Headphone amp for 80ohm headphones?

iostream

iostream

iostream

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Hey there,

I own a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm) headphones, and use them with my Asus Xonar D2.

I've never used a headphone amp before, would I benefit from getting one? Am I currently missing out without one?

If so I wouldn't want to spend more than £100. Advice welcome :)

Cheers
 
I wouldn't think it's needed as that still pretty low - do you have any difficulty with volume levels at all?

I have the d2 myself and in a similar position, I tried the mmx300's and while they are excellent (32ohms) it wasn't the difference/cost over my current sets that I had hoped for.

I couldn't find any cheap headphone amps with good reviews and positive feedback, I was considering swapping my d2 for a Asus Xonar Essence ST Sound Card with built in amp, which can be picked up for £120

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-008-AS

Let us know how you get on
 
No problems with the volume, it goes as loud as I need it to. If I understand correctly the amp doesn't affect the sound quality at all (I don't want it to), just gives it a bit more punch/oomph?

Pretty much only use the headphones for gaming. If an amp is only required if I have problems with volume, then it would seem I don't need one.

The Essence ST does look good..
 
The quality of the amp would likely have a positive impact on the sound quality (although may also give extra volume)

Whether its worth it is down to you. At that price point you could consider the Pro-Ject headbox which is a decent little budget amp.

To be honest though if its only for use during gaming i probably wouldn't bother as it probably won't be beneficial enough.
 
An amp allows consistent sound throughout all volumes, on soundcards like the Xonar D2 where they have no in-built sound, headphones can sound a little harsh, especially through the treble range but usually only at high volumes. If you can't notice this an amp won't make much of a difference.

More so; to get a good amp within your budget you're looking at spending the same cash as if you were to get an Essence ST card anyway with a nice 600ohm amp.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I don't usually play at high volumes, haven't noticed any harshness of the sound.

Going to see if I can borrow a headphone amp off a friend before deciding if it's worth the money. Perhaps better just putting the £100 towards a second GPU by the sound of if :)
 
Second GPU is overrated in my experience :/ rarely get a decent boost in performance and it varies a lot between games.

A headphone amp is nice to have but you're right in wanting to test first :)

If you decide that a headphone amp doesn't make a difference with your currently headphones you might want to consider if you ever want to upgrade from your current headphones. You can either save up for those or buy the amp anyway since better headphones are more likely to need an amp.

Failing that, save up for a better GPU to replace the current one :p
 
spacedskunk said:
Would new speakers be an upgrade or would they not get used? :)
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I currently have the "Edifier R1600T Studio Plus 2.0 Monitors", which are great for my room. Had to get rid of my old system which had a sub as the flatmates weren't best impressed, so I don't think I'll be upgrading them any time soon :)

Anyways it seems that since I only use the headphones for gaming I don't really need to spend my £100 on a headphone amp as I don't have issues with the volume levels.

Will let you know if I manage to borrow one and test it out..
 
If you want to borrow mine and are ok paying postage both ways i don't mind sending it. Its a Graham Slee Novo :)

Link

Don't know anything about your card but what outputs does it have?
 
iostream said:
I currently have the "Edifier R1600T Studio Plus 2.0 Monitors", which are great for my room. Had to get rid of my old system which had a sub as the flatmates weren't best impressed, so I don't think I'll be upgrading them any time soon :)

Anyways it seems that since I only use the headphones for gaming I don't really need to spend my £100 on a headphone amp as I don't have issues with the volume levels.

Will let you know if I manage to borrow one and test it out..
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That's why I love my headphones :) I can crank up the volume whenever I want and not worry about the walls shaking
 
Can always look around for a decent audio shop near you and see if theres anything there you can try with your own headphones?
 
Well it's the only highstreet store I guess but there are other places if you do a bit of digging.

When I was looking at the Beyer A1 amp I had an offer to try it at Polar Audio who are the main UK dealer for Beyer and I also had an offer from HiFi headphones who are nearby too :)

Failing that you can try to find someone who has one so you can try it... Either that or bite the bullet and try it. If you don't like it then it can always be returned if you bought it online (check before you buy obviously).
 
To be fair at the budget end Richer Sounds isn't really that bad and their staff are normally helpful. They're currently doing a great deal on the TEACUD-H01 if the OP could up the budget to £150 and best of all you could try it in store first to see if you feel it worth it.

Link

Loads of good stores around, especially up in Scotland i find but they're for a much larger budget :)
 
Yeah it doesn't matter too much about the staff :) It's just nice to be able to see what kind of improvement you might come to expect from having a headphone amp

Just have to bring your own source too... Not much of a test if you hear your headphones on someone else's gear since it might sound completely different to your own!
 
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Phal said:
Just have to bring your own source too... Not much of a test if you head your headphones on someone else's gear since it might sound completely different to your own!
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Indeed, it would be a little difficult dragging my entire rig down to the shop so I can try out the amp with my Xonar D2 :P

I have a friend with an amp (Fiio E9 I believe), hoping to meet up with him next week.
 
iostream said:
Indeed, it would be a little difficult dragging my entire rig down to the shop so I can try out the amp with my Xonar D2 :P

I have a friend with an amp (Fiio E9 I believe), hoping to meet up with him next week.
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Sounds like a plan! The only other suitable solution is to get a small mp3 play to listen to and get used to how that sounds with your headphones before you test it through an amp too!
 
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