Amplifiers for headphones?

Any recommendations? Just saw one from Antique Sound Labs for $380. THe dealer told me prefered it to soid state Grado ones. Help needed as I'm about to buy one!

 

The Musical Fidelity headphone amplifiers are great, although I don't think they're true tube-powered units. I have the first version and like it quite well with my Sennheisser 600s; I think they're up to a third version now.

Dedicated headphone amps are the only way to go if you use headphones frequently. The sonic penalty of using the headphone output on a CD player or receiver is pretty severe.

 

Headphone amps?? Better go to the amplification section of head-fi.org.

 

Try the excellent-sounding all-tube Audio Valve RKV headphone amplifier or the Musical fidelity XCans v3. These two headphones got some excellent reviews from many stereo and hi-fi magazines.

 

The Musical Fidelity is up to a mk3 version, which I haven't heard as there's still a number of mk2's for the local distributor to sell through. The Perreaux headphone amp is pretty good - nice solid sound.

 

Do MF's have this terrible extremely bright blue lights on the front pannel which I saw on their amps and DAC? These give me an amost Gestapo-like torture!

 

Antique Sound Labs? Better be careful - their quality is very spotty. Their MG Hammer has a good reputation, though.

Musical Fidelitys are not true tube-based gear. The V2 is a hybrid - 6922 tubes in the preamplifier section, transistors at the output - but it's a true beast. 1 watt of output at full power. Whoa. The LED's are not bright blue. They are red. I own two of them. Awesome. Grados sound terrible when used with the MF, but Sennheisers sound like heaven on earth.

Supposedly, the V3 is even more refined than the 2. The V1 had op-amps instead of transistors.

Then, you have the Grado amp, which supposedly sounds the best with Grado Headphones.

Headphone.com's amps are good. The Total Airhead is a nice small amp, but it really can't power headphones such as the AKG's (the hardest headphone to drive, perhaps), Sennheisers or Etymotics. Their bigger offerings are excellent, and transistor-based.

The Perreaux is a good unit, but it does not have a strong reputation (as the MF, ASL and others have).

Bottom line - any headphone amp will sound miles ahead than your standard output...

 

Any idea how much better the sound on a good (<$400) headphone amp is or isn't than the sound of the headphone jack on a mid-range regular integrated amp?

 

A lot of the time the best amp depends on what headphones you are using. I have Grados sr80 and they seem to work fine using a walkman or phone jack on a receiver. I'm trying a Perreaux amp right now. There's some improvement with the amp, but not enough to justify the price of an amp.
I got to listen to a PPA and a META42 ( both DIY amps you can find on Head-fi.org) More improvement while listening through these amps. I then tried some Sennheiser 580 with this two amps. Big improvement. The PPA (basic one can be bought for around $400) was amazing. Like listening a real hi-end system. I just ordered some Sennheiser headphones (650) and will be getting someone to build me a PPA.
The Grados are easy to drive so I don't think an amp is absolutely necessary, but the Sennheiser's are harder to drive and definitely improve with an amp.

 

Love my Sugden Headmaster Headphone Amp
http://www.audiooutlet.com/product....ugden Headmaster&catName=Headphone Amplifiers
The detail I get in combo with my Senn 600's blows me away. In my NY apartment with a kid sleeping, I listen just about every night. Hi-Rez is blowing me away.
I have not heard any other headphone amp. I bought it based on raves at Head-fi.

 

hehehe, I have a great one to recommend!

E.A.R. V20... superb!

 

The Perreaux is fairly recent - it's reputation for headphone amps is not established, but their other amps are built to last and are well designed. They have established a name for themselves as one of the best amp manufacturers in the world. I would love to hear one of their headphone amps.

 

another addicting forum head-fi.org
I bought my HF amp from meier audio great guy