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Old 17th May 2009, 12:28   #1
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Portable headphone amplifier

Where can i get a portable headphone amplifier. I have read quite a few DIY guides but i have never used a soldering iron before and dont know if i can get all the resistors and capacitors here.
How much would it cost ?
I will be using it for my sennheiser hd280 pro thanks.
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Old 17th May 2009, 15:33   #2
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Navin is the guy to ask for this.

Even with the fancy ICE set up in his car, he prefers to listen to his ipod with a headphone amp in the back seat. (Nice sound + doesnt distract the driver)

cya
R
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Old 17th May 2009, 19:52   #3
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Frank Mehta has got one recently. PM him.
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Old 17th May 2009, 20:59   #4
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hi. i got the 'baap' of all headphone amplifiers at the 'chooha' of all prices. lol.
order the Fiio E5 headphone amplifier and you won't go wrong. I myself haven't used one, but reading a couple of reviews proves that this $20 wonder takes even a $199 professional grade portable headphone amp by surprise.
Go ahead. Order it! Without a doubt, it makes a HUGE difference. If you use it off a mobile phone, it will be like night and day! Even the iPod touch/iPhone amplifier is maybe, say 20% as powerful as that of the E5.
When I talk of power, I do not imply loudness. It's the same principle as car amplifiers. You provide good clean power to the speakers (headphones, in this case) and you get good quality at lower volumes. Of course, as you crank up the volume, you can feel the power from the amplifier.
The SQ on the Fiio is surprisingly good.

Here are all the links that will sort you out!
this is the link to the review:
FiiO E5 Headphone Amplifier Review - MP3 Reviews - TrustedReviews

This is the link to buy it, with shipping to India (i bought from here. And it will take one month atleast to arrive. It comes from HK, hence might take slightly lesser than the time it takes from USA)

http://cgi.ebay.com/FIIO-E5-HEADPHONE-AMPLIFIER-AMP-3-5mm-EARPHONE-MP3-MP4_W0QQitemZ260410254450QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_hea dphone?hash=item3ca1a92472&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_t rkparms=66%3A2|65%3A15|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|2 93%3A1|294%3A50

Last edited by frankmehta : 17th May 2009 at 21:01.
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Old 17th May 2009, 23:10   #5
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For the HD280Pro I'd suggest Ordanance's .22, Westone 3 or some similar amp. Next step up are the Headroom amps from Headfi.

I buy from Jaben in Singapore and have built one using 6922 tubes for my HD555 (PC system). Jaben carries a wide range including Beyer Dynamic, C&C, CrossRoads, Firestone, HeadAmp, Lavry, Lehmann Audio, Millet, MiniBox, mSeed, Ray Samuels, Triad Audio and Westone (there might be more - this is from memory).

The Ordanance .22 sits inside my arm rest along with a pair of Sennheisser PX100. I have used the .22 and West3 with more expensive headphones (DT880, AKG701) with good effect too.

Last edited by navin : 17th May 2009 at 23:12.
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Old 18th May 2009, 01:41   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankmehta View Post
hi. i got the 'baap' of all headphone amplifiers at the 'chooha' of all prices. lol.
order the Fiio E5 headphone amplifier and you won't go wrong. I myself haven't used one, but reading a couple of reviews proves that this $20 wonder takes even a $199 professional grade portable headphone amp by surprise.

FIIO E5 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AMP 3.5mm EARPHONE MP3 MP4 - eBay (item 260410254450 end time May-20-09 06:04:00 PDT)
Buy it now price- AU $4.99

Thats approximately US $3.99

too good to be true.

Or Is It?
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Old 18th May 2009, 01:44   #7
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lets see it when it arrives. the seller has an awesome reputation and the feedback shows many people have bought the e5 and they are happy with it.
its 600 bucks. cant go wrong man. even if its a fake. nothing to lose!
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Old 18th May 2009, 08:53   #8
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So i guess there are no shops that sell these amps in India ?
@frank: the fiio amp has a 3.5mm output jack, does this make a difference in SQ as compared to the 1/8 inch output? Also what phones are you using with your amp ? What is their impedence ?

Last edited by cooldude1988765 : 18th May 2009 at 08:56.
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Old 18th May 2009, 09:51   #9
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no no. i dont think the 1.8 inch and 3.5 inch jacks make any difference in output or quality.
I have ordered mine, and it will take a month to arrive!
I plan to buy Grado entry level cans to supplement it. Most probably, the headphones will be playing moosik from a mobile phone, so the difference in output will be quite big since mobile amplifiers are puny.
As of now I have EP-630's from Creative and they do the job, though I am not a fan of their SQ.
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Old 18th May 2009, 10:00   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cooldude1988765 View Post
... @frank: the fiio amp has a 3.5mm output jack, does this make a difference in SQ as compared to the 1/8 inch output? ...
You must be referring to 1/4" jacks. 1/8" and 3.5mm are the same.
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Old 18th May 2009, 11:31   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DerAlte View Post
You must be referring to 1/4" jacks. 1/8" and 3.5mm are the same.
sorry my bad yes i meant 1/4"
anyway i can get the amp quicker than a month
@navin:can i buy the amps you mentioned in india ?
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Old 18th May 2009, 13:01   #12
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cooldude, email Wilson at adelphi@jaben.net. My BIL and I call him 'Uncle', I dont know why.
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Old 19th May 2009, 21:34   #13
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@navin: Sir any of the amps you mentioned under 1000bucks ?
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Old 20th May 2009, 11:11   #14
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Nope. Most about Sing $ 150-200 (Rs. 4-6K).
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Old 20th May 2009, 12:03   #15
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A new product iBasso D2 DAC headphone Amplifier has hit the market and received rave reviews by CNet UK, Read On:

Photos: iBasso D2 DAC headphone amp tested - Crave at CNET UK


Cheers
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