Help needed getting the most out of headphones

[PaulBoy]

I got a pair of headphones a few months ago and was immediately hooked after hearing how good CDs sounded again after several years of listening to CDs through my AV receiver & sub/sat system - since then I have tried one headphone amp (Rega Ear) which didn't float my boat & currently use a Rotel RA-01 stereo amp (which I will probably sell to fund my next upgrade!) - I upgraded my cans to Senn HD600's (which I love) and most recently got a PA2V2 portable amp which has transformed my "portable" listening using a CD Walkman and/or PDA with Senn PX100 cans - however the PA2V2 and the HD600's dont perform well together which is disappointing but gives me an excuse to try another dedicated headphone amp so I was wondering what you would recommend in the £200 range - Head-Fi focuses alot on the US market but I was looking at a few Chinese amps like the G&W T-2.6F Hybrid Amp / Mingda Meixing MC66-AE tube headphone amplifier / T-200 USB Tube (Headphone) Amplifier though maybe I'm getting too involved in how great they look rather than the sound
I'd certainly consider other UK sourced hardware if it exists in my price range
Paul

[Reano]

Musical Fidelity V3 headphone amp works well with HD600. (one on eBay at the mo) well in your price range. Another user hear says he's tryed something that beats the MF so read his suggestion (in one of the threads). Is this a portable rig that you need like the cMoy based amps or a more permanent desk?

[PaulBoy]

Originally Posted by Reano

Musical Fidelity V3 headphone amp works well with HD600. (one on eBay at the mo) well in your price range. Another user hear says he's tryed something that beats the MF so read his suggestion (in one of the threads). Is this a portable rig that you need like the cMoy based amps or a more permanent desk?

Thanks Reano will have a look on Ebay at the MF one - I am very happy with the PA2V2 for portable use but it is not gr8 with my Senns / permanent home setup - any comments on the Chinese amps I mentioned?
Paul

[Reano]

Unfortunately I have no experience of the chinese amps

[PaulBoy]

Reano No problem! I like what I have read on the X-Can so far and I might even be able to hear one as they are sold by a few local hi-fi dealers - £249 seems to be the RRP (?)
Slightly OT but what's the score with importing an amp from Hong Kong customs wise? The Chinese stuff would be sent from there so on top of the £200 cost what extra would HMC&E have off me?
Paul

[extremelydodgy]

Depends on what the declared value is. If it's declared for the full amount, you'll pay import duty, plus VAT, plus a handling fee on the part of the delivering company (Parcelforce, UPS, TNT, etc). On something declared at £200 that would probably add up to £70ish.

[pbirkett]

The X-Can v3 is an acquired taste. For sure it has a smooth set of mids and a definite noticable effect on the sound, but if you like a lot of bass driven music its probably best to stay away.

I've used the v3 paired with the 650 and while the combination was not bad, and clearly not offensive, I always craved for something a little harder hitting. I currently use and favour an ANT Amber however, i think maybe this is not quite the ideal amp for the 650, but then I was never that keen on the 650's personally so I sold them.

I know its a US based amp, but I'd be inclined to recommend a Gilmore Lite from headamp.com. I think this is one of the better amps around sub £200, and will deliver a clean, detailed, fast and lively sound to the HD650.

[PaulBoy]

Paul thanks for the input and your reply to my PM
I know from a thread on head-fi that you had/have the same Rotel stereo amp & I wondered how it compared to the various headphone amps you have/had?
You suggested the Gilmour Lite with HD650's (?) Was that a typo as I have the HD600's
Finally (for now ) have you any experience / point of view about the Chinese hardware I mentioned?
Paul

[satinder]

Originally Posted by pbirkett

The X-Can v3 is an acquired taste. For sure it has a smooth set of mids and a definite noticable effect on the sound, but if you like a lot of bass driven music its probably best to stay away.

I've used the v3 paired with the 650 and while the combination was not bad, and clearly not offensive, I always craved for something a little harder hitting. I currently use and favour an ANT Amber however, i think maybe this is not quite the ideal amp for the 650, but then I was never that keen on the 650's personally so I sold them.

I know its a US based amp, but I'd be inclined to recommend a Gilmore Lite from headamp.com. I think this is one of the better amps around sub £200, and will deliver a clean, detailed, fast and lively sound to the HD650.

One of the best posts ive seen on AV Forums for a headphone related thread .
I can 2nd the Ant Amber which i had use of for a few months (lent from a friend!).

Sat

[NicolasB]

You might want to consider upgrading your CD player rather than buying a headphone amp. I suspect the improvement in sound per pound spent would be greater.

[PaulBoy]

Originally Posted by NicolasB

You might want to consider upgrading your CD player rather than buying a headphone amp. I suspect the improvement in sound per pound spent would be greater.

NicolasB - I am presently using a pretty new Marantz CD5400 OSE CD player - what would you suggest & how much to see the improvement you reckon on by changing it (?)
Paul

[Reano]

When I first saw the thread I thought Cd Walkman would improve easily with that £200 budget. However the Marantz is not a bad CD Player if you want to upgrade then probably better to go second hand and listen and see. If you like the Marantz sound then look out for the 63se (older but the sound is really good) and 63 ki signature or the 6000 signature series. Not sure on the price. It will depend on how much you could get if you sell your existing player. But when looking at driving Senn's always a good idea to use a good headphone amp (either a good one built in to an existing amp or an external amp).

[PaulBoy]

Originally Posted by Reano

When I first saw the thread I thought Cd Walkman would improve easily with that £200 budget. However the Marantz is not a bad CD Player if you want to upgrade then probably better to go second hand and listen and see. If you like the Marantz sound then look out for the 63se (older but the sound is really good) and 63 ki signature or the 6000 signature series. Not sure on the price. It will depend on how much you could get if you sell your existing player. But when looking at driving Senn's always a good idea to use a good headphone amp (either a good one built in to an existing amp or an external amp).

I am happy with my CDP - but it is a 2nd "system" in the bedroom where I do all my headphone listening - I can either listen through the CDP as it has a headphone socket or (as I do) through the headphone socket of my Rotel stereo amp (which incidentally I have no speakers for! - due to room & "other half" issues ) Within budget (£200 ish) I would like to get the best out of my Senn HD600's ... Paul

[Reano]

What is the comparison between the CD Headphone socket and the Amp headphone socket? You need to get to a hifi shop dude and see if they have some headphone amps there as basically there will be a lot of ping ponging on this forum. I must say though I was impressed with the Marantz headphone out and that was on a DR6000 CD player/writer by Marantz.

[PaulBoy]

Originally Posted by Reano

What is the comparison between the CD Headphone socket and the Amp headphone socket? You need to get to a hifi shop dude and see if they have some headphone amps there as basically there will be a lot of ping ponging on this forum. I must say though I was impressed with the Marantz headphone out and that was on a DR6000 CD player/writer by Marantz.

Reano - I wish! Finding a hi-fi shop in this neck of the woods with ONE headphone amp is like looking for rocking horse sh!t - I am happy to get as much info as possible from here & elsewhere so that I can make a considered opinion - if I make a few errors along the way I can live with that (I'm a big boy) - Incidentally I've been offered an ANT Amber amp on loan by one of the dudes here so I'm well chuffed
Re the CDP headphone v the amp - both sound "decent" - I dont notice a big difference between them - but the PA2V2 with my portable system has transformed the sound of that & I'd like to try & get a similar improvement with my home setup ... Paul