Headphone Amp question
Headphone Amp question
Hi Subsekters.
I have a quick question regarding headphone amps. So I have been in various accommodations over the last year and I'm looking to move abroad soon so I've been making music just with headphones and won't be getting any monitors again for a while.
I sold my focusrite 8i6 last year when having a clear out and now I'm interested if there is a budget usb headphone amp/dac that would be noticeably better than my on board laptop soundcard. My headphones are AKG 702, so they're 62ohm.
I don't have any experience with amps so I'm not sure what I may be lacking as I've never heard these headphones with a proper amp. I love the sound of the AKG 702, I'm just hoping there's a budget way to either get a better or deeper sound, or not have to raise the levels high and perhaps gain extra clarity as I'm very conscious of not playing loud levels.
I'm hoping to spend under £100 at the moment, the less the better and once I'm more set up in a new place I may invest in a decent usb sound card again with a good headphone output.
I have a quick question regarding headphone amps. So I have been in various accommodations over the last year and I'm looking to move abroad soon so I've been making music just with headphones and won't be getting any monitors again for a while.
I sold my focusrite 8i6 last year when having a clear out and now I'm interested if there is a budget usb headphone amp/dac that would be noticeably better than my on board laptop soundcard. My headphones are AKG 702, so they're 62ohm.
I don't have any experience with amps so I'm not sure what I may be lacking as I've never heard these headphones with a proper amp. I love the sound of the AKG 702, I'm just hoping there's a budget way to either get a better or deeper sound, or not have to raise the levels high and perhaps gain extra clarity as I'm very conscious of not playing loud levels.
I'm hoping to spend under £100 at the moment, the less the better and once I'm more set up in a new place I may invest in a decent usb sound card again with a good headphone output.
Re: Headphone Amp question
Can't help with USB, nor have I experience with your headphones. But I hear lots of good things about Schiit Magni. Other than that: If you're handy with soldering going DIY offers you a lot for little money. Most headphone amp circuits are very simple... even the high end ones.
Re: Headphone Amp question
https://soundcloud.com/mslwte
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
Lost to the Void wrote:Fuck off, get some tequila down ya neck and make some noise you cunt....
- terryfalafel
- Component
- Posts: 876
- Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:56 pm
- Location: Amsterdam
Re: Headphone Amp question
+1 for Schiit Audio
Re: Headphone Amp question
I've almost completed an Objective 2 headphone amp from a kit and yes, it's really easy and would have been even easier with numbered parts. Identifying the resistors took longer than soldering the thing together. Spent an evening and half on it, got an ESD wristband now for the tender parts so will finish it during the weekend.Resin wrote:Can't help with USB, nor have I experience with your headphones. But I hear lots of good things about Schiit Magni. Other than that: If you're handy with soldering going DIY offers you a lot for little money. Most headphone amp circuits are very simple... even the high end ones.
Re: Headphone Amp question
schitt audio?
lol. shit audio?
lol. shit audio?
https://soundcloud.com/mslwte
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
Lost to the Void wrote:Fuck off, get some tequila down ya neck and make some noise you cunt....
Re: Headphone Amp question
I don't solder so that's not something i'm interested in doing atm. Also it's got to be usb.
@ Mslwte thanks for the heads up on that pro-ject box. More than I'd want to spend at the moment but certainly something to consider for the future. I'd rather wait a bit and get something half decent like that later on. My thoughts were if there was something relatively cheap I could use for now that would be better than the laptop audio that would be ideal.
@ Mslwte thanks for the heads up on that pro-ject box. More than I'd want to spend at the moment but certainly something to consider for the future. I'd rather wait a bit and get something half decent like that later on. My thoughts were if there was something relatively cheap I could use for now that would be better than the laptop audio that would be ideal.
Re: Headphone Amp question
theres is absolutely no reason to buy anything that is cheap. get the right thing or not at all. just my opinion.
https://soundcloud.com/mslwte
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
Lost to the Void wrote:Fuck off, get some tequila down ya neck and make some noise you cunt....
- xonetacular
- Gnasher
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:45 pm
Re: Headphone Amp question
schiit magni sounded pretty good and transparent to me- don't see the point in paying much more than that for a headphone amp
- terryfalafel
- Component
- Posts: 876
- Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:56 pm
- Location: Amsterdam
Re: Headphone Amp question
Mmm, also there's no reason to pay more for something than is necessary. The right thing doesn't have to be expensive to make it good.Mslwte wrote:theres is absolutely no reason to buy anything that is cheap. get the right thing or not at all. just my opinion.
Re: Headphone Amp question
I have K701s and after doing some looking about the Headbox S seemed to be the way to go for a smidge over a hundred quid. Headphone amplifiers seems to be a rabbit hole of bottomless audiophile spending so I was glad to see a recommendation that didn't cost the earth.
I'm happy with it!
I'm happy with it!
- xonetacular
- Gnasher
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:45 pm
Re: Headphone Amp question
Another option- If you want a great monitor controller/usb dac with good headphone amps I am highly impressed with the behringer monitor2usb. Basically a SPL 2control clone with added DAC for 1/6th the price. Took a chance and it is amazing, and I use the built in compliant usb interface when I don't turn my big mixer on and want sound from my studio computer. The headphone outputs provide a good amount of power to drive my AKG 701s, much better than my old focusrite 18i20 which wasn't quite enough and made me get a shiit magni which is now sitting unused. Also has a nice crossfeed function which works well for headphone mixing. Costs about the same as any half decent cheapish dac/amp and you get two headphone outputs with crossfeed, and monitor control for later. Plus you can mix input sources on it and there are some extras like mono toggle.
Last edited by xonetacular on Sat Sep 16, 2017 8:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Headphone Amp question
You can pick up the headbox for less then £50 on eBay.terryfalafel wrote:Mmm, also there's no reason to pay more for something than is necessary. The right thing doesn't have to be expensive to make it good.Mslwte wrote:theres is absolutely no reason to buy anything that is cheap. get the right thing or not at all. just my opinion.
https://soundcloud.com/mslwte
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
https://noizefacilityrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/subsekt909
https://www.facebook.com/subsekt909/
Lost to the Void wrote:Fuck off, get some tequila down ya neck and make some noise you cunt....
Re: Headphone Amp question
This is usually my ethos, getting things right first time round. 'Buy cheap buy twice' is sometimes the case. In this instance though this was just a request for something temporary, if nothing comes up that's significantly cheaper I'll wait till later in the year (should have a new line of work by then all going well) and just get something that can be a permanent part of my set up like the headbox s for example.Mslwte wrote:theres is absolutely no reason to buy anything that is cheap. get the right thing or not at all. just my opinion.
Thanks for the suggestions so far and it's good to hear back from ppl using them with the 701/702.
- Lost to the Void
- subsekt
- Posts: 13518
- Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:31 pm
Re: Headphone Amp question
Yeah don't go cheap for your headphone amp.
Your monitoring is your most important studio tool, you want best possible fidelity and accuracy.
If you can't hear what you are doing.... You can't hear what you are doing.
Your monitoring is your most important studio tool, you want best possible fidelity and accuracy.
If you can't hear what you are doing.... You can't hear what you are doing.
Re: Headphone Amp question
Lost to the Void wrote:Yeah don't go cheap for your headphone amp.
Your monitoring is your most important studio tool, you want best possible fidelity and accuracy.
If you can't hear what you are doing.... You can't hear what you are doing.
I totally agree and as I said before, my reason for asking was for temporary usage till later in the year.
To be honest though, buying right first time round is what I usually try to practise in life and having had a few replies on here and thinking on it, it seems best to just wait and buy once, then I can get used to this new representation of sound once over. Especially seeing as something like the headbox s usb that was recommended is £130, which isn't a whole lot in the scheme of monitoring so now I think it's best to wait and get something in that range.
Thanks for the advice so far everyone. Looking forward to hearing how much they can add to my AKG's.
Re: Headphone Amp question
Have a similar question that I have been meaning to post. Ive been using sennheiser HD650's for years. Have an old motu traveler audio interface although often just plug headphones straight into laptop.
A person I was getting some tuition with told me I could really benefit from getting a headphone amp - the JDS labs objective 2. I thought when I bought the audio interface that it was all I needed for these headphones?? Not sure whether I need to buy the headphone amp??
A person I was getting some tuition with told me I could really benefit from getting a headphone amp - the JDS labs objective 2. I thought when I bought the audio interface that it was all I needed for these headphones?? Not sure whether I need to buy the headphone amp??
Re: Headphone Amp question
good recommendations here. i am also looking for a portable headphone amp for akg 702s, which are just way too quiet coming from laptop. i need something light and portable as i'm living from a suitcase. checking out the ideas from this thread.
-
- Alf Garnett
- Posts: 159
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 8:33 pm
Re: Headphone Amp question
This is what i'm after when I've got the ££.
http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and ... Black/1Y88
Meant to be amazing with very good imaging. As now just use headphones the cross feed feature will be very useful.
http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and ... Black/1Y88
Meant to be amazing with very good imaging. As now just use headphones the cross feed feature will be very useful.
Previews and clips are in the playlist below:
- Lost to the Void
- subsekt
- Posts: 13518
- Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:31 pm
Re: Headphone Amp question
Utter poop for the money that SPL, you could buy audiophile, mastering grade headphone DAC for half the price of that shit. Just because it has SPL written on it and it's aimed at pro audio, they bump the price up... Because pro.
The preamps in that just aren't that spectacular.
You can get a TC electronic BMC2 for a fraction of that price, its mastering grade and has a great headphone amp.
I have one in the mastering room I use for monitor control and checking for fine details in headphones.
You don't get the speaker emulation but you can buy software that does that if you really want it, again at a fraction of the cost.
Don't buy the hype.
The preamps in that just aren't that spectacular.
You can get a TC electronic BMC2 for a fraction of that price, its mastering grade and has a great headphone amp.
I have one in the mastering room I use for monitor control and checking for fine details in headphones.
You don't get the speaker emulation but you can buy software that does that if you really want it, again at a fraction of the cost.
Don't buy the hype.