dougoftheabaci

I'm just going to leave these here: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ultimate-headphone-guide-articles-what-headphone-amplifier-and-why-do-i-need-one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphone_amplifier#Output_Impedance The short version is that it provides enough stable, clean power that you will hear your headphones to the most of what they can do. That's the idea. Will they sound good without? Of course, if they are good headphones they'll sound good no matter what. Doesn't mean your amp does nothing or just makes it loud. Or just is used to do a bit of coloring. Though I agree, many audiophiles will tell you that you require an expensive amp to even make them worth listening to. I don't agree, I use my Noble 4C's all the time without my amp and they sound great. But I still prefer the sound with my amp.

"Good" is pretty subjective and every headphone amplifier changes the sound in some way. The trick is finding one that changes it in a way you like. I tend to look for gear that expands the sound stage while keeping everything as neutral as possible. Other people tend to prefer amps that make the sound more warm (which is why tube amps are so popular). Headphone amplifiers provide another service beyond potentially adding volume. People don't think about it but the audio section in most consumer devices is designed to work with just about everything. Jack of all trades, master of none. That's what ends up happening. Where a dedicated external headphone amplifier will output a signal that tends to enhance the sound qualities of a specific headphone. That's why not all headphones and amplifiers pair well but some do exceptionally well. Speaking of the LCD-3, they tend to pair unbelievably well with Schiit's gear because Schiit's stuff is specifically designed for things like planar magnetics.

They never sound as full without an amp, not in my experience.

+1 to Shure SE215. I've bought/recommended those for/to quite a few people. They are a well-built headphone, good strong cable, nice natural sound signature (not quite neutral, a bit more lively than truly flat, but in a good way).

As a general rule of thumb even headphones that cost several hundred dollars don't necessarily need an amp. Some do, planar magnetics are going to. But most anything with a 3.5mm jack will work fine without an amp. If you get them and feel like you aren't getting enough volume or things are a little flat or dull sounding then you can get an amp.

As a general rule of thumb you will get better audio from headphones at a significantly cheaper price than you will from speakers. For example, You can spend $700 on a pair of headphones (plus another $500 for the amp and DAC to drive them to excellence) and to get an equivalent speaker quality would cost you around $2,000 per speaker, plus more for a receiver that can handle them. You get headphones because you want to listen to music on your own and enjoy it as much as you can. You get speakers because you don't want to have to always wear headphones or you want to be able to listen with other people.

10% of my state things vaccination is for suckers. I learned about Measles parties the other day. I thought it was an Onion joke. The problem is that when you do double-blind tests people tend not to be able to tell, not better than what you'd expect through blind luck. Now there are a lot of reasons why that might be, lack of familiarity with the equipment or the music... That sort of thing. At that level music listening because highly analytical and you need to look for the tiniest of differences. But it does bring into question exactly how much of that is placebo (something that is very well documented in the pharmaceutical industry). For context, all of this comes from a guy who has paid $300 for a custom cable for his custom in-ear monitors. That cable broke and was replaced by a $75 cable that was purchased solely because it's extremely light weight and really strong. (For comparison the stock cable runs for about $50.)

I'd vote for doing that anyway. Unless you have a bargain-basement PC the onboard audio is going to suffice as a DAC and do as well as a FiiO E10K. So drop all the money into the AMP. Besides, they make really inexpensive USB DACs that'll run you about $20 and will deliver as good of an experience as most FiiOs.

Yeah but that's the thing, for the price I'd just get a Magni 2. You can pair it with the Modi if you ever decide to upgrade to having a DAC and you end up with a very respectable little Schiit stack. Not as flexible as an O2+ODAC but most people don't need a stack that can drive a huge variety of headphones.

The O2 can drive everything from CIEM's to planar magnetics. I would know, I use mine with my Noble 4C's and HE-500's. You might have to make a special request but there's not much an O2 can't drive well. The Magni 2 especially is a recommendation I stand by. I've heard of the two being paired very successfully to great results. And as I've said I own several Schiit products (hehe) and their build quality is top-notch. Their stuff is meant for harder to drive headphones, it's where they excel. Their stuff also looks sexy, which is a nice bonus. Honestly I wish they made a wider range of gear if only so I could get something from them to drive my Noble 4C's. Schiit has a new product. Plus you get to say to people, "Listen to this Schiit." That's worth the price of admission on it's own!

I also spend more than $50 on headphones... So might have something to do with it. I'll keep the NuForce's in mind for my own recommendations in the future. I'm always a fan of flat cables if only because they don't tangle nearly as easily (unlike my current cable that loves nothing more).

They exist. Example: http://smile.amazon.com/MOCREO-Bluetooth-Wireless-Streaming-Receiver/dp/B00QCO4EG4/ Dunno how well they work, however. Sounds like this one has about 6 hours of battery life. Your mileage will vary.

Nice. I usually recommend Skullcandy because of my brother. He's a ski patroller and they're one of the few that's lasted long enough for him to loss, haha. I tend to just buy headphones with replaceable cables. Simpler.

What's their durability like? With cheap headphones my only real concern is how durable they are (or aren't). Beyond that... For so cheap they all sound the same to me.

Certain metals have different resistances. It can effect the volume you need to use but I don't think it actually effects sound quality. Once you control for the differences in volume people can't tell the difference. The only real difference you get with after-market cables is different ergonomics and microphonics. Some cables, if you flick them, transmit that noise directly to your ears in a painful way. Some do not. Some you can hear as they scrape along any surface, others you don't. The cable that comes with the Hifiman HE-500 is a nightmare. It's crazy stiff and if it hits ANYTHING you'll hear it in your headphones. I had to replace it with a custom one that was individually braided and wrapped in cloth. Way more flexible, no sound travels up the cable. But yeah, aside from stuff like that you don't get much of a benefit from custom cables.