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On 22 Sep 2004 14:25:32 -0700, (N) wrote:

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ...

Since I don't suffer from the "blobs-in-your-head" problem that Headroom
amps claim to *fix*, my appreciation of them is limited.

I have a Little Headroom myself, and agree that this feature is
worthless. Actually, that feature sounds worse to me, so I don't use
it.

So far as I know, I don't experience that, either. I'm pretty
comfortable with headphones.

IME, headphone outputs on integrated amps, receivers, and even
Discman-type players sound from acceptable to excellent, so I wouldn't
rush to buy a headphone amp. I haven't heard your Onkyo's headphone
output, but it could be excellent.

I see. I probably ought to have asked what to expect from a headphone
amp. I really have no complaints-aside from occasional hiss, which I
don't find too troubling-about using my Sonys with the Onkyo.

I really don't need any additional volume. I was hoping train my ears,
much as a nascent restaurant critic has to learn to train his or her
palate, to discern better quality audio. If an amp won't improve the
sound quality output, if it only turns up the volume then I don't need
it.

I think the Sennheisers would make the biggest improvement, although I
prefer my Grados, which are cheaper also. I think replacing your Onkyo
and/or Zenith hardware may make no improvement at all, but you'd have
to get the Headroom amp and/or another CD or DVD player to find out.
It's quite possible the Headroom amp, which is a decent amp, won't
improve things, if your Onkyo's headphone output sounds good to you.

Good point. I'm definitely planning to check out the Sennheisers (and
possibly Grados, though I'm not sure where one can listen to Grados in
NYC)

Not having heard your gear, I don't know if there's anything that
could be improved. It could easily sound great, for all I know. I'm
not familiar with your Sony's, but I think a headphone upgrade will
make the biggest improvement in your system, I'm guessing.

If you're going to shop for headphones, limit yourself to what you can
try at local dealers, if at all possible. Even more so than speakers,
headphones are a subjective choice, because of the comfort issue.
Trust me, if they're not comfy, you won't use 'em. Been there, done
that!

If you want to try a headphone amp, make sure to get return privileges
to allow for the fact you may find you don't really need an amp for
this purpose.

Absolutely, yes. One thing about the Sonys is their astonishing
comfort.

BTW, I think a lot of people buy headphone amps via mail or the web
because stores don't usually have them, at least not where I live. As
a result, there are a good number of these amps sitting in closets of
home users who bought the amps to try, then lost interest, or so I
imagine. Anyway, there are always headphone amps on eBay.com, if you
want to try looking there. I've also seen Headroom and other
audiophile amps on eBay occasionally.

Let's put it this way, I've been known to use 580s for private TV
watching/listening.

Headphones can be a great way to do that. Fine sound, assuming the TV
sound is good, and it's a lot cheaper and easier to listen via
headphones than via, for example, a 5.1 home theater setup.

Indeed. I've hooked up the headphones to a small receiver that gets a
digital signal directly from the cable source, so TV sound is
outstanding. I find myself watching something with familiar stars
(familiar on TV, at least) marvelling at hearing them speak for the
first time.

Andy Katz