FM3 headphone out vs headphone amplifier

[snakej200]

I just ordered a pair of Sennheiser HD6xx headphones. They're rated at 300 ohms and I know the fm3 headphone out is rated at 35ohm. I have heard from others that the fm3 drives these particular headphones just fine but I would like to hear from someone who has tried running the headphones from the fm3 but through a dedicated headphone amp? Just curious is it's THAT much better or not really noticeable. For those of you that do use a headphone amp let me know which one!

 

[porieux]

I got the hd6xx recently, they sound great!
Seems to work well with the headphone out of the FM3 but I also ordered an amp to try, and to use with other sources. It’s supposed to arrive in a few days, I can check in and let you know. I ordered a Drop Objective 2 on warehouse clearance amazon for $80, Standard Gain version...

 

[snakej200]

I got the hd6xx recently, they sound great!
Seems to work well with the headphone out of the FM3 but I also ordered an amp to try, and to use with other sources. It’s supposed to arrive in a few days, I can check in and let you know. I ordered a Drop Objective 2 on warehouse clearance amazon for $80, Standard Gain version...

nice def let me know if it's worth getting or if running directly out of the fm3 is the way to go!

 

[porieux]

Cool will do. I also got a longer cable because the one that comes with the hd6xx is ridiculously short.

 

[snakej200]

Cool will do. I also got a longer cable because the one that comes with the hd6xx is ridiculously short.

Which one did you get? Mine should be here by the end of the week I might as well order that now

 

[porieux]

I got this one. Honestly I wish I would have got one just a bit longer but it’s not bad
Amazon product ASIN B07QBY34SK

 

[joakim_suarez]

I hade the hd650 v2 and they work great without any amplification.

 

[snakej200]

I hade the hd650 v2 and they work great without any amplification.

I just tried mine out and with all levels maxed out it’s just barely loud enough- am I missing something here or is that how yours are too?

 

[joakim_suarez]

I just tried mine out and with all levels maxed out it’s just barely loud enough- am I missing something here or is that how yours are too?

Not at all. Are you using out1 knob to change the level?

Mine are 300ohm, yours?

https://m.thomann.de/se/sennheiser_hd_650_new_version_2019.htm

 

[Tonedeaf]

No longer made, but I'll put my Carvin H400 Headphone amp up against any other. If you find one, get it. I have one for my electric rig, acoustic rig and another for my TV.

 

[joelster]

Well... Thanks to this thread I have spent most of my morning going down a Massdrop rabbit hole... I had no idea.

 

[snakej200]

Mine are 300ohm and yes out1 is maxed

 

[TSantaCruz]

I have the same issue. It seems like i have to crank the output 1 to get decent volume. Mine are the HD650 300ohm. I was wondering about using a headphone amp myself. Did you figure out anything?

 

[snakej200]

I have the same issue. It seems like i have to crank the output 1 to get decent volume. Mine are the HD650 300ohm. I was wondering about using a headphone amp myself. Did you figure out anything?

I got the drop o2 headphone and and am running the xlr outputs to the rca inputs on the amp. Big difference- still ear bleeding loud but MUCH better than the fm3 headphone out

 

[rjones5766]

I don't use the built in headphone amp so can't attest to its quality or output voltage/performance. My signal chain is from the FM3 via COAX to an SMSL SU-8 DAC - The DAC sends it's signal to an XLR switcher to my studio monitors (Yamaha HS-7s) and the Drop THX AAA-789 headphone amp. The headphone amp drives a variety of headphones including the Sennheiser HD6xx (which I definitely enjoy) to beyond hearing loss levels without any distortion. A bit of a warning on DAC/Monitors/Headphone Amp/Headphone chains - This is a whole new level of GAS. I personally own at least a half dozen of each component chasing "tone?". Take a look at the reviews at audiosciencereviews.com and find what measures well and is within your budget.

 

[Jarick]

I've got the HD6xx and I can't take any more volume beyond about 10:00 on the device. It sounds just fine to me, and better honestly than my Mackie USB interface.

Out of curiosity last year I bought a standalone headphone amp (Schiit Magni 3+) to see if it was better than the Axe FX 3. I really didn't hear that much difference between the two. I don't think I could tell the difference in a blind test.

As @rjones5766 said the whole headphone/amp/dac/etc can be another crazy rabbit hole. I have a feeling that you need to get beyond the range of $100-200 headphone amps or interfaces to get much improvement from the on-board audio.

And like I said, I have no idea how some people can't get enough volume. You couldn't pay me a million dollars to listen to music for 10 minutes with the level full up on the FM3 with the Sennheiser 300 ohm headphones. It would blow out my ears and double my tinnitus. Maybe some people sense audio levels completely differently than others?

EDIT: I'm going to go through this test with my 6xx headphones and the FM3, and hook up my headphone amp again to see if I can tell the difference. Maybe my ears are completely shot.

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality

 

[Jarick]

Quick follow up:

Well I took the test three times and gave myself 0 points if I guessed 128kbps, 1 point if I guessed 320kbps, and 2 points if I guess the uncompressed WAV file.

With the HD6xx and FM3, I got 4 points out of 12, which is slightly worse than just guessing. With the Magni 3+, I got 6 out of 12, which while a bit better probably isn't meaningful. Honestly I couldn't hear much difference and many of them were just guesses.

Oddly enough, with my Sony XM4 (bluetooth headphones) hooked up through the Magni 3+, I got 8 points out of 12, correctly guessing 4 of 6 songs. This time around I could actually hear a little bit of the difference so it wasn't pure guessing. That might just be the closed backs/noise canceling taking out some background noise.

I'll try again later...I'm supposed to have some Beyer DT770 250 ohm closed back headphones arriving shortly. We'll see if I can pick the difference with those.

 

[CT76]

I have the same issue. It seems like i have to crank the output 1 to get decent volume. Mine are the HD650 300ohm. I was wondering about using a headphone amp myself. Did you figure out anything?

I'm using a cheap pair of Audio-Technicas and out 1 half way is loud, too loud for me and nothing is clipping

 

[Tonedeaf]

No longer made, but I'll put my Carvin H400 Headphone amp up against any other. If you find one, get it. I have one for my electric rig, acoustic rig and another for my TV.

Just want to add that I don't use the Carvin to increase volume. In fact with my Bowers and Wilkens(12ohms) I do the opposite and keep its input level very low. But with two independent stereo inputs, four channels and a aux. in for each channel it's like having a mixer and a headphone amp in one.