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lexxmexx

Headphone Amplifiers

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I have the Audio Technica Ath-M50 and Senn HD201 headphones and use them mainly on my PC with the miserable on-board Reaktek sound module. I am looking to upgrade the audio interface to the Creative Emu 0404 USB but have yet to find it.

 

Do I need to get an amplifier to get the better sound quality (volume increase is secondary) from these cans? I don't mind if its portable or desktop amps as long as long as the sound quality is better and it is powered by either USB bus power or AC socket.

 

If amps are necessary to get more juice of the cans, any suggestions on which amp to get? Preferably around S$100 or so. Would be really grateful if you can also provide the price and store location.

 

Thanks :)

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A decent source would do the trick - the ATH M50 is pretty damned easy to drive - though, i've had better luck with a laptop realtek than a desktop realtek for some reason.

 

I'd suggest probably bumping up the budget, and either try to get a decent inexpensive DAC or DAW (which make good sources ;p) first.

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Thanks for replying :)

 

Which DAC do you recommend?

 

When you mentioned DAW, did you mean Digital Audio Workstation? I believe you are referring to software :) I have Sonar 7 and Reason 5 running on my PC for song arrangements, if that's what you mean :)

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the hardware used to interface the software with mics and other hardware - I'm currently using an m-audio fastrack (which costs roughly the same as the creative x-fi - around 200ish i think) to play my music out of - i don't have a dedicated DAC at this point, nor am i considering one for now ince they work. The setup works gloriously, and its decent enough for a starter audiophile setup. ANY breakout box for a DAW should work decently well, and be a massive improvement over built in soundcards.

 

Most DAW software talks to the DAW hardware over ASIO, and foobar2000 has an asio plugin, so you can use that.

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i suggest you get a nuforce icon mini or a fiio E7...

 

it should be sufficient to drive the M-50 with enough dynamics and authority... the difference in sound quality as compared to the onboard soundcard should be noticeable...

 

these 2 amps/DACs are quite versatile in a sense you can use it at home or away from it, can be used as a stand alone DAC or amp and can be hooked up to a notebook or any DAP...

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The Fiio E7 is an audio interface and I have something else in mind :) The Nuforce Icon Mini looks good, where can I get it?

 

the E7 has an amp section man... just like the nuforce icon mini...

 

u can get the icon mini at treoo or at audio-iconic

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Thanks for replying :)

 

Which DAC do you recommend?

 

When you mentioned DAW, did you mean Digital Audio Workstation? I believe you are referring to software :) I have Sonar 7 and Reason 5 running on my PC for song arrangements, if that's what you mean :)

 

I recommend MHDT Havana which will be available on Classified soon..

 

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I found these amps on Amazon but they cannot be shipped to Singapore.

Anyone knows where in Singapore can I get any of these?

  • ART HeadAmp4 Four Channel Headphone Amplifier
  • Behringer HA400 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp
  • Rolls HA43-Pro 4 Output Stereo Headphone Amplifier
  • Pyle-Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier

 

 

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if they ship US only, you might consider using a service like comgateway to transship - they even handle disputes for you if the buyer dosen't send the product.

 

Other than that, the M50s work pretty well with the nuforce udac2 - i got mine from audio iconic - it sounds fantastic and has plenty of power to spare and its pretty small, there's been some controversy over it on HF, but IMO, i can't quite tell the channel mismatch and distortion that was claimed is there. I've switched to it from the maudioboxen i was using before.

 

 

Edited by Faileas

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How about Cambridge DAC magic? since the M50 is relatively easy to drive, you might as well add a DAC to carry it further?

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I am actually looking for standalone amps to connect to soundcards, not those with DACs. I have a Fiio E5 but because it runs on internal batteries and if I leave it connected to my PC all the time via USB, the constant charging will wear out the battery in no time.

 

Are there any shops in Singapore that sells standalone budget headphone amps like the one I mentioned earlier?

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I found these amps on Amazon but they cannot be shipped to Singapore.

Anyone knows where in Singapore can I get any of these?

  • ART HeadAmp4 Four Channel Headphone Amplifier
  • Behringer HA400 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp
  • Rolls HA43-Pro 4 Output Stereo Headphone Amplifier
  • Pyle-Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier

 

behringer is sold locally as pro-equipment.

regional office is here in SG - look it up.

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