USP-1 & Cans

[garbulky]

Dec 29, 2018 15:51:04 GMT -5 Jean Genie said:

Anybody know/remember if the USP-1 Headphone out is amplified, or would I need a dedicated headphone amp to get the most out of, say, Sennheiser HD 650s?

I have used the USP-1 with the Sennheisser HD600. It will work. But it's not very good for the HD600 or the HD650's which are both high impedance headphone with 300 ohms impedance. You will clip the USP-1 output on loud volumes. I reccomend pairing it with the Basx A-100 with its jumpers engaged. But in a pinch it will work fine. Just don't expect great quality.

[garbulky]

Dec 29, 2018 16:27:12 GMT -5 Jean Genie said:

Thanks Garbulky, are there high quality 'phones of lower impedance I could use with the USP-1, or is high quality/low impedance an oxymoron?

No I don't think it's an oxymoron. I don't have much experience in headphones. But I tried the ATH M-50 and that was reasonably nice and easy to drive. I still prefer the Sennheisers though.

[vcautokid]

The USP-1 which I owned was middling as a headphone amp truthfully. The BAS-X a100 is awesome if that is the budget. Also lots of great alternatives still if the $229.00 is not in the cards. Schiit Magni 3, the JDS labs Atom Amp and the Alex Cavalli designed Monoprice Liquid Spark just to name 3! Your options on headphone amplification couldn't be greater. All of these will punch the watt mark at 32 ohms. Higher impedance cans can be driven with these too. The a100 BAS-X is the ultimate for high impedance hard to drive cans without selling your soul first.

[creimes]

Dec 29, 2018 16:27:12 GMT -5 Jean Genie said:

Thanks Garbulky, are there high quality 'phones of lower impedance I could use with the USP-1, or is high quality/low impedance an oxymoron?

Check out the Shure lineup, specifically the SRH-1540 closed back or SRH-1840 open back.

Chad

[leonski]

Taking recommendations is not really the best idea.
I once owned KOSS headphones and didn't like 'em. Others swore by them.

But these days? 100$ for GRADO was a good choice. And not difficult on the amp.
The On-Ear of the SR80e is comfortable. My ears don't get warm, either.

I've got some 10$ open-air SONY up on the shelf which are fine for portaable devices, iPod / music players. And you can send off for new pads for
just a few $$ and 'renew' them.

I'd take all the suggestions, put 'em in a Blender than go OUT and start listening to whatever you CAN, so to speak.


I see a good.....repeat.....good.....headphone amp in your future.

[novisnick]

Dec 30, 2018 15:02:30 GMT -5 Jean Genie said:

Dec 30, 2018 12:47:56 GMT -5 creimes said:

Check out the Shure lineup, specifically the SRH-1540 closed back or SRH-1840 open back.

Chad

Thanks, but those are out of my price range. I max out at $225, $250!
I've got a serious eye on the Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6xx.😜

Beware of the HD6XX, They are very good HP for the money! I promise. Purchased a pair and the just made me go deeper into the rabbit hole! Enjoy!

[creimes]

Dec 30, 2018 15:02:30 GMT -5 Jean Genie said:

Dec 30, 2018 12:47:56 GMT -5 creimes said:

Check out the Shure lineup, specifically the SRH-1540 closed back or SRH-1840 open back.

Chad

Thanks, but those are out of my price range. I max out at $225, $250!
I've got a serious eye on the Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6xx.😜

Yeah the higher models in the Shure lineup get pricey, my buddy here has the HD6XX from Massdrop along with many other headphones and you need an amp to drive them, that being said the Schiit Magni would be an excellent option for $99 new.

www.schiit.com/products/magni-1

Also the HD58X are getting great reviews and I've been eyeing those up for myself, 150ohms so a bit easier to drive compared to the 300ohm HD6XX

[leonski]

Since you are going to rely primarily on reviews?

www.head-fi.org/

this is the hardcore you won't find around here. Get an account and jump in. Lots of surprising information and maybe some used you
maybe be interested in........amps Only, I suspect.

And as usual, people LOVE to tell you what THEY love without regard to what YOU might actually find of value.

Doesn't matter one bit that I'm a big fan of GRADO. The SR225e is 200$ while my perfect (for ME) SR80e was about a 'C' note.

I might add that you should be very careful with 'reviews' as their job is somewhat different that the normal listener who only 'enjoys'.

this is just my OPINION, but I'd suspect you can get maybe 90% of 'the best' for your 'maximum spend'.

[leonski]

I strongly suspect that most audiophile headsets could benefit from a dedicated amp.

But this is all VERY subjective. Even my iPhone is OK with my Grado headset. Not stunning and certainly not to the loudest extreme, but OK for quiet reading when I don't want to
run my speakers.......
I can also use an extension cord from my preamp! That is a boost to the quality of sound and I'll do THAT move when I watch TV late at night. I don't think the Grados are an especially bad load.

My next experiment might be to buy the AmpCampAmp and turn it into a headphone amp. It is 8x2 and obviously not enough power for any but the very highest sensitivity speakers and certainly not
for my panels!

I've posted to the DIY forums asking about that and get mixed answers so I'll try again over at Headfi, where someone likely has already tried what I'm thinking.

As for Other DIY? You can make an OPAMP headphone amp for maybe 30$ and custom tune the gain to YOUR headphones. It's a simple matter of 2 resistors, easily swapped.

tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy/

It was easier when a Radio Shack was to be found next to every Starbucks.