Can anyone recommend a decent Headphone amp? My headphones are in dire need of one =/

mathesar

mathesar

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
Messages
1,590
My current headphones (Sony MDR-V600) sound absolutely terrible when connected to my Logitech Z5500's headphone jack,The main problem is they lack any bass output and sound a little weak on the top end as well, However when they're plugged into my home stereo (Kenwood receiver) they sound MUCH much better with plenty of deep bass & highs, its like listening to two totally different pairs of headphones. I'm assuming a headphone amp will improve my issue with the Z5500s poor headphone sound quality?

I've never used a headphone amp before and there's so many to choose from, can anyone recommend some popular brands or models? Thanks.
 
Z-5500's headphone jack SUCKS !!!

lol... hook it straight to the soundcard... BIG improvement trust me.. :p
 
mathesar said:
I'm assuming a headphone amp will improve my issue with the Z5500s poor headphone sound quality?

I've never used a headphone amp before and there's so many to choose from, can anyone recommend some popular brands or models? Thanks.
Click to expand...
To be honest with you, I don't think a headphone amp will make a bit of diffrence comming out of the speakers. Don't worry, my dad's altec lansing speaker's headphone jack suffers the same problems.

Like aZn_plyR said, just plug them into the sound card, and all your problems should drift away. ^_^

~Hope this helps, and keep us posted
 
aZn_plyR said:
Z-5500's headphone jack SUCKS !!!

lol... hook it straight to the soundcard... BIG improvement trust me.. :p
Click to expand...

I tried that and it was exactly the same ,maybe a little louder but still absolutely no bass output, turning up the bass just makes them distort so thats not the issue. (X Fi soundcard) , From my research (so far) it appears some headphones perform a lot better than others without amplification, Mine not being one of them.
 
mathesar said:
I tried that and it was exactly the same ,maybe a little louder but still absolutely no bass output, turning up the bass just makes them distort so thats not the issue. (Xi Fi soundcard) , From my research (so far) it appears some headphones perform a lot better than others without amplification, Mine not being one of them.
Click to expand...
Ok, if it's not the speakers doing it, its probably a software thing, so lets walk though the software. (assuming you connected it to the line-out, and not something like the center channel/sub output).

Do you have CMSS enabled?
Do you have crystilizer enabled?
Do you have any equilization on?
What is the sound card and windows sound set to for speaker type?
Do you have any effects on?

I would recommend you try CMSS disabled, no effects, no Equilization, have the windows speaker type set to no speakers, have the creative speaker setting set to 2.0/2.1 stereo.
Does this help?
 
To explain why everyone is jumping on a different idea than an amp - your headphones only have an impedence of 45 ohms.

That's pretty low.

No soundcard or speaker jack of any kind should have any kind of problem with that. Heck, even an Ipod should handle that with no issues.

So...it's not a lack of an amp that is the problem...'tis something else.
 
dderidex said:
To explain why everyone is jumping on a different idea than an amp - your headphones only have an impedence of 45 ohms.

That's pretty low.

No soundcard or speaker jack of any kind should have any kind of problem with that. Heck, even an Ipod should handle that with no issues.

So...it's not a lack of an amp that is the problem...'tis something else.
Click to expand...
Well, the only reason I suggest he try these things first, is that he described it as "MUCH much better with plenty of deep bass & highs". So unless his home stereo is of high quality, I would troubleshoot the sound card and software settings first for sure.
 
I would buy new cans, but if you really want to get an amp for them, it really depends on how much you want to spend. A Cmoy will generally cost you under $50.
 
towert7 said:
Ok, if it's not the speakers doing it, its probably a software thing, so lets walk though the software. (assuming you connected it to the line-out, and not something like the center channel/sub output).

Do you have CMSS enabled?
Do you have crystilizer enabled?
Do you have any equilization on?
What is the sound card and windows sound set to for speaker type?
Do you have any effects on?

I would recommend you try CMSS disabled, no effects, no Equilization, have the windows speaker type set to no speakers, have the creative speaker setting set to 2.0/2.1 stereo.
Does this help?
Click to expand...

Hrm thanks I tried all of that but they still sound like a 5watt amp is trying to push a 200watt speaker , Just awful. I mean the clarity is pretty good and you can turn them up but without any bass present it just kills the overall quality. Its also worth mentioning that these headphones sound just as bad on my brothers PC which has an Audigy 2 soundcard.. This is why I just assumed they need amplification , You would be amazed how much better they sound connected to my kenwood reciever.

I wouldnt mind buying a new set of headphones IF they're going to sound ok connected to the z5500's without an amp, connecting them directly to the soundcard really isnt an option being I have to disconnect one of the Z5500 audio wires on the X-Fi to do so (Line out 1 jack) . What kind of headphones are you guys using on your PCs? I could spend up to $200, Thanks.
 
mathesar said:
I wouldnt mind buying a new set of headphones IF they're going to sound ok connected to the z5500's without an amp, connecting them directly to the soundcard really isnt an option being I have to disconnect one of the Z5500 audio wires on the X-Fi to do so (Line out 1 jack) . What kind of headphones are you guys using on your PCs? I could spend up to $200, Thanks.
Click to expand...

Part of the problem, like the posters above have said, is the the jack on the speakers degrading the signal. You might want to invest in a audio switch. Something like this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131060

At $200 for unamped use, I'd look at the Audio Technica A900 at audiocubes.com. For amped use, I'd take a pair of Senn HD580s for around $120 and spend the rest on an amp.
 
Don't use a cmoy amp for low-impedence phones. It's a low-current high-voltage design best suited to boosting the volume of high-impedence phones, not providing the extra current needed by low-impedence phones for improved bass handling. You want to find a cheap (since your headphones, sorry, aren't really up to much, no point burning cash on a good amp that would be better spent on new phones first) low-voltage high-current design amp. The PA2V2 may be a decent choice, or ask one of the DIY builders like MisterX to build you a high-current amp.
 
I think I've decided on getting the Beyerdynamic DT770 (80 ohm) headphones but im told these would be better off with an amp, can anyone recommend an amp for this specific headphone ,Thanks for all the replies. :)
 
The PV2^2 is supposed to drive the 770 beautifully. My 770-80's are on the way, once they get here I'm going to decide on an amp, probably the Portaphile v2^2 (PV2^2).
 
I also have the Potable Amp 2 Version 2. I bought it from Gary Ali at electric-avenues.com

I use them with a pair of Sennheiser hd 280pros (64 ohms) and they sound great. They really help with volume, but I have not used the amp with bass-heavy music...so I don't know how they would sound in that scenario.

Or, you could take Mister X's suggestion and build your own amp.

S.O.
 
So many amps to choose from ..Ive been bouncing around audio forums and researching various amps, it seems the Go-Vibe V4 amp is well respected especially for powering the DT770's , What do you guys think? I was able to find the DT770 80ohm headphones in town today (Guitar Center carries them @ $199) and must say they're awesome to say the least! Even unamplified they sound clean and output noticably deeper bass than my sony v600's ,plus the stereo seperation is superior, Now I just need to choose an amp ;)


newcans25qh.jpg
 
mathesar said:
I was able to find the DT770 80ohm headphones in town today (Guitar Center carries them @ $199) and must say they're awesome to say the least! Even unamplified they sound clean and output noticably deeper bass than my sony v600's ,plus the stereo seperation is superior, Now I just need to choose an amp ;)
Click to expand...
Oh those are hot!
Ha, that's an understatement with the noticably deeper bass :D .
Use them for a week or two, and the bass should tighten up if they are anything like mine. Someday down the road when you get a headphone amp, get one that will tighten up the bass even more and then you should be pleasantly pleased with the sound.

Oh, by the way, does your kenwood receiver make them sound better then the computer like was the case for your V600's?
 
towert7 said:
Oh, by the way, does your kenwood receiver make them sound better then the computer like was the case for your V600's?
Click to expand...

Definitely , the DT770s have much deeper / louder bass and sound overall cleaner connected to the Kenwood, one advantage my Kenwood has is a "Bass Turbo charger" add-on made by Cerwin Vega, it plugs into the Tape Monitor input so all sources are affected ,it boosts the 5hz - 100hz range by up to 10 DB (adjustable) and has a subsonic filter , I bought it along with my floor speakers (Cerwin Vega AT-15's) years ago and it works very well.
 
mathesar said:
Definitely , the DT770s have much deeper / louder bass and sound overall cleaner connected to the Kenwood, one advantage my Kenwood has is a "Bass Turbo charger" add-on made by Cerwin Vega, it plugs into the Tape Monitor input so all sources are affected ,it boosts the 5hz - 100hz range by up to 10 DB (adjustable) and has a subsonic filter , I bought it along with my floor speakers (Cerwin Vega AT-15's) years ago and it works very well.
Click to expand...
Ah, ^_^. Things start to make sense now.
 
Crimson Tear said:
The PAv2^2 is different from the Pv2^2.
Click to expand...
Oops! My bad. When will noobs like me ever learn? :eek: But I guess I can say I am somewhat redeemed because towert7 was also talking about the PAv2v2.:eek:
 
oneils said:
Oops! My bad. When will noobs like me ever learn? :eek: But I guess I can say I am somewhat redeemed because towert7 was also talking about the PAv2v2.:eek:
Click to expand...
:confused: I was...? :confused:​
 
towert7 said:
Yup, it is.

For a minute there I thought you were saying that I mentioned the PA2v2 when Crimson Tear said PV2^2.
I just linked to that post because mathesar was curious as to what headphones and amps others were using :) .
Click to expand...
And to top it all off, I called the PA2v2 the "PAv2v2" in my last post...or something confusing like that. Anyway, long night and nothing is computing very well ...stayed up late to watch the Canadian election coverage...so I'll blame it on that.

:)
 
towert7 said:
Ah, ^_^. Things start to make sense now.
Click to expand...

Yea to be honest I wasnt taking the bass booster into consideration in my earlier posts ,when I first bought it I hooked it up ,enabled it and mounted it behind my reciever.. I basicly forgot about it being there :eek:

I went ahead and ordered the Go-Vibe V4 amp ,The maker was real quick and responsive to my emails ,he's going to build one with a specific op-amp which he says will sound great with the DT770s , total came out to $97 shipped.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top