Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Is it worth getting a headphone amp

Yes, if you're using high-impedance cans. 600's are.

I have a couple of headphone amps. I have a PA2V2 and a Little Dot MKII (tubed). They are both very good, but the Dot is incredible.

The Dot lives at work with a pair of Sennheiser HD-650's. I absolutely love the setup.

If I connect the HD-650's to a 'normal' headphone output, like an iPod, iPhone, or my home AVR, they sound ok, but they definitely lose something. Bass is lacking, and the overall sound is just sort of drab. I owned them before I bought the amps, and was very close to returning them because I just didn't see what the fuss was about for the $$$. But when connected to the Dot, they absolutely come alive. Bass is strong, powerful, and extraordinarily clear. Highs are clean and very smooth. While no match for a speaker setup, a surprising amount of spaciousness and depth also appears. The realism is intense; close your eyes and the musicians are *right there*. It's almost too good to listen to at work, as it's very easy to get pulled into the music.

I also briefly had a pair of AKG-701's to play with. They were of somewhat lower impedance than the HD650's, but they quite need good amplification too. I also had a Headroom Total Bithead for a couple of weeks but returned it. I wasn't all that impressed with it for the price and had big problems with GSM cell-phone interference. That's a problem for a lot of electronics, but that Bithead would pick up that GSM signal (dit-dittty-dit-ditty-dit-ditty-dit) if there was a cell phone within 15 feet of it.

As Wid said though, with some cans it might not matter. I have a pair of Grado SR-60's (which are absolutely fantastic for the price) and they really don't sound any different if I use either of the amps vs. just plugged into an iPod, iPhone, etc.

See http://www.head-fi.org for all kinds of madness on the topic.

With 300Ohm headphones such as the 600 (I have the HD-650 and the PXC-250), the question becomes important. The most affected aspect is dynamic range. Even my Onky805, which has an OK headphone amp, does not do full justice to the music, but I am still debating internally which headphone amp I will end up using.

For my iPod, both the HD650 and the PXC250 are ridiculously underpowered (you need to have the iPod at max volume and everything sounds like it was a the same loudness). Before investing too much, I bought a small gizmo http://www.boostaroo.com/store_detail.php4?id=5 and the combination iPod+PX250+boosteroo is heavenly (great details and now complete dynamics). I will likely stay with this setup, although I am a bit annoyed that they are using AAAA batteries instead of AAA for which there exist chargers.

Combinarion Laptop+HD650+boosteroo is very good too. The combination Desktop+Audiobytes+boosteroo is OK, but not worth the change.

The combination Onky805+HD650+boosteroo is unfortunately terrible (really, REALLY bad; I think the little gadget does not like when the source is more powerful than an iPod or laptop) so I will be still on the lookout for a HT headphone amp.

Hello Mr. Grunt

I've heard a bunch, and my personal and absolute favorite is the Bellari - VP130 Tube Phono Stage Headphone Amplifier which go for about $250. This is a really terrific headphone amp and, in the event, you ever want to dabble in the heretical black arts, it is a great phono preamp. In my opinion, the Bellari is a steal.

BTW, there is a very significant difference in sound quality using headphone outs from most receivers and a dedicated headphone amp, and among those dedicated units, there is a huge difference. It won't be a surprise to Axiom folk that the quality of these dedicated headphone amps is not price dependent.

Anyway, nice chatting with you Grub, and I hope your new shift and headphone amp works out for you.

Wow! Thanks for all the great feedback especially the recommendations.

@Rick - I have been using the headphones for 4 weeks now and love the sound but just didn’t know if I was missing something. This really started because I’m looking for a way to get power to the headphones while still being able to use the subwoofer line out on the Denon to get and lfe signal to the Buttkicker. I looked at the Gados but they all seem like they are supra-aural which I just can’t stand after wearing circumaural for work most of my life.

@Sean - I’ve been considering upgrading my electronics to get tubes somewhere in the path probably either a tube preamp + solid state amp or a hybrid. Since I don’t need it to be portable and the money would benefit my whole system your method sounds promising. Any recommendations?

@lkv_11 - Do you think the biggest difference between the integrated NAD and the LD MK lll is the tubes or something else. I ask because as mentioned above I’m already considering tubes for my main system. Be nice to get two things done with one upgrade or do you think a separate headphone amp is likely better than the headphone jack on a speaker amp.

Looks like it’s time to call Dan and make another appointment at his shop to try out some speaker amps while I still look for somewhere to demo some of the headphone amps recommended here. Good excuse to buy some more music since I’ll be there anyway.

Cheers,
Dean

Dean, a tube preamp is a good way to get into tubes without spending a lot, relatively speaking, of course. As far as good preamps with a nice headphone section, I haven't looked in a long time. Maybe this is a good start. The Woo amps get good reviews over on head-fi. You might browse around the boards there looking for recommendations.

Grunt, I don't know if the biggest difference between the NAD and the LD MK III are the tubes. I am not familiar with the technology in each equipment so can't say what makes the LD MK III better than the headphone jack on the NAD. However, I think the tubes have something to do with imparting smoothness and warmth to the sound. When I listen on the tube amp, it's like the music has increase dimensionality. Where it was two dimensional before, now it becomes more three dimensional.

My Little Dot MKII can also function as a tubed preamp as well. Many folks use them for that. It is a handy way to experiment with tubes to your home system without spending $$$ on a dedicated tube speaker amp.

I know there are a few people on this board that can't stand tube amps, and they are absolutely entitled to their opinion. They do slightly alter the sound, and some people can't stand that. Warmer, smoother, smokier are all adjectives I'd use. I like it.

But I also just love the 'tubeness' of my Little Dot. I love the audio, but I also I love the aesthetics of a tube amp. I love the warm glow of the tubes. I love the fact that they make little noises they make as they're warming up. I love the fact that the sound changes while the tubes are heating up. I love it when co-workers ask, "are those vacuum tubes?". I love the fact that I can peruse leftover Russian ICBM part websites for upgrades for my headphone amp. It's just cool.

There's just something about it. Kind of like watching a steam locomotive work as opposed to a modern diesel/electric. Sure, the modern one is better in every way, but it's lost some of the magic. Some people don't get it, and that's totally cool. But to me, it's pleasing.

If you do buy one and don't like it and can't return it, there is a very active "for sale" forum over on head-fi. It's likely that you'd lose very little money if you had to sell it there, especially if you purchase a popular amp.

I didn't know the Little Dots could be used as preamps. Good to know. They are on my shortlist for a dedicated headphone amp. You simply can't beat the price on any of the models.

Peter, would you have a link to their Web-Site. Everytime I try to find "Little Dot MKII", I always end up with reviews or eBay resellers. I never seem to get into a position of even guessing what the web-site is called (I guess it will turn out to be ridiculously simple! ).
Thanks in advance.

Eric, I think they are mainly distributed through eBay. They come from overseas. Good pricing, even with the steep shipping. Do a search on eBay for "Little Dot" and then click on the home theater sub link. Most of the amps are from the manufacturer.