sub-$200 headphone amp for Grados

[Sathyan Sundaram]

Please recommend a headphone amp for use with SR-series Grado
headphones. Budget is around $200.

Creek OBH11
Headroom AirHead
Headroom TotalAirHead

or pro audio stuff from Rolls, Behringer, Samson


Currently I'm using the headphone jack on my receiver (Onkyo SR500)
which is rather "sterile" sounding. I want a deep and broad soundstage
with detailed imaging. Earsplitting SPL is not so important. Most of
my serious listening is classical and old jazz (Miles and Coltrane).

My sources are:
Music Hall CD25 HDCD player (primary source)
sound card (TB Santa Cruz)
Pioneer DV563 SACD/DVDA player
Sony turntable
Onkyo cassette deck
FM tuner in the receiver
"Music Choice" on cable box

thanks
Sathyan

[jeffc]

"Sathyan Sundaram" > wrote in message
om...
> Please recommend a headphone amp for use with SR-series Grado
> headphones. Budget is around $200.
>
> Creek OBH11
> Headroom AirHead
> Headroom TotalAirHead
>
> or pro audio stuff from Rolls, Behringer, Samson
>
>
> Currently I'm using the headphone jack on my receiver (Onkyo SR500)
> which is rather "sterile" sounding. I want a deep and broad soundstage
> with detailed imaging.

I really don't think you're going to find that in headphones.

[jeffc]

"Sathyan Sundaram" > wrote in message
om...
> Please recommend a headphone amp for use with SR-series Grado
> headphones.

By the way, which ones? I think those are both good and overrated at the
same time.

[Arny Krueger]

"jeffc" > wrote in message

> "Sathyan Sundaram" > wrote in message
> om...

>> Please recommend a headphone amp for use with SR-series Grado
>> headphones. Budget is around $200.

>> Creek OBH11

AFAIK this product is a pure amplifier, without any psychoacoustic
processing.

>> Headroom AirHead
>> Headroom TotalAirHead

According to their web site, these products include psychoacoustic
processing that compensate for the fact that the shape of the human head
modifies sound that reaches your ears through air, but headphones don't.

>> or pro audio stuff from Rolls, Behringer, Samson

AFAIK these products are pure amplifiers, without any psychoacoustic
processing.

>> Currently I'm using the headphone jack on my receiver (Onkyo SR500)
>> which is rather "sterile" sounding. I want a deep and broad
>> soundstage with detailed imaging.
>
> I really don't think you're going to find that in headphones.

I think you vastly underestimate the sound quality that is possible with
personal hearing devices.

Given that the processing of the Headroom products claim to provide is
well-founded scientifically, how do we reconcile that with the fact that so
many people are so happy without them?

I think that it's a matter of adaptation. The fact that many people's ears
are highly adaptable and can extract listening pleasure from a variety of
sonic circumstances is something that seems abundantly obvious. Others may
not be so lucky. Others may be too impatient to wait for nature to take its
course.

[Nexus 6]

Arny Krueger wrote:


>>>Headroom AirHead
>>>Headroom TotalAirHead
>
>
> According to their web site, these products include psychoacoustic
> processing that compensate for the fact that the shape of the human head
> modifies sound that reaches your ears through air, but headphones don't.

Most, if not all of the Headroom models allow for the
processing to be switched in and out. Having been a hardcore
headphone user for many years, the first encounter I had
with the headroom processing was unnerving. Over time, I
gfrew to appreicate it, buyt not with all types of music,
and it varies from headphone to headphone.

Nexus 6

[Neil]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message >...
> "jeffc" > wrote in message
>
> > "Sathyan Sundaram" > wrote in message
> > om...
>
> >> Please recommend a headphone amp for use with SR-series Grado
> >> headphones. Budget is around $200.
>
> >> Creek OBH11
>
> AFAIK this product is a pure amplifier, without any psychoacoustic
> processing.
>
> >> Headroom AirHead
> >> Headroom TotalAirHead
>
> According to their web site, these products include psychoacoustic
> processing that compensate for the fact that the shape of the human head
> modifies sound that reaches your ears through air, but headphones don't.

I have the Little Headroom amp and it sounds fine with my Grado SR80
headphones and the older, discontinued Sennheisers I have.

I will point out that at very, very low volume (I sometimes listen
late at night, when my home is very quiet and I don't need much
volume), the volume control isn't linear. But the OP may never listen
at that low a level, so he may not notice this. Another minor
annoyance: No power switch.

I also have a cheap Sennheiser Dolby Pro Logic headphone amp that I'm
not too crazy about either. Can't remember the model name/number.
Sennheiser made two models like this, and I have the cheaper. Sounds
very thin.

Another alternative would be to shop for a used integrated amp or
receiver that sounds good with headphones, then use that as a
headphone amp.

> >> or pro audio stuff from Rolls, Behringer, Samson
>
> AFAIK these products are pure amplifiers, without any psychoacoustic
> processing.
>
> >> Currently I'm using the headphone jack on my receiver (Onkyo SR500)
> >> which is rather "sterile" sounding. I want a deep and broad
> >> soundstage with detailed imaging.
> >
> > I really don't think you're going to find that in headphones.
>
> I think you vastly underestimate the sound quality that is possible with
> personal hearing devices.

While I agree that headphones can provide plenty of detail, perhaps
the previous poster's point was that "deep and broad" is going to be
difficult to achieve with tiny loudspeakers pressed against one's
ears.

> Given that the processing of the Headroom products claim to provide is
> well-founded scientifically, how do we reconcile that with the fact that so
> many people are so happy without them?
>
> I think that it's a matter of adaptation. The fact that many people's ears
> are highly adaptable and can extract listening pleasure from a variety of
> sonic circumstances is something that seems abundantly obvious. Others may
> not be so lucky. Others may be too impatient to wait for nature to take its
> course.

I really don't like the special psychoacoustic features on my Headroom
amp, though I've tried them many times. I switch that stuff off.
Reading about the psychoacoustic features, they made sense then, but
in practice I dislike them. They do the reverse of providing a "deep
and broad" soundstage.

The fact that the OP's receiver is providing such a "sterile" sound
could be an indication that that output is functioning properly and
providing clean, uncolored sound. There are pricey tube headphone amps
(which I haven't heard) that might provide some pleasing coloration or
something to justify the high prices.

Some headphone resources:

headphone.com

minidiscussion.com

goodcans.com (or is it dot org?)

headwize.com (or is it dot org?)

head-fi.com (or is it dot org?)

epinions.com

audioreview.com

audiogon.com

Also search newsgroups and web sites via Google.com.

BTW, to the OP: If you're going to buy via mail or web, and not from a
local retailer, make sure to get return/refund privileges!