I have a Linn/Naim system. I've owned this since 1979, though every component has been upgraded a number of times. I appreciate it for its ability to convey some of the energy you encounter in live musical performances.

Hello all,

I use a Technics CD player that I bought secondhand.

A Gain Clone amplifier with twin 160VA Toroids and a pair of LM3875's

And a pair of Cyburg's Needles with Visaton FRS8's, soon to be replaced by Tangband WS3-871's

I've listened to this setup in my little audio rooms (we moved last year) for about six years and couldn't be happier.

Jim

Anyone thinking of making either the GC or Needles is welcome to have a listen

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Needles sound amazing!

I use Sennheiser HD650 out of my Cowon S9. There's a lot of nonsense in the world of audiophilia about headphone amps, and dedicated DACs, and cables, but I've managed to inform myself and keep myself limited to an extremely comfortable pair of headphones.

One day I'll invest in a speaker set up, but I'll wait until I have the funds and the room to make good use of them.

HydrogenAudio.org is basically my favourite forum for asking questions when you're a naive uninitiated fool interested in audio. On the other hand, head-fi.org is possibly the worst place anyone could be sent if they want to invest in audio

Standard amp. Standard DAC. Standard cables. Great speakers. Great positioning and room acoustics. That seems to be the best audio possible at the moment.

Wumbo - so you don't use a headphone amp?

The amp inside the S9 is enough to power any headphones to earsplitting volumes (you can hear them in the next room). It doesn't hiss. Anyone who would buy a dedicated amp in my position would be an idiot Please don't suggest it unless you have concrete evidence the S9 amplifier is warping the tracks in my music (which would be really pathetic, since it's ludicrously easy and cheap to make a perfect amplifier, and the S9 isn't exactly some $15 mp3 player from China).

Wow - calm down.

I've never used the S9, just numerous mp3 players (ipods/old RCA Lyra)/portable cd players/wifes old receiver, and none of them were able to adequately supply my K701s with enough power. So I tried a few amps (cheapies), and even between the ones I tried I noticed a difference in sound.

Also, if you haven't tried line out vs. an internal amp, you might want to try it sometime, as I noticed a pretty big difference with my portable CD player (all I currently have to test it on).

I don't know how the S9 is, just that amps and line outs definitely aren't nonsense.

I listen to the S9 at 25/40 volume. It's rated at 29 mW with a 16 ohm impedance load, while the iPod (I think) is rated at 30 mW (they're among the strongest amps on the market sold in mp3 players, second only to D2+ 76 mW amp, which is above and beyond overkill).

Unless you have really horrific hearing damage, an iPod should provide great volume on your K701 (62 ohms; that may sound like a lot, but the HD650s are 300 ohms and I can tell you its difference is negligible to human perception).

The drivers in your headphones are literally an inch away from your ears. You don't need the kind of power offered by an electrical socket in your house. 'Headphone' amps shouldn't exist. They're something thought up by marketing because audiophiles are usually have ridiculously poor understanding of technology. You only need a wall socket to power speakers that you're far away from.

I suggest this experiment with your K701s. The next time you're listening to them normally, take them off while the song is still playing. Walk away until you can barely hear them (making sure a speaker is facing you), and then until you can't hear them anymore. It may make you reflect on the damage you're doing to your hearing. Next try it with a iPod at near max volume. You'll still be able to walk pretty far.

I KNOW STUFF. FEAR ME. I'm sorry if I come off as overwhelming here, but I spent 2 years researching various 'audiophile' equipment, with so many people recommending me to buy every which snake oil product. There is very little honesty in dealers of audiophile equipment, and a lot of ignorance in their consumers.

Here's a quick and dirty tip about audio equipment and testing: Anything that sounds louder, will always be perceived as 'clearer' 'more precise' 'better.' But after 5 minutes, your brain will get used to that volume and won't recognise any of those things anymore. If you got to a quieter sound, even if it's still quite loud, it will feel very faint. If you start from a moderate sound, you will never have this problem. So if you have a concern for protecting your hearing, always be aware of this. If you have a concern for valuable test results, always do them blind, always do them volume matched.

You're confused - it's not about making the volume my headphones output louder, it's about bypassing an inferior device (the iPod amp) and replacing it with something of much higher quality. I don't care about volume as I'm not listening to music maxed (I would be deaf...), I'm listening to the detail that emerges, the sound stage that widens...that's where an amp comes in place. Not all amps are equal, even before I seriously got into headphones I noticed my Lyra had a considerably better sound quality than my iPod...and that was just using headphones out.

So my conclusions come from sitting down with the equipment and spending time A/Bing them. Definitely not nonsense.

I'm curious though, what amps have you tested with your hd650s? I find it hard to believe you didn't notice a change in the sound.

New here, but I love this hobby (and its my livelihood as well). Primare front end, and Sonus Faber Liuto Tower's. Will be getting a turntable in the next month (still finalizing what it will be).

I love it. It can be the hardest rap, or softest ambient piece. The speakers and amp just do not care at all. They cannot be abused, and they cannot be upset.

The speakers are the star of the show at the moment. In the coming years, I will upgrade the amp, the CD player will stay, I will probably add a digital streaming device (something that supports FLAC from my network storage, and has a great DAC). The turntable I will get will be 'nice', but nothing special, this will be upgraded in the coming years as well.

I also have a Musical Fidelity X-CAN V8 headphone amp and Denon AH-D5000 headphones. Amazing rig, but not as much fun as speakers.

I bet it sounds better than it looks

Nice little car amp you've got on the bottom right hand side shelf

I like the Musical Fidelity X-Cans too.

Anyone who can't hear a difference that amplification makes to low pressure audiophile headphones is missing out ... a lot!

Nice to see your set up - thanks for showing. Not sure about your carpet choice tho' lol

Nothing really fancy, just an Audigy 2 card going to some 5.1 Logitech speakers. Good bass for its size, though; when playing Children of the Sun (Billy Thorpe), I can hear it out in the road. I do need to get around to converting my collection to flac, though.

Thank!

Ha! The car was a gift, and it rounds out the missing spot.

Love the X-Can, my first even tube (the preamp portion, at least) device.

Well, the carpet is fine, I had to move the stand when I got the new speakers, and the carpet groove was from 5 years of pressure.

I will probably ditch the stand and get a Salamander at some point.

Oh, while the speakers sound good, the design (and fact I am a dealer) was no small part of the decision. I enjoy just seeing them.