_quote.gif How is it apples and oranges? My point is that he wants to put a $160 amp and $150 headphones on a $75 source. The source is still the main bottleneck.

It is apples and oranges because of two things you comparing your top of the line Senns to his mid line Senns with totally different needs in terms of power, and the comparing of sources on your not so great iphone output vs his decent sound card.

My point is with those headphones he should be just fine with no amp and no separate dac. Now if he decides to step up to better cans better than the 650's even id say go for the amp and dac. Read the other threads about dac's and what most of the veterans around here think, most answers are don't bother till you are spending $800+ on headphones.

 

[Rise To The Top]

Put the $160 aside for a major upgrade. Dont waste you time on garbage, just go straight to the top, saves you time and money. If you likethe Sennheiser sound, then will probably stay with it. I suggest that you take your credit card and demo some higher end headphones with some HeadRoom suff, just to see what you like, then return it after a week or two. Only loss is shipping. Then from there you will know what headphone/sound you want and you can focus on one system.

note: stay away from portable amps, they are all garbage (yes, even the hornet). A home amp of the same cost will always outpreform a portable of the same cost.

 

[gz76]

I think that since the OP has a post count of '1', he should just run away now and forget about all this headphones nonsense!

 

[nikolai]

I am just asking a question to 'Rise To The Top'. But id appreciate everyone elses input,
I have been thinking about purchasing a portable amp to go with my new 6g Ipod 160gb. I acknowledge a 5g Imod would be better, but the 6g ipod with its improved DAC would surprise you.

I have yet to own or even listen to a portable headphone amp, but was thinking of buying either the Hornet or Meier MOVE to go between my ipod and my sennheiser HD280's or Beyer DT 770s ..... do you think that im wasting my time and money investing in a hornet or Meier MOVE. ... im looking for extra bass and cleanness it could give me .... do you really think it wont make a difference that justifies the cost? its crucial that i have a decent setup that fits in my pocket and i dont want a separate bag to carry my setup round in ...

 

[gz76]

Hi nikolai, you should probably start your own thread with that post, rather than hijack this one!

 

[nikolai]

I do actually have my own thread with this question .... but do you know any other ways to address "Rise To The Tops" question in this thread by starting a different one that he isnt reviewing?

here is the link to the other thread, i will leave this one if it is your desire
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ght=bass+freak

 

[bebanovich]

Here's another take on the issue . . . if you expect to add something to your system right now with the HD555 that will make the sky open up and angels descend then other posters are right who say to save your money.

However, if you appreciate subtle improvements and will probably always have a budget-oriented system, there are noticeable gains with something like a EMU0404. It has a pretty clean built-in amp and you can easily add a tube amp or something else down the road if you are on a slow and steady upgrade path like some of us.

My most expensive phones were $200 and I don't see myself spending $800 on a pair of phones before my daughter graduates from college - she is 1 1/2. In the meantime, the difference made by the 0404 USB (which was recently on sale for $150 at Guitar Center) was clearly evident even on my $100 phones that some people said don't really benefit from amping.

People are in this hobby for different reasons and not everyone is on the $1000 cans, $1500 DAC and $2000 amp trajectory or higher. If you are looking for the best system you can find but on a modest budget for the foreseeable future, a decent DAC wouldn't be a bad move.

 

[immtbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rise To The Top /img/forum/go_quote.gif note: stay away from portable amps, they are all garbage (yes, even the hornet). A home amp of the same cost will always outpreform a portable of the same cost.

What???

This is very general and very untrue. What a blanket statement!