Topic: If you dont have a headphone amp..

[nickgregory]

I've heard people call those Sony's DJ cans.
I bought them when I did sound reinforcement. They were good for soloing channels because they provided good isolation and were comfortable to wear. I could flip one of the cans out and listen through it while leaving the other ear open to the ambient sound.

definitely...I am not being critical of them...they were great for my field use, but on playback, they were definitely lacking

[Chuck]

I've got the Sony MDR-600's or MVR-600's? Something like that. They fold up really nice for bringing to shows, but I think they are highly coloured. I'm thinking about the AKG K240's or on of the new AKG's K171's. I want a set-up that allows me to evaluate the recordings I make.

you might want to check out head-fi.org i'm sure you'd be able to find some suggestions on amps that pair well with your headphones.  i've been very happy with my x-can v2, i'm still trying to find the right tubes but overall the hd580 > x-can v2 combination is very impressive.  it certainly isn't portable but it is perfect for my listening needs.

I'm wanting to upgrade the whole thing, headphones and a good headphone amp. My speakers and playback in my family room is more geared toward home theater, so I figured I could get good results and spend less $$ getting a good headphone playback system.

[Nick Culbreth]

I'm wanting to upgrade the whole thing, headphones and a good headphone amp. My speakers and playback in my family room is more geared toward home theater, so I figured I could get good results and spend less $$ getting a good headphone playback system.

i'm just starting to get into building my playback system so i started w/ the headphone playback system to get a more immediate upgrade and i've been extremely happy so far.  i did some auditioning for headphones at a local hifi store and found the sennheisers hd580s to be my favorite set of headphones in my budget.  the grados that i tried sounded nice as well but were uncomfortable which made my decision pretty easy.  i found them on ebay for $150 and they're worth every penny, especially after they are properly amplified.

[Chuck]

I'm wanting to upgrade the whole thing, headphones and a good headphone amp. My speakers and playback in my family room is more geared toward home theater, so I figured I could get good results and spend less $$ getting a good headphone playback system.

i'm just starting to get into building my playback system so i started w/ the headphone playback system to get a more immediate upgrade and i've been extremely happy so far.  i did some auditioning for headphones at a local hifi store and found the sennheisers hd580s to be my favorite set of headphones in my budget.  the grados that i tried sounded nice as well but were uncomfortable which made my decision pretty easy.  i found them on ebay for $150 and they're worth every penny, especially after they are properly amplified.

I forgot to mention the HD580's as an option. It seems everybody loves those headphones. I spoke with Mike Grace this summer at The Dead at Red Rocks and he told me Bob Ludwig uses those HD580 headphones with his 901 amp! I haven't even started to listen to different cans yet. I'm more in the info gathering stage right now. What are the reasonably priced choices for powering those HD580's?

[Nick Culbreth]

if you look you can find the airhead portable amps for as low as $70 and they'll do the trick.  you can also find instructions to make your own headphone amp, i'm not cleaver enough to pull that off but if memory serves correct you've made your own preamp so building your own headphone amp shouldn't be too difficult for you.

[Chuck]

if you look you can find the airhead portable amps for as low as $70 and they'll do the trick.  you can also find instructions to make your own headphone amp, i'm not cleaver enough to pull that off but if memory serves correct you've made your own preamp so building your own headphone amp shouldn't be too difficult for you.

Yeah...
Actually I made a headphone amp for drummers when I was doing sound. It wasn't audiophile quality, but it was good enough. It just needed to be powerful enough to be heard over the drums and other instruments. I'm thinking more along the lines of getting a brand name amp for this though.

[Nick Culbreth]

[Yeah...
Actually I made a headphone amp for drummers when I was doing sound. It wasn't audiophile quality, but it was good enough. It just needed to be powerful enough to be heard over the drums and other instruments. I'm thinking more along the lines of getting a brand name amp for this though.

well the x-can v2 is really nice and can be found for around $200.

[Nick's Picks]

I ran an airhead amp w/my Beyer DT-250s for a long time.  The end result was tininitus.


Honestly, if you dont have the ability to change the way your mic behavies  remotely (ala nice stereo mic w/adjustable polar patterns), you dont need cans in the field.

but for home use, yea, the airhead makes a BIG difference.  In the field, it will give you the volume you need if you want to get louder than the ambient noise level.  They are certainly worth the money.  Just be careful w/these things!

btw, the matrixing feature is pretty cool.  I believe what it does is pre-mix the stereo signal (to what degree, I don't know) so that you are not getting a striaght left/right feed that your brain has to then mix into the stereo "picture".
What this is supposed to do is create a very relaxed listening session, and I thought it worked very well.  Listen to it with normal L/R stereo output, and then kick in that matrix feature and you can feel your scalp and head just sort of relax.  It was cool.

[nickgregory]

btw, the matrixing feature is pretty cool.  I believe what it does is pre-mix the stereo signal (to what degree, I don't know) so that you are not getting a striaght left/right feed that your brain has to then mix into the stereo "picture".
What this is supposed to do is create a very relaxed listening session, and I thought it worked very well.  Listen to it with normal L/R stereo output, and then kick in that matrix feature and you can feel your scalp and head just sort of relax.  It was cool.

that was the best description of that feature...I have been trying to figure out how to put it into words and that did it!

[scervin]

I've been looking into the new HD650's with the x-can or one of the mid grade amps from headroom.  Not quite sure which way to go when the bonus check lands.  Really want to try the Onix Ref1's.... and new prop for the boat also calls......
SC

[Craig T]

and new prop for the boat also calls......

Does that really make a big difference?  I use my parent's boat a lot and was wondering if it would be worth upgrading the prop.  Its an '03 Bayliner 20.5' open bow ski boat with a mercruser v8 i/o we use to zip around Tampa Bay.  Prop is pretty banged up from hitting sand bars, some have told me that its a waste to upgrade since they take such a beating.

[Chuck]

I ran an airhead amp w/my Beyer DT-250s for a long time.  The end result was tininitus.


Honestly, if you dont have the ability to change the way your mic behavies  remotely (ala nice stereo mic w/adjustable polar patterns), you dont need cans in the field.

but for home use, yea, the airhead makes a BIG difference.  In the field, it will give you the volume you need if you want to get louder than the ambient noise level.  They are certainly worth the money.  Just be careful w/these things!

btw, the matrixing feature is pretty cool.  I believe what it does is pre-mix the stereo signal (to what degree, I don't know) so that you are not getting a striaght left/right feed that your brain has to then mix into the stereo "picture".
What this is supposed to do is create a very relaxed listening session, and I thought it worked very well.  Listen to it with normal L/R stereo output, and then kick in that matrix feature and you can feel your scalp and head just sort of relax.  It was cool.

I'm already there with the tininitus after working in a machine shop for 7 years. My ears rings constantly. Sometimes it's so loud I think other people must hear it too.  
Are the Airhead amps considered Audiophile? I'm not planning on using the amp in the field. I want to be able to have a great playback system at home.

[scervin]

and new prop for the boat also calls......

Does that really make a big difference?  I use my parent's boat a lot and was wondering if it would be worth upgrading the prop.  Its an '03 Bayliner 20.5' open bow ski boat with a mercruser v8 i/o we use to zip around Tampa Bay.  Prop is pretty banged up from hitting sand bars, some have told me that its a waste to upgrade since they take such a beating.

A shreaded prop reduces performance a ton, even on a ski boat!!  Once there are burrs, gases, etc the prop will cavitate causing unwated vibrations in both the boat and steering wheel.  It will also increase plane time and reduce speed.  I have more of a performance boat (Baja Hammer w/ 454MAG) and the little nicks my brother put in the prop reduced the speed from 69MPH to 64MPH.  You also want the engine to run as near the optimal RPM for both crusing (3200-3600rpm) and top end (4500-500rpm).  Changing blade size, number and pitchcan change a number of things.  I run a Mercury Mirage Plus 23.  It is stainless and costs too darn much to beat up so I have a crappy aluminum for the local lakes so I don't kill the drive if a drunk sailor happens upon the wheel.

[scervin]

I've got the Sony MDR-600's or MVR-600's? Something like that. They fold up really nice for bringing to shows, but I think they are highly coloured. I'm thinking about the AKG K240's or on of the new AKG's K171's. I want a set-up that allows me to evaluate the recordings I make.

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

you might want to check out head-fi.org i'm sure you'd be able to find some suggestions on amps that pair well with your headphones.  i've been very happy with my x-can v2, i'm still trying to find the right tubes but overall the hd580 > x-can v2 combination is very impressive.  it certainly isn't portable but it is perfect for my listening needs.

[Tim]

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