Headphone amp recommendations.

[kol12]

I'm looking for a headphone amp for my computer. I'm unsure of what specs to look for, something with good output power. I will also get a new set headphones at some stage and am thinking the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO.

I have a Asus Z97-A Motherboard and I'm unsure of what the on board sound specs are on this.
I have a pair Sennheiser HD 212 Pro at the moment and reviews suggest they're not the best headphones around. Will I notice a better audio quality going with a amp and my 212's for the moment or get the 280 PRO's first and then the amp?

 

[anonymousdude]

280 pros first then the amp will give you better quality. There's tons of headphones around the price of the 280 pros that are very good so don't limit yourself. I say get the headphones first try them with your setup and then see if you are happy with it. People but headphone amps for 2 maybe 3 reasons.

1) It's not loud enough. Some headphone require more power to reach a listenable volume.

2) They like the sound it creates. Amps in theory are to not alter the signal besides making it louder. However, this is impossible in practice, but manufacturers can get so close that there is no audible difference. Some headphones respond well to amping as the extra power and how that power is delivered help control the diaphragm of the driver, so that audio sound cleaner and more controlled. Some amps impart their own sound on the headphone.

3) This only applies to portable amps. Most portable amps run on their own battery so when you plug in an iPod or phone or whatever, you will get longer battery life on said device.

 

[shotgunz]

You most likely will not need an amp until you start spending $200+ on headphones. Your motherboard's audio will power most headphones just fine. Use the money from the amp to buy a better pair of headphones, which we can help you with.

 

[kol12]

So an amp at this stage won't actually make my 212's sound any different or better? What are some of the other headphones?

 

[anonymousdude]

I assume you're gonna stick around the 280 pro's price range, so around $100 or so. I like the brainwavz hm5 and its re-brands at $100.

http/www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-HM5-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B006MA9XXM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443415049&sr=8-3&keywords=hm5

http/www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-Cushions/dp/B0093PVTPS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1443415048&sr=8-4&keywords=hm5

There's also the sennheiser 558 that is probably a better headphone than the 280 pros. but is open instead of closed if that matter to you.

http/www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443415233&sr=8-1&keywords=hd+558

The noontech zoro II if you want something a bit more portable.

http/www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-Cushions/dp/B0093PVTPS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1443415048&sr=8-4&keywords=hm5

Audio Technica ad700x
http/www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443415284&sr=8-1&keywords=ad700x\

There are more, but it really depends on a couple things.

1. Budget

2. What, if any, kind of sound preference you have. For example some people like headphone with lots of bass and some people love headphones with lots of treble. Some prefer a overall more neutral sounding headphone.

3. The kind of music you listen to.

 

[kol12]

The Brainwavz and NVX look quite cool. I'm in New Zealand and don't want to spend more than NZ $200. The 280's are $170 here and that's reduced from $250!

I think I'll be leaning towards a neutral sounding headphone. I listen to bit of everything so something that represents all sounds well.

Any idea what the ohm output is on the Asus Z97-A audio amplifier?

 

[kol12]

I've been looking at these amps but someone reckon's they use op amps that aren't very good?

http/snw.co.nz/?cms_do=sale&sale_do=sale_show_product&storeid=1&categoryid=46

 

[anonymousdude]

To be fair topping makes some pretty decent budget amps. I actually quite like their portable nx1 amp especially for its price. I don't have experience with the rest of their line though. In terms of op amp quality, I think that they just use TI op amps, which are good.

http/snw.co.nz/?cms_do=sale&sale_do=sale_show_one_product&product_id=1533

I noticed that the website you linked to stocks takstar products in particular the takstar pro 80. That is a fine headphone and at the price they are selling it at it's a downright steal. In the US the cheapest version of it is $55 which is NZ $85.

http/snw.co.nz/?cms_do=sale&sale_do=sale_show_one_product&product_id=245

I'd say that it is at least as good as the HD 280 PRO and the best part is that it is much cheaper.

 

[kol12]

Ok, I don't know much of Takstar are they well known? Even at $100 they seem quite cheap, are they good quality?

 

[shotgunz]

Full recommendation on the HD558 from me. Very comfortable pair with good directionality and soundstage. If you are looking to save money though, buy a HD518 instead for about 60% of the cost and remove the grill on each side of the headphone. You'll get the same sound as the 558, perhaps even better.

What's the prices for Philips SPH9500 in your area? It's slightly more clear sounding than the 558 and more comfortable yet costs less.

 

[anonymousdude]

Ok, I don't know much of Takstar are they well known? Even at $100 they seem quite cheap, are they good quality?

Takstar isn't well known, at least for the normal consumer. They are a chinese company that manufactures audio products under their own name, but also does a lot of business as an OEM. The kingston cloud and cloud II are actually just takstar pro 80's with a detachable mic and in the case of the cloud II's virtual surround. The headphone is exactly the same.

As for quality, it's pretty good quality as far as headphones go in general. It's great, when you consider how cheap they are. It's a pretty standard plastic and metal construction that is nice and sturdy, so basically unless you are abusing the heck out your headphones or there's a defect in the first place you're probably not ever going to break them. As for the sound, most people agree it's not winning any awards for the absolute best SQ, but hey it's a freaking $50 headphone. It is however one of the best values as it's darn good for the price.

 

[kol12]

So should I still consider something else in my budget if it's going to be the difference in sound quality? I've read a couple of good reviews on the Pro 80's so far but I'm gonna read a few more first.

 

[anonymousdude]

So should I still consider something else in my budget if it's going to be the difference in sound quality? I've read a couple of good reviews on the Pro 80's so far but I'm gonna read a few more first.

That's honestly up to you. I think that there aren't any flat out superior headphones to the takstar pro 80 under $100, but there are headphones that are maybe slightly better or more likely just as good, but have a different sound signature. For example, the Grado sr-60e is $80, but it's not a headphone for people who like bass. It is a headphone for people that like a forward midrange and pretty bright treble. Similarly the hm5's I mentioned earlier some people find rather boring because it is a more neutral headphone, but some people like a neutral headphone.

 

[kol12]

Do people generally go for closed back as an all round general headphone rather than open back? I'm interested in some mixing but I have no idea how much of a difference open back makes in this. I guess if your serious you have both. I've read the HD 280 is pretty good at both so maybe the takstar's are similar?

 

[shotgunz]

If you are doing home mixing the trakstar can skew your mixes since it has a big dip in its frequency response in the low treble.

If you absolutely need the best bang for buck headphone for home use, look no further than a HD518 which is around $75 on amazon. It uses the same driver as the $150 higher end HD598 but there's a big plastic grill on each earcup limiting the airflow.
All you need to do is unscrew three screws on each side of the earcups, pop off the grills and you'll get a pretty accurate sound signature out of $75.

On the topic of open vs closed though, if you are in a quiet area, open headphones excel since they have lower distortion, generally more accurate and natural sound, more comfortable since they make your ears less hot with breathable materials and bigger soundstage. Sounds on open headphones generally have this around you instead of in your head feel and don't sound as "closed" in and beamed into your head. They have literally no sound isolation and people around you can start to hear your music if you listen at moderately loud volumes

Closed headphones isolate you from your surroundings and usually have louder bass. They are good for noisy public places where you want to block out your surroundings..

 

[kol12]

Thanks shotgunz, unfortunately I don't have as much to spend on headphones right now as I did (something else came up!) so I think the takstar's are going to be something I can afford. I could wait and gather more money but I really want to replace my HD 212's because at some stage they got stretched on a bigger head and they just don't clamp mine anymore (annoying..)

I've read some good reviews on the takstar's and they seem to offer a lot more sound than what you pay for them so I think it's worth a go until I decide to upgrade again. Thanks anonymous for pointing these out.

I'm going to read around a wee bit more before I decide but I will let you guy's know. Thanks for your recommendations shotgunz and I will keep these in mind for the future.

The takstar's are 60 ohm, will my motherboard drive them?

 

[shotgunz]

Headphone impedance is more so indicative of the ratio of current vs voltage your headphones will use. Low impedance headphones use more current while high impedance ones use more voltage. There are low impedance headphones that are not sensitive and high impedance ones that are sensitive.

Example is beyerdynamic's 600ohm T1 with a sensitivity of 102 dB/mw that can hit over 100dB even when plugged into decent phone.

Pro80 has a sensitivity of 101 dB/mw at 60ohms so it won't be hard to drive to ear damaging levels.

 

[kol12]

What do you mean it won't be hard to drive to ear damaging levels?

I've heard some of the Z97 pro boards can drive up to 600 ohm headphones but there's no official specs on the Z97-A on board amp.

 

[shotgunz]

I meant that it has enough power to drive the trakstar above safe listening volumes. Here's the amp/dac performance from the ALC892 data sheets.

Note that this may or may not be accurate depending on how asus implemented the audio chip

http/i.imgur.com/ghpiRzh.jpg

It can output ~44 mW into 32ohms, while rather low compared to an actual sound card or amp, it's enough for the trakstars.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

You most likely will not need an amp until you start spending $200+ on headphones. Your motherboard's audio will power most headphones just fine. Use the money from the amp to buy a better pair of headphones, which we can help you with.

I disagree, i have a pair of $50 soundblaster fatal1ty headphones, with onboard sound they sounded ok, but could not be pushed to very high volume levels at all. With the headphone amp on the SBZ they can now make my ears bleed with no distortion.