Looking for headphone amp. need recommendations

Corban227

Corban227

Gawd
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
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So i'm looking for an entry headphone amp, however i'm not sure how much it will improve these phones (ATH-M50). the main reason that started getting me looking at amps was that recently i noticed that when i am listening to bass heavy songs the bass will over power the mids and highs. it almost seems like the headphones are using all the power to produce good bass and neglecting the mids and highs. i was assuming that with an amp, the headphones would be able to handle the varying frequencies better as well as produce a louder sound more solidly.

my price range was right around 99 dollars.
the main one i was looking at is this one
http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/headroom-total-airhead.php
(yes i know this is designed for a portable player but it does have what looks like a a dc plug in the back, so im assuming that means it can be used while plugged in as well.)
any other recommendations are welcome
 
Might want to pose this question at headfi.com. That site is much more headphone specific and you might even find the info you want is there already
 
Have you tried playing around with eq? An amp may not help since these headphones aren't hard to drive.
 
FaRKle0079 said:
Have you tried playing around with eq? An amp may not help since these headphones aren't hard to drive.
Click to expand...

i have not much yet but i will try. my only issue is i dont know a whole lot about the specific adjustments on the eq. i tried looking for an article online but was thus far unsuccessful
 
for under $100, i think your only options are portable amps. most of them can connect with a power adapter though. i know the (relatively) cheap amp scene has seen a ton of activity lately, so i have no idea what's considered the best nowadays.
 
Ahhh yeah, you'll definitely want to play with the EQ then first, because adding an amp will increase the levels across the full spectrum.

What media player do you use?

The eq works as follows: low frequencies (bass) start on the left, mids are in the middle and highs move towards the right. For low with most media players you'll want to focus on lowering the first 3 bands on the EQ. Mainly 120 hz and below. Start at the very left first (usually 30-60 hz) which will be the lowest frequencies and play with it a bit.
 
rive22 said:
Ahhh yeah, you'll definitely want to play with the EQ then first, because adding an amp will increase the levels across the full spectrum.

What media player do you use?

The eq works as follows: low frequencies (bass) start on the left, mids are in the middle and highs move towards the right. For low with most media players you'll want to focus on lowering the first 3 bands on the EQ. Mainly 120 hz and below. Start at the very left first (usually 30-60 hz) which will be the lowest frequencies and play with it a bit.
Click to expand...

im using the eq that is in the creative sound control panel. ill definatly try this out.
thx for the input.

if anyone knows a good cheap amp, my ears are still open
 
Corban227 said:
the main reason that started getting me looking at amps was that recently i noticed that when i am listening to bass heavy songs the bass will over power the mids and highs.
Click to expand...


One possible cause is hearing damage. If this is the first pair of headphones you've had that can actually produce bass, your ears might be a bit blown out disproportionately in the upper register, which will make it hard to hear sounds in that frequency range in the presence of lower frequencies. Healthy ears naturally tune in to mids and highs, not bass, so the fact your having trouble hearing the mids and highs might mean that either your equipment or your ears aren't functioning in a serious way...
 
I got a Little Dot Micro+ off eBay last year for about $80 shipped. It's not super powerful, but powerful enough to do the job, runs about 200 hours on a charge (!) and seems to have a very neutral sound signature. It doesn't have any sound "enhancing" options, just a volume control. If you're looking for a basic portable headphone amp, it's worth a look.

Dustin
 
Im running the Creative X-Fi extreme gamer card. just got it on sale recently.

Normaly i would lean towards hearing damage because i am a music major and have been in band forever. i know that has done a lot of stuff to my ears but in this case i can tell its the equipment. i know what it sounds like when my ears are only picking up the bass because of damage.

and i like your idea wadec22. i think ill try that to see if it improves the phones and if it does ill just keep it for ipod and airplane use. if the amp is the problem ill try to find a little dot amp. thanks for the advice guys
 
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