What portable headphone amps are people using?

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
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Alpharetta, Georgia
Just wondering....
 

Phelonious Ponk

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
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I have a battery-operated Headroom portable that does a fine, quiet enough job of giving an iPod or my laptop enough voltage to drive a pair of pretty inefficient cans (thinking HD650s, K701s, Etys without an i in the name...), but if I had it to do over again, I'd probably get with with an integrated DAC that would run off of USB as well as analog. If you have headphones that are compatible with the voltage output of and efficient enough for the power of the iPod, I'm unconvinced that a portable amp buys anything more than a whole other gain stage and all of the opportunity for the introduction of noise and distortion that implies. But if it gets the digital to analog process out of the iPod and the MacBook, that might be a net gain, depending, of course, on the quality of the implementation.

Tim
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Thanks Tim. What model is the amp, is it a Bithead?

I'm hearing good thing about the amp from Todd the Vinyl Junkie also.
 

MiTT

Well-Known Member
Jun 28, 2010
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Thornton, Colorado
I just picked up an ALO Continental V2 and one of their Cricket LOD cables to use with my iPod Classic and B&W P5's for when I travel (every other week or so). The Continental uses a Raytheon NOS 6111 tube and once I put about 20 hours on the unit I was stunned at how good it sounds. I've been using it as a desktop system as well with my Sennheiser HD 580's and it soundly trumps my older Musical Fidelity X based headphone amp and power supply. A little expensive, but I'm addicted to the sound now.
 

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Metro DC
This video might help. Post #3
 

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