Headphone amp

[koover]

Hello, I'm looking to purchase a solid amp for my headphones used specially for movie watching. I've read that plugging straight into the receiver just doesn't do the trick. I'm willing to spend up to $500. I using the Sennheiser HD 600 with an Integra 30.7 AVR.
I have no clue what's out there and you just can't test anything like this before purchasing. I'm looking for some suggestions and who better to ask then you guys.

[Vracer111]

A Schiit Modi 2 Uber DAC paired with Asgard 2 amp would probably be a good combo and only run you about $400. Run direct from the digital Coax output on the Oppo to the input on the Modi 2 Uber. Or you could run from the stereo analog outs on the Oppo direct to a headphone Amp and get a Schiit Jotunheim amp. Either way I would run the amp off your source outputs and try not to involve the reciever.

I just got in my Schiit Bifrost DAC today (has same AKM AK4490 chipset for D/A as the Modi 2 Uber) and boy does it do a great job paired with my Meier JAZZ-ff headphone amp... really brings out the details and BASS in my music collection! That chipset is most excellent!

[koover]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

A Schiit Modi 2 Uber DAC paired with Asgard 2 amp would probably be a good combo and only run you about $400. Run direct from the digital Coax output on the Oppo to the input on the Modi 2 Uber. Or you could run from the stereo analog outs on the Oppo direct to a headphone Amp and get a Schiit Jotunheim amp. Either way I would run the amp off your source outputs and try not to involve the reciever.

I just got in my Schiit Bifrost DAC today (has same AKM AK4490 chipset for D/A as the Modi 2 Uber) and boy does it do a great job paired with my Meier JAZZ-ff headphone amp... really brings out the details and BASS in my music collection! That chipset is most excellent!

Thank you. I'll read up on both and give you my thoughts.
May have few questions later. Much ablige man!

[koover]

Anyone else? Lots of you guys have headphone amps. No other suggestions? How about a tube amp? I'd be willing to even push to $750-1000
I don't know about this guys so I'm reaching out.
I'd appreciate it.
I've got a pretty good system but wife goes to bed at 6pm and I use cans more often then not at present.
Edit: I'm using sennheiser 650's not 600's

[koover]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

A Schiit Modi 2 Uber DAC paired with Asgard 2 amp would probably be a good combo and only run you about $400. Run direct from the digital Coax output on the Oppo to the input on the Modi 2 Uber. Or you could run from the stereo analog outs on the Oppo direct to a headphone Amp and get a Schiit Jotunheim amp. Either way I would run the amp off your source outputs and try not to involve the reciever.

I just got in my Schiit Bifrost DAC today (has same AKM AK4490 chipset for D/A as the Modi 2 Uber) and boy does it do a great job paired with my Meier JAZZ-ff headphone amp... really brings out the details and BASS in my music collection! That chipset is most excellent!

Thanks again for the input. Went to head-fi-.org and read up on this combo. Looks and seems really promising from what I read.
Question, so this will fit the bill for basically Bluray purposes? I do love my music and I'll be slapping my CD's in the Oppo so I'm hoping I'll get duel purpose out of this combo. If you noticed in my sig., I'm a bass head. Not looking for something that has a lot of bass output, but enough where it's noticeable.

I truly don't know jack about this and am just getting into it so reading all the specs and measurements at this time really means nothing as it's like a foreign language.
Any opinion or info you can offer would be great because I don't know a single
person who has an amp or even cares about this stuff.
Cheers

[Vracer111]

I just remembered, for optical media, the analog RCA outs (FL and FR) are the only way to go due to audio copyright issues for audio disc formats and bandwidth for hi-resolution audio from Blu-ray. The DAC in the Oppo is high quality, so no issue there, just need to find the right amp to pair with your phones. I'd suggest double checking on a consensus of what amp is recommended for the 650 that falls within in your price range.

I have no experience with tube amps, my phones wouldn't pair well with them and I would much rather have SS amp and not worry about bringing tubes up to temp every time before listening to anything....or replacing tubes. Tubes amps are very much like a projector, needs some time to come up to an optimal state and has bulbs that are consumables.

If you get the Schiit Jotunheim amp (not sure how it pairs with the 650's) with the DAC option, then you would have an all-in-one DAC /amp that could be used just as an amp with the Oppo and as DAC/amp solution for digital music from a computer or other digiral media device.. it can basically be used with a whole range of equipment.

[koover]

Thanks
I believe I'm going with the Schiit Jotunheim with DAC set up. For the money and what I'm looking for, this seems to do the trick. Researched quite a few other amps but I just don't see anything better for the money and quality.
I've read enough to be sold on it. It also seems to pair well with the 650's too. Once I get it, hook it up and give it a spin, I'll give my thoughts.

[Vracer111]

Z Review - Schiit Jotunheim - YouTube

Schiit Audio Jotunheim Review / Preview - Head-Fi TV - YouTube

[koover]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

Z Review - Schiit Jotunheim - YouTube

Schiit Audio Jotunheim Review / Preview - Head-Fi TV - YouTube

Thank you again for the videos. You did a good job for a layman like me.
I'm going to bother you one more time before pulling the trigger on this. You reviewed everything minus for bluray usage. So my question is....
How is the combo for home theater? This will most definitely be the main reason for purchasing this amp. The DAC obviously will be used for music but blurays will be 90% of my usage. I won't bother you with anymore silly questions as you've been gracious enough to assist me in knowledge and decision making.
Thanx again man!

[Badas]

Originally Posted by koover

Anyone else? Lots of you guys have headphone amps. No other suggestions? How about a tube amp? I'd be willing to even push to $750-1000
I don't know about this guys so I'm reaching out.
I'd appreciate it.
I've got a pretty good system but wife goes to bed at 6pm and I use cans more often then not at present.
Edit: I'm using sennheiser 650's not 600's

Tube amps won't be practical or sound that good for movie watching. Tubes only suit certain music. Generally Jazz and female vocal centric. With those they can't be beat.

iFi make great products in your price range or take a look at Massdrop. Often they have Nuforce mono amps in that price range. Supose to be a killer combo.

[frogmeat69]

The Jotunheim seems like the best you can do for $400, or an extra $100 with the add-on USB DAC, which seems totally worth the extra cash to get up and running for a solid BALANCED amp/DAC combo, should drive those HD650's with authority, especially if you get an XLR balanced cable for them. If I didn't already own the iFi iCan Pro, I would be looking into a Jot.

Like Vracer111 said, you would run from your Oppo's RCA outs to the analog in of the Jot, and use the DAC from the Oppo to decode, probably the best and only way to watch Blu rays through your headphones.

EDIT: Like Badas mentioned above, don't bother with a tube amp for what your wanting to accomplish, that can be delt with down the eventual road to financial ruin when you get bit by this damn bug, lol.

[Vracer111]

Originally Posted by koover

Thank you again for the videos. You did a good job for a layman like me.
I'm going to bother you one more time before pulling the trigger on this. You reviewed everything minus for bluray usage. So my question is....
How is the combo for home theater? This will most definitely be the main reason for purchasing this amp. The DAC obviously will be used for music but blurays will be 90% of my usage. I won't bother you with anymore silly questions as you've been gracious enough to assist me in knowledge and decision making.
Thanx again man!

Just to make sure you understand, the DAC portion will work only if plugged into a computer or other digital media device, will not work with optical discs on the Oppo like mentioned before due to certain media restrictions. That said, you can have the Jotunheim connected to both the Oppo and a laptop/computer/digital media player at the same time and switch between the sources, using the amp via RCA connections for CD and Blu-ray playback with the Oppo and DAC/amp via USB, Toslink, or Digital coax for a laptop/computer/digital media player. And with a windiws computer you could just take your CD collection and rip them to FLAC using Exact Audio Copy and play the FLAC files with Foobar2000...both are free programs. Could have your entire music collection at your fingertips in an instant with no loss in audio quality. And then you could get and play back higher resolution digital music files...

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de

http://www.foobar2000.org

I'd imagine you'd very much be more into a movie from a sound detail perpective with headphones than you've experienced with the speakers. Bass will be good, but the tradeoff of course is you won't get the visceral, physical experience from low end like you do from a HT setup. You will hear LOTS of detail and still have a great sound experience though!

[koover]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

Just to make sure you understand, the DAC portion will work only if plugged into a computer or other digital media device, will not work with optical discs on the Oppo like mentioned before due to certain media restrictions. That said, you can have the Jotunheim connected to both the Oppo and a laptop/computer/digital media player at the same time and switch between the sources, using the amp via RCA connections for CD and Blu-ray playback with the Oppo and DAC/amp via USB, Toslink, or Digital coax for a laptop/computer/digital media player. And with a windiws computer you could just take your CD collection and rip them to FLAC using Exact Audio Copy and play the FLAC files with Foobar2000...both are free programs. Could have your entire music collection at your fingertips in an instant with no loss in audio quality. And then you could get and play back higher resolution digital music files...

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de

http://www.foobar2000.org

I'd imagine you'd very much be more into a movie from a sound detail perpective with headphones than you've experienced with the speakers. Bass will be good, but the tradeoff of course is you won't get the visceral, physical experience from low end like you do from a HT setup. You will hear LOTS of detail and still have a great sound experience though!

VERY helpful on the DAC enlightenment. I was fully expecting to put a cd into the oppo and get the result that you're saying won't be happening. Valuable info so thank you. Hey man, I really appreciate all your responses, videos, links, the whole ball of wax. I now feel I can make an intellengent decision on something I'm not going to test drive before purchasing.
Good to know about tube amps too. I believe I would have wasted my money.
Thank you Badas and frogmeat69.
I'll also look into the components you recommended Badas before pulling the trigger.
Looking forward to the experience!

Thanks for the education!

[on and on]

gonna throw in the burson soloist for a potential headphone amp. i use it with the hifiman he-400. being lame and broke i use the pioneer 51fd for blu. and a 800 year old pioneer dv-08 for music.

the soloist has been phased out and it's soloist mk2 time...

i also have a schiit asgard 2. the difference between the two amps is like a debate between tube sound vs solid state but with two solid state amps fighting it out...

but i prefer the extra clarity/details of the burson. i love how it dishes up differences. whether it's differences in sound between cds.or even song to song differences on the same cd.

it's defintely a good "training wheels"(talking about rice range) amps to hear what's on disc movie/music.not much a buffer zone to make everything sound nice/nicer if it's not.

but you can't go wrong with either choice. and if making a purchase of any amp suggested on this page.turns you into a headphone addict. well it's good think your wife doesn't know were the posters on this thread live.

"Tube amps won't be practical or sound that good for movie watching. Tubes only suit certain music. Generally Jazz and female vocal centric. With those they can't be beat"

thank you badas. not that tubes can't sound good.but to me if in whatever price range,i'd prefer a solid state amp.

it's obvious i listen to the wrong music.

[koover]

Originally Posted by on and on

gonna throw in the burson soloist for a potential headphone amp. i use it with the hifiman he-400. being lame and broke i use the pioneer 51fd for blu. and a 800 year old pioneer dv-08 for music.

the soloist has been phased out and it's soloist mk2 time...

i also have a schiit asgard 2. the difference between the two amps is like a debate between tube sound vs solid state but with two solid state amps fighting it out...

but i prefer the extra clarity/details of the burson. i love how it dishes up differences. whether it's differences in sound between cds.or even song to song differences on the same cd.

it's defintely a good "training wheels"(talking about rice range) amps to hear what's on disc movie/music.not much a buffer zone to make everything sound nice/nicer if it's not.

but you can't go wrong with either choice. and if making a purchase of any amp suggested on this page.turns you into a headphone addict. well it's good think your wife doesn't know were the posters on this thread live.

"Tube amps won't be practical or sound that good for movie watching. Tubes only suit certain music. Generally Jazz and female vocal centric. With those they can't be beat"

thank you badas. not that tubes can't sound good.but to me if in whatever price range,i'd prefer a solid state amp.

it's obvious i listen to the wrong music.

That Bursen soloist MK2 actually looks really good. Right in my price range and something to think about since the The Jotunheim is on backorder until at least March 31st. WTF? They sold out of their current stock so to me that seems like they're selling faster then they can produce. Well at least I'll tell myself that. Right when I'm getting to pull the trigger today too.
You guys got me all jacked up and now I can see my future with an entirely new sickness other then a pretty massive Bluray collection.
I'll keep whoevers interested in the loop when I finally get something.

Also, I'm still very much interested if anyone else has something they own that they think and feels
they own a killer amp that won't break the bank. I know you just got to hear it but if you've never heard a set of cans with an amp, how the hell can someone even know without good "sound advice?

[on and on]

Originally Posted by koover

how the hell can someone even know without good "sound advice?

i know what you mean.i bought my headphones/amps just based on reading reviews and having an idea what sort of sounds i'd prefer/was curious about.

on line forums are essential. since so often there might not even be a dealer in your area. or sometimes it might be too inconvenient to do a in the flesh test run.

but you don't have to be in a hurry. "with great power/comes great responsibility".
so waiting slightly longer to read info or get other opinions is a great move.especially if you plan to use these multiple times a month.

and yes, i'm really curious as to what you choose.
as you may know it's a common saying that listening via a good headphone system is the better bang for the buck.versus the traditional amp/speaker/room set up.

whatever you choose we're gonna save a spot for you in our wing of the hospital. once your headphone/amp obsession "blooms".

[paulschoff]

Schiit Bifrost seems to be the good choice. I tend to use Tube amps only for classicals and vocal rich songs. Better have a look at Massdrop they've better collections in your range.

[koover]

Originally Posted by paulschoff

Schiit Bifrost seems to be the good choice. I tend to use Tube amps only for classicals and vocal rich songs. Better have a look at Massdrop they've better collections in your range.

I'll take a looksie. Thanx for the suggestion.

[Vracer111]

Originally Posted by paulschoff

Schiit Bifrost seems to be the good choice. I tend to use Tube amps only for classicals and vocal rich songs. Better have a look at Massdrop they've better collections in your range.

Bifrost is a DAC only.... you would need a headphone amp to hear the analog audio output from it...

My home personal audio setup is a laptop ouputting via USB to Schiit Bifrost DAC (AK4490 version) which outputs the analog signal via RCA to a Meier Corda JAZZ-ff headphone amp.

[koover]

Any thoughts on the Audeze Deckard Headphone Amplifier / DAC / Preamplifier?

A MAJOR frustration I'm experiencing. There is absolutely no info I've seen anywhere that has any type of review or even mention of a headphone amp for home theater usage. Nothing. I can't believe no one has any input about this. I'm not referring to this group, but anywhere on the net. I just don't want to take the plunge and find that I buy an amp that's not condusive to movie watching with an amp for headphones. Grrrrr.