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 )
Dedicated headphone amp vs Headphone socket on amp
As I am fairly new to the whole headphones world. What is the general consensus in regards to superior sq for headphones, running from an external dac (aavik d-180) to a dedicated headphone amp (no dac) or the headphone socket on a fairly decent int amp (Rega Aethos). I have tried the headphones (sony mdr-f1) from the dac to a small ifi zen can in comparison to directly into the headphone socket of the Aethos and it is a total mismatch. With the latter beating the pulp out of the former. Now, what would happen in a similar matchup with a more expensive headphone amp with a price capped at $400-$500?...In general, is it even worth considering a headphone amp at this price level with the already proficient quality of the headphone socket in the Rega Aethos keenly in mind? .
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- 27 posts total
Happy Easter @mahgister |
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...
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I think it really depends, but generally speaking the headpohone jacks don't get as much love (i.e. $$$) in the engineering budget as a standalone or DAC. My Luxman integrateds for instance don't have a headphone amp. They use a resistor in series with the main amplifiers. So..... Plus side is you are hearing 100% of the luxman goodness, bad side is the impedance is fairly high and probably wont' sound as good with low impedance headphones. |
- 27 posts total