A question about headphones

UPDATE:

I just wanted to give all of you that took an interest in my project an update.  I purchased a 'new to me' Shitt LYR 2 headphone amp and a pair of Hifiman HE-R9 cans.  To sum it up, I couldn't be happier for a first time setup and came in under $1000 CDN.

The amp and headphones sound fantastic.  There are two tubes in the amp and they have a great sound.  As a bonus, I don't have any of the interconnect hassles I thought I might have.

RCA Output 2 on my preamp ran directly to the line inputs on my SVS SB-2000 Pro sub.  I plugged these directly into the line in on the LYR 2.  Line out on the LYR 2 goes to the sub.  When the headphones are connected, the inputs to the sub disconnect by themselves automatically.

The only manual step I have to do is turn off Output 1 on my preamp that feeds the balanced input to my power amp.

The HE-R9 can kick out a lot of bass that I like with the 60s and 70s music I enjoy.

Prior to all this, I did have a set of Bose BT ANC headphones.  You know what they say, 'no highs, no lows, must be Bose'.  Anyway, there is no comparison.  I was looking for a hi-res audiophile type solution for home and am satisfied with my start.  Knowing me, now I will want to collect headphones and an open-back design will be first on my list.

A lot of your opinions factored into the direction I went so my thanks goes out to your knowledge, experience and willingness to help.

Congrats!  And that’s for the follow up. 

RCA Output 2 on my preamp ran directly to the line inputs on my SVS SB-2000 Pro sub.  I plugged these directly into the line in on the LYR 2.  Line out on the LYR 2 goes to the sub.  When the headphones are connected, the inputs to the sub disconnect by themselves automatically.  The only manual step I have to do is turn off Output 1 on my preamp that feeds the balanced input to my power amp.

Neat little setup there!  Nice job figuring that out and picking some nice pieces, and glad the sound is giving you what you were looking for.  I’d absolutely encourage looking for some open-back ‘phones.  You seem to really like the Hifiman sound, so something like the Ananda Stealth or Arya Stealth (which I own) should be high on your list.  Anyway, congrats again and enjoy!

Congratulations. Sounds like you hit on a good solution without breaking the bank.

I suppose you tried directly connecting to your preamp. My guess is that the sound is much better through your headphone amp. But, I’d be interested to hear what you think after a lot of hours on your new setup and you know what it sounds like.

I don’t think I know anyone (that is into high end audio) with one set of headphones… or headphone amps for that matter. Watch out. I guess it is that it is so much less expensive than main systems. But, you end up realizing different headphones have very different power requirements and headphones sound very different and you can switch quickly.

But a word of caution, you do have to match well. I have a very smart friend that for some reason seems to be unable to do component matching and has half a dozen flee sized head amps and he keeps buying headphones that require large amounts of current and can’t figure out why they don’t sound great.

But have fun! I love my Sennheiser HD800s… open backed and simply phenomenal. But until I had a phenomenal high current tube amp they were like many people describe them too trebly and a bit lean. Not at all in my system.
 

If there is a take away from me, it is that a lot of weaknesses in different high end headphones go away when feed correctly… massive current and natural detailed sound. My HD800s and Focal Utopia now sound pretty similar… when with lower level electronics they sounded vastly differently.

But have fun! I love my Sennheiser HD800s… open backed and simply phenomenal. But until I had a phenomenal high current tube amp they were like many people describe them too trebly and a bit lean. Not at all in my system.

I think @ghdprentice nailed it.  Just like with home systems, HeadFi systems in the end are all about synergy.  No substitute for that and trial and error.  The more work you put in, the more you get out.  Such is audio.  

I tried plugging my headphones directly into the 1/4" plug on the front of my C48 preamp and it sounded terrible - at least as far as hi-fi is concerned.  There was no comparison connecting the line out on the preamp to the line in on the headphone amp - the sound was amazing!  

I was mentioning in my earlier post that the only manual task I had to do before listening with the headphones was to turn off output 1 that feeds the power amp.  Well McIntosh makes that too easy because that function is on the McIntosh remote control (which I never use).

I have heard a lot about the Sennheiser HD800s in that the name comes up often.  Depending how much use my present headphones get, at least I  now have a gift suggestion for my wife the next time she asks!