Portaphile?

Mr ProgFreak wrote: The interesting question IMO is: What "can size" is required for a superb listening experience? I see no reason why in-ear headphones couldn't do the trick. Instead of first getting huge (expensive) speakers and then looking for an expensive mobile amp to power them, why not spend some money on some high quality  in-ear headphones which an iPhone or ZuneHD can easily power efficiently. There are many high-end options there, with manufacturers like Bose, Shure, Sennheiser, Klipsch, Monster, Etymotic etc..

Reducing HP output power does increase battery life, but I suspect it's something to do with the 1996 French law (proposed EU law) to limit mp3 players to 100dB (or 80dB as proposed) - rather than make one for each market, they are building to the lowest volume standard for everyone.

[QUOTE=oliverstoned]My last word - as i said

Actually in-ear HP may do the trick (only in portable, at home you can do a lot better), but to get good bass from in ear headphones it is CRITICAL that you have a tight ear-tip seal in your ear canal.
And that's why your ear doesn't "breathe" well and it can be quite
uncomfortable, as you get a sensation of excessive moisture;
At least that's what i experienced.

The good side of the Ipod coming is the explosion of the HP market (as well as the HP amp market in the USA mainly). So now there are a lot of new HP models and some are great for portable use.

Besides the Headfi forum, I can advice the following website, which is actually the Headroom shop
Their HP reviews are quite trustable, but the best is to listen prior to buying:

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/[/QUOTE]

Dean wrote: oliverstoned wrote: The good side of the Ipod coming is the explosion of the HP market (as well as the HP amp market in the USA mainly). So now there are a lot of new HP models and some are great for portable use. http://www.headphone.com/headphones/ What I am finding a little frustrating is the complete lack of technical specifications available on all these headphone amps. I know it's all about how loud they are when driving your favourite headphones, but without actual numbers it is very difficult to judge how loud these are likely to be, or even if they stand any chance of being louder than a bog-standard iPlod or Zune or whatever. Those with rechargable lithium batteries or 3 or 4 AAA cells a HP amp cannot produce a voltage swing capable of producing better than a standard portable mp3 player with the same batteries driving the same headphones - namely somewhere between 100mW and 150mW. The Headroom Airhead can potentially produce twice that much power (I'm guessing - HeadRoom don't specify the output power, but 4 AAA cells can potentially produce a pk-pk signal of a little under 6 volts, which equates to 300mW into 16 ohms) - but twice the power is only a 3dB increase. As I stated earlier, the Emmeline Shadow can potentially supply 1W into 16ohms, but again, they don't actually state that, it is my deduction based upon it being powered by 4 lithium batteries.   What is still evident is that all the HD amps I've looked at for less than $150 are not going to give a loudness improvement over a standard iPod.           nb: the "European" power restriction in the iPod is limited by software, not hardware - there are patches to restore the volume level to maximum.

^ Does anybody have a clue about anything in the world today??

10-4

I do agree that in ear HP work as long as you are not disturbed by the potential discomfort.

I had the Etymotic research ER4P (good brand), at the time i was driving it with a good RSA Hornet amp: it has great highs (musical and detailed), but even tightly sealed, it was cruely lacking lows.
And when you lack low, you lack dynamic and "image" (soundstage, "3D effect")

But i know some other in-ear do low but often on more expensive models.


I tried many HP for portable use until the end of my quest: Senn HD25




It has the following qualities:

- Affordable price: 150€

- Sturdy design, very important for portable use and durability.

- Good efficiency, making it possible for use without amp if the source is powerful enough and making it greatly enhanced by good portable amp.

- Musically, it's neutral ( a great quality because mots HPs, especially affordable ones suffer from a more or less colored sound which "eats" some of your music) and musical (but it's downgraded by the nasty steel cable provided with some versions, replace it by the cooper cable provided with the Senn 6XX), it's almost like a smaller version of the 600, all musical proportions kept.
I've been to a shop with my full system and compare it to several HPs of the same price league :
some Grados (sound colored and muffled besides but would need a AC powered home amp ), the Denon denon AHD 2000 (disapointed by light lows and lack of neutrality) and few others. I couldn't find better.

- Excellent isolation without any "active" system downgrading the sound.




- It's comfortable an holds well on the head. (BTW it's important to precise that on this kind of earpad/fullsize HPs, the HP's arch must be placed slightly in front of the head and not behind like most youngsters do. It makes the earpads tightly sealed on the ears and make a huge difference in term of lows and so on dynamic, image, etc...same principle than with in-ear HP).
It's also much easier to remove than a tighly sealed in-ear with which you may feel "prisoner" because once it's inserted in your ear-canal, it's complicated to remove.

-The HP cable is replacable, option that you don't find on many HP. Moreover, many cable manufacturers designed custom cables for HD6XX versions such as Cardas, ALO Audio, Stefanaudio, Moon audio and many others.

"Headroom review:

Sennheiser HD 25-1-II
A legend in studio recording and pro audio circles, the HD25-1-II is Sennheiser's best sealed
headphone offering solid isolation and a clean, full tone. The unique headband found on this
closed-back 'on-ear' can is perfect for active listening since the design splits to form a 'hat-like'
brim in front & in back of the head, providing an extremely stable, comfortable fit.
Producers and DJs need the swiveling on-ear cushions which rotate away for one-ear mono
mixing. Sound quality is absolutely terrific with powerful impact, solid bass, and clear
musical detail resolution."

Specs:
Sensitivity: 120 dB/V
Manufacturer Warranty: 2 Years
Warranty: 2 Years
Cord Length: 4.5 ft.
Microphone: No
Detachable Cable: Yes
Weight: 140 g.
Connector Type: 1/8" with 1/4" adaptor
Driver Type: Dynamic
Cord Type: Straight Right-Side
Coupler Size: Medium
Isolation: -10dB
Ear Coupler Type: Earpad
Impedance @ 1kHz: 70
Wireless: No
Headphone Type: Earpad
Noise Cancelling: No
Acoustic Seal: Closed




IMO, a good portable system is a great luxury (that doesn't replace a good home setup)
for outdoor listening (i enjoy it a lot in the summer sitting in the garden or while gardening)
and great for holidays making it a decent musical source when you're far away from your system
and your precious records.












Edited by oliverstoned - February 25 2011 at 06:48

I'd say RSA Mustang P51 or Headamp Pico. There are currently among the best and are very small!

Oliver,
so how does the pico compare to the mustang? I know the pico's come in all sorts of colors too, which should be fun, but whats good quality for the money? Need something to make those Krautrock songs shine through my Grado SR80

Zune120 + mini3 + Senn HD25 mostly.