Driving Headphones

Mike,

You're safe with electrostatic cans, which are meant to be driven directly from the output of your amp, and 600-ohm cans, which don't draw enough current to be fried by your amp.

But shouldn't you be asking which cans come with the FEP seal of approval?

Joe

My current cans are Sennheiser HD 330s, but I'll probably upgrade at some point. I'm just weighing my options at the moment. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

"You're safe with electrostatic cans, which are meant to be driven directly from the output of your amp" - Joe

I thought most electrostatic cans either came with their own heaphone amp (e.g. Stax) or had a transformer sitting between them and the power amp (e.g. Jecklin). Transformers are invariably a problem in terms of performance. The Float electrostats would sound great without it.

Apparently the Precide Ergo electrostatics (AMT) can be used from speaker terminals, and I wondered if anyone had tried them.

Chris,

quote:

---

You're safe with electrostatic cans, which are meant to be driven directly from the output
of your amp.

---

Sorry, I meant to use the restrictive pronoun: You're safe with electrostatic cans that are meant to be driven directly from the output of your amp.

You'd think I'd know better being a righter/editter guy.

Joe

Mike,

I used to drive my Grado SR 225s out of the back of my 180 with a little adapter from rega. It worked great, but the inconvenience of pulling out the speaker plugs whenever I wanted to listen to headphones was too much. I didn't have any trouble here, but I did have trouble with Grados and the Headline. Fortunately I now have HD 600s and a hicap/headline and have never looked back.

Dave

I'm considering using an existing integrated, fed by my 82's tape loop. If I find that I'm listening to headphones "often", I'll get a headline. Since I've currently got two Hi-Caps driving my 82, and I eventually intend to upgrade to a Super-Cap, I'll probably keep one of the Hi-Caps to power a Headline. Until that time, I could probably live with the integrated powering the phones. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

The clearinghouse for information on all things related to headphones isheadwize.com. To drive headphones from a power amp, look in the headwize faqs.

That sites quite interesting. It will take me a while to digest it all. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

Mike,

Sounds like a good game plan to me. The CDS2/52/hicap/headline combo is something else. With the HD 600s listening to metallica (and I'm not a metal fan) borders on a religious experience. Who was it that said the CDS 2 lacks PRaT and KLöüT?

DÄVË

Mike,

Providing your headphones do not have too low an impedance, they can be driven from the pre-amp output - Chord Co. produce such a lead I believe.

Headwize is an interesting site, but most of the DIY projects are a little eccentric and strange. If you're into homebrew you may like to keep an eye on the site, as I'm currently writing an article with details on my own headphone amp.

I built ths before Naim created the headline, to satisfy my desire for musical headphone sound, something the existing sockets on my tape deck / CD didn't offer. IMHO it sounds a lot better than the pre-amp output when driving my Sennheisser 'phones.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

...a little gizmo from Radio Shack that goes into the speaker outputs and allows standard phones to be plugged in.

Still gotta unhook the speaker wires if you don't want the whole house to know you're listening and I doubt the Radio Slack solution would gain the FEP Seal of Approval.

- GregB
Freedom is not in finding the Holy Grail but in stopping the search for it

Mike,
Creek makes a headphone amp that works with Naim preamps. I saw them at the Montreal show in '99.
Ed

I haven't had a chance to create the necessary cables to hook-up the extra integrated to my main kit yet, so all of this extra info is still helpful. I'm a bit of a DIY-er, so I have no problem soldering cables, but building an entire amp is another level entirely. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

Mike

I currently use Stax Lambda pros connected to a Stax energiser(amplifier). The amp is connected to the back of my 52 via Chord Company connector.
This works very well , but I will be upgrading headphones soon

Hope this helps

Anyone got these? Comments, feedback?

I'm looking for a headphone preamp, and like the styling of the MF 'tin can' - it's also been reviewed favourably in a few mags, and it's not too expensive, making it a must-hear. But, before I get my local dealer to get one sent up, can anyone give me a no-holds-barred honest appraisal on this unit?

TC '..'

TC

I have tried one of these (at a Sevenoaks branch I'm afraid - can't remember which one) and I liked it a lot. BUT I can't really give you a sensible idea because I have not yet heard any other headphone amp. I will have a spare hicap soon - so I was going to try a Naim Headline (even cheaper than the MF if you have a spare hicap) as my first comparison with the v2. I use HD600 and HD580 as cans - so nothing really radical.

I use many of those MF 'tin cans' having an XP100 pre and four XA200 power monoblocks (which are nearer the dusbin look than the tin can) and they do look cool. Also are a suprisingly good match for my Naim CD player - and will do until I can afford a 52/500 set up (so for a while yet.)

So if you do get to hear one - or if anyone has tried both / others.. please let me know.

Jonathan

I briefly owned the original X-Cans and thought it was an unlistenable piece of shit. This was with or without the X-PSU. (I also thought the same thing about the X-LP, which I also owned briefly).

Any of the other three headphone amps I own crap on the X-Cans from a great height: the Headroom Max, a Linsley-Hood kit amp (solid state) and a Hi Fi World HD 83 kit amp (valve). The McCormack Micro Integrated Drive (which I also used to own) is very good, as are the Stax amps, and I'm sure the Headline would also be infinitely better than the MF junk.

Ross

Top Cat

If you are looking for cans on a budget, the Creek OBH-11 does a fair job, and is priced at around £120. You'll need to buy or make up an interconnect to take the signal from a tape loop on your pre-amp.

Alternately, Mike's solution of using a spare integrated amp my provide a cost-effective solution, depending on your sonic/musical needs.

You gets what you pays for, though... so for more dosh, the Headline is worth considering.

Rico - musichead

Ross

I feel you are holding back.
Don't pussyfoot about man - give me your real opinion!

Seriously - thanks for the advice, when I get round to it again I'll go somewhere with more than one headphone amp!

Jonathan