# Minor headphone upgrade; should I amp it?



## Aquinus (Dec 6, 2015)

Hi everyone. After almost 6 years of owning my Sennheiser HD 280 Pros, they're starting to show their age with regard to sound quality and non-replaceable cushions are started to degrade. Fortunately for me, my father-in-law asked me what I wanted for the holidays and he seemed willing to get me a new pair of cans. I really liked my 280 Pros however, my biggest complaint was that lows seemed a little muddy for being flat response cans, so after doing some research while sticking with Sennheiser, I decided to ask for the HD 380 Pros since closed backed was a requirement due to the environment where I work and they seem to handle lows much better than the 280s. The thing is that like my 280s, I'm going to be using them at home on my tower as well as work on my Macbook Pro and I've found that both don't always do justice to the 280 Pros but, I'm not entirely sure if that was due to the 280s being 64Ω or if it was just the cans themselves. The 380s are slightly less at 50Ω. I was wondering if it would be worth while to get USB DAC/Amp to drive it? If so, would something like a FiiO E10K be a good option?


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## Kursah (Dec 6, 2015)

I haven't gone with Senns ever, but my AKG 553Pro's are amazing closed back. The only closed back phone I can really enjoy after my HE-400's had to get shelved (and maybe sold someday...I'm avoiding that atm).

Well there's more than just ohms at play here...I would say that you'll get better control of your headphone's on various level with an amp at all listening levels.

If you don't need a DAC, a Cayin C5 would be the way to go. I've been told the FiiO E17 is better than the E10. I use an Aune T1 DAC/Amp and love it. I have an old FiiO E9 that I run from the T1's outputs when I need more power/ports.

I would say go for it, good price point, and decent output for an easier to drive heapdhone, I think you'll enjoy better controlled bass, mid and treble, and have some extra volume when you want it. 

Depending on your budget and needs you might try something different, but the E10K will just work, and will be easy...so there's always that. I recommend using Equalizer APO and Peace UI with DAC/Amps...but that's my preference.


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## FordGT90Concept (Dec 6, 2015)

I have HD 598s (50ohm too) and my amp (Schiit Magni 2) is overkill for them (never goes over 50% and it only approaches that on really, really, quiet recordings).  They should be easy to drive so just a good DAC is all that is required.

Caveat: my environmental sounds are subdued so I guess if you're in a loud environment, amping may be required.  Don't want to blow them though.


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## Kursah (Dec 6, 2015)

For those that think 50Ohms or less does not benefit from amplification, my Denon D2000's are 25 ohm, my JVC HA-RX700 are 48 ohms, HiFiMan HE-400 are 32 Ohms, my JVC HA-DX3's are around 90Ohms and my AKG 553 Pros are 32 Ohms, and all of them are noticeably better with amplification, not just in maximum volume, but frequency control, fuller bass with a stronger punch at lower volumes, better separation and clarity where a sound card or integrated card would cause a fuzz or distortion.

Anyone that takes time to research any of those headphones and hundreds of others will find most folks disappointed usually don't have amps, while most that enjoy them and review better have amps (unless they're not getting the "sound" they're listening for nor want to EQ...). An amp makes a difference. Sure the D2000 is easily driven at a paltry 25 Ohms...but its bass is anemic from my phone, computer's integrated audio circuits in comparison with the Aune T1 I use, or even my Toslink to Denon AVR-1613 receiver. Power and control can make a great difference overall.

My HiFi-Man HE-400's stand out as being of different driver technology (orthodynamic)...though going by the "low resistance = easy to drive"...these are audible on small devices...but compared to an amp...not even in the same universe sound-wise. Some people run this headphone on a speaker amp. I was able to run on Aune T1 and AVR with great success...and in the end the AVR was actually a little better. The FiiO E9 did good powering them a little more...but the AVR had a smoother sound with better bass. Though in the end these are far harder to drive than any of my headphones, including the 90-Ohm HA-DX3's.

The JVC's are what sold me on better sound cards and amplification. I've owned them since 2009-ish or so iirc ...likely longer though. I went from onboard to a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music and was in awe. I then upgraded to an Auzen Forte 7.1 w/HP Amp and took it to the next level that lasted me years. I eventually added a FiiO E9, Aune T1 DAC/amp and Denon AVR-1613 to the mix too.

There's also more to how hard a pair of headphones are to drive than just resistance, driver and chamber design and driver material are a few that come to mind. So while they might have lower resistance than a a 200-600+ Ohm headphone, that doesn't make them super easy to drive...easier yes...but to their audio potential...no. There are some headphones designed to be that easy to drive, and most of them still benefit from amplification. Even my ear buds benefit.

Being willing to EQ, and run an amp or DAC/amp is one of the best things I did to improve my audio experience at my PC. In the end it depends on what you're after though...because ultimately you will get that louder volume and depending on power output and handling from the headphones, this could be an issue. And crappy amps might add more crap to sound that doesn't necessarily help anything. It's also not all about the power output, but the quality of the output...just like big stereo equipment.

Just some food for thought. Not that my word is end-all, just my experienced opinion. Sure lower impedance can mean easier to drive...but not always. I've yet to spend time with a pair of headphones (or even gaming headsets) that didn't noticeably improve overall with amplification.


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## Frederik S (Dec 6, 2015)

The impedance is pretty useless unless you are trying to determine which type of amplifier design is suitable. All the headphones with a medium impedance 50-150 and above 98 dB/mW will be able to be powered pretty well out of any half-decent device!


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