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Post by dmented on Jun 22, 2006 20:50:53 GMT
Hello! I would just like to start off by saying what an amazing site this is, really good info... keep it up! Anyway, the reason I posted this thread is to ask if anyone has a good recommendation for an amp for sennheiser hd595s. I am not looking for anything too fancy, just something so I can get a little more out of my phones. (sub £100 ($150ish)) Also, does anyone know where I would be able to get it in the uk? Choice on ebay uk is pretty limited and there aren't a lot of online retailers selling 'affordable' headphone amps. thanks in advance!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 22, 2006 21:15:58 GMT
Hi dmented, Welcome aboard! First off the 595 is relatively easy to drive so you're not looking for a beast of an amp to drive them. I've driven them with an X-CAN V2 with very good results so can recommend the V2 / HD-595 combo. You're looking at between £100 - £140 for a secondhand V2 on ebay and you won't be disappointed with it I can assure you. You could also go with one of the portable amps such as a Cmoy or Mint, these come in at well under your £100 budget. There are so many to choose from and an ebay search for "headphone amplifier" will bring up quite a lot search.ebay.co.uk/headphone-amplifier_W0QQfkrZ1QQfltZ9QQfromZR8All the best. Mike.
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Post by dmented on Jun 22, 2006 21:20:49 GMT
thanks for the speedy answer! The v2s do look good... I will have to check those out. How good would a cmoy based amp sound? Does anyone have any experience with it?
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rickcr42
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 22, 2006 21:35:06 GMT
if you want to try a "cmoy" type amp (simple single opamp stage amplifier) go with the OPA627 which matches up well with Senns and go to a mains operated over battery operated power supply for best results for relatively cheap,not that the 627 can be considered cheap...
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xerxes
Been here a while!
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Post by xerxes on Jun 23, 2006 0:23:35 GMT
Bear in mind that the HD 595s sound like no other Sennheiser headphones I've ever heard. They are more forward and a lot brighter sounding. Having had several pairs of Senns over the years, the 595s were the only ones I didn't like, way too harsh and bright for me; I persevered with them for a few weeks, but eventually gave up and bought a pair of 650s. That's not to say they are bad headphones, lots of people seem to like them, but if the OPA627 is meant to complinent the normaly laid back sound of Sennheisers, it may not work so well with forward sounding 595's.
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rickcr42
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Rest in peace my good friend.
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 23, 2006 2:47:50 GMT
if anything the 627 is one of the smoother opamps you will find with the real strength being no loss of detail like some others with similiar sonics.Across the board no particular frequency jumps out at you so any peakiness in other areas will not be reinforced,just reproduced. If there is a fault with the 627 for me it is in the bass area and not that it is not there full spectrum just that it is not high impact bass which I like,
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 23, 2006 7:12:13 GMT
This poor guy is going to wonder what the fck we are talking about re: OPA 627 etc. Other good chips (smooth sounding) have to be OPA2604, OPA2227, OPA2107. If you (to the OP) decide to buy a Cmoy make sure the builder / seller has socketed the IC positions in order that you can opamp roll and find an opamp that synergises with the HD-595. As Rick say, OPA627 is nice and warm and may help tame the 595's inherent brightness but they come at a hefty price (around £11 each) probably worth it though and remember you'll need to browndog them which means you'll need 2 x opa627. If you want similar at a cheaper price then I would look no further than OPA2107 which is a dual channel opamp so you'll only need the one, it's 98% the same as the 627 sonically IMO. I have all these chips in stock should you end up buying a Cmoy type amp.
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Post by dmented on Jun 23, 2006 23:05:09 GMT
Thanks for the respnse and suggestions guys! It is true that the 595 do sound quite a bit different to other senns (sort of semi senn/semi grado ish)... but yeah, whatever. How much of a diference woud there be between buying a cmoy amp with one of the op amps you suggested, a 'btech (http://www.rock-grotto.co.uk/B-tech.htm)(found one on ebay), or just going for an x-can v2?
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xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
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Post by xerxes on Jun 24, 2006 8:26:54 GMT
It really depends on how good the headphone output section on your existing equipment is. The headphone output on some amps is pretty good and I doubt that something like the B-Tech would offer much improvement, if any.
It's difficult to say how much better than your existing headphone output, if at all, a headphone amp is going to be until you try and compare it. However, if you buy a used headphone amp and decide not to keep it, you should be able to get most of your money back if you sell it again.
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Post by dmented on Jun 24, 2006 14:27:50 GMT
I don't think that the amp that I am currently using is the best option. It is built in to the speaker (m-audio proStudio 4) so I am guessing that a dedicated headphone amp (even a relatively cheap one) would do a better job.
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rickcr42
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Rest in peace my good friend.
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 24, 2006 17:02:09 GMT
The main strength of a dedicated headphone amp many times is just getting crap out of the way of the signal so in a typical setup you have the actual source going directly from its output to the input of the headphone amp,the signal amplified by a circuit designed to operate with a headphone load,then the actual headphones. Less clutter always makes for a cleaner signal with the downside being many times any flaws readily heard being unmasked by the more pure path to your ears. Get the VA right (voltage/amps) for your actual headphones,choose a reasonably well known "engine" (the opamp or amp) and you can then concentrate on an upgrade path that makes sense in the context of your own system rather than getting the "I want" that so many do and who end up spending a lot of loot to mess up the SQ. Have you done any DIY Audio work before ??
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Post by dmented on Jun 24, 2006 17:43:11 GMT
no, I'm afraid I haven't... I have done some soldering with electronic components but not specifically for an audio device. In your last paragraph, I am not entirely sure what it is you are suggesting I do, could you clarify it for me? (pretty please.. ;D)
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rickcr42
Fully Modded
Rest in peace my good friend.
Posts: 4,514
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 24, 2006 18:41:54 GMT
knowing how to solder is probably 75% of the path DIY Audio success with not biting off too much fpr a first project maybe 10%,another 10% choosing the right project (for your individual needs rather than by popularity) and the final 5% pure dumb luck I have been at this for longer than most and still let out the "magic smoke" (short circuit=burned up parts ) on occasion ;D Early builds should be simple so the single stage opamp based cmoy amp a good first step project with a real good chance for success.My attitude is if you get a working amp and later decide you want something a bit more sophisticated you can either bounce the cmoy to a secondary set up status,maybe at the computer,or do what I do an make someone happy by gifting it out Stay away from the "known" problem chips that have special needs until you have the expereince to tackle the job unassisted.i say unassisted mainly because when I look at what passes for intelligent deign by many self proclaimed DIY experts it is evident they have no clue yet to say such openly brings on personal attacks so i say nothing whle the lemmings follow a bad design blindly,mucking up the sound when less loot and better SQ could have been had with a simpler lower parts count circuit. then again I am the anti-christ in most DIY audio forums so take that as you will I do that a lot so don't feel singled out.In fact I sometimes confuse ME when I read some of my older posts By V/A and SQ what I mean is match the amp up to the cans and with a specific use in mind or be prepared to have selector switches for universality. Example : a high gain low current amp may be fine with a 300 ohm low sensitivity headphone like the HD-580/600/650 but used with a more sensitive headphone,one with a lower impedance and you will have two problems 1-not enough current to get the bass right 2-too much voltage gain causing the volume control to be usable only at the very end of the rotation or the volume will become too loud too fast.the classic "twitchy" or "hair trigger" volume control. This also is responsible for the dreaded left/right channel imbalances pots are known to have due to this being the absolute worst area for dual potentiometer tracking-they like the middle to md-top area for best L/R matching. So you want to choose a chip having high current output and one that is stable at low gains. BUT ! that same amp when mated with the above Senns (300 ohm/low sensitivity) will satisfy because you will have to run it pretty much full out just to get enough volume for normal levels leaving ZERO HEADROOM for peak music events so will always be at the edge of going into clipping when you try to push it.The volume control will be the exact opposite of the above example by forcing you to use it always at the top end of the rotation. So unless you are prepared to add a mutliple gain selector switch,find an opamp that is both unity gain stable,has high current output good voltage drive (which also goes to absolute available power supply voltage !) AND are not shooting for a dual use amp where you may be using a source one day with an output voltage in the hundreds of milivolt region (portable player) then the next one with an output measured in volts (Home CD player for example,many in the 2-3 volt output range) anything less than designed for the actual use will be a comprimise. A lot to consider for such a simple thing as a CMOY amp no ? A bottom line multipurpose/multifunction single stage cmoy style amp needs an opamp with at least 30mA output current,is unity gain stable so you can run it at X2 gain (+6dB) for high sensitivity headphones driven from a CD player,can handle the high voltages required for harder to drive headphones needing a higher gain and even then the best bet is a battery pack for portable use rather than a nine volt battery unless size is ther most important factor then you need to use an op-amp with superior specs with a power supply of +/- 2.5 volts DC and why Chu Moy selected the OPA2134 as the engine in the orignal. All in all a pretty good "any power source" universal amp as are the OPA2227 and the AD825.Need more curent drive ? Tag on a buffer later .
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