At the present time I am driving my m80's with a HK3470 reciever rated at 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms(probably higher at 4 ohms).Amazon is selling the HK3480 rated at 120 watts per channel at 8 ohms for only $259 with free shipping.Yep , couldn't resist and ordered it.I'm just wondering whether there will be any difference in sound due to the higher headroom? This is a tough one to sneak into the house considering that I bought the the 3470 less then a year ago.I'm really ging to have to come with a good story to get it past my wife.
I doubt it, but it'll be interesting to read your comparison. Remember to equalize the levels!
Art, your 3470 likely would have a 4 ohm rating of about 150 watts. Specifically on the published 100 to 120 watt difference at 8 ohms, however, the difference between 100 watts and 120 watts is only about 0.8dB(e.g. 110dB on a brief peak compared to 110.8dB). It's highly unlikely that this would ever be of significance in your listening since you've probably got a fair amount of headroom left on your 3470 now, and unused headroom is just that; unused. Although that does look like a terrific price on the 3480, maybe you should have resisted.
I'd like to suggest an alternative for some of that $259 which will make a real difference in your enjoyment. I know that you like classical CDs, so why not add a bunch more? For example, Tower Records now has a sale on Naxos for $5.99 with free shipping. I know of at least a dozen that I bet you'd love.
Thanks for the advice John.I just cancelled my order for the 3480.About that sale at Tower,I have around 1500 cd's and sacd's with no place to put them so maybe I schould put the money towards some upgrade to my setup.I am using a Sony scd-2000es sacd player to feed the m80,'s.I am not into the speaker cable and interconnect bit. Have any ideas?
I think you did the right thing to cancel the order.As Ken and John said there would have been no differencs in the two receivers.
Doesn't sound like you need anything right now. Save the $$ for the next thing that catches your eye. Assume you already have DVD player etc.. somewhere ?
Okay, Art, you've got me beat by about 400-500 CDs. Just thought that I'd share some info if you(or anyone else)were interested in adding to or starting a collection at very low cost. One thought I'll throw out for consideration is getting one or more of the Sony megachangers with 400 disc capacity to help sort out your collection.
I was actually thinking of upgrading from my Sennhieser 600 headphones to the 650.Is there anybody that has experience with these two headphones? Is the improvement in sound (if any)worth the extra cost(around $130.00)as well as where I can get the best deal on them?The best I could find on the web was around $330.Thanks for all the other input.They're all under consideration, but the headphones are small enough to smuggle into the house.I am not into getting an Ipod becuase the sound, at least to my ears,sucks.
i have been looking for a good pair of headphones myself. i often listen to music here at work, and want some that will play loud and clear, but not be heard by the folks around me. my work environment is of the 'cubicle' variety, and they tend to get annoyed when being forced to listen to my music. so i am interested in where this headphone question may go.
although, i find it difficualt to pay over $300 bucks for some headphones. thats a lot of bank!!
bigjohn
The other thing to consider is that the open Sennheiser headphones are really open! As in, you can hear what someone's listening to when they're wearing them. As in, as far as annoying coworkers go, that would probably do it.
Bigjohn, consider
these .
thanks for the link.. have you ever used these? and do you know if they are the type that CANT be heard by the people around you?
bigjohn
bigjohn,
The type of headphone you want is called a "circumaural" design (around the ear) or sealed type, which isolate the listener from ambient noise. And since those are not of the "open-air" variety that rest on the ear (supra-aural), others nearby won't hear your headphones. I always forget those terms and have to look up my own article, which Sound&Vision magazine still runs in the 2005 Buyers Guide.
As I point out in the article, comfort is really paramount. I once had a pair of electrostatic phones which, while capable of lovely midrange and highs (no deep bass), were so uncomfortable I couldn't leave them on for more than 10 minutes.
I much prefer the open-air (supra-aural) types, so I can't advise you on sound quality of the sealed variety. But do keep in mind that there is NO correlation with sound quality, good balance, and price in headphones.
Regards,
No, John, along with Alan I definitely prefer open back headphones. I'm not a big headphone user, but on occasion I use my AKG 501s for some middle-of-the-night Rachmaninoff. For your use at work however, you clearly need a closed back headphone which doesn't leak sound to the outside, so I looked up a well-regarded example of the type available at a very good price.
Bigjohn,
I bought the Sennheiser HD-280 closed ear headphones after trying several other brands/models. I think they sound terrific and are very comfortable. They have a gold plated 1/8" jack with screw-on 1/4" adapter. I run them on a $30 portable CD player with no problems. Also they don't leak sound in or out. I bought these about a year ago for $100. The goodcans website turned me on to the 280s which are shown on the page below. You'll have to cut and paste because I'm a posting buffoon:
http://www.goodcans.com/HeadphoneReviews/recommendations.htm
Good luck.
Thanks, I'll figure out how to do that one of these days. Right after I learn to tie my shoes.