Headphone amplifier

[counterofbeans]

Can anyone recommend a dedicated headphone amplifier, dac not required, will sit between a Roksan cd player and AKG headphones.

Budget say £100 - £200 if necessary.

Many thanks!

[belleair302]

There isn’t anything within your price range sadly.

[TonyRPH]

There is quite some choice.

Have a look here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php...

You'll need to filter by device and price - and being a US site some items may not be available here in the UK.

Here's a screenshot with some highlights.

[counterofbeans]

belleair302 said:

There isn’t anything within your price range sadly.

Well at least there is the Schiit Magni 3.

I'll just go for that I think.

Thanks for the list TonyRPH

[TonyRPH]

counterofbeans said:

Well at least there is the Schiit Magni 3.

I'll just go for that I think.

Thanks for the list TonyRPH

HTH

Plenty of used bargains to be had on Ebay - chances are, many of these have seen little use too. (unless stated these are all Buy It now prices)

Musical Fidelity VCAN II £85
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164970011010

There's a Rega Ear on Ebay for £120
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255081774926

QED £45
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114923989433

Creek (not a buy it now - but might end in budget)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255079400801

ProJect Headbox S - again not buy it now but likely will end in budget
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203549798092

Another Rega Ear £125
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124839299829

An older Rega Ear for £85
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234104109981

[aizvara]

I have one of these:

https://geshelli.com/shop/ols/products/archel2-pro...

I use it with hifiman headphones and a separate DAC, sounds great to me, has a lot of power available if your headphones need it, good connectivity options, and Geshelli seems to be a helpful small firm.

[paul.deitch]

Off topic but why do people buy these when you generally have a headphone output on almost any amp.
Is the quality astoundingly different?

[Tony1963]

Read the original post, no amp.
My Naim system doesn’t have a headphone output. Many amps do, plenty don’t, and many people only want to listen via headphones.

[counterofbeans]

Actually I do have an amp - an Arcam C30 pre-amp and 2 P35 power amps.

I'm just surprised at how thin and tinny the sound is through the C30 headphone output. I wondered if a dedicated headphone amp would sound better but I don't want to spend a fortune. If my budget is too low I will have to reconsider.

The headphones are AKG K550s.

[aizvara]

Tony1963 said:

Read the original post, no amp.
My Naim system doesn’t have a headphone output. Many amps do, plenty don’t, and many people only want to listen via headphones.

Yeah for me it's partly due to it being a different room where I'm listening on headphones (office room - no space or need for an amp & speakers), and partly just trying to find something that I liked when paired with the headphones. I've been through a few amps and DACs before settling on this.

I think a lot of the time the headphone output on an integrated amp can be fine, but it is also often an afterthought or box ticking exercise. Some headphones seem to benefit from a lot more power than that sort of output can provide, too.

[TonyRPH]

counterofbeans said:

Actually I do have an amp - an Arcam C30 pre-amp and 2 P35 power amps.

I'm just surprised at how thin and tinny the sound is through the C30 headphone output. I wondered if a dedicated headphone amp would sound better but I don't want to spend a fortune. If my budget is too low I will have to reconsider.

The headphones are AKG K550s.

Most 'built in' headphone amps can be a bit lacking, especially if you have high impedance headphones and like it loud.

The Ebay list I provided above should easily out perform your built in headphone amp.

[counterofbeans]

So a bit of research and budget creep brings me to the £280 Graham Slee Novo.

I particularly like the fact that it is inline so I can insert it between the cd player and preamp.

Unlikely that anyone is using this same unit but if so, how is it?

[Tony1963]

I’ve never heard one, but their products always appear to receive good reviews on hifi forums. If the spec suits, buy with confidence.

[counterofbeans]

Tony1963 said:

I’ve never heard one, but their products always appear to receive good reviews on hifi forums. If the spec suits, buy with confidence.

Good advice, many thanks!

[LimSlip]

The Zen Can amp sits right in the middle of your budget range and seems well regarded.

[counterofbeans]

Postscript.

The Graham Slee duly arrived and was swiftly connected with some Chord cables.

Good grief what a difference. Like day and night.

So money well spent and a piece of kit highly recommended.

Thanks for all the advice.

[Tony1963]

Good to hear, thanks for the update.

Enjoy the music

[Crackie]

The measurements carried out by AudioScienceReview have found that Topping's range of amps are consistently well engineered. The measurement set for the L30 is stunning, irrespective of price. It is usually approx £149.00...................but can be found for sub £100.00 on Ebay.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php...

Edited by Crackie on Wednesday 29th December 12:22