# Need a $50-100 budget headphone amp



## wil11o6 (Jun 24, 2010)

Hello all,

I am looking for a decent headphone amp around the range of $50-100 for use with a Sony MDR-v6. I know that the MDR-v6 doesn't take much to drive, but I would like the amp to add a little more heft into the sound. A little more fullness in bass and overall sound. This is going to be a present for someone, so I would like to stay within my budget. Just looking for the best bang for the buck headphone amp.

-Thanks!


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

USB OK? The Fireye II is a dandy little unit.

http://www.audiophileproducts.com/fireye2


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2010)

I don't own this, but I wonder how good of a headphone amp this would be. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-383

It could also be used as a nice little amp too.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

how about little dot mk I+


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## ndurantz (Aug 10, 2008)

I have the NuForce Icon in my desktop set-up at home and it does a very good job as a headphone amp. They sell a much smaller one called the uDAC that is both a DAC and "audiophile" headphone amp for $130 or buy a refub for $103. Here's the site - http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac2/


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## ndurantz (Aug 10, 2008)

Generic said:


> I don't own this, but I wonder how good of a headphone amp this would be. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-383
> 
> It could also be used as a nice little amp too.


Parts Express does an excellent job on their private label (Dayton Audio) stuff. I had one of their little t-amps and the thing was super-clean sounding & powered bookshelf speakers very nicely.

I haven't listened to that particular amp, but they accidentally shipped it to me in place of the 45w amp. I can tell you, the thing is built like a ROCK.


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## Beatcoaster (Feb 9, 2011)

What about those MK2 tube headphone amps that are all over ebay for $60? Anyone tried one of those before? That PE amp is a stout piece for sure...


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Fiio E7, the excellent Wolfson WM8740 dac onboard, $80-$100. Three levels of bass boost, tho I cant speak for this feature as I always use the E7 in conjunction with the E9 desktop amp (Im driving Sennheiser HD650s) and bass boost is disabled when you do, Ive read the "1" setting is best. Do some research on it, its got great reviews...


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Beatcoaster said:


> What about those MK2 tube headphone amps that are all over ebay for $60? Anyone tried one of those before? That PE amp is a stout piece for sure...



Intriguing, however Im highly skeptical of a amp design that normally fetches 5 times that in cost, zilch on head-fi.org or headfonia.

Think Ill do some research on it. I do know the Fiio E7/E9 combo at $200 is considered one of the best values in headphone amps/DAC combos on the market today, and its headquartered out of Hong Kong...


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## z3scott (Sep 30, 2010)

If you don't need a Dac the Parts Express DTA 100a is a good option as mentioned above. It is also a very good speaker amp if that flexibility is of value.

I have one on my computer desk for headphone use and to drive my Mission Cyrus 780's (think LS3 5a).

I use Audio Technica ATH-ES7 and AKG K701's with it, (I do prefer either my Matrix or Bada hpa's for the harder to drive AKG's), it does quite well with both.

Good luck on your search.


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## blackzarg (Apr 19, 2009)

The uDAC is a great choice. Definitely enough for yourV6, small, and has a great DAC section.


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## McPanse (May 7, 2009)

Might be too late for the OP, but I'm going to suggest you don't need a dedicated headphone amp for easy-to-drive headphones. The headphone section on many integrated amps, stereo receivers, and AVRs can drive most headphones just as well. At least that's been my experience with the Sennheiser HD-650, which have a reputation for being fairly hard to drive. I've listened to them on a PS Audio GCHA ($1000 at intro), a Little Dot MKIV tube amp ($450), two different Denon AVRs and a Marantz CD player. Only the CD player seems a little too week. The rest all sound the same to my ears. 

My HiFiMan HE-5LE orthodynamics, on the other hand, need more current that a typical headphone jack delivers. My solution: use a speaker tap to connect them to the speaker posts on my integrated amp. They sound just as good, if not better, than they do powered by the fairly brawny GCHA.

YMMV, but I dare say a $50-$100 dedicated headphone amp will in no way outperform the headphone out on most amps. Unless of course you need something portable. AVRs are a pain to lug around town.


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## Max-Volume (Jan 12, 2009)

I know it is an old thread, but perhaps somebody is interested in my experience with one of those tiny MK2 tube amps. I use it with my trusted Beyerdynamic DT880Studio headphones and the result is amazing. The sound of the little tube amp is silky, smooth, but very clear and precise, without any harshness. Bass is full, but not soft or too massive. 

I always have used solid state amps over the last thirty+ years of listening and this is my first (though tiny) tube amp. It is a completely new listening experience. It is great fun and I use my DT880s much more again.

For the price, the little amp commands, it's an absolute steal.

Also, built quality is fine and leaves nothing to be desired. Only small niggle is the low weight, which can lead to a fall of the amp, if the headphones cord is stretched too far. Mine came under the "Bravo Audio" brand, but it the same as those sold one the US ebay under the "Indeed" brand. (sorry, I am not allowed to post a link - not yet...) For the price it is worth a try, though I cannot compare it to more expensive tube amps.


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## FLAudioGuy (Sep 21, 2011)

TypeA said:


> Fiio E7, the excellent Wolfson WM8740 dac onboard, $80-$100. Three levels of bass boost, tho I cant speak for this feature as I always use the E7 in conjunction with the E9 desktop amp (Im driving Sennheiser HD650s) and bass boost is disabled when you do, Ive read the "1" setting is best. Do some research on it, its got great reviews...


I second the motion for the FiiO E7. I have reservations on the E9 for certain uses. Use the USB input on the E7 and bypass your noisy laptop/PC interior. The Wolfson WM8740 DAC chip is very clean and mostly jitter-free in this implementation. The E7's .13Ω output impedance can drive lower impedance IEM's or headphones with [email protected]Ω which should easily get to 120dB (loud enough for many people) but the [email protected]Ω power output may not be quite enough to drive power hungry cans to a sufficient level. Also, the input clips at 1.2V, so I wouldn't use it with any Redbook spec devices that have 2.0VRMS=0dBFS output. Using an LOD on a typical DAP will yield very good results. Build quality is excellent.

The E9: The E9 uses the TI6120A and requisite 10Ω output resistor and severely limits the use to high impedance headphones. The 1/4" output jack measures 10Ω's (typical for this TI device) while the 1/8" mini jack measures 43Ω. This will cause wildly fluctuating frequency response errors when using low impedance phones or IEM's on the order of 14dB (±7dB) or more. I would not use the mini jack output at all. Output power is excellent at a 15/150Ω output of 1067/317mW with inaudible distortion. However, there is a 1.8dB channel balance error which may be audible to some under certain circumstances. Additionally, the E9 is not a stand-alone unit. It requires the E7 to function. This is not a quibble, just a point to those unfamiliar with the product. FiiO products in general have a very good audio and build quality. They have an appearance of something costing a magnitude more.

I do/did not work for FiiO in any capacity at any time in my audio career. I no longer make my living in the audio industry.

The E7 can be found on Amazon or B&H Photo for around USD89.00 with free shipping.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

> The E7's .13Ω output impedance can drive lower impedance IEM's or headphones with [email protected]Ω which should easily get to 120dB (loud enough for many people) but the [email protected]Ω power output may not be quite enough to drive power hungry cans to a sufficient level.


I have about 1000 hours using just the E7 by itself and it always drives my Sennheiser 650s just fine. Doesnt get much more demanding than 300 ohm cans but I suppose if you like ear-bleeding-levels you might need the E9 to ensure long-term hearing loss.


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## FLAudioGuy (Sep 21, 2011)

TypeA said:


> I have about 1000 hours using just the E7 by itself and it always drives my Sennheiser 650s just fine. Doesnt get much more demanding than 300 ohm cans but I suppose if you like ear-bleeding-levels you might need the E9 to ensure long-term hearing loss.


I agree, TypeA, sometimes I do tend to 'rock out' :devil: I would just stay away from that 1/8" mini jack on the E9 at all costs. I guess that's the main point I was trying to make regarding it. They (E7 & E9) certainly do have quite sufficient (and then some) power to drive the HD650's and at a very low distortion, to boot.


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## FLAudioGuy (Sep 21, 2011)

blackzarg said:


> The uDAC is a great choice. Definitely enough for yourV6, small, and has a great DAC section.


With the problems associated with the uDAC and uDAC2, I could never conscientiously recommend it to anyone. Any company that cannot document, test and prove their design using real test equipment will never get my recommendation or Dollars. :T


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

FLAudioGuy said:


> With the problems associated with the uDAC and uDAC2, I could never conscientiously recommend it to anyone.


You really need to elaborate on what "the problems associated with the uDAC and uDAC2" are. To simply throw out generalizations such as this without properly presenting what those issues are and where they have been reported/documented is fairly unresponsible.


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## Max-Volume (Jan 12, 2009)

Dale Rasco said:


> You really need to elaborate on what "the problems associated with the uDAC and uDAC2" are. To simply throw out generalizations such as this without properly presenting what those issues are and where they have been reported/documented is fairly unresponsible.


I guess, FLAudioGuy refers to the extensive measurements published in the NwAvGuy Blog - unfortunately I have less than 5 posts and am not allowed to post a link. The title is "NuForce uDAC-2 Drama" and it was published the 1st of March. So it should be easy to find it on the web.

Another quick search will reveal, that quite a few buyers experience real world problems with the µDAC, quite as expected, when reading the measurements.

Max


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

That's great Max, thanks for the link and the information!

http://www.head-fi.org/t/542281/nuforce-udac-2-drama-detailed-measurements


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## gorb (Sep 5, 2010)

Another link:
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/nuforce-udac-2-drama.html

I wonder why he was banned at head-fi? :/


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## FLAudioGuy (Sep 21, 2011)

Max-Volume said:


> I guess, FLAudioGuy refers to the extensive measurements published in the NwAvGuy Blog - unfortunately I have less than 5 posts and am not allowed to post a link. The title is "NuForce uDAC-2 Drama" and it was published the 1st of March. So it should be easy to find it on the web.
> 
> Another quick search will reveal, that quite a few buyers experience real world problems with the µDAC, quite as expected, when reading the measurements.
> 
> Max


Thank you Max_V, Dale and Gorb for posting the link. My bad for not posting it myself, since I can do links. No subterfuge or misleading info was intended on my part. My apologies. It was in fact my bad experience with the NuForce µDAC2 that I just went with the Benchmark DAC1 (just the basic one, no USB) after finding it first and researching the net for info. I will throw this out there for your consumption: My background in the audio world has allowed me to see first-hand the way many companies do "R&D" and some of it is a joke. Period. Some companies have gone so far as to show pictures of big corporate offices and anechoic chambers, B&K analyzers and microphones, listening rooms with a 'high-end' setup with people sitting and listening with furrowed brows, deep in analytical thought. SHAME ON THEM :rolleyesno:


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## FLAudioGuy (Sep 21, 2011)

I removed this post as it was in the wrong location.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

No worries, and those cats better be staying out of my room!!!!! LOL


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

FLAudioGuy said:


> My background in the audio world has allowed me to see first-hand the way many companies do "R&D" and some of it is a joke. Period. Some companies have gone so far as to show pictures of big corporate offices and anechoic chambers, B&K analyzers and microphones, listening rooms with a 'high-end' setup with people sitting and listening with furrowed brows, deep in analytical thought. SHAME ON THEM :rolleyesno:


Too funny :T


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## ericlaw02 (May 19, 2011)

If you can build electronics by yourself, you can try out NwAvGuy's Objective2 amp, or buy a finished build on DiyAudio or so.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

I would suggest an older used receiver like one mady by Onkyo Integra, Sony ES, Pioneer elite or a used Pre-amplifier, or Pre-amplifier processor. If you need a DAC, you can get a new or used creative external sound card or any external soundcard made by any number of other companies.

It has yet to be released but I'd suggest checking out the ASUS Xonar Essence One.
http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Audio_Cards/Xonar_Essence_One/
http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Audi...This=true&TB_iframe=true&height=590&width=502
EDIT:
The XONAR Essence One is out right now and it's the most expensive audio device Asus has ever sold. 

Worth a look.
http://www.kitguru.net/components/s...ence-one-review-w-raysonic-cd228-audeze-lcd2/


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## ndurantz (Aug 10, 2008)

gorb said:


> Another link:
> http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/nuforce-udac-2-drama.html
> 
> I wonder why he was banned at head-fi? :/


Good question. And did NuForce do anything to their design in the last year to address any of these issues? It has been almost a year. Would be interested in hearing an update.

Sent from my iPhone using HTShack


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