Headphone amps revisited...

What is your entire system and which other headphone amps did you try?

dave

Source is LP12/Lingo/Akito/Asaka on Phase 3 Mana, Amps are Arcam 10 with DAVE module as preamp plus 3 channel power amp (for music and the third channel for AV centre) and a lesser 2 channel amp (for AV rears), on Phase 5 Mana, Audio Physic Virgo loudspeakers (on loan, amazing speakers with a very 'intrusive' optimal location (i.e. half way into the room) - I'm considering buying them as I've never heard any speaker at any price to rival them :-) plus a pair of very powerful REL stentor subs running in stereo (which integrate very well with the rest of the system).

I listened to Creek, MF, wanted to try the Naim Headline (not having heard about it before, but someone on this group recommended it). The dealer I tried was very helpful but he told me that headphone amps don't shift in sufficient quantities to have a more comprehensive range.

Thanks for the info. I'm always looking at ways to improve the sound of my headphones. I have a CDS2/52 and a hicapped headline with the HD 600s but am curious about listening to other headphones and amps just to see what each component is doing. Very happy with my set up but sometimes I miss the tonally dark colorations of the grados, although these did present numerous problems with the headline in my experience. The grados are more of the power rock headphones wheras the HD 600s are perhaps more neutral.

dave

If you are looking at ways to upgrade, try a stax product with a separate energiser. I currently own some lambda pros with a transistor energiser , working off a CDS2/52. It works very well and gets into the "meat" of the music. I recently tried the Sennheiser Orpheus (gulp!), at a mere £10k , and the top line setup from Stax , using a valve energiser at £3k. Iloved the Stax Omega headphones, but could not get on with the presentation of the valve energiser. Both setups presented a great deal of delicacy and transparency, but completely lost the rhythm and timing of blues music . Regards to all

Thanks very much for the information re Stax amplifiers. I reviewed the SRM 007t , and it just did not have the drive and rhythm, you could describe it as pleasant but totally unexciting.
The SRM717 is the top transistor amplifier , which is not available for a demo in the U.K.
As I am already using a transistor Stax amplifier, I am expecting the Omegas to be superb through this. Having read this review I will be placing my order soon!

Regards

Thas for the information. Stax, eh? Hmmm. Sometimes the naim headline (even with a hicap) can be a harsh at higher volumes. After all, it's just a tiny integrated sans power supply so it can't do much but deggrade the signal coming out of the 52. But this is only a problem with the crapiest recordings on the highest volumes. I thought of trying a supercap but I think that although it would improve the sound, the limiting factor is probably the headline and not the hicap. But this is just a guess.

Dave

Man was I shocked at the difference. Even on the loudest rock I found the HD 600s completely outperformed the RS 2s, making them sound pinched, artificial, VERY BRIGHT, and just rather plain in comparison. The HD 600s even had more drive, more bass, and more swagger than the RS 2s. I guess this is just down to their superior transparency letting the CDS 2 work its magic. It took my the best part of about five minutes and three tracks before I just put the Grados back in their box and decided it was a TKO in favor of the Senns. I hear AKGs are pretty good, but my dealer doesn't have any.

I had expected the Grados to be warmer and "groovier" but instead they sounded distorted and stiff. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.

davee

Your experience with Grados exactly matches my own. I spend a lot of time listening to headphones - maybe 2 or 3 hours a day - so I am always looking for the perfect headphone experience. My preferred headphones are Sennheiser 580s and 600s, although I also own some Bayer 931s, Grado SR 325s, Sony MDR-F1s, Audio technica 911s and a few others (and used to have some A-T 911 Sovereigns, which were my absolute favourite headphones until they died). (I have also ordered some Etymotic ER4Ss, which should arrive in the next couple of days, mainly for my Walkman Pro.)

I borrowed a pair of Grado RS1s for a week, and found that they were the worst headphones I've ever heard. They sounded like the cheaper grados stuck in a reverberating wooden box (which is essentially what they are). The Sennheisers are on balance much better, and even the Grado 325s were much better, and certainly not as coloured.

Incidentally, if you are looking to upgrade your Headline, you might try the Headroom Max or Maxed-Out Home. They might not be better than the Headline, but Headroom offer a 30 day money back guarantee, so the experiment would be cheap. I have a Maxed Out Home, which when used with Sennheiser 600s provides the best headphone sound I've heard.

Ross

I was totally gobsmacked by the difference between the Stax Lambda pros that I use, compared to the Omegas that I demod, even through an old energiser. The Omegas had more pace,driveand rhythm, were much smoother, and the dynamic range was in a different league. But this does not come cheap. Omega headphones , excluding energiser costs £1895. If you have a high level source etc , funds permitting, they are excellent.

Regards to all

It looks like there is some serious experience out there - I planning on changing my 3.5 for a CDSII soon - which will leave me a spare hi-cap.

I thought I might try sticking a headline with the hi-cap. Since this only about 250 GBP extra cost.

Is it a no-brainer when compared to other options - or is there something for a few hundred quid (say, less then 500) that might out-perform the headline/hicap combination. I have HD580 and HD600 which are mostly used with a Sony discman at work and hotels / traveling etc currently, but seems sensible to extend my "set phasers to kill" volume level of listening into the night for such a reasonable cost.

Also - my preamp is non-naim, is this a problem with headline, or just a case of getting a different lead made up?

Thanks
Jonathan

(I've not heard them myself).

chesrs, Martin

quote:

---

Re the comments re Grado Rs - could this be a run-in issue?

---

Not with the ones I listened to. I had them for a week, and suspecting run-in might be an issue, I left them running from a tuner for at least 48 hours to start with, and then more or less continuously over the period I had them.

The element of the sound I found most pronounced was an obvious colouration induced by the wooden earpieces, and I don't think any amount of running in would have fixed this.

Ross

I recently purchased a pair of Sennheiser HD600 and have a headline on the way. I am going to use the headline with a Hicap.

Does anyone have experience with headphone cord extensions? The guys at Headroom in Montana USA like the Kimber wire, but I am not sure how well that stuff will work in a Naim system.

Thanks in advance.

John

If the HD600s are like most other top Sennies, then the cables are detachable from the headphones.

It is worth asking Sennheisser about whether they do longer cables. Might be the most expensive approach, but certainly the best.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Incidentally, I received my Etymotic ER4Ss a couple of days ago, and so far I am underwhelmed by these ridiculously expensive earbuds.

Ross

I've always wondered about these things, but never encountered anyone buying/using them.

Once you've gotten over your udnerwhelm-ment shock, could you provide any more detail, please? Such as Strengths, Weaknesses, any situations where they might be good (air travel/noisy environments such as underground commuter trains), what you reckon that they're worth (subjectively, of course), and the story behind moulding the things to fit yer lugs?

Rico - musichead

Give me a few days to get a better handle on these things. I currently have them connected to a tuner to run in, and after a few days I'll give them another go. My initial impressions are probably unfair.

Ross

Choices are:

* Rega Ear
* Creek OBH-11 models
* Musical Fidelity X-Can V2

Any comments welcome. A Headline would be nice but I don't have the cash.

Cheers

Vince

3.5/72/180/Credos

At the money (£150 or so), I don't think you'll get a better headphone preamp. I use it with HD600s, which remain the second best headphones I've ever heard (after the Orpheus, but maybe my memory is rose-tinted - I did hear it in 1993, after all)...

I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's a much 'airier', less 'in-head' sound than a standard headphone output, and it's easy to listen for long periods of time (unlike most headphone outs).

John