headphone amp worth buying?

A

AT49ers

New Member
Hey guys i just wanted to know if i should buy a headphone amp. I have the sennhieser 598 HD's (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=26-106-522&ParentOnly=1) and am going to get a OMEGA eClaro sound card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271006) is a nice headphone amp worth buying? or would it not really better the audio quality and just be redundant. Thanks a lot guys :D:D



P.S. this was the headphone amp that i was looking at: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/JDSLabs/O2_ODAC/

if you have a better suggestion i'd love to hear it ;)
 
Normally I'd say don't bother, it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.

What's nice about JDSLabs/any external DAC is it takes the analogue stage of your audio away from all the noise and potential interference of your computer, but if you don't have any interference then I just wouldn't bother. 99.9% of DACs use the exact same, off-the-shelf chip... Will you notice a difference? Probably, but I'd say it's a lot of money to spend on something that isn't really necessary, and any difference will be slight.

And that whole tube/valve thing is a gimmick - there's no reason to have one in a headphone amp, it's undesirable.
 
PunterCam said:
Normally I'd say don't bother, it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.

What's nice about JDSLabs/any external DAC is it takes the analogue stage of your audio away from all the noise and potential interference of your computer, but if you don't have any interference then I just wouldn't bother. 99.9% of DACs use the exact same, off-the-shelf chip... Will you notice a difference? Probably, but I'd say it's a lot of money to spend on something that isn't really necessary, and any difference will be slight.

And that whole tube/valve thing is a gimmick - there's no reason to have one in a headphone amp, it's undesirable.
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Id argue that with you but its not worth arguing.
 
Pretty much a tube amp will provide a more involved experience and more clarity as long as you are taking the time to find the right one for you. As well as tuning it with different tubes. They are more expensive because the only place that i believe still makes some tubes is Russia, and quantities are scarce. Solid state stuff is more plentiful because transistors are cheap and you might end up with a tradeoff for that. If i had the bills id go with a tube amp, that is what my friends swear by, and I believe them. But if you want a easy to use setup that will likely not fail due to a burnt out tube, go with the solid state amp.
 
FuryRosewood said:
Pretty much a tube amp will provide a more involved experience and more clarity as long as you are taking the time to find the right one for you. As well as tuning it with different tubes. They are more expensive because the only place that i believe still makes some tubes is Russia, and quantities are scarce. Solid state stuff is more plentiful because transistors are cheap and you might end up with a tradeoff for that. If i had the bills id go with a tube amp, that is what my friends swear by, and I believe them. But if you want a easy to use setup that will likely not fail due to a burnt out tube, go with the solid state amp.
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Just all wrong I'm afraid. Tubes/valves do not give more clarity, or a "more involved" listening experience. It's all marketing crap, and nonsense. What you want is a mic amp that turns the signal up and does nothing else.
 
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