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Is it worth buying a headphone amp?

I currently have the Sennheiser HD555 (modded to HD595), and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth buying a headphone amp to get better sound out of them--or if I'm better off investing in better headphones first. Right now, I'm using the headphone jack on my NAD C372, which has very high 220 Ohm output impedance (the Senns are 50 Ohm). The sound is a little thick, dry, and lacking in microdynamic detail. If I get a headphone amp, I'd run it through the tape out from my amp. I'm considering the Schiit Asgard, as I'd like to buy American and $250 is right on the dot for what I want to spend. Any other suggestions?

I should note that in the past I have owned some pretty good headphones (Senn HD600, AKG K501, Etymotic ER4P). Sold them and downgraded when I wasn't using headphones as much as I am now. If I do decide on new headphones, it'll probably be a used pair of HD600 or K702 with an amp for them further down the road.

Thanks for your thoughts!
ablang
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
Those are pretty good headphones and would likely benefit from a good headphone amp. Liz gave you some good advice, check with the dezizens at HeadFi.org and you'll get some good advice on the proper amp for those 'phones....

-RW-
doggiehowser
672 posts
 
Try some Schiit. It's pretty good bang for the buck and while the brand is new, the founders have been involved in some great companies before and bring something to the table.

Not too pricey either.
hew's avatar
hew
159 posts
 
You will probably get more informed opinion over at headfi.
jl35
3,978 posts
 
Sell the NAD and buy a Portal Panache; great integrated with great headphone jack, no remote or features, but great sound for the money.
ablang OP
165 posts
 
Thanks for the responses, folks. It seems like a headphone amp will benefit me greatly, but I'm still wondering if I should buy better headphones first. I did a little experiment this morning and plugged my Senns into my Macbook (I'm not a computer audio guy yet) with its output impedance around 30 Ohms, and despite the crappy sound card the sound was worlds better than it was through my NAD. Still not a great impedance match, but it was better.

Though the bass was diminished when plugged into the laptop (I think the impedance mismatch with the NAD emphasizes the mid-bass because of the Senns' high impedance spike around 100Hz), the mids and treble were clearer. Cymbals sounded like metal rather than papery electronic hash, though resolution still wasn't excellent. A brushed snare on Lucinda Williams' "Fruits of My Labor" sounded like vague background clatter (think paperclips being shaken in an empty OJ-concentrate can), while it resolves perfectly through my speakers. Not sure if that's a limitation of the headphones, though I do see that they're capable of better sound than I was getting.

The Portal Panache is new to me and looks like a great product. That might be a good future upgrade for me. For now, it's a little out of my reach. I've read a bit on Head-Fi but haven't joined yet, so I appreciate everyone's input here. Still don't know if I should put the Schiit or headphones on the list first (ideally I'll eventually do both)--but I'm open to further suggestions! Admittedly I'm still not a huge headphone fan, as listening fatigue sets in pretty fast for me even at low volumes, but they're good for keeping peace with the neighbors.
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