Headphone amp questions???

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sunrise

sunrise

Member
2005-05-08 12:02 pm
delta quadrant
  • #1
    Head-amp questions???

    Hi,


    I have MbQuart 450Pro dynamic headphones (300 ohm impedance) and I am looking an amplifier (looking about 1,2, i don't know how much years - a very good one) to work with them. These headphones are very good ones (used to monitor final stage of music recording in studios) but they are a little bit closed and like to have a very quick, open, with lots of air arround,spacious and dynamic amplifier.... I have made few amplifiers (some of them qrv07 (PerAnders), some opamp designs with no names, brute force in a line stage (Barbour), some 5687 tube designs,...)but none of them worked best with them (I have allways feeling that they could perform better).
    I am currently listening to a qrv-07 from mr. PerAnders using opa134 and TPA6120 opamps (I will try to put OPA627 instead of OPA134). It is o.k. but too clinical and not so spacious. Everything is inside my head (not going arround it - if You know what I mean)........
    I have been looking to an Borbely Tube Mosfet Opamp from Designing an Opamp Head-amp article.....Would this be the answer for me?
    I would appreciate suggestions - what to do (make) since I am tired of looking..... (yes, i know that this might be painfull road)...

    Suggestions what might be the solution would be helpfull - no output transformers please.....
    best regards
    sunny
     

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    Raj1

    Member
    2003-01-01 7:21 pm
    UK
  • #5
    Hi,

    are opt's being rejected in terms of cost or performance?

    I have sennheiser hd580's, I use an output stage using 3a5's and the sowter 8650's with tvc, the opt can drive down to 100ohms, I get quite a nice sound from this setup. Not the greatest oomph, but pretty well balanced in terms of sound. I have previously tried the wna head amp, it had more grunt, but the edge definition was sharp, and it was not quite as engaging too clinical). You might want to try posting at headwize, you'd probably get more replies as it's dedicated to headamps........


    thanks
    raja
     
    sunrise

    sunrise

    Member
    2005-05-08 12:02 pm
    delta quadrant
  • #7
    Raj1 said:
    Hi,

    are opt's being rejected in terms of cost or performance?

    raja
    Click to expand...

    Cost is the problem - i posted there and there seems that there are not a lot people that can help me..... i postes here on tubes and after that on solid state (i hope that moderators would not be angry about that - i am very unhappy about that..... i have searched for years to shape everything and now is the bad fase.... :(
    i am fealing that i put money and time in it and after years didn't get really anything accept knowledge but the quality is not that bigger ....... so why am i putting money in it in first place - why i didn't buy something... money is the object - right -- so i am back at the beginning..... oh boy.... bad fase like i said....... will be better .... sun is still shining....

    SY said:
    Have you looked at the design that Broskie has over at Tube Cad?
    Click to expand...

    yes - i kind of like tubes better.... but wouldn't say that i would use them before everything.... still i would like to use what is better.....
    i didn't tried anything from there .... i don't know how good this stuff there is since mr. broskie (like he said once i belive) has a very broad view on things - so i don't know if his projects are a middle fase... i like a complete prject that is working like hell.... i am working on a aikido from his site right now (had problems with 6n6p tubes.... one bad and two destroyed because of the low Ucf - mine was to high (120V and tube specs are 100V) - didn't saw that one comin' :(.... maybe i should try some of his ideas...... suggestions would be great.....
    thanks guys for reading this till the end..... i needed it....
     
    sunrise

    sunrise

    Member
    2005-05-08 12:02 pm
    delta quadrant
  • #11
    EC8010 said:
    Perhaps with such a specific question you should have a look at the Headwize site?
    Click to expand...

    i have done that - only few answers and they were no yes or no's - more people over here so i decided to ask the same question here..... i see that there will be no answer here (dificult question is the problem).... i also asked the guys at mbquart what do they suggest to use with those headphones..... if they tell me what they would use i could do something with it....either way i am preparing to try borbely amp but with jfet instead of the 6dj8 or 6gm8... maybe it would be better.... don't know....
    we will see.... what to say more.... to many questions here to answer .... i know for sure that i must do something since the headphones don't work the best they could.... :(

    best regards
    sunny
    :smash:
     
    TerryO

    TerryO

    Member
    2002-11-28 7:33 pm
    Seattle,Wash.
  • #13
    Hi All,

    I often use Sennheiser 580's to listen to music as the TV and my main music system reside in the same room and the kids usually have it (the &%#@&* TV thing) on. Too many kids and not enough house, but I've taken a liking to the wee people, so I cope.
    Anyhow the Sennheiser 580's were an Xmas present a few years ago from my wife who found them on sale for $99 USD on the Spidergear website. Just about 2 months later I picked up an AIWA Solid State receiver at St. Vinnie's for just under $15 and use it exclusively for headphone listening. It has a handy graphic display of the bass and treble tone control boost/decrement which is is stepped, this allows repeatable settings and gives me the ability to have it tailored to my preference.
    This receiver, along with just about every other I've ever seen, has a headphone jack and circuitry that just suck, most manufacturers include it as an afterthought and they use cheap/shoddy parts. Tubes are most linear at the lowest settings, however solid state devices need NFB and much higher power settings to get into their most linear mode (which is not what you need for headphones). To correct this situation, I built a 10:1 voltage divider into a small Radio Shack project box I had laying around. It uses 16 awg speaker wire and carefully matched 0.01% resistors for the circuit. I guess that w/o the project box I've got $5 or $6 wrapped up in the divider. Using the speaker terminals on the back of the receiver, I drive the 'phones with the main amp in a more linear setting, and in fact, I use the main volume control which corresponds fairly well with the SPL levels of my computer speakers which can be selected as the "B" set of speakers. No danger of overdriving the 'phones and all is well with the world.
    I have heard much more expensive headphone amps that sound little, if any, better than my setup. However YMMV.

    Just remember: Good sound doesn't have to be affordable.............it can be downright cheap!

    Best Regards,
    TerryO
     
    sunrise

    sunrise

    Member
    2005-05-08 12:02 pm
    delta quadrant
  • #14
    thanks guys,
    00940 - i wonder that too.... although the almost cheapest model from them was working like they do - and they are their top model...... i don't know.... will probably try few more things......

    TerryO - nice thing - didn't try that.....
    i will keep the advice in mind....thanks

    best regards
    sunny
     
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