Topic: If you dont have a headphone amp..

[scervin]

When I had my dad's Grado SR-325's I sure did!!  I find the wife likes it better when she is able to watch tv when I listen to music. Don't listen too loud though!!! Hearing is invaluable!

[Nick Culbreth]

I hadn't realized the x-can was tube based???  What tubes are you using now.....
SC

so far i've tried out the jj electronics/tesla and jan phillips stock tubes and neither have satisfied me completely.  the jan phillips has a nice upfront sound with pretty good detail but i find the highs to be a little shrill which becomes very apparent after extended listening.  the jj electronics tubes  definately take care of the shrill highs i experienced with the jan phillips tubes but at the expense of the nice detail of the jan phillips.  they sound very smooth but definately have a veiled sound which i don't care for.  of the two i definately prefer the stock jan phillips tubes unless i'm listening to my old mp2 > adc-20 tapes which sound much better w/ the jj tubes since they tame the shrill sound of the adc-20.  i'm going to try a set of sovteks next but from reading about them i doubt that they're going to be the perfect solution either but it's worth a shot.  i'm really looking for a set of mullards but they've become kind of rare and consequently out of my budget for the time being.

[George]

so do you guys with the really nice hi-fi (scott, craig etc.) spend much time listening on headphones?

I only listen with headphones nowdays and sometimes via my pc speakers (Cambridge Soundworks FPS2000, it's a 4.1 pc speaker setup).

I listen to the following headphones mostly:

Senn HD580
Sony MDR-7506
BeyerDynamic DT770-250 (king of low bass extension)

and on occasion: AKG K501

I hope y'all aware of the fact that their are aftermarket cables for the upper Sennheiser models?  Headroom sells them, they sure are expensive though!  I use a MG Head OTL tube amp to drive the Senn's and Beyer's.  Just about any source can drive the Sony's.  I also have Grado SR60/80/100's...but rarely listen to them.   For monitoring, i would highly recommend the Sony's.  FWIW, the V6 (no, not that nasty V600)=7506, same exact headphone, different plated minijack (the V6 miniplug is nickel plated, the 7506 is gold plated).  

There's also quite a market for DIY amps over at head-fi, you guys might want to look into that as well, i hear those DIY amps are quite stellar.  

In the pic, i'm the guy in the middle with my $289 minidisc recorder plugged into a $4000 Sony headphone (R-10).

Sounds pretty good....

[leegeddy]

i'm running:  PC > PreSonus HP4 > Senn HD570 and it's pretty good.

the HP4 has an extra monitor line out so i can run my PC's output through my stereo.  it's great for remastering/matrixing shows and using Cool Edit before finalizing it onto a cdr.

i did try out a pair of Senn HD650 at the NAMM show last weekend and they were fabulous!!!!  

marc

[jpschust]

was gonna get the grace 901 however with the release of the 904 and 906 im gonna save my money and get one of those eventually for my setup and then use the headphone side of that too- since its designed off the same circuitry as the 901

[Craig T]

so do you guys with the really nice hi-fi (scott, craig etc.) spend much time listening on headphones?

No.  I don't really like cans and only use them at work or while traveling.

[tooldvn]

I am currently listening to Senn HD-600's thru the 1/4" headphone jack on my Sony ES receiver, am I correct in assuming that a headphone amp will do nothing for me in this instance?  I would think Sony would build a pretty nice one in already?  

That being said, I do need one for my portable listening I'm sure. I'll check some of the sites posted in this thread tonight, see if I can find a good match for my headphones.

-dvn

[jpschust]

i find myself getting  a lot of listener fatigue with headphones no matter which set i use, but still thinking about eventually going the grace surround route

[George]

i find myself getting  a lot of listener fatigue with headphones no matter which set i use, but still thinking about eventually going the grace surround route

What kind of cans are you using and what amp?

[jpschust]

ive been using some sony 7506's, ive also used the 7509's and some grados.  all of them give me listener fatigue.  whenever i wear headphones now i just go back to wearing whatever is small and lightweight.  its not a matter of the amp- ive tried a few, but its more a matter of my head not liking the sound from headphones.

[George]

jp: Try the senn hd580's.  The grado's and sony's are quite bright, hence the listener fatigue.  I own the grado 60's, 80's and 100's.  The 100's are from another time and age with grado and are actually kinda neutral, which makes them great for longterm listening.  The treble doesn't jump out and scream at you.  You need a pair of headphones that are either neutral (good luck finding such a pair) or a headphone that's naturally dark (or even laidback as the senns are described often.  Check ebay for a pair, they run for $150...with a good amp they will sound quite nice.

[jpschust]

honestly, at this point a choice of spending 150 on a pair of headphones or using that money as part of my next speaker upgrade or addition, id rather spend the money on speakers, ya kno?

[George]

honestly, at this point a choice of spending 150 on a pair of headphones or using that money as part of my next speaker upgrade or addition, id rather spend the money on speakers, ya kno?

Hell yeah!  I went to the HE2004 and have a renewed interest in speakers...i hear the Denon avr-3803 receiver calling my name  

[jpschust]

im going to make the move to surround very very soon.  i think im gonna put my maggie 10.1qrs in front and some mmgs in back, get a maggie center and havent decided on a sub yet