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Headphone amp?? is it needed?

post #1 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:04pm
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I just ordered a pair of Sennheiser 598 headphones along with Xonar DX sound card.

I have read that adding an amp to these headphones really brings them alive. Would an amp be needed with the sound card? if so how does it work, it seems alot of the Fiio amps are USB and would bypass the sound card.
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post #2 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratjack View Post

I just ordered a pair of Sennheiser 598 headphones along with Xonar DX sound card.
I have read that adding an amp to these headphones really brings them alive. Would an amp be needed with the sound card? if so how does it work, it seems alot of the Fiio amps are USB and would bypass the sound card.

1. The Fiio amps are just powered by USB, they use your 3.5 mm jack.
2. Here's a good read on headphone amps: http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/why-do-i-need-a-headphone-amp.php
3. I would definitely pick one up

Here's a few basic things they do:
Provide current/voltage reserve capacity for dynamic peaks.
Color the sound.
Boost volume.
Increase dynamics.
Present a different (hopefully more optimal) impedance load to upstream components.
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post #3 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:16pm
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Even a well made cmoy headphone amp greatly improves the whole experience. It can put out some power.

Http://www.JDSLabs.com

I've owned one and a couple like it for many years. For me, it's all I need. Using some HD515, HD280 Pros, and various others nothing crazy. Nice sound card btw.
Edited by CloudX - 12/18/11 at 9:18pm
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post #4 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:23pm
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thank you for the response guys. +1 to both of you!. I basically want to get better sound and be able to add more bass if needed, would an amp be able to add more bass as well?

Is fiio something that you would recommend? if so which one should I get? they have so many different ones.
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post #5 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:32pm
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if you know how to solder and read wiring diagrams you should wire a set of svetlana 12ax7 preamp tubes inline with a set of svetlana 6l6gc power amp tubes with a gain volume trebel bass and mid controls and use 1/8" headphone jacks instead of 1/4" jacks it produces an amazing sound for both listening to music and guitars. i have one similar wired up inside my guitar rig and the one i use for my speakers is a set of 2 svetlana pre tubes with two ruby 6l6gc tubes. it will sound better than anything you can buy on the market.
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post #6 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:35pm
If you have the quality system, a headphone amp opens up the soundstage of the music, and showcases the tonality of the headphones that can mimic you being there are the recording studio or at the concert. Thus for many high fidelity systems it's damn worth it. Plus any digital to analog signal outputted must be amped so you can actually hear the sound in your headphones, like all onboard and sound cards.
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post #7 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ELEKTRIK_BLUE View Post

if you know how to solder and read wiring diagrams you should wire a set of svetlana 12ax7 preamp tubes inline with a set of svetlana 6l6gc power amp tubes with a gain volume trebel bass and mid controls and use 1/8" headphone jacks instead of 1/4" jacks it produces an amazing sound for both listening to music and guitars. i have one similar wired up inside my guitar rig and the one i use for my speakers is a set of 2 svetlana pre tubes with two ruby 6l6gc tubes. it will sound better than anything you can buy on the market.

I wish I knew how to do that stuff lol. Its probably safest for me to buy something frown.gif one day I need to sit down and learn how to do this stuff though.
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post #8 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:37pm
Different budgets allow for different kinds of amps. Solid-state and tube amps are most common. Fiio makes good amps, but they aren't really wonderful for what they are.

A really well-made beginner amp is a JDS Labs CMoy BB amplifier and at JDS Labs, they also sell an amplifier called the Objective2 amplifier which is kind of new. Its supposed to be the new kid around the block that can trump any amp that is like $300 or less.

Bass can also be achieved through EQ if you'd like, but something like with a Bass Boost like the JDS Labs CMoy would help.
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post #9 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:41pm
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if you want a good preamp though see if you can pick up a tubecaster pedal at a local high end music shop (not guitar center) they are meant for guitars but essentially they work the same for music just swap out the 12ax7 for a 6l6gc and you will have a clean undistorted sound. it will also bring you as close to true live sound as possible. if you arent comfortable swapping vacuum tubes then try going to a pro audio shop and explain to them you need a small signal amplifier that has 0 distortion and bass mid and treble controls so you can fine tune your sound.
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post #10 of 21
12/18/11 at 9:44pm
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does amazon carry any good amps that you guys are aware of?
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