Headphones

TOB posted:

 Can i connect a Headphone amp into my Supernait 2 via hdd in/out?, I have 595 sennheiser, however I know I can do better, do I just get the HP, eg senn 800/800s, Focal Elear, my limited experience tells me I need a headphone Amp for this company, a few pointers would be appreciated before I get started . Regards.

Guess Sennheiser 800 need a dedicated amp to shine, my experience the 600/650 certainly does.

Massdrop have a new HD58x jubilee out which is easier 150ohm load based on HD650, affordable in the states not so much in Europe due to postage & custom taxes. MD have some Hifiman variants 400, seem very interesting too, again interesting for US users mostly.

Another leftwing choice, Sennheiser HD25 II-1 these are seriously good value and will run fine direct from your amp

Sorry, can't help with hdd question, I run my HP amp via a special Flashback cable from tape on a Nac102 preamp, works great.

Yes - you can. Headline needs an putput signal from the pre-amp to work.

 As to headphones - I use an unorthodox approach. Went for a pro-versions - AKG K812.

The Hifiman 400i is an excellent headphone and ridiculously good value too right now. Fairly easy to drive too so could work well on the HP amp of the Supernait.

Only issue I have with them is that the lead is a bit short and a bit stiff. However it is easily changeable, which is a nice feature.

oh, and I prefer them with the angled ear pads the “wrong” way around...

I've no doubt I can get some cans that don't need the extra HPA, or even a Dac, I will just have get my self into the demo room and find out, as for cable length, I have an extra 2m professional microphone cable, that I attach for extra reach when I need it, Sennheiser themselfs recommend it, "now that's a cable".

I'll second the hifi man he400i...fantastic easy to drive headphones...with a cracking deal on Amazon at the moment.....£180...down from a tad over £300.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt, well the price mite, but what about suggestions regarding Headphone Dac combination, any ideas that may give me more scope. Regards.

Adam Zielinski posted:

 As to headphones - I use an unorthodox approach. Went for a pro-versions - AKG K812.

One of my dream cans, really like my K240 & 701 (both amplified)

K 812/872 will come after a lottery

Those HE400i are really tempting, can one get too many cans ?

Perol posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

 As to headphones - I use an unorthodox approach. Went for a pro-versions - AKG K812.

One of my dream cans, really like my K240 & 701 (both amplified)

K 812/872 will come after a lottery

Those HE400i are really tempting, can one get too many cans ?

I’d say with that level you don’t really need another pair of headphones

Having said that - I still use my in-ear monitors (custom-made by Westone) and I really like Bose in-ears too.

But for critical listening, mixing or mastering checks - K812 are my go-to set.

I originally bought HD800S and used it with a 272 .......... result .... did not use the cans much...the 272 headphone amp did not drive them well. I then bought a Graham Slee Ultra Linear diamond edition ..... wow what a difference.....I bought one of their interconnects as well .... this works beautifully....mine is connected via tape out. 

Hi Perol - another headphone you may want to have a listen to is the Focal Utopia.  Very good headphones, I think.  I quite like my pair, and use them both with my portable system & my Naim gear.

The Focal utopias are shemazing. ....but would a supernait drive them properly???

drive it?

You know, I'm not sure.  They may require a headphone amp.

The Focal Utopia and Elear Headphones are similar in impedance and sensitivity - 80ohm and 104dB spl (55 ohm for the Clear) - and in theory shouldn't be too difficult to drive.  Indeed, with that spec they should even work ok on portable devices.  Of course, considering their cost, whether that's how to get the best from them is another matter entirely...

I stumbled across a video review recently of the Focal Clear by an American chap who had been most enthusiastic about the Utopia when he reviewed them.  He came across even more enamoured with the Clear and appeared to place top of his pile of headphones. They sit at a price point above Elear but closer to them than the Utopia.   My disclaimer here is that I genuinely know nothing about headphones - just found the reviews interesting!

Peter

docmark posted:

Hi Perol - another headphone you may want to have a listen to is the Focal Utopia.  Very good headphones, I think.  I quite like my pair, and use them both with my portable system & my Naim gear.

Hi Doc

Thanks for the pointer, guess these are even more expensive than mentioned AKG K812

As for Focal, never heard any of their headphones but of their speakers I have given a listen, absolutely none of these was to my likings at all, neither their looks, prices really a dealbreaker too.

This should not force me from looking at Focal cans though,  guess price (Utopia) will.

Thanks

I’ve just purchased a pair of Elear headphones you do really need a dedicated headphone amp to get the best out of them I use a Naim Dac V1 a superb combination.

Ok, thankyou for your imput, it seems a head amp is most definitely on the cards, I have booked a demo with my own 595 to see whats what, and listen to the Mojo, and Hugo, then I will listen to the Focal, and Senn 800, the key here is what ever I purchase it will need to slot into my Supernait 2 to allow me to lisend to my Cd's via HP with either the Mojo, and Hugo 2 which will give me future options, thanks for sharing, and I will let you know how it goes. I could finish up buying that Turntable that I was supposed to have got 2 years ago, upgrading, it can drive you mad????????.

Richard - when I listen to my pair of Focal Utopia headphones in a portable setup, I use a small pocket tube amp made by ALO Audio, called the Continental.  I connect this to an Astell & Kern SP-1000 DAP.  The combination sounds great.  At home, I use the headphone output from my Dave DAC.  I think that I'm getting probably the best that I can out of the headphones.

I use the Sennheiser HD600s at home on my Ponoplayer (lovely!), either Sennheiser PX100 or B&W P7s on the move with either a Ponoplayer, iPod 5G or AK70 (the little PX100s fold up really small into a dinky hard case which is perfect when travelling really light), and Hifiman HE-400i headphones on my MacBook Pro+Dragonfly - in fact, I'm using them right now as I type.  They're comfy, sound really good, and they're inexpensive.  However, that doesn't stop me from thinking I'd like to try a pair of Focal's Elear or Clear Headphones. Eek!

I bought an Arcam rHead headphone amp for the princely sum of £170 new and must confess with Grade SR325e I am quite astonished by the performance. Wish I had done it years ago.

Not many upgrades so cheap in any system!

Bruce

I have B&W P7 and P9.....P9 at home.I think both are really musical and "foot tapping" ????. More music then hifi-sound if you know what I mean.

Run it with Asus Essence One with 11 Muse Opamps...an usb-dac/headphone-amp with a linear power supply. Totaldac D1-cable, Audioquest Vodka eht-cables, Cisco 2960 switch ect.

On the run I have Audioquest Dragonfly Black and Red usb-dac's.I just order the cheap Hifime Sabre9018 usb-dac,many write's that they think it's better than Audioquest Dragonfly Red.....well,we see about that when I get it ????.It only cost €69 if you buy it directly from Holland.

Anyone here who has try'd B&W P9 with different headphone-amps?

/Peder ???? 

HD600/HD650/AK7xx/Focal massdrop are very good priced offerings for headphones..... fostexs for closed cans also..

the mid bunch is Focal Elear / Focal Clear / LCD 2C  / HD800 - S  are mid bunch - Clear specially is a new star...

then you have the Utopia price no object..... 

these are all open cans, if you want a close one my all time favorite is Fostex 900..

there are very good offerings for amps in massdrop as well...

Arcam / Graham Slee  / Chord mojo-hugo2-Dave are well known ones, mojo is a real gem that can drive everything...

There are also Violectric v200-v281, gustard (v200 clone) alternatives......

it is a booming industry and you have many choices...

my advice is go for a mass drop headphone of you liking with a simple headphone amp and then see how it goes...

???? EMRE,.....as I say earlier,we have different ears,you don't mention B&W P9 in your writings...for me the Bowers & Wilkins P9  made it for me.....no matter about the cost of other headphones. It has a musical presentation with musical flow and much "foot,toe tapping" presentation. I can listen to the P9's 4-5 hours without taking them of,just want to listen to a new record,and a new.....and a new ????.

But you have a "burn-in" time for at least 150 hours,before that the bass can be a little overwhelming. After 150-200 hours burn-in the "music flow" just go on and on. It's also important that you find the right headphone-amp/dac for you,right cables (power,interconnect,usb ect),right rack ect.....you know what I mean ????. It's a hard but fun job,and when you hit the spot......you would love it ????????.

For me,when I shall buy headphones, I ask myself the question,what do I like,will have for musical presentation in my ordinary system. Do I like "ported" speaker or not, ect.....if you don't,than maybe you shall not have open cans.

Then I take it from that point, you have a lot of expensive headphones....with a lot of details,sounds cleaner,clearer.......but are complitely dead music-vice. Hifi against Music❗ 

So my advice is to read a lot of headphone-tests,forum-opinions......and read between the lines, and use your experience.....than I think you can come to the end with a good headphone/amp with a SQ that you like.

/Peder ???? 

Actually I am using noble encores at the moment with sp1000

with cheap aftermarket cooper cable with balanced termination

the combo is expensive but sounds increadble....

I still have bwp5, the first batch maybe, i dont ilke them very much...