[pimmedoris]

Hi all,

I'm new here and pretty much a noob in the audiophile-area.

My gear consists of an Ipod Nano 2G and some Shure SCL2 (E2C) headphones. Usually I listen to music in lossless format. I often come across people on forums who claim that the headphone out on an Ipod is rubbish and that the sound quality will increases "dramatically" if I would use the line out and an amp.

Would using an amp and LOD indeed increase my SQ that much if I use my SCL2's and not the real high end SE530's UE's, etc.?
I enjoy high quality sound, but for now I can't afford to buy all the high end stuff. So if an amp in the <$150 range improves my SQ a lot, I would consider getting one.

Since I use a Ipod Nano, I would want the amp to be very small as well. Which ones would be interesting? iBasso T3, T4, Meier XXS, others?
I live in the Netherlands and I don't own a creditcard, so paypal is not an option for me... Perhaps that narrows doen my options?

So basically to questions: Would an amp be worth the while with my current setup?
And which amps would be interesting for me, considering size and price range?

Thanks a lot!

Pimmedoris

 

[pimmedoris]

Oh and as a description of what I'm looking for:

I like the sound of my SCL2's in the mids and highs, but they could have a little more bass...

 

[prone2phone]

just get SanDisk Sansa Clip+

 

[Prog Rock Man]

I use a FiiO E5 out of a Classic 80gb ipod and the difference amped and not amped is one the biggest I have encountered in hifi. All of my headphones benefit in improved SQ from the little Senn mx500s to the very insensitive Goldrings. I have found with sensitive headphones the SQ improves with sound stage and also the FiiO's bass boost is more obvious. With insensitive headphones the FiiO makes then far more enjoyable listenable at decent volumes, though bass boost is not so obvious.

If you live in The Netherlands, Firestone Audio from Tiawan have their European distributer there and they do a portable amp called the Fireye and amp/DAC called the Fireye2. I have one of their DACs and love it and other products get good reviews.

 

[qusp]

if you are going to continue with SLC2, dont bother, seriously, the money would be better spent on higher quality headphones. i'm a big pundit for portable amps, lovem, just check my sig, but to realize a large improvement you really need either high quality and VERY sensitive IEMs that kil the HP out with high current draw or bass roll-off, or very inefficient headphones that need more voltage. my advice, get a higher quality set of headphones first before you think about getting an amp

 

[cck5]

gotta agree with qusp here.

 

[neco]

I've owned the Nano 2G before and found moving to the Sansa Clip to be a large improvement in sound. I also briefly owned the Nano 4G which was a lot better than the 2G but found the sound signature of the Sansa Clip to be more appealing. As others have mentioned you would not benefit much by adding an amp to your setup. In your situation I would opt for either new headphone/earphone or a better sounding source. If you are going to get an amp later for sure then I would get better headphones first since the LOD should clean up the sound of the Nano 2G.

 

[Aeneas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pimmedoris /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi all, I'm new here and pretty much a noob in the audiophile-area. My gear consists of an Ipod Nano 2G and some Shure SCL2 (E2C) headphones. Usually I listen to music in lossless format. I often come across people on forums who claim that the headphone out on an Ipod is rubbish and that the sound quality will increases "dramatically" if I would use the line out and an amp. Would using an amp and LOD indeed increase my SQ that much if I use my SCL2's and not the real high end SE530's UE's, etc.? I enjoy high quality sound, but for now I can't afford to buy all the high end stuff. So if an amp in the <$150 range improves my SQ a lot, I would consider getting one. Since I use a Ipod Nano, I would want the amp to be very small as well. Which ones would be interesting? iBasso T3, T4, Meier XXS, others? I live in the Netherlands and I don't own a creditcard, so paypal is not an option for me... Perhaps that narrows doen my options? So basically to questions: Would an amp be worth the while with my current setup? And which amps would be interesting for me, considering size and price range? Thanks a lot! Pimmedoris

Your question/s are similar to mine, so are useful.

Anyway, are you sure you can't use PayPal?

My account is 'connected' to an ordinary ban account and a debit card (my cards are Solo and Visa). I've been using PayPal since it started out, more or less, and I'm only 198 - I have never had a credit card.

Because the debit card (a bank card, basically - no 'credit') is 'onnected' to my PayPal account, I can pay and have the payment clear instantly, without having to transfer funds from my bank account into PayPal, which takes a few days.

I hope this helps and I apologise if it doesn't - I use PayPal so much, I would find online shopping very difficult without it.

 

[rawrster]

if you are thinking of spending money on an amp for the SCL2 I think the better option would be to upgrade the iem's and think of an amp later down the road. any decent amp would cost more than the SCL2 and it doesnt make too much sense to me anyway to have an amp that costs way more than the earphones itself.

 

[pimmedoris]

Thanks for all the replies!

@ qusp and others:
That was actually what I thought, but I just wanted to know if I was right

I'll probably get better phones and player in the near future, but for now this will do.
I'll just keep reading about phones, players and amps here for the time being...

@ Prog Rock Man:
The Fireye1 doesn't have a volume knob right? Than it's useless for an iPod with a LOD...

@ aameerp:
I thought you needed a creditcard to use Paypal. Guess I was wrong, I'll look into it. Thanks