amplifier recommendations

[Padorkous]

Hello guys! I am looking for an amplifier which can drive the sennheiser hd 700 without problem. What would you recommend me? (up to 400usd and also i prefer solid amplifier)

[The Official Czex]

Hello guys! I am looking for an amplifier which can drive the sennheiser hd 700 without problem. What would you recommend me? (up to 400usd)

 

Bravo Audio makes decent, inexpensive amps.

[SleathX1]

Hello guys! I am looking for an amplifier which can drive the sennheiser hd 700 without problem. What would you recommend me? (up to 400usd)

Are you looking for solid state or tube? I think that's the most important question first.

[Fluffinator]

Hello guys! I am looking for an amplifier which can drive the sennheiser hd 700 without problem. What would you recommend me? (up to 400usd)

If you want something for years to come maybe a O2 dac/amp, those are pretty swell. I can recommend some tube amps too if you like that sorta thing.

[TumbleButt]

Do you want tube amps? or not? Because if I had a budget like that for just an amp, I'd be flipping shit with joy.

[Padorkous]

Are you looking for solid state or tube? I think that's the most important question first.

solid

[SleathX1]

solid

I'd say O2 + ODAC is a good place to start considering... Look at Schiit's options too.

[TumbleButt]

O2+ODAC is one really good option.

[xtroria]

O2 + odac or JDS labs element.

You could find used o2 odac for $75+$100.

Magni / modi 2nd gen is also very recommendable

[SSL]

Probably whatever you want. Not like the HD700 is a difficult load.

[ShearMe]

Probably whatever you want. Not like the HD700 is a difficult load.

 

It's almost as if engineers can make an expensive product perform great 

[SSL]

It's almost as if engineers can make an expensive product perform great 

 

But good headphones are hard to drive, they need a synergistic amp to scale to their full potential.

[AraiBob]

Hello guys! I am looking for an amplifier which can drive the sennheiser hd 700 without problem. What would you recommend me? (up to 400usd and also i prefer solid amplifier)

 

I bought a Yamaha RX-V363 five years ago, and it is working great. I only use it in two speaker mode, or head phones. I want the best sound to my ears, and this does the trick.

 

When I had WIndows on my PC, I used the Xonar D2 sound card, and it worked fabulously. I used the optical cable out to my Yamaha, and it was also great. But when I moved to motherboards containing separated audio, I gave it a try, and it was also great.

 

Having the amplifier outside the PC, electrically isolated (via the optical cable) seems to be the best way to do it. Directly plugging my headphones into the Xonar also worked, but I also like having the music come out the speakers.

 

Since I bought the Yamaha amplifier, so long ago in the electronics world, there are likely to be better stereo amplifiers, today. Take a usb stick to test them in the store, with music you are very familiar with and see if you can hear differences between what is in the store, and what you can remember at home. I did that, via a cd with 12 high bitrate mp3 files, and that helped me to pick both the amplifier and the speakers.

 

Once I brought them home and plugged them in, I got the sound I was expecting, and even better.

 

The biggest complaint I had with the Xonar was it insisted on making everything 5.1 channel, which sounded weird in my headphones. The Yamaha could 'accept' 5.1 feed, also, but I found that 'simple' dual channel (right and left only) was the best, for me. If there was a software update, I had to reset my settings back to 'stereo', annoying. Your mileage may vary.

 

Regards, AraiBob

[Fluffinator]

@AraiBob no offense but that wasn't very helpful, not that complicated, just buy the DAC/AMP plug it in, then plug in headphones..... and good to go.

[AraiBob]

@AraiBob no offense but that wasn't very helpful, not that complicated, just buy the DAC/AMP plug it in, then plug in headphones..... and good to go.

Fluffinator,

 

When I bought the stereo and put the parts together, DAC/AMP was still a new thing. I offer an alternative, for someone who is asking for opinions and ideas. The DAC/AMP is a single purpose device, whereas my Stereo can server multiple purposes, and provides great sound every time. at 100 watts per channel with no detectible noise for me.

 

I do enjoy the headphone sound I get, but I also enjoy the speakers, when I turn them on. Yeah!

 

Best regards, AraiBob

[spwath]

But good headphones are hard to drive, they need a synergistic amp to scale to their full potential.

Yeah, just as much as they need to have a good source with clean audio. Needs DAC and nice cables.

Then you can get silky, fresh, soft, yummy sound.

[SSL]

Yeah, just as much as they need to have a good source with clean audio. Needs DAC and nice cables.

Then you can get silky, fresh, soft, yummy sound.

 

Sigh...

[Footy]

Yeah, just as much as they need to have a good source with clean audio. Needs DAC and nice cables.

Then you can get silky, fresh, soft, yummy sound.

Source is important, however many of the issues you get from a PC source are reduced if you move the DAC element externally.

However if your playing an mp3 its still gonna sound crap.

Cables are much more important once the signal is analogue

[SSL]

Sigh...

[Footy]

Sigh...

I have noticed you are sighing a lot, perhaps you should go see a doctor, depression is a real and dangerous thing

[xtroria]

However if your playing an mp3 its still gonna sound crap.

 

No.

 

Cables are much more important once the signal is analogue

As long as the cable's good, it's all good

[creatip123]

Source is important, however many of the issues you get from a PC source are reduced if you move the DAC element externally.

However if your playing an mp3 its still gonna sound crap.

Cables are much more important once the signal is analogue

 

Agreed about the external dac potentially remedies PC source issues (providing it got issues in the first place)

 

About the digital files themselves, the quality of the recording itself is far more important (than the way it's encoded). A bad recorded FLAC will still sound crap, while a good recorded 128kbps MP3 will still sound good. Of course you can test this yourself. Pick a good recorded FLAC, encode it to MP3, and try to do a comparison. 128 and 192kbps MP3 can still be discernible for some people with sharp ears, but I never heard or read anyone able to discern a 320kbps MP3 encoded from FLAC from the original FLAC.

 

I do believe amps, dacs, and even cables can alter the sounds to a certain extent. The issue is the scale of difference. In most cases, it's not worth it to shell out the extra money for that scale of difference. If the budget is there, it's far better to upgrade the headphone and/or speakers. I've auditioned $5 to close to $1000 headphone and interconnect cables. There are some differences (for better or worse), but I got to cringe and concentrate really hard to hear it. Which I don't think is an ideal music-listening situation. Surely nobody would wanna cringe and concentrate for hours of music listening. 

[SSL]

I have noticed you are sighing a lot, perhaps you should go see a doctor, depression is a real and dangerous thing

 

Yeah, and somehow I doubt you actually care.

[BoredErica]

Agreed about the external dac potentially remedies PC source issues (providing it got issues in the first place)

 

About the digital files themselves, the quality of the recording itself is far more important (than the way it's encoded). A bad recorded FLAC will still sound crap, while a good recorded 128kbps MP3 will still sound good. Of course you can test this yourself. Pick a good recorded FLAC, encode it to MP3, and try to do a comparison. 128 and 192kbps MP3 can still be discernible for some people with sharp ears, but I never heard or read anyone able to discern a 320kbps MP3 encoded from FLAC from the original FLAC.

 

I do believe amps, dacs, and even cables can alter the sounds to a certain extent. The issue is the scale of difference. In most cases, it's not worth it to shell out the extra money for that scale of difference. If the budget is there, it's far better to upgrade the headphone and/or speakers. I've auditioned $5 to close to $1000 headphone and interconnect cables. There are some differences (for better or worse), but I got to cringe and concentrate really hard to hear it. Which I don't think is an ideal music-listening situation. Surely nobody would wanna cringe and concentrate for hours of music listening. 

Too many people complain about amps and dacs and not about the loudness war.

[creatip123]

Too many people complain about amps and dacs and not about the loudness war.

 

Actually, '...not about how hot or not the singer is....'