Dedicated headphone-amp, necessary?

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paw1

New member
I've heard that, to really get the best out of your headphones, the best thing is to have a dedicated headphone-amp, and especially with higher resistance headphones (which makes sense). However, how important is this?

If you have a good interface, is it really necessary? Will I be able to tell the difference? It's a thing I've been wondering about for some time now.

For example, my interface is a RME Fireface UFX, which I think is a quality piece of equipment. Would a dedicated amp make much of a difference? Will the Fireface lack power with high resistance headphones?

-paw
 
paw1 said:
I've heard that, to really get the best out of your headphones, the best thing is to have a dedicated headphone-amp, and especially with higher resistance headphones (which makes sense). However, how important is this?

If you have a good interface, is it really necessary? Will I be able to tell the difference? It's a thing I've been wondering about for some time now.

For example, my interface is a RME Fireface UFX, which I think is a quality piece of equipment. Would a dedicated amp make much of a difference? Will the Fireface lack power with high resistance headphones?

-paw
Click to expand...

A headphone amp is not necessary if your interface provides this facility.

I use a headphone amp because it gives me multiple headphone outputs that I can send to headphones that performers use while tracking.
 
I have a Presonus output unit (teamed with the Fireface UCX) to give me multiple headphone outs. It also has a single mono button which is useful from time to time and a single mute button to cut the monitors out of the circuit for tracking. So I have one because it makes it easier, not because it's necessary...
 
I have a HeadRoom amp that I like a lot, but it's more because I'm a slight audiophile with a large vinyl collection and a love of headphones than for the studio.
It does sound better but really ........ most of the time in the studio I just use the mixers phone out. If I'm doing really critical listening I'll turn it on but otherwise I don't. And most of the time I'm using my monitors anyway.
Are they loud enough with your interface? If so I wouldn't sweat it.


Are you forced to mix or choose sometimes to mix on cans? Then I'd get a good amp ....... but that really applies to almost no one here.
And if you do mix on cans .... be prepared to be rebuked! :D
 
First of all, it depends on what headphones you are using. Are they high-end?

I used to have the UFX and the Beyerdynamic T1 headphones paired with a Beyerdynamic A1 headphone amplifier. I can honestly tell you I didn't hear much (if any) difference between the headphone out on the UFX and the A1. Maaayyybe a little tighter bass with the amp, but it was probably just because I wanted it to sound better (i.e. placebo).

The UFX headphone amp is supposed to be really, really good, so I wouldn't bother getting an external amp.
 
Really useful replies!

The headphones I use are Beyerdynamic DT880 pro and Sennheiser HD650. There is no lack of volume to tell you that! I was more concerned with the tone-aspect (although I have NO complaints about the sound my interface delivers), and really just curious about the whole dedicated headphone-amp thing and its usefulness. I can see the advantages of having dedicated controls for headphones though.

-paw
 
paw1 said:
Sennheiser HD650.
Click to expand...
I have those ... great 'phones.

And I frequently mix on cans outta choice ..... I'm famous around here for disagreeing with the truism that you can't mix on cans .......... but I've been doing this for over 45 years so I do have experience.
The headroom 'phone amps have a crossfeed circuit that simulates what you would hear if you were listening to speakers and my cans sounds very much like my monitors including in the bass and spatial presentation ..... my mixes on monitors and on cans sound virtually identical so I feel it's true that you can't mix on cans as long as you have good ones and some experience.
 
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