Dedicated headphone amp vs Headphone socket on amp

@mahgister, 

I use a Sanui Six receiver to power a pair of Stax SR-Lamdas (manufactured in 1978!) that have been my daily drivers for over four decades. They are easily the longest lasting gear in my system and I live in constant fear of them dying. I’ve tried a lot of headphones over the years but I have yet to find anything that gives me the same sense of space, detail and (realistic, not bombastic) bass response. I can appreciate your love of a quality vintage amp, even though I’m not using AKGs.

 

The Sansui receiver are among the best. But My Sansui alpha is the top of the line of all Sansui and their swan song because most alpha models  were sold only for the Japan market...

The AKG K340 was the best AKG ever designed as flagship. It is very picky and almost no headphone amplifier will do well. I tried 2 and one was a TOP one...

I kept the 100 watts alpha headphone out  only for the K340...

I use self powered speakers....but i listen music seriously with the K340 which beat most desktop speakers especially in non dedicated room.. Their timbre is natural et deep bass marvellous and holographic imaging with an out of the head soundfield spectacular with some recording...

 

But caution: it took me 6 months to optimize the K340...Very hard to figure out...

It is an old headphone and i dont recommend it save if you dont begin in this hobby...

But at 100 bucks optimized i will be in fear to buy anything  else at any price...

I know some many thousand bucks headphone with no deep bass etc...

I owned 10 headphones in the past of different type, none had timbre right save the Stax Sr5 gold... But this Stax gave as most headphone a sound impression in the head not out of the head  as the k340...

I begun my audiophile journey with speakers once i was dissatisfied with all headphones...

Then i was dissatisfied with all the speakers i owned... Even the top Tannoy...

Then i learned acoustics for 2 years non stop...

Then i discovered why i loved speakers/room over any headphone...

But then  suddenly i was in the obligation to sell the house  with my big speakers...

In my new house no choice : i had the K340  no more satisfying speakers...

 I used my knowledge of acoustics to understand how to optimize them...

I succeeded  after 6 months...

Now i had music of audiophile quality again with the K340...

It is not equal to my past  dedicated acoustic  room for sure but it is the best any headphone can do and it beat any low cost speakers in a living room  anyway easily... It is OK ...

 

 

 

 

In my opinion after having and using both stand alone headphone amps that are tube based and solid state based, there is more bang for the buck in doing so vs. using the headphone jack on audio equipment. You get more air, dynamics, detail, separation, etc. I am using all types of headphones, dynamic, planar, electrostatic, etc.

 

I confirm this and more...

As i said i bought one of the best tube headphone ever designed to replace my Sansui Alpha Headphone out (one of the best Sansui design) as in a so called "upgrade" 1 year ago...

With the top non linear supply  which go with this tube headphone amp the noise level was lower with this upgrade (no need to say the name here)

but it takes 15 minutes (he was used and sold as break in already by the designer) for me to decide i must sent it back...

No comparison even with a way better lower noise floor... ( i lost naturalness of timbre,and holography and out of the head impression )

Yes my AKG K340 is picky...

But a top S.S. amplifier from the golden era, especially a Sansui alpha, with a good headphone out is hard to upgrade in most case...

 

 

Happy Easter to all!

Christ resurrection is a thing we must meditate...

I wish you all if you are not diabetic a chocolate rabbitt ( a small one for the grown children for sure )

Happy Easter to ghdprentice too always a good adviser for all ....

 

@mahgister "...The most difficult  factor to get from an headphone is a natural timbre..." I agree. 

For me the thing that completely changed the game actually moved all the headphones way closer to natural timbre and power was the headphone amp. Suddenly the Focal Utopia, Sennheiser 800 and others sounded much more  alike than different. And so much like my main system in overall presentation, tonal balance, power, and satisfaction. Obviously there remained specific sonic location differences, but they just don’t seem important anymore. 

 

Happy Easter dear friend!

 

I wish you chocolate with 75 % of cacao...

I am happy with my headphone and luckily suffer not from audible hearing loss at 75 ... probably the usual loss...

But we do not hear pure frequencies (save for ignorant objectivist ) but  we hear first acoustics recognized  meanings and i am sure you enjoy music in spite of everything...

 

Hi @mahgister .... I'm enjoying my aids, having spent some time 'dialing' them in.  As long as I don't ask them for heavy basslines, 👍😎.

...but that's what my real headphones are for...;)

 

 

The most difficult  factor to get from an headphone is a natural timbre...

On par with it the spatial qualities of sound, and with many good public recording an "out of the head" holographical effect when you forgot that you listen headphone  as if listening speakers.

 

None of my past 10  headphones ever  did this two aspects right together...

Add to this  very deep bass with no booming effect and we lost most headphone at any price...

The best  headphone for timbre i owned, save my AKG K340, was the Stax SR-5 gold, but the soundfield was around my head never out of my head and no deep bass at all...

I am not able to recommend any other headphone than my optimized K340 but it is old now...

I would fear buying anything new because of costs and dissatisfaction

 

I think Synergy here dictate the road to takes... As an exemple i use a old vintage headphone AKG K340, to honor it, i order to replace my Sansui Alpha ( Vintage amp of 100 watts with headphone socket) a very new TOP headphone tube amp from a designer i admire and which is one of the best on the planet ( i will not name it to not disparage even slightly his amazing tube amp ). 

 

To make a story short, i heard his magnificent tube headphone amp with his dedicated top non linear power supply and in 15 minutes i knew that it will not did any good for my headphone, even with a better clarity because of a way lower noise floor...

I send it back which cost me 200 bucks (insurance+normal fees) I return to the old Sansui Alpha socket which winned even with a bit less clarity but a stunning presence more 3D holographic and no thinness in the mids and bass to shake my body... Conclusion : synergy dictate everything first... 

 

I never had never thought one second that my "upgrade" could fail with a tube dedicated for headphone TOP in the world... It is the same thing for dac source... Synergy dictated with which one of my 2 dacs i will use with  the Sansui+headphone and for which one i will use the powered speakers... 

This problem of gear synergy exist at all price level...But especially audible with low cost gear piece or past vintage very specifically asking products like my hybrid picky headphone.

 

Advice: if you are happy with your actual  amp socket for this specific headphone, i advise you to not invest in an upgrade for this headphone... I would buy another headphone instead if you want an upgrade at all cost...