[JackFrost 77]

Ok i'm a total noob at all this headphone stuff so please bare with my persistant questions... In my quest to get some decent headphones i'm deciding between ATH-AD900 or the BeyerDT880, if I chose the BeyerDT880 is it nescessary for me to get an amp or will it sound fine without one? If it does really need one what is a reasonabley priced amp I could get? And By reasonabley priced im talking <$400AUD since all the ones I could fine started at $400AUD and up.
Thanks in advance.

Cheers

 

[Veniogenesis]

Hi!

If you do get the DT880, you will need an amplifier. If you get a A900, you won't.


As for the amplifier you want, try asking in the amplifier section on the forum:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3


Cheers and good luck!
Venio

 

[volnhar]

Yeah the 880's will need an amp to get the best out of them.

I got my pair and to tell you the truth I tried to sell them as I didn't have a decent amp.

I had them paired with a pimeta, it was a good one, but I still found them cold and lacking.

I ended up getting a ASL MG-Head OTL amp and now I wouldn't trade them for anything.

But the MG-Head will cost you AUD $500 or more.

Then there are the replacement tubes.....

I haven't tried the AD-900, but I have been told by someone that they sound very different to the DT880's, but you wont need an amp for them.

 

[JackFrost 77]

damn....ok thanks for your help...i was hoping not to get an amp so ill see if i can find a cheap one otherwise ill have to settles for the ATH-AD900....but those beyers looked so nice *salviates* so cooomffffyyyy

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackFrost 77 damn....ok thanks for your help...i was hoping not to get an amp so ill see if i can find a cheap one otherwise ill have to settles for the ATH-AD900....but those beyers looked so nice *salviates* so cooomffffyyyy

You can build a cmoy, which will run you about USD 20-30 if you already have the necessary tools.

 

[RedLeader]

or get a friendly fellow head-fier to build one for you

 

[South_Korean]

first time might not go well building one.

 

[spinali]

I've used my DT880s both amped and non-amped. While it's true that they profit from a good amp, I'm pleasantly surprised when I listen to my CD player or iPod straight up; don't look for massive volume, but the sound is well-balanced, detailed, and attractive.

If you decide to invest in an amp later (and you will, regardless of which set of cans you buy -- at least if you hang around these forums), you'll have a great headphone that will sound even better.

At least that's how it worked for me.

 

[JackFrost 77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey You can build a cmoy, which will run you about USD 20-30 if you already have the necessary tools.

Well i am sort of ....a noob when it comes to this stuff so it probly wouldn't be a good idea for me to try, but it is tempting...

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinali I've used my DT880s both amped and non-amped. While it's true that they profit from a good amp, I'm pleasantly surprised when I listen to my CD player or iPod straight up; don't look for massive volume, but the sound is well-balanced, detailed, and attractive. If you decide to invest in an amp later (and you will, regardless of which set of cans you buy -- at least if you hang around these forums), you'll have a great headphone that will sound even better. At least that's how it worked for me.

Well that's what I had thought, that if I got the Beyers now without an amp they would still be alot better un-amped for the time being than my current headphones which where HD270's...I would get an amp in the future for them of course...in about a year....But I was just concernd about wether or not they still sound good without and amp or not and i have no way to find out if they're still ok without one ...

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackFrost 77 Well i am sort of ....a noob when it comes to this stuff so it probly wouldn't be a good idea for me to try, but it is tempting...

The first time is not so much hard as it is time-consuming. So definitely only consider it if you want to have some fun actually building something. In the end, your wallet will thank you.

 

[JackFrost 77]

Well could you possibley point me in the right direction for some kind of guide/tutorial as to how to go about making one? Also umm what are portable amps like? would they be any good to go with a DT880 ? cheers

 

[Lazarus Short]

...which sound GREAT with headphones. Keep away from anything lacking a volume control for the headphone jack. Size is no indicator. I have two integrated amps about the same size (small). The Radio Shack just sounds WRONG with headphones, like different parts of the music are not arriving together, but the MCS is very good. It is so good, I am going to compare it to my X-Cans as soon as I can pry it away from my ex-wife. It is just too good to be doing computer duty. The (mostly) Class-A Yamaha M-35 is cheap, sounds wonderful, and might do a great job powering cans thru the kind of adapter that QED makes to run cans off the speaker connections. I might try that myself with my M-35. Every audiophile should have an M-35.

Laz

 

[Duheng]

I recommended icute which is made in taiwan. it's very cute and powerful.

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackFrost 77 Well could you possibley point me in the right direction for some kind of guide/tutorial as to how to go about making one?

Here you go: http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/

But I also highly recommend heading over to the DIY Board, too: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=6

 

[jdogw]

What are some of the cheapest cmoy setups? I'm willing to do more work without sacrificing quality. I just don't want to pay a lot.