[TSB]

I have a Denon DRA 395 and really like listening to my AKG 701s late at night.  It seem like a lot of people swear by the dedicated amps for their headphones.

I think the phones sound really good right now!  It seem like if I have to run a set of interconnects out of the back of my receiver its just another way to loose sound quality then having it go through an additional amp......will it really be that much better than just using the direct headphone jack on the from of my unit.  After all these are suppose to be easy to drive since they are only a 62 ohm phone?

Currently I have the Audioquest Jaguars going from the CD player to the unit and have a set of their King Cobra's I'd be using from the tape out to get the signal to the amp....

Right now my top pick would the the Channel Island VHP-1 w/ VAC-1 power supply.  If anyone has used this setup or other amps I'd like to hear the comments on possible combinations.

Thanks....

[Frihed91]

A headphone amp connects directly to your source and does NOT go through your receiver so there is NO additional connection and even less distortion.  You connect the headphone amp directly to your CD or DVD player via interconnects. 

Is the sound better?  Yes, for a good headphone amp, it will be better.

Is it worth it?  Only you can decide that.

My experience is that a good tube headphone amp (Mapletree) + the right tubes (still rolling) + an aftermarket headphone cable (moon audio black dragon for 701 with dual connections) make a substantial difference in MY listening enjoyment.

[CSMR]

Not many internal amps in receivers will be very good I don't think. Unfortunately dedicated amps are more expensive than they have to be because it's a small uncompetitive market without mass production. Some people have had some luck with professional stuff (for recorders I mean) but I don't know what's on offer. Certainly the CIAudio amp should be good if you are willing to pay for it. DIYs can be good if you find a good maker.