Mozelleple - expanding my audiophile equipment :)

So I've been using the Denon AH-D5000 headphones for quite a while now and its been annoying me that I don't have a pair of headphones that I can bring on holiday, to a friend's house, on the bus, at the gym, outside on the beach etc.. Well now I finally do.. My mum's ordered a Klipsch S4A to go with my new Samsung Galaxy SIII smartphone I'm getting for my birthday! :D

Main surround system: B&W DM 685, Denon AVR 1911, KEF KHT3005

Night time home setup: Denon AH-D5000 amped by the Denon receiver, no dedicated headphone amp yet, I am uncertain of what to buy // don't have the money yet

Portable setup: Klipsch S4A/Galaxy S3

next step: buying headphone amp. Onlything I am missing. Once I have my headphone amp I will be complete. So then I have everything I need until I get a job and can start upgrading my speakers/receiver/cans/projector/gaming PC but I don't see that happening any time soon (got at least 3 years of university before I start working)

buying headphone amp. Onlything I am missing. Once I have my headphone amp I will be complete.

Mozelleple112

Anyways what sort of budget are you on?

[QUOTE="Mozelleple112"]

buying headphone amp. Onlything I am missing. Once I have my headphone amp I will be complete.

NVIDIATI

Anyways what sort of budget are you on?

The headphone amp I tested was the Argon HA-1, which costs about $150 in Norway

Sounded a little bit better than my Denon AVR1911 receiver, but not that much difference. Produced more bass, but only barely (I use max bass setting on my denon receiver, which does provide a lot more bass than no receiver/amp)

So that is the only headamp I've tested and tbh it is not worth paying an extra $150 since it doesn't sound a hundred and fifty dollars better than my receiver.

I've been considering the O2 amp/dac combo as it doesn't cost that much and basically everyone recommends it in the audio/video section of a Diablo 3 forum

Do you have any input?

http://nwavguy.blogspot.no/2011/07/o2-headphone-amp.html

$243 for amp/dac combo but remember I have to pay shipping to Norway and 25% tax so at the very least this thing would cost me $300 and better sound a lot better than my receiver/the Argon HA-1.

The O2 wouldn't be my first pick, sure the battery power is nice, but how often would you use something like that on the go? Well that's up to you.

Personally I've taken a liking to Audio-gd, they have some amazing price/performance. Units starting from $200 and go up from there.

The unit I own is the NFB-10SE, it uses two DAC chips (Wolfson's flagship the WM8741) one per channel and a Wolfson WM8805 for anti-jitter. The unit is fully balanced and can power essentially any headphone, even the HiFiMAN HE-6. It also makes a great pre-amplifier (balanced as well). It has 2 gain settings, 9 filter modes and 3 separate digital inputs. The overall sound signature is neutral.

The unit price is $500, but Audio-gd declared the value as $150 when I imported it into Canada.

If you want to find out more information check there webpage (audio-gd.com) or the many threads on Head-fi.

Another popular entry level amp/dac is the NFB-12 (uses the same DAC chips as the NFB-10SE).

*not my picture, credit to a head-fi user* NFB-10SE on the bottom shelf, NFB-12 right above it:

Of course you could always get a seperate DAC and headphone amp. But as the NFB-10SE, NFB-12 and others can also act as a pre-amp you can easily output them to any headphone amp or speaker amp you get in the future.

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One other thing to mention is that the Galaxy SIII uses a Wolfson WM1811 which should be Voodoo compatible. What's Voodoo you may ask? In Laymon's terms a software for android phones using certain Wolfson chips that allows you to take better advantage and control of the onboard dac/headphone amplifier. Voodoo started mostly on the Galaxy S (the SII used a Yammaha chip).

ex of Voodoo:

So turns out you're getting an audiophile phone too :P

The O2 wouldn't be my first pick, sure the battery power is nice, but how often would you use something like that on the go? Well that's up to you.

Personally I've taken a liking to Audio-gd, they have some amazing price/performance. Units starting from $200 and go up from there.

The unit I own is the NFB-10SE, it uses two DAC chips (Wolfson's flagship the WM8741) one per channel and a Wolfson WM8805 for anti-jitter. The unit is fully balanced and can power essentially any headphone, even the HiFiMAN HE-6. It also makes a great pre-amplifier (balanced as well). It has 2 gain settings, 9 filter modes and 3 separate digital inputs. The overall sound signature is neutral.

The unit price is $500, but Audio-gd declared the value as $150 when I imported it into Canada.

If you want to find out more information check there webpage (audio-gd.com) or the many threads on Head-fi.

Another popular entry level amp/dac is the NFB-12 (uses the same DAC chips as the NFB-10SE).

*not my picture, credit to a head-fi user* NFB-10SE on the bottom shelf, NFB-12 right above it:

Of course you could always get a seperate DAC and headphone amp. But as the NFB-10SE, NFB-12 and others can also act as a pre-amp you can easily output them to any headphone amp or speaker amp you get in the future.

----------

One other thing to mention is that the Galaxy SIII uses a Wolfson WM1811 which should be Voodoo compatible. What's Voodoo you may ask? In Laymon's terms a software for android phones using certain Wolfson chips that allows you to take better advantage and control of the onboard dac/headphone amplifier. Voodoo started mostly on the Galaxy S (the SII used a Yammaha chip).

ex of Voodoo:

So turns out you're getting an audiophile phone too :P

NVIDIATI

Wow cool, I knew the Galaxy SIII was a great choice :P Do you have links for those items? I'll list them up as a future consideration. Would you even bother getting an amp with the Klipsch S4A btw? the $60 O2 bass booster looks really cool, only 60 bucks lol. Mozelleple112

Audio-gd webpage- shipping prices are listed on their webpage (they usually come out less when you ask for a quote) and they will declare your order to be lower value to save you on import taxes.

NFB-12.1 - $215 USD

Head-fi NFB-12 thread (12.1 is an updated model)

NFB-10SE- $500 USD starting price

Head-fi NFB-10SE thread

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I don't think you'll need an amp or anything like the O2 bass booster, especially if you get Voodoo to unlock the full potential of your Galaxy S III. Not to mention the S4 headphones already have a slight emphasis on bass.

So what's wrong with the 1911? So far i've found AVRs to be just fine, if not you are probably looking to plunk down serious money for a good "headphone amp" to power those monsters. Also i've been told to stay away from those cheap USB headphone gizmos. I'd get a receiver with pre-outs and see if it makes a difference, then add an amp later to power the speakers and your headphones.
Don't forget the Audinst MX-1 ^X360PS3AMD05

I know this is an old thread, but if you're still looking for a travel headphone and love the DT770's, you might consider the V-Moda M80's, which have a very similar sound. I used them for a month and loved them, but really wanted an over-ear for daily listening. Still highly, highly recommended if you love the DT770s but need portability. BozBozanimal